St. Nicholas Street was up ahead.
Branek’s thoughts drifted again to the apothecary. He had a strange desire to
stop in and see her, to hear her kind voice. His body heated for a moment. What
was it that drew him to her? Their mutual plight, or their discontented
marriages? But he didn’t need more accusations from Constable Chenery.
He passed one of the opes, a
murky, snaking alley that connected to a back street or the river. Rustling
sounded, and then a footstep. Branek turned to see a man in a long, dark coat.
A few years back a man, scorned by his beloved, had committed suicide on this
street. His ghost was said to still haunt the vicinity—if Branek believed in
ghosts.
He hurried his pace, as this man
could be a footpad. The stranger’s tread picked up as well. Thunder rumbled
closer, the shadows grew murkier, the darkness complete. A few lamps flickered
on the outside of residences. It began to drizzle, and their footfalls echoed
on the damp cobbles.
Branek tensed and moved to the
left so the man might pass him, but the stranger slowed too. With a prickle of
unease, he walked on, and the other matched his footsteps to a place where the
shadows deepened.
Branek whipped around to confront
the person who’d now moved closer behind him. “What is your purpose, sir?” He
waited for a confused apology, or a demand for money.
A click, a flash of fire and a
shot exploded. He felt the punch in his left side, then the stink of gunpowder
filled his nostrils. He collapsed against a building’s stone wall. Grasping his
side, his hand came away, sticky with blood.
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I had the pleasure of reading this book. I left a review on Amazon. People believe that authors only leave glowing reviews for friends, but that's a big false rumor. I've read plenty of books I've failed to review because they didn't meet my standards, but The Apothecary's Widow is an amazing story I'm sure you'll enjoy. Try it, and then let me know. mizging@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteEnticing 6 paragraphs Diane!
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