From the Ashes (Ravenwood Mysteries #1)

A Cornered Queen

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1899

EIGHT DAYS EARLIER

ISOBEL SANK GRATEFULLY ONTO the padded seat. There were, she mused, advantages to being female on a crowded ferry boat. Gentlemen readily offered their seats.

She set her carpet bag on the floor and laid her coat over its bulky contours. As she tugged off her gloves, she watched the travelers file inside the cabin, taking note of every face along with their mannerisms as her mind flew, moving facts like pieces on a chessboard.

A horn blared, signaling their departure. The great paddle churned and the sea caught the boat.

The noisy cabin made her temples throb. Where were her shadows? They should have been waiting nervously at the ferry building. Perhaps Alex's ego had finally made room for trust? Or had he simply lost interest in his new bride? The hunt was over and her compliance had become dull. Her mind skipped. Had her ruse worked? An ominous thought lurked just out of reach, lost in the tumult of conversation.

Something niggled, something scratched. And a shrill voice shattered the thought.

"I say, Miss?"

Isobel blinked. A pair of eyes snapped into focus. Polite inquiry that was quickly becoming forbearance. Two identical noses poked from a swath of furry hats and coats. One young, and one older. Their identical postures on the seats opposite named them mother and daughter.

"My daughter paid you a compliment, Miss."

"It's a lovely dress," the complimenting daughter repeated.

Isobel's brows twitched in irritation. The answer had been within reach. The din of conversation, blaring horn, and the wet chug of the paddle washed over her, bursting between her ears. Abruptly she rose, slipped into her gloves and reassuring coat, and plucked her bag from the floor, flying towards the closest exit.

The faces—all the faces and eyes and bodies clamored for attention. She threw open the door.

Cool, sweet relief slapped her in the face, filling her lungs and mind with clarity. Isobel sought the farthest point from distraction, pressing herself against the taffrail, leaning over the side, taking deep draughts of cool air as she stared down at the hypnotic waves.

Amid the swirls, white caps and ebbing valleys, the missing thought swam into view. Her throat caught, eyes widened, and the scratching tore open a deluge of alarm.

The chessboard had shifted. She had become the pawn. With that alarming realization, she turned, finding two towering men and a scarred fist.

The queen was captured.

* * *

For a number of years I published From the Ashes on Wattpad for readers to read for free, but due to Amazon's exclusivity contract I can no longer have the entire book here. The entire Ravenwood Mysteries series can be found on Amazon (ebook and paperback), and the paperbacks can be bought on Createspace, Indiebound, and Barnes and Noble. Feel free to check out my website and follow me on various social media sites.

Thank you to all my past readers, and all my future ones!

www.sabrinaflynn.com