I thought of what my brother had done for me, the sacrifice he’d made. I thought of how lost I’d been without him, and the truth I’d told Odilé and Nicholas—that I could not live without him. I thought of the look Nicholas had given us both before he stepped forward, before he’d said, The gift belongs to me, Odilé. You know it as well as I, and of the sorrow I’d felt when he said it. And the relief too. The terrible relief, most damning of all.
Some things even a fairy tale could not make beautiful.
“I don’t regret it,” I said to Joseph now. Echoes of other admissions, the same answer always, to Edward Roberts, to Miss Coring, to everyone who had ever come between us. And it was true. I didn’t regret it. But I knew now that perhaps Odilé had been right when she’d said that Joseph and I kept the past too close, crippling even as we saved each other. Being with Nicholas had shown me that it didn’t always have to be that way, that while Joseph was inextricably part of me, he did not have to be the whole part. I could have something of my own too.
I felt my brother’s kiss just below my ear. Across the room, I saw Nicholas’s wistful smile.
This was the beginning of another story, I realized. Another tale to follow to its end, one to add to the collection I’d invented for my brother, for me, for Odilé. And perhaps this one too would become a legend for gondoliers to tell tourists, a fairy tale to show us it was possible to defeat evil and despair, a guide to lead one across a chasm on a bridge spun of frailest gold. I thought of the stories Odilé had told, and knew mine were better—mine had made of her life something noble and fine. You see, Odilé? I have made for you meaning after all.
I thought I heard her answering laughter as she stepped into shadows and legend, fading like smoke into the softly falling snow.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many thanks go to Courtney Miller, Terry Goodman and my author team at Amazon, who are amazing in so many ways. I feel truly privileged to know and work with you all. Also, as always, thanks to Kim Witherspoon, Allison Hunter, Nathaniel Jacks and everyone at Inkwell, who make all of this so much easier. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Kristin Hannah—always and forever, but for this book in particular—because she believed in it so strongly from the start, even when I was flailing. Thanks also to Suzanne Droppert and everyone at Liberty Bay Books in Poulsbo, Washington, for jumping so enthusiastically on my bandwagon; I appreciate it so much. My family has been so generous with their support and love through some very difficult times—I hope you all know how important you are to me. And of course, I could not do this without Kany, Maggie and Cleo, who make it all worthwhile.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2012 CMC Levine
Megan Chance is a critically acclaimed, award-winning author of historical fiction. Her novels have been chosen for the Borders Original Voices and IndieBound’s Booksense programs. A former television news photographer and graduate of Western Washington University, Chance lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two daughters.
www.meganchance.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication Page
CONTENTS
START READING
PROLOGUE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
THIRTY-ONE
THIRTY-TWO
THIRTY-THREE
THIRTY-FOUR
THIRTY-FIVE
THIRTY-SIX
THIRTY-SEVEN
THIRTY-EIGHT
FORTY
FORTY-ONE
FORTY-TWO
FORTY-THREE
FORTY-FOUR
FORTY-FIVE
FORTY-SIX
FORTY-SEVEN
FORTY-EIGHT
FORTY-NINE
FIFTY
FIFTY-ONE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR