Page 1 of Betrayal from Beyond
Prologue
Kingston upon Thames
“Back so soon,miss?” Mr. Norrey gave her a nod.
Miss Katherine Prentice blinked at the owner of Kingston Larder and Goods. “Yes. The weeks do seem to pass quickly, don’t they?” Moving quietly through the shop, she selected a jar of treacle, a tin of tea, and a sack of dried currants. She hovered over the rack of chapbooks, but reluctantly moved on and took her purchases to the counter.
Mr. Norrey began to pack them into a basket with brisk efficiency. “Going out into the market today, miss? Shall I have this sent out to your cottage along with the goods you picked out this morning?”
Katherine froze. Swallowed. “Yes, of course,” she said faintly. “Thank you.”
“Enjoy the market, miss,” he said cheerfully. “Be sure to stop by Mrs. Hayview’s. My nose tells me she’s got her famous ginger cake available today.”
“How lovely.”
The shopkeeper handed over her items and took her payment in exchange. As she was turning away, he looked up suddenly.
“Oh! Will you be wanting to pay for this morning’s goods now as well, miss?”
A shudder of dread made its way up her spine. “I… Uh… I… No, thank you. Not now.”
Katherine dashed out of the shop, but did not set out to explore the market as she had meant to. Instead, she headed back the way she’d come, back to the little stone cottage that had become her retreat.
The man’s comments—could they mean what she feared they did? She’d been later than usual with her shopping this morning because she kept pausing, losing track of what she was doing. Something felt…off. She kept looking over her shoulder, expecting to find someone there.
The loud bustle of the busy village faded as she hurried along the river path. The Thames grew narrow through here. It rushed by, swollen from all the recent rains. There was only a bit of birdsong to compete with the noise of the current, moving fast and full. The air was crisp, but the sun shone bright.
All in all, it was too light and cheerful to match the shadow that had settled over her.
Had it come at last? The day she’d feared and waited for?
She spotted the evergreen shrubbery and bare branches and shoots of her mother’s garden ahead as she rounded a curve in the path. She’d spent the last weeks cleaning the winter debris, readying the garden for spring and summer. The little plot had been her mother’s pride and joy. Katherine had made it a habit to come here at this time of year to remember, to care for the garden her mother had loved, and to honor her memory.
The bank leading down to the river was steep at this spot, and it gave out into deep water. Over the years, the path alongside had veered away from the water. The vantage on the turn allowed her a better view of the cottage—and she noticed suddenly that the door stood open.
Her steps slowed. Her heart began to pound. She knew she had closed that door.
The little stone house had been an oasis, a place of comfort and rejuvenation. Now the open doorway beckoned her like the empty, hungry maw of a restless spirit.
A chill crept up her spine. Something was not right. The eerie feeling returned. She started forward again, moving slowly.
But—no. She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t go in. She considered turning, running back to the village, but she decided to speed up instead. To go past the cottage as if she were in no way connected to it. She kept her gaze forward and her head high. She was moving quickly when she heard a noise behind her.
She turned—and gasped as she discovered the ghost standing directly behind her. Perhaps it was the wrong word, but it felt right. It was the living representation of what might have been.
“Good morning,” it said brightly. “You have yourself a charming little place here, don’t you?”
Not a ghost at all, perhaps. A trickster.Enemy,her heart whispered. It recognized the guile, the threat that lived behind those familiar eyes.
“You should have come to me. Back then, when I invited you.” The figure spoke in flat, disapproving tones.
“I did come.” She frowned. “I mixed in with the crowd. I listened. I saw you.”
A hint of respect showed. “I never knew you were there.”
Katherine shook her head. “It was too much hate for me. Too much vitriol. All of you—you had plans to tear everything down, but no word or whisper for how you meant to build it back up.” Her nose wrinkled in distaste. “I could see it. You meant only to stir up trouble. To get your revenge, and to line your pockets along the way. That’s no way to live.”
“No way to live,” the trickster echoed her before turning away to contemplate the water rushing by. “You grew up in the city, right on the river. What was that like?”
