Emmeline’s parents do not acknowledge him as their kin, but they have allowed him to stay. For that I am grateful. I suspect they have not forgiven him for being the cause of his mother’s death. I am sorry to be the one to break the news to you.
No. My head dropped as I crumpled the papers in my fist. Resting my elbows on my knees, my shoulders shook as I broke into sobs. I’d thought I’d known what it was to have my heart crushed. News of her death pulverised any remains left in my chest cavity. I had comforted myself, believing that she was with her family, living a charmed life. I had dreamed that she was happy witnessing Miss Modesty’s foal grow to an adult. I’d fantasized that her parents had changed their minds about the earl. That she had been spared from a life with the insufferable ratbag. That bit I had right, at least.
I had never imagined this.
A world without her in it was unimaginable.
To finish reading his letter would be an impossibility. I slid off the chair and stumbled for the exit, collapsing in the alleyway between buildings. My elbow captured my guttural cries of agony as I flicked through all the possibilities of the life we could have had. A blessing that was never meant for me. I sobbed until I had nothing left and for many hours beyond. I lay in my filth, my tongue as dry as the autumn leaves. I stayed there, unable to do much more than breathe and acknowledge the movement of the shadows across the wooden cladding as the sun tracked through the sky, once, twice.
I wanted the sun to take me as it sank below the horizon.
Wherever the sun was, that was where I would find my Emmeline.
We would be together again.
I finished it! Thank you so much to my beautiful readers. You keep me going when I’m not sure I have it in me. Your faith is fuel for my tired imagination, painting my sketchy character outlines into bold colour and pulling their 2D frames from my mind and into vivid life. Big hugs to you all. Thank you for the feedback—it helps me more than you know. I’m so thankful to have shared something from my vulnerable insides and have you embrace it as your own. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
To my reader group, JM’s Gems—you are definitely a highlight in my life. You’re all such strong, inspiring people in your own right and have been so welcoming and tolerant of my weirdness. Thanks for being weirdos with me. ;P
Special mention goes out to Kat—fellow misfit and blurb/cover critic. Plus, repeated signing assistant. I’m so damn lucky that you put up with my distracted, stressed, weird self. Thanks for coming along on so many adventures. Some of them questionable, but whatevs. Keep livin’ large!
Jane! Thanks for bringing Vicky into my life. Thanks for the writing crawls and the chai teas. Thanks for the vines in my hair and the chicken on a spring. That poor chicken. No thanks for the internet dating. O.o
Vicky—master juggler. Thanks for pimping the heck out of my books. Thanks for taking the strain off my back. Thanks for laughing at my lame jokes. Thanks for keeping in touch, because we know I’m shit at doing that. Just, thank you!
Lauren and Anna—the CREATING ink ladies. I love working with you! Thank you for all the smiley faces when you tell me off. Lol. #repetitionandfiltersforthewin
In all seriousness, thank you for being so encouraging and understanding. And tolerant. Let’s not forget that. You see the things that I don’t, and I’m forever grateful for your invaluable input. Up, down. In, out.
Who puts the finishing sparkle on all my projects? Fiona from Fiona Dreaming. Thanks so much for being so patient with me and for spotting the sneakiest of errors. Much love to you.
To my cover designer, Ben. No, I did not name the main character after you. Sorry about that. Thank you for taking on a newb and for being so understanding of the unforeseen delay. Your work is beautiful. I love what you’ve done with my covers! You’re stuck with me now.
Every one of you who signed up to share, and/or review my book—a billion thank yous go to you guys. Getting the word out is the hardest part for me. Being an introvert and dealing with a busy life makes the social media game an unscaleable wall sometimes.
As always, I left my boys until last. My preciouses (not Gollum’s). We have had some year, haven’t we? You’ve got no idea, but sometimes I watch you doing the simplest of tasks—chewing, breathing, watching TV—and I marvel at your perfection and how freakin’ lucky I am to have been blessed with you. Despite all our challenges, I wouldn’t change a second. I loooooooove you all ridiculous amounts.
Thank you. <3<3<3
_____
Read on for an excerpt from Sensing You, book one in this series.
Book Three, Indulging You (Felicity’s story) will be coming soon. :)
PROLOGUE
My mind wandered to that place where my dreams flee, replaced with vaporous intruders and penetrating horrors. My body twitched and jerked, struggling to find consciousness as the misty form of a woman drifted into my room.
Not again.
She wore a floral, summer dress. One strap was torn and hung loose from her shoulder, and dark bruises circled her neck. Reaching out her hand, she wrapped it around my foot. My body stilled. Inside my chest, my heart froze while my stomach threatened to prolapse. She pulled on my foot, imploring me to listen. I knew she couldn’t really drag me away, but I felt the icy touch, the drag of her fingers on my terrified flesh. I wondered if I would somehow disappear. My hands reached desperately
