Authors: Susan Dennard

Tags: #Juvenile Fiction, #Historical, #United States, #19th Century, #Action & Adventure, #General, #Love & Romance

Strange and Ever After (39 page)

BOOK: Strange and Ever After

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A blush rose on the girl’s cheeks, but she did not stop me as I powered on.

“Contrary to what your teacher might suggest,” I declared, “it is perfectly all right to be strange. For ever after, you will be glad you did what
you
wanted instead of what everyone else expected. No doubt you wonder how someone as young as I can possibly know this, but trust me: I have seen more deadly, dark, and . . .
lovely
things than you can possibly imagine.”

The girl narrowed her eyes skeptically.

I shrugged one shoulder. “You may listen to me or not. It is your choice. But”—I raised one mechanical finger at her—“should you ever decide you want a more interesting curriculum than what you’re currently receiving, you might consider the
Sheridan Institute in North Carolina. I’ve heard they have the best teachers in the world. Certainly they are the strangest.”

I flashed her my most rakish grin (of which I was certain Daniel would approve), and in a flurry of skirts, I strode from the exhibit and left the Louvre behind.

When I stepped into the orange glow and bustling insanity of a snowy Rue de Rivoli, there was a lightness in my step that I had not felt in months. Years, even.

People in winter clothes swarmed among carriages and horses dusted with snow, and as I pushed into the evening traffic, I couldn’t help but murmur an old favorite quote. “The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.”

“El!” The tenor voice trickled into my ear. I scanned winter-flushed faces and carriages. . . .

“Over here, silly girl.”

I spun around and found Oliver sauntering toward me. He wore a lazy smile and his top hat askew. “Finished?” He twirled a hand toward the Louvre. “Because I know of a lovely place on Montmartre, if a Bohemian meal would interest your palate.”

“I
am
finished here, and I
am
famished.” My lips lifted, a sad but freeing smile. “Has Laure arrived yet?”

He shook his head no and slipped a hand into his coat pocket—a
new
coat that was part of a
new
suit in a handsome, chalk-gray color. He withdrew a silver flask. “Care for a drink?”

“Yes, please.” I smiled wider. There was only water inside. No more alcohol for my former demon.

Oliver wasn’t happy or settled or certain of himself, but he
was working toward it. Each day, he struggled to understand mortality a bit more—to sort out what
he
wanted from this new life of his.

And so was I. So were most of us, I supposed. We waddled through life blindly, hoping to find something—and someone—worth fighting for. I had found it; I had lost it; I would find it again.

I took a gulp of icy water from the flask (to a few horrified stares of passersby—I winked at them), when Laure’s voice trilled out, “Miss Fitt!
Je suis ici!
”

I twisted back toward the busy street, and my eyes landed on Laure’s face. She waved excitedly from the window of a hired cab.

And I grinned at her. A wide, absolutely genuine grin.

Miss Fitt. It was who I was, and it was who I hoped I would always be.

Miss Fitt. Misfit. Forever.

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HarperCollins Publishers

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A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

This entire series has been a labor of love, and it only
exists because so many people worked
so hard
. To start, I am forever grateful to Maria Gomez and Barbara Lalicki for first acquiring the Spirit-Hunters and bringing them into the HarperCollins family. Of course, it was Karen Chaplin and Alyssa Miele (who is not related to the vacuum company) who kept my prose from getting too boring and my plot from getting too twisty as the series progressed—while Rosemary Brosnan made sure those ladies didn’t get too twisty either. I am forever grateful to Cara Petrus, who designed the most
stunning
covers for my series—under the watchful eye of Barbara Fitzsimmons. Olivia deLeon and Sandee Roston were my publicists-in-shining-armor, while Kim VandeWater, Lindsay Blechman, and
Diane Naughton handled all the marketing voodoo (it’s magic and I’m sticking with that). A thousand more thanks must also go to all the amazing copy editors who slaved over my misuse of ellipses, to Jon Howard, Josh Weiss, Andrea Pappenheimer, and—of
course
—Susan Katz and Kate Jackson. HarperCollins transformed my heaps of boring words into an entire trilogy of beautifully gleaming books.

The truth is, though, that Eleanor and the Spirit-Hunters would never have found HarperCollins if not for Sara Kendall, Joanna Volpe, and Danielle Barthel. Thank you for all your patience, your constant dedication, and your awesome
you-ness
. I’m so grateful I get to be a part of New Leaf, and I feel so blessed to have you in my court.

For my
anam cara
, Sarah J. Maas: Death is only the beginning. And I mean that in the least creepy, most Mummy-reference-way possible. You taught me to tap into my deepest, darkest feelings and pour them onto the page—and my writing has been more powerful and more fulfilling ever since. You’re amazing; this book exists only because of your endless cheerleading through every single daunting chapter; and I love you forever and ever and ever. And then some more.

I have to extend a
giganti
c thank-you to Erin Bowman, for always having an ear ready when I need to vent, a shoulder ready when I need to sob (So. Much. Sobbing. During this book), and a hand ready when I needed to get off the floor and keep writing. You’re a neighborhood watch of one.

For Meredith McCardle: we’ve come a long way in a few
years, and I’m so glad we’re on the road together. I’ll have to write another series in Paris so we can tour it again. Or, how do you feel about Venice next time?

Thank you
again
to Biljana Likic (and also to Mufei Jiang) for help with the Latin. Who knew an ancient language could be
so hard
? I’d have been lost without you.

For Maddie Meylor: You and your family are the coolest bunch of readers a gal could ever meet. I’m so glad we’re friends and that you love the Spirit-Hunters as much as I do. I hereby declare Daniel as your official fictional boyfriend.

To Kat Zhang, Dan Krokos, Amie Kaufman, Erica O’Rourke, Amity Thompson, Katherine Brauer, Julie Eshbaugh, Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Alex Bracken, and Jodi Meadows—you guys have been the best friends a gal could ever ask for, and I honestly can’t imagine writing a book without you to cheer me on. Thank you for always being there.

Many thanks to my husband, Sébastien, for his tireless support and hundreds upon hundreds of delicious meals (though if I ever see another zucchini casserole, I might strangle you). This is only the first series, baby, so get ready for an entire future of dinner-based slavery. Oh yeah, and
je t’aime.

For my parents, my brother and sister, and aaaaall of my huge extended family: thank you for always believing in me, always backing me up, and always thinking I’m the best writer in the entire universe (I’m looking at you, Mom and Dad). I’m so lucky to have such a warm, loving family.

For every librarian, every teacher, and every bookseller who
has ever crossed my path (and the ones who have yet to cross it too): you’re the number one reason my books reach young readers. Thank you,
thank you
for doing what you do and sharing the stories that you love.

Finally, I want to thank my readers—old and new. Since the first book released two years ago, I have been
constantly
humbled by all that you do. Your emails, your tweets, your letters, your fan art, your presence at events—everything is downright awe-inspiring. Each time I hear from you, I remember why I write. These books are for you, and I can never thank you enough for your love and support.

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HarperCollins Publishers

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A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

SUSAN DENNARD
is a writer turned marine biologist turned writer again. Among the traits she shares with her protagonist Eleanor Fitt are a weakness for Shakespearean quotes, a healthy appetite for baked goods, and an insatiable curiosity. Sadly, Susan does not get to wear a corset or wave a parasol on a daily basis. You can visit her website and blog at www.susandennard.com or follow her on Twitter @stdennard.

Visit
www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors and artists.

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A
LSO BY
S
USAN
D
ENNARD

Something Strange and Deadly

A Darkness Strange and Lovely

A Dawn Most Wicked: A Something Strange and Deadly Novella

(available as an ebook only)

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HarperCollins Publishers

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C
OPYRIGHT

HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

S
TRANGE AND EVER AFTER
. Copyright © 2014 by Susan Dennard. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

ISBN 978-0-06-208332-6

EPub Edition October 2013 ISBN 9780062083326

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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1