Think of the smell of the soil.
Think of the way the grass prickled your hands.
The rush, the fall, never came. Again and again, I tried. Each time I opened my eyes, I found myself staring into a barren fireplace in an empty townhouse. At least, Ihopedit was empty. What if the staff were still here? What if someone found me?
I crawled to the settee and curled up behind it, listening for signs of life. What was I supposed to do now? I couldn’t very well go outside and have someone recognize me when I’d died over a year ago. My heart pounded against my ribs. Where had all the air gone? I gulped breath after breath, but the pressure in my chest refused to ease.
I squeezed my eyes shut and massaged my temples, willing my racing heart to slow. The air was all around me, right where it had always been. I needed to calm down. Keep a level head. Focus.
I needed a disguise.
Keelynn had lived here when she’d been married to Rían.
I meantEdward. Keelynn had been married to Edward DeWarn, the faux Vellanian Ambassador, not my Rían.
My Rían. Was he even mine anymore?
When I told him to leave, I thought he’d last a week, maybe two. But months had come and gone, and he hadn’t given in to jealousy or temptation. Perhaps the thought of being with me no longer tempted him. Perhaps he finally realized I wasn’t worth all the hassle and had found someone else to occupy his time. Someone the Queen would approve of. Someone he could love without constant threat.
Tadhg and Ruairi would’ve told me if he had moved on. Wouldn’t they? They’d been going behind Rían’s back to help me train; their loyalty was clearly with me.
Wasn’t it?
Such disheartening thoughts would do me no favors right now, so I shoved them aside. First, a disguise, and then a plan to return to Hollowshade. I crept out from behind the settee, through the parlor, and into the empty hallway. The stairs creaked as I tiptoed up to the bedrooms to search for something to wear. Behind the first door, cinnamon-laced air tickled my tongue. This must’ve been Rían’s room. The fine waistcoats in the armoire confirmed it.
Down the hall, I found a room filled with dresses from when I’d gone shopping for my trousseau and purchased gowns for Keelynn instead. There wasn’t a hope of me fitting into her dresses, but I did find a soft green velvet cloak that should do the trick.
I draped the cloak around my shoulders and tucked my hair beneath the fur-lined hood. If I kept my head down, maybe I’d make it out of town. And then what? Hollowshade was on the other side of the bloody country. Getting there would take weeks, and I had no money to hire a horse or pay for lodging along the way.
Talk about a disaster.
I stalked toward the window, searching desperately for a way out of my predicament. A handful of men and women lingered in the square. Thankfully, no bodies hung from the gallows today. My gaze strayed to the sign swinging over the shop next door.That’s it.
Dame Meranda had gotten a message to Rían once before. If there was one person in this town I could rely on for help, it was her.
I descended the stairs and crossed through the hallway to the kitchen’s back door, emerging into a garden the size of a postage stamp, overgrown with thistles and weeds. I slipped down the alley and up the stairs to Meranda’s shop. The bell over the door welcomed me with a joyful jingle. To my dismay, four other women milled around inside.
Sinking deeper into the cloak, I bowed my head and pretended to consider the ivory muslin on a nearby table. Behind the counter, Meranda wrapped a stack of garments in brown paper before slipping them into a bag. Slowly, I made my way through the cluttered tables and dress forms to the changing area at the back. Each time a customer left, the bell chimed.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
I was about to turn when the icy kiss of a sharp blade pressed against my throat.
“Tell me yer name, witch, or I’ll cut ye from ear to ear,” Meranda hissed against my temple.
“A-Aveen Bannon,” I choked, my heart in my throat.
The pressure eased a fraction before dropping entirely. Meranda caught my shoulders and twirled me toward her. Her eyes widened as she peered beneath my hood. “Bloody hell, woman.” Her arms came around me in a fierce hug, setting me off-kilter. “I thought for certain ye were a witch.”
“No. Just me.”
“What’re ye doing here?”