A Hymn in the Silence
Page 26
The day I’m due to return home so that I can spend some time with my family prior to meeting up with my contact and departing for America, James accompanies me to the train station. He prattles on during the trip in that exhausting and endearing way that he does. I don’t know if he does it because he enjoys the simple act of talking or if he can sense something a bit off about me, but either way, I appreciate it. He gives me plenty to focus on, keeps me from dwelling (at least for now) on whether or not I’m making the right decision.
As we wait for my train to arrive, James asks, “Are you nervous?”
“Not in the least,” I admit. And honestly, I’m not. Not about the job, anyway. Being away from my family, from Benjamin? That’s another story.
“Good.” He clasps my shoulder tightly. “You’ll do wonderfully. Most of this line of work comes down to simple determination.”
I smile at his reassurance. “Is that why you flourish at it, then?”
He laughs. “Likely.” And then he pauses, peering at me closely in a way that makes my smile fade. “Did you let Benjamin know that you’re leaving?”
Ah. Benjamin is a subject I’ve been careful to side-step this last week, and neither James nor Esher have prodded me on it. I look away. “I wrote to him last night.”
James nods solemnly, lashes lowering. “Miss Bennett told us what happened. I feel horrid we didn’t know sooner. Is he all right?”
The smile I offer James is a bit tight, perhaps more than I mean it to be. I don’t honestly know how to answer that question. And that in and of itself hurts because there was a long period of time where I’d know without even having to think about it. It’s been weeks since I last saw or spoke to Benjamin. I have no idea how he’s doing, what he’s thinking, how he’s coping. I feel guilty that I haven’t checked in on him more. That I haven’t known what to say with how we left things.
I thought…perhaps the pair of us needed some space, that communication would only make things harder.
Besides, there is really no right answer, and I would be dissatisfied regardless of what he said. He’s either miserable and I’m unhappy that he’s unhappy, or he is happy and then I’m unhappy because his happiness would be in a life without me.
“Haven’t you heard?” I ask, still holding a smile that doesn’t reach my eyes and in a voice I barely recognise as my own. “Our dear Benji is getting married.”
FROM THE AUTHORS
Someday, maybe we’ll finish a book and be able to say, “Hey, at least nobody died!”
Maybe, but not likely.
While breathing life into the world of A Light Amongst Shadows was a huge undertaking, the limited scope of the setting allowed us to ease into the 19th century world without feeling too overwhelmed. There was still plenty to get wrong if we weren’t careful, but by the end of the story, we were comfortable at Whisperwood.
A Hymn in the Silence yanked us right back out of that comfort zone. I have the utmost awe and respect for authors of historical fiction who can get all the details right. Clothing, hairstyles, homes, decorations, religion, weather patterns and geography, etymology of words and phrases… It was a struggle to just write and leave notes for ourselves of things to look up later, so we didn’t get bogged down in researching during the early drafts. Examples of some of our notes: “Forensics? Were they using this terminology yet?” “What employees were working at a mortuary in a small town?” “How’d they keep the bodies in a mortuary from smelling?” “Best way to get out of ice if you fall in??” and my personal favorite: “No, Rowan, Preston can’t be excited to go to America and be a cowboy because that word wasn’t really in use yet.”
As always, the language is a tricky line to walk. We’re striving for a sense of realism of the culture and time while not going overboard with the terminology that might be too grating for some readers. There’s no way to make everyone happy in this regard, so we just do the best that we can.
That’s where our beta readers came in. Jon, our native Brit and history buff, was yet again our first line of defense. He’s so incredible with his attention to detail and the time and care he takes in reading for us. We learn so much from him. A huge shout-out also goes to Jada and Karen; their sharp eyes were an immense help, and their cheerleading from the sidelines is a great motivator. We had Lacy again, too; she’s been there for every fashion question I could think of. When I message her to ask, “How quickly could a woman get out of her clothes in freezing weather if it were a life-or-death situation?” she not only answers but sends me pictures and very specific examples to run with. Bless. And, of course, Jaime Manning. My darling friend and talented eagle-eye proofreader who manages to catch everything everyone else missed. Melissa Stevens of The Illustrated Author deserves a huge round of thank yous. Although I formatted this book on my own, Melissa not only answered every stupid question I had, but helped me any time I got stuck.
Indie publishing really does take a village. It’s a community that comes together, and we really do have some of the most amazing friends.
Lastly, if you haven’t already checked out Kelley’s reader group on Facebook, you’re seriously missing out. We post all kinds of news, goodies, behind-the-scenes stuff, and art...plus, group members get exclusive contests and chances to read things early. Nice, huh? Come join us.
What’s next in store? We’ve got tons
We hope you’re ready.
I know we are.
Until next time,
Kelley and Rowan