from shoving the whole thing in.
Zoe had leaned back in her seat and was staring at the ceiling. “You were here for that crazy storm last night, right? Blighty’s a pretty wet town, but it’s been a while since we’ve had something that heavy. My whole backyard flooded. Anyway, I woke around two in the morning. It was toward the tail end of the storm, but it was still loud enough to keep me from falling back to sleep. So I turned on a lamp and started to read my novel. I was about ready to try napping again when I heard a branch snap outside my window.”
Keira’s plate was empty. The second muffin waited nearby, but she stopped herself from reaching for it. “Go on.”
“Well, I didn’t think it was weird at first; it was a storm, and plenty of branches were breaking everywhere. But I looked out my window anyway, just in time to see this…thing walking past. He was so close and looking right at me. I sort of froze. Then lightning flashed and he disappeared.”
“You said it looked like a dead person.”
“Yeah.” Zoe spread her hands. “I know it sounds crazy. And it was dark, and my window was foggy. He was only there for a second, so I guess you could argue I didn’t see him clearly…but his face was bone white and all angled and narrow and horrible. Just like a skeleton.”
“Huh.” Keira scratched a hand through her hair as her mind whirled. It was an odd description, but the idea of a man slinking through the storm, on private property, peering into windows… They were looking for me.
“And before you ask, it wasn’t a nightmare.” Zoe rolled her eyes. “That’s what everyone has been trying to tell me. But I swear, I was awake. I can even remember where I stopped reading. It was one of the steamy parts in my book; the duchess was just about to take Lord Frederick’s—”
“I believe you,” Keira said quickly. “I was just thinking. The face…could it have been a mask? Or paint?”
“Yeah, that’s a definite possibility. But I’m not sure if that would make it better or worse. Either way, there was something or someone in my backyard at two in the morning. I would have called the police, but they’re bloody useless and never answer the phones at night.” She snorted. “Plus, they’ve blacklisted me for too many complaints. If I’m going to get answers, it’s going to have to come from somewhere else.”
Keira could see where this was going. “Like from me.”
“It’s as I said: no one just passes through Blighty.” Zoe propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her palms. “And even if they did, they wouldn’t buy survival rations or look like they’re expecting to be jumped any second. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how many times you’ve looked at the door.”
Keira was about to insist she hadn’t, but then the bell above the door jingled as it opened, and her eyes flicked toward it. It was a reflexive action.
Zoe raised her eyebrows to make her point, and Keira adjusted her hold on the mug. She wasn’t sure she liked the panicked, overcautious person she seemed to be. Prudence told her to hide how she’d arrived in Blighty, but did she really have anything to lose by sharing her story? The men who had chased her were a threat, but they clearly hadn’t come from the town; otherwise, Adage would have recognized them. Zoe seemed harmless, despite her intensity. And Keira hated to admit it to herself, but she really wanted another ally.
She looked back at Zoe’s expectant, hopeful face and wet her lips. “Don’t share any of this, okay?”
“Of course.” Zoe’s expression instantly switched to one of solemn duty, and Keira failed to smother a chuckle.
“Okay. This is going to sound a bit crazy.”
“Oh good. That’s my favorite kind of story.”
Keira quickly covered the events from the previous twelve hours, starting with waking in the forest clearing and finishing with walking to town. She skipped over parts of the story that would raise too many questions—particularly the ghost outside her window, her shortage of money, and Mason’s visit—but didn’t hold anything else back. When she’d finished, she pushed her empty mug to one side and said, “So now I’m wondering if your skeleton man might be related. The end.”
“Wow.” Zoe’s face was placid, except for her eyes, which were as round as marbles. “You might just be