There was silence for some time, and then Montgomery turned me around, taking my hands. “Did you?”
I thought about my fantasy of the cottage in Quick. Perhaps Balthazar would live in a little house behind ours, where he’d take care of the goats and attend to his spiritual matters. It was a far cry from the grand house on Belgrave Square I’d grown up in, and from the imposing Ballentyne Manor. It reminded me more of my little attic apartment in Shoreditch, where I’d felt so at home. The only thing that had been missing from that life was someone to share it with, but now I had Montgomery.
“Yes,” I said, and leaned in to kiss him.
I didn’t know exactly where our paths would lead. I might study botany, or animal husbandry, or meteorology, or even take up the piano again. I wasn’t sure what I wanted in life, but I knew now that it was my choice, and as I grinned against Montgomery’s face, I knew that there really was only one life, and I intended to live mine as richly as any person could.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
SO THIS IS WHAT ending a trilogy feels like—satisfying but bittersweet. When I wrote the last page and ended Juliet’s story, I was overcome with gratitude that I had the opportunity to share these books, and for everyone who’s been a part of that process. Quinlan Lee, you pulled me out of the slush pile all those years ago. Josh and Tracey Adams, you’ve helped me navigate the uncertain waters of publishing. Kristin Rens, you’ve taught me so much about writing, editing, and making words come to life. To the rest of the HarperCollins and Balzer + Bray teams, including Caroline Sun, Alison Klapthor, Alison Donalty, Renée Cafiero, Anne Dunn, Judy Levin, Emilie Polster, Stephanie Hoffman, Margot Wood, and Aubry Parks-Fried: I owe you big and shall repay you by 1) naming a future character after you or 2) bringing you moonshine next time I come to New York.
Thanks as well to Megan Miranda and Beth Revis for reading an early version of this book at our Bat Cave retreat, and for the insistence that creepy child characters are never a bad idea. April Tucholke, you’ve helped me maintain my sanity, ironically by talking about marvelously insane things. Thanks to my friends, family, coworkers, and members of the writing community who have patiently supported me, especially to my parents, Peggy and Tim, my sister, Lena, the Shepherd clan, and my very patient husband, Jesse. Also, Leila, thanks for letting me borrow your name. Von Stein manor lives! Cue lightning strike!
Thanks lastly to my readers, for going on this journey with me. I hope I’ve given you some sleepless nights, new ways of thinking about classic science fiction, and a few good hours with books about finding oneself amid the madness.
CREDITS
Cover art ? 2015 by Lara Jade and Macduff Everton/Getty Images
Cover design by Alison Klapthor
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kristi Hedberg Photography
MEGAN SHEPHERD grew up in her family’s independent bookstore in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The travel bug took her from London to Timbuktu and many places in between, though she ended up back in North Carolina with her husband, two cats, and a scruffy dog, and she wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. She is also the author of The Madman’s Daughter and Her Dark Curiosity. Visit her online at www.meganshepherd.com.
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