Contents (57)
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- Also by Sharon Gosling
There was a brief and somewhat stunned silence.
‘Hang on,’ Ezra said, incredulous, ‘you said she was trouble.’
‘I’m sure she is.’
‘You said—’
‘Oh, do stop your mouth flapping, Ezra, it’s creating a wind.’
‘Edie,’ Rachel said, ‘Ezra is right, you’ve been suspicious of her right from the beginning. How did you two end up as friends?’
‘We’re not friends,’ Edie said. ‘She’s a student. She wants to learn, that’s all.’
It seemed that was all the explanation they were going to get.
‘How is she?’ Toby asked. ‘I was worried for her after the last time I saw her in the pub. She didn’t seem to want my help, though.’
‘Mouthy, belligerent, very fond of cake,’ Edie told him. ‘And she could do with a long bath.’
‘I meant as a student.’
Edie picked up her glass again. ‘Not bad. A quick learner, at least. I’m sure she could cope with this place.’ The artist followed this with an impatient sigh. ‘Anyway, I can ask her tomorrow, if you like.’
‘Yes,’ Rachel said. ‘Do. Tell her to come up and have a chat. Thanks, Edie. It really is a good idea.’
There was a brief silence, in which Edie looked up to find Ezra staring at her. ‘What?’
‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘Just surprised to find evidence of a beating heart under all that solid granite, that’s all.’
‘Ezra,’ Edie replied with full venom. ‘What is it the kids say these days? Oh, yes: Bite me.’
The day faded on into evening. When it was finally time for even the regulars to leave, Rachel surprised Toby by quietly asking him to stay.
‘Please,’ she said. ‘Can you spare a few minutes? I need to talk to you about something.’
Fifteen
Rachel’s encounter with Dora McCreedy the night before and the solicitor’s news meant that she felt she had to tell Alan Crosswick about the camera obscura. As unpleasant a reminder as the encounter had been, Dora was right, after all. The James MacDonald Tower did not belong to Rachel. It never had and it never would. Its secrets were not hers to keep, especially since, though she had spent days poring over everything she had found in the camera obscura room, Rachel was no closer to piecing together the story held beneath its dome.
‘I’m sorry,’ Crosswick said, after imparting the information he had to tell her. ‘I know this will all rather bring home to you the situation, and talking to you at Mr MacDonald’s funeral is perhaps not the greatest of circumstances, but I thought it best to tell you as soon as I could. None of it means anything at the moment, of course, and I’ll keep you in the loop as best I can.’
‘Thank you, Mr Crosswick—’
‘Alan.’
‘Yes. Alan,’ Rachel took a breath, trying to sort out where to begin. ‘There’s something I need to tell you – well, something I need to show you, really. Something I’ve found that you need to know about.’