Murder by Twilight
Blythe Baker
Copyright © 2020 by Blythe Baker
All rights reserved.
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Contents
Description:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
About the Author
When Alice Beckingham answers an urgent summons to her sister’s home in Yorkshire, she has no idea what dangers are in store for her. From the moment she crosses the threshold, she is enveloped in the same sinister shadows that seem to lie like a mist over the surrounding moorlands.
Determined to discover who is behind an attempt on her sister’s life, Alice soon finds herself doubting everyone around her, even her most reliable allies. Without her clever cousin Rose or the protective Sherborne Sharp on hand, can Alice put together the pieces of the haunting puzzle in time to save those dearest to her?
1
Shivering, I pulled my coat around my ears and tucked my hands inside the deep pockets, my suitcase wedged between my feet.
Wind whipped through the train platform, seemingly gaining speed as it went, and I felt ill-prepared. I was accustomed to a far-reached cityscape blocking the harshest winds, but Batley in West Yorkshire could not even be compared in size to London, and the wintry winds sliced through the town and my stockings. I shivered and hoped my ride would arrive soon. I was anxious to see my sister.
Alice. Come to Yorkshire immediately. Speak to no one. The matter is urgent.
Catherine’s telegram was tucked into my case, and I did not need to pull it out and read it to know what it said. I’d read it countless times on the ship, to the point of memorization. I couldn’t get the words out of my mind, and I could not push aside the fear that something sinister was happening at my sister’s home.
Aunt Sarah had been disappointed to see me leave New York so soon after arriving, but she understood I needed to be there for Catherine, whatever she was going through. I packed my things and asked a member of Aunt Sarah’s staff to send a return telegram, assuring Catherine I would be there as soon as I could. I left on a ship the next day.
Aunt Sarah’s position had helped me acquire a last-minute ticket and a private cabin where I spent most of the journey. Enduring polite conversation with the other passengers on board and sitting through stuffy dinners left me jittery and unfocused. I couldn’t pretend things were normal and as they always had been because I did not know that for certain. After losing one sibling, the fear that it could happen again gripped me. Whatever was troubling my sister, she was in distress, and I wanted to be with her as soon as I could.
Catherine had instructed me to say nothing to anyone, but failing to tell my plans to our mother and father once I arrived back in London would have caused them alarm. So, I paid them a brief visit, staying only one night, before making an excuse for setting out on another journey.
“You’ll make yourself ill with all this travel,” Mama had said. “Please, Alice. Stay. We will all journey together to visit Catherine and the baby in a week or two.”
“I cannot be away from town right now,” Papa argued. He waved me on. “Do as you wish, Alice. One day, all of this travel will tire you, but right now, you are young. Enjoy it.”
Mama was angry with Papa the rest of the evening for not forcing me to stay, but still, they both escorted me to the train station the next morning and saw me off with hugs, smiles, and a promise to kiss their new granddaughter for them.
As I’d boarded the train, I had turned and studied the crowd for any sign of Sherborne Sharp, though I didn’t understand why I bothered. There was no way he could have known I was in town, and even if he did, he wouldn’t have come to visit me. After reading his rather revealing letter, I’d received Catherine’s telegram and forgotten to respond to him. Truly, I hadn’t thought of his letter again until the ship made port in London.
Once I’d explained my plans to my parents and been cleared to head immediately to Yorkshire, I excused myself to rest and rushed off to my room where I scribbled out a hasty response.
Sherborne,
First, you’ll be pleased to know The Chess Master has been dealt with and disposed of. Just as you did not apologize for warning me to stay away from him, I will not apologize for going after him without your approval. Yes, the mission was dangerous, but it did a great deal of good for a great many people. I have no regrets.
Second, you’ll also be pleased to know…I missed you too.
Your friendship is important to me, and I hope I haven’t put it in danger by staying silent for several weeks. Something came up and my attention was pulled elsewhere.
I hope to make your life more interesting again soon.
Yours,
Alice
By the time my letter was likely delivered, the train had departed for Batley in Yorkshire, and I was gone on another adventure.
I hoped I would hear from Sherborne again soon.
I would not leave Yorkshire until I felt certain Catherine and her family were safe, but I couldn’t help but hope everything would be resolved quickly; to hope that Catherine’s letter had been more dramatic than the situation called for, and I would be on my way back to London shortly. Because although I’d assured my mother I was not weary in the slightest, so many weeks of nonstop travel, excitement, and
