Down, down, down.
It shuddered to a halt several seconds later, then tipped sideways, forcing Edgar to step off. He tore off his blindfold and spat out the wad of material in his mouth. But there was hardly anything to see, of course, even as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Only a shallow pool of light spilling through the hole from which he’d been lowered and the gray shadow of the platform as it was pulled upward and away. There was loud clang as the platform reached the ceiling and sealed the hole, and with it the last snatch of light was extinguished.
Edgar shivered as he stared into the utter blackness—trying to control the rising terror inside him. If he strained his ears, he could just make out the writhing groans of his two accomplices as they came to terms with their own private hells next door. They wouldn’t last more than a week down here, neither of them. And although Edgar feared the eternal misery of the Holding Chambers as much as anyone, in a way he’d prepared for this. He’d find a plan B. How ever long it took.
* * *
Acknowledgments
This book would not exist without my agent, Hayley Steed. You saw potential in what was certainly a rough, unready manuscript and had faith in my ideas and imagination even more than I did. For that, and your eternal enthusiasm, I am so grateful.
Similarly, I am so thankful to everyone at the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency for their professionalism and efficiency.
To my American editor, cheerleader and story-alchemist, Laura Brown. Thank you for all the laborious hours you spent helping me shape, hone and elevate this book to a level I would never have managed alone. You are a dream to work with and I’m so thrilled to have someone of your calibre in my corner.
On that note, thank you to everyone at Park Row Books for believing in me and this story. Particularly, I’m so grateful to Erika Imranyi, Loriana Sacilotto, Heather Connor, Emer Flounders, Randy Chan, Rachel Haller and Punam Patel for their collective effort in marketing, publicity and production. And a huge thank you to Kathleen Oudit for my brilliant cover.
This book has also been vastly improved by my British editor, Katie Brown, whose insight, sharp eye and editing prowess truly astound me. Though our time together was short, I couldn’t have done this without you.
Mom, thank you for introducing me to the world of literature and language, for teaching me how to read and write, for your early proof-reads and grammar checks on this book, and most importantly, for your love and support.
Dad, you and your eccentric imagination were without doubt the inspiration for this novel’s many bizarre gadgets. I will never forget the buttered-bread-cat turbine we discussed in depth all those years ago; perhaps that’s where it started.
Ben, when I was imagining what particular skill set Marion Lane should have, I immediately thought of you and your love for mechanics and repair. I think it makes you both so cool.
To my dearest friends: Tarryn, Savannah, Derusha, Jade, Beverley, Carin and Natalia—my fellow apprentices in this tricky world—thank you for your undiluted encouragement, even though I’m sure you thought that suspending my chiropractic career to write a novel was probably a bit nuts.
Connie, Wildrie, Hildegard, Ric and Angie, thank you for welcoming me into your lovely family so completely and unconditionally.
Willie, you have been there through the best and worst of this writing journey and have cheered me on all the way. You never had a doubt my book would be published, even before you’d read it. Thank you. I love you.
Finally, to the majestic cities and their vibrant underworlds which inspired this tale, London and Valletta, this story is yours.
ISBN-13: 9781488073892
Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder
Copyright © 2020 by Tessa Gukelberger
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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