Page 61 of In the Shadows

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prey. They ducked behind a shrub, peering through the branches.

Mary and her friend were outside a small, expensive teahouse Cora

had never visited.

“There you are,” said a man — Alden! — joining them.

“Constance, you are as lovely as a dream. And, Mary, pet, how

wonderful to see you again after all these years.” He leaned for-

ward and Cora could have sworn Mary hissed at him.

When all three had disappeared into the teahouse, Cora and

Thomas briefly whispered about whether to follow them in, but

decided it couldn’t be done unobserved. They walked quickly back

in the direction of home.

“Isn’t that the man staying at the boardinghouse?” Thomas

asked.

“It is.” Cora frowned, fighting back a shudder. “I don’t like

him. I think he was waiting for me the other day, in our hall where

he had no business to be.”

“I don’t like any of them. And it can’t be a coincidence that

they know each other. That woman — Constance — showing up

here after I heard her threatening my father? Alden staying at the

boardinghouse with us? And then that crazy witch.”

“She couldn’t have known we’d be at her house, though,” Cora

said, trying to puzzle it out.

“She could have, if Alden watched us leave and then ran ahead

and told her.”

“But why would they be watching us?”

Thomas scowled and kicked at a stone as they left the sidewalk

for the dirt lane to the house. “My father is wealthy. Very wealthy.

The way he was talking that night — he was scared. He’s not a

man who gets scared. Maybe he sent us away so we’d be safe from

that woman, but now she’s followed us here!”

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