Jie grunted. “Well, if you change your mind about staying, you come find us, yeah?”
“How will I know where you are?”
“I’ll write to you. Every city we visit, I’ll send you a letter.”
A grin tugged at my lips. “All right.”
Jie slid off the bed. “I should go now. There’s a big reward out for me.” She smiled, her eyes gleaming with wicked pleasure. “Besides, I still gotta let Daniel in.”
“Huh?”
“He’s at the front door.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s too clumsy to climb trees, yeah?” She gave me a quick hug. “See you around, Eleanor.” Then she scampered silently through the room and disappeared into the hall.
Brittle minutes passed, and my heart started banging uncomfortably. After a few days in bed, all my anger at Daniel’s rejection had faded into a tender regret.
He appeared in the doorway, a shadowy figure. He crept toward my bed, and once he reached my side, he gazed down at me for several moments. His eyes ran over my lacerated arms, flicked to my bandaged stump, and then paused at my face.
“Can I sit?” he whispered, waving to the bed.
“Yes, of course.”
He perched on the edge. Then he tugged off his cap and squeezed it in his hands. “I wanted to say good-bye … and tell you sorry.”
“For what?”
“For everything. Your brother, your hand, me …” He swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “When you first came to our lab, I thought you were a snobby princess who only cared about herself. Just the sort of person I hate.”
I bit the inside of my mouth, trying to keep the thirsty ache away. “A-and now?”
“Now …” He shook his head and gazed at his cap. “Well, you’re none of that. I was wrong. You’re an empress with grit and brains, and I wish …”
“What?” My voice was so low it could barely be heard. “You wish what?”
“That we could have helped you more.”
My breath shot out. Silly, Eleanor—what had I thought he would say? That he wished we could be together? What a ninny I was. And yet, despite my best attempts to stifle it, the hollowness was still strong inside.
I forced a soft chuckle. “You saved my life—the three of you saved me over and over again. There was nothing more you could have done.”
“Maybe.” His gaze lingered on my bandaged wrist, and he dipped his head toward it. “There are, uh, ways to make fake hands, you know … mechanical ones.”
I tilted my head to one side. “Are you offering?”
“I can always try.” He shrugged one shoulder, his cheeks reddening, and he picked at a threadbare spot on his cap. At last, he cleared his throat. “Well, um, that’s all I wanted to say. I don’t want you to think that just ’cause everything seems bad that it is.” He rubbed his knees and glanced at me. “I should go now.”
My lips went dry, and without thinking I leaned forward and gripped his sleeve. “Wait.”
He kept his eyes locked on mine. Their emerald sheen was invisible in the dark.
“Daniel … you don’t … or, that is to say, you’re not …” I licked my lips and gulped. “You’re not in love with me, are you.” I spoke it as a statement and tried to ignore my pounding heart.
He twisted his head away. “It’s not that simple.”
“It’s a yes or no.” I pulled back my hand.
“Then …” He set his cap on his head. “Then no. No, I’m not.”
My stomach clenched painfully. But it was all right; it would be all right. Better to know than to wonder.
He rose and gave me a final stare. “Please, Empress, take care of yourself. I won’t be here to rescue you.”
I let a weak grin pass over my lips. I refused to let him see how heartsick I was at his words. “Of course. I’ll be careful. Best of luck to you, Mr. Sheridan.”
He winced at the name. His mouth bobbed, and he inhaled as if to speak, but then he shook his head and pressed his lips tightly together.
He doffed his hat. “Take care, Empress.” Then he tiptoed from the room.
Once he was out of sight, I eased myself from the bed. I hadn’t walked in several days without someone assisting me, but I managed to stumble to the window and lean out. I wanted to see the Spirit-Hunters go.
Daniel and Jie soon scurried from the front door beneath me. They hit the grass and jogged over the yard toward the road—toward Market Street. Below a streetlamp I could see a poised, top-hatted figure. I was glad Joseph was back to his usual elegance, though I was certain he bore permanent scars too.
Just before Jie and Daniel reached the street, Daniel stopped. He twirled around and gazed up at me, as if he had sensed my eyes on his back. He strode a few steps toward me, paused, and then strode two more.
He slung off his cap and pressed it to his chest. Then, with the casual grace that marked all of his movements, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head.
He was declaring fealty to his empress.
I laughed—I couldn’t help it. The absurdity of it all. The bittersweet sting. When he lifted back up, I saw he too wore a smile. He waved with his cap, and after flopping it back on his head, he swiveled and trotted to the street. Then, without another look back, the Spirit-Hunters left.
I limped to my bed, exhausted from my standing stint. I wanted to leave this hospital soon, but I needed more time to recover. Eventually, I would be out. Mama needed me, and I had a new life to create. New dreams to dream. A left hand to learn to use.
I would see the Spirit-Hunters again. I was certain of it. There was an enormous world out there, filled with Josephs and Jies and Daniels—and I wanted to see it and to meet them. I wanted to experience everything.
Mama had been right. Wounds would heal, grief would pass, but a reputation could never be recovered—and in my case, nor could innocence. But that was perfectly fine.
“The fault is not in our stars,” I whispered to the ceiling. “But in ourselves. This was my choice.”
I drifted into a healing sleep and dreamed of Elijah’s smile.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost I have to thank my amazing husband, Sébastien. Without you, Seb, none of this could have happened—not the writing, not the ideas, and certainly not the dirty dishes.
A gigantic thanks to my mom for saying ridiculous things like “get ’er done” and to my dad for encouraging me to connect with other writers. You guys always told me to follow my dreams, and guess what? I did, and it’s amazing.
I owe so much to my wonderful agents, Sara Kendall and Joanna Volpe. You two understood Eleanor and the Spirit-Hunters from the get-go, and you found the perfect home for her adventures. All the cupcakes and Zelda games in the world aren’t enough to pay you back.
Additionally, I am forever grateful to Karen Chaplin and Maria Gomez. Your red pens honed this novel into a finely tuned tale, and I couldn’t have asked for better, more supportive editors—or a better editorial team at HarperCollins. I’m honestly thrilled I have two more books for you all to tweak (or more likely, shred).
Special thanks to Katharine Brauer, Holly Dodson, Sarah J. Maas, Meredith McCardle Primeau, and Jennifer Dennard for reading this book in all its various stages of development. You ladies literally made the story what it is today. And to the gals at Let the Words Flow: Thank you for taking me into your ranks and under your wings. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of writing friends!
And finally to Asimov, my Irish setter: I’m sorry for making you sit in my office all day long, buddy. You’ll get more walks once I finish this series … maybe.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan Dennard is a writer turned marine biologist turned writer again. SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY is her debut novel. Among the traits she shares with her heroine Eleanor are a weakness for Shakespeare quotes, a healthy appetite for baked goods, and an insatiable curiosity. Sadly, Susan does not get to wear a corset or wave a parasol on a daily basis. You can visit her online at www.susandennard
.com or follow her on Twitter@stdennard.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
CREDITS
Cover photograph of girl © 2012 by Monica Stevenson
Cover photograph of tree and texture © 2012 by Getty Images
Cover design by Cara E. Petrus
COPYRIGHT
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY
Copyright © 2012 by Susan Dennard
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dennard, Susan.
Something strange and deadly / Susan Dennard.
p. cm.
Summary: “In an alternate nineteenth-century Philadelphia, Eleanor Fitt sets out to rescue her brother, who seems to have been captured by an evil necromancer in control of an army of Undead”—Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-0-06-208326-5
EPub Edition © MAY 2012 ISBN: 9780062083289
Version 09062013
[1. Brothers and sisters—Fiction. 2. Dead—Fiction. 3. Magic—fiction. 4. Philadelphia (Pa.)—History—19th century—Fiction. 5. Horror stories.] I. Title.
PZ7.D42492Som 2012
2011042114
[Fic]—dc23
CIP
AC
* * *
12 13 14 15 16 LP/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
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