Shadow of the Past Page 27

  ‘I gather that her fortune has diminished to the point where she had to choose marriage to him or an application for a position as companion or governess. All those fine dresses, all that expensive music, Tobias – within the month, knowing that the family were no longer her ladyship’s guests, the duns would have been at the Bramhalls’ door. So understand and pity her if you can.’

  ‘I can. I do. And for Bess’s sake, I am pleased. If she had a choice. For once in her life it would have been good if she could choose.’

  ‘And you, dear Tobias – what of you and your choices?’

  As the little band in the gallery struck up, I reflected that, God willing, I had made my choice. Until he called me elsewhere, I would be content with what He had so graciously bestowed upon me.

  I cleared my throat.

  ‘Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God…’

  About the Author

  Prize-winning short-story writer JUDITH CUTLER is the author of twenty-five contemporary novels, including the acclaimed Fran Harman series. Though this is only her second historical novel, her historical short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies all over the world.

  Judith has taught Creative Writing at Birmingham University and run writing courses elsewhere, including a maximum-security prison and an idyllic Greek island. She lives in the Cotswolds with her husband, fellow Allison & Busby author Edward Marston.

  www.judithcutler.co.uk

  By Judith Cutler

  THE TOBIAS CAMPION SERIES

  The Keeper of Secrets

  Shadow of the Past

  THE CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT FRANCES HARMAN SERIES

  Cold Pursuit

  Life Sentence

  THE JOSIE WELFORD SERIES

  The Chinese Takeout

  The Food Detective

  STAND-ALONES

  Drawing the Line

  Scar Tissue

  Copyright

  Allison & Busby Limited

  13 Charlotte Mews

  London W1T 4EJ

  www.allisonandbusby.com

  Hardback published in Great Britain in 2008.

  Paperback edition published in 2009.

  This ebook edition first published in 2012.

  Copyright © 2008 by JUDITH CUTLER

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  All characters and events in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent buyer.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  ISBN 978–0–7490–1172–7