Chapter 1
London, England
February 1874
Maria Venetti pushed through the shrubbery and ambled toward the grand estate house in the distance. She hadn’t intended on making this trip, but she’d been summoned. Harold Beaxley apparently needed to see her quite urgently. Recalling the short note he’d left for her, she scowled. Ever since he’d pulled her to safety, away from the policemen hunting her, he treated her as a dependant who owed him her life.
She kicked a stone through the ankle-deep grass. She did owe him though. Had the police caught her that day, she’d have been sent to gaol immediately. They’d been chasing her for years on charges of theft and assault. She doubted any court in the land would care about her heartbreaking story of loss and betrayal that led to this life. Her only chance was to leave this area — this country.
Harold promised her a chance at a new life each time they found themselves on the run from new criminal charges. He claimed he hankered to get away from his life of servitude and start again where no one knew him. When she received his sudden summons, Maria grew hopeful that he’d finally found a way for both of them to get as far away from here as possible.
She grew uneasy. Despite her dependence on Harold and her gratitude for what he’d done for her, she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life with him. At the beginning of their union, she assumed his mention of their joined future was to continue their life of crime. She needed to make it clear that once she left London, she wanted to leave her shameful past behind her too. As weeks passed, his hands lingered a little longer, the glint in his eyes ever-present, and she feared what he wanted was something far from platonic. The thought made her shudder. Harold had to be made to understand that though Maria was grateful, she had no intentions of betrothing her body to him as gratitude.
Reaching the back of the station house, she entered through the door as she’d been instructed to. Maria was amazed at the grandeur of the interior. Harold told her very little of the place he worked at other than to say they could barely afford to pay him the wage he earned. As she crept toward the table, her fingers reached out to briefly touch a vase. Whoever owned this estate couldn’t be impoverished. Had Harold been lying to her all along? Her hand fell back to her side, her steps slow. What if he had only summoned her here to say he was now unable to help her?
Glimpsing papers and an envelope sitting on the table, she picked them up and examined them. A boarding pass for a ship leaving tonight, and a letter about an agreement of employment in Australia. Her fingers shifting around something bulky in the envelope, she peeked inside to see a wad of money. She could use this to get out of England and start a new life. With these, she would no longer have to rely on Harold and his charity...or falling victim to his lies.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” a woman roared behind her.
Maria swiftly slipped the papers and envelope of money into a concealed pocket in her skirt before turning around to see a burly-looking woman storming toward her. “I’m supposed to be meeting a friend of mine who works here. His name is Harold.”
The woman’s stubby fingers grabbed Maria’s blouse, stopping her escape. “The police will want to speak to you.”
Maria fought against her. “If you ask Harold, he’ll tell you who I am.”
The older woman’s grip tightened. “No Harold works here. Now, you’re coming with me.”
Her knees trembling at the mention of police, Maria fought against the old lady. In desperation to free herself, she pushed against the other woman with all her strength. Finally managing to free herself, Maria turned to run, stopping only when the older lady made an unsettled scream. Looking back, she saw the larger woman begin to fall, her arms flailing around for anything to hold onto. Her body twisted and contorted as she tried to reach for the table. Crack! A chill shot through Maria and she bit her lip to stop screaming as the woman collapsed into a lifeless lump on the floor.
Maria hesitantly stepped toward the body, scanning the area for any sign of blood, or protruding bones. Standing over the lifeless woman, she saw red liquid oozing from the side of her head. Falling to her knees, Maria naively looked for any sign of life. She rested her ear against the woman’s chest, searching for a heartbeat. Nothing. Was she dead?
Panicking, Maria promptly stood and turned to leave the kitchen.
“What the hell have you done?” the familiar voice of Harold gasped behind her.
Maria stopped, turning to see his thin figure crouching beside the body briefly before standing again, his hands on his hips as he stared at her.
“I asked you a question. What have you done to the housekeeper?”
“I—It was an a—accident,” Maria stuttered. “I was waiting for you when she came in...s—she threatened to fetch the police on me.”
“So you killed her?”
Maria shook her head frantically. “She grabbed me and I tried to escape. She lost her balance and fell. She hit her head on the table...and...and...”
He raised a single brow. “And you were going to leave her like this?”
“If the police find me with a dead body, they won’t ask questions. With my criminal history, they’ll hang me from the nearest tree as quick as look at me.” Receiving Harold’s quizzical look, she could only imagine what he was thinking. Would he call the police and have her arrested, or would he stay loyal to her? She couldn’t be certain. “If the police find out I killed this woman, I’ll have no choice but to tell them why I was here. I’m sure they’ll be very interested to know how you and I met and the basis for our continued relationship.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
She stood bravely. “You make sure no one can connect me to what happened to your housekeeper and I won’t tell a soul about your criminal past, not even the man you killed for those diamonds.” She thought for a few moments. “I won’t even tell them you don’t work at this estate.”
His gaze narrowed. “Who told you that?”
She glanced at the body on the floor, then back to him. “She did, but I’m confident I could get the same statement off any of the other servants that work here.”
His gaze narrowed. Finally, he let out a steadying sigh, closing the distance between them, his fingers stroking her cheek. “A ship called the Lady Douglas is leaving for Australia tonight. I’ll meet you on the dock mid-afternoon with your ticket.”
“You’re going to pay my passage out of London?”
Harold’s hand trailed down her neck and across the neckline of her blouse. “And give you the new life I promised.”
Maria smiled as she stepped out of his reach. “Thank you.” She turned and hurried out of the house, running across the green lawn. She had to get back to her lodgings and pack her few belongings. She didn’t want to be late to meet Harold. Her hand went to her skirt pocket, patting it. If he decided to betray her though, she’d still be boarding a ship out of England this afternoon. The boarding pass, money, and employment opportunity she’d stolen were her chance at a new life...and freedom away from her dependency on Harold.
