THE HIDDEN GIRL extract – PROLOGUE
The old woman stared at Leah, then smiled, her face creasing into a thousand wrinkles. Leah thought that she must be at least a hundred and fifty years old. All the children at her junior school said she was a witch and they howled like banshees as they passed her near-derelict cottage on their way home through the village after school. To the adults, she was old Megan, who took in injured birds and used herbal concoctions to mend their broken wings. Some said she was mad, others that she had the gift of healing and strange psychic powers.
Leah’s mother felt sorry for her.
‘Poor old biddy,’ she’d say, ‘all alone in that damp, dirty cottage.’ Then she’d tell Leah to collect a few eggs from the hen-shed and take them round to Megan.
Leah’s heart always beat with fear when she knocked on the crumbling door. Usually, Megan would open it slowly, peer round and grab the eggs out of Leah’s hand with a nod. The door would close and Leah would run as fast as she could back home.
But today, when she had knocked, the door had opened much wider so that Leah could see behind Megan and into the dark recesses of the cottage.
Megan was still staring at her.
‘I . . . I . . . Mum thought you might like some eggs.’ Leah proffered the box and watched the long, bony fingers close around it.
‘Thank you.’
Leah was surprised at the gentle tone. Megan certainly didn’t sound like a witch.
‘Why don’t you come in?’
‘Well, I . . .’
Already an arm had closed around Leah’s shoulder and was propelling her inside.
‘I can’t stay long. Mum’ll wonder where I’ve got to.’
‘You can tell her you were having tea with Megan the witch,’ she chuckled. ‘Sit yourself down over there. I’m about to brew up.’ Megan pointed to one of the battered armchairs placed on either side of a small, empty fireplace.
Leah sat nervously, her hands clasped under her legs. She looked around the cramped kitchen. On every wall, there were shelves filled with old coffee jars full of strange-coloured potions. Megan pulled a jar down, opened it and put two teaspoons of yellow powder into an ancient stainless-steel teapot. She added water from the kettle, placed it on a tray along with two cups and set the tray down on a table in front of Leah. Slowly, Megan lowered herself into the other armchair.
‘Will you pour, dear?’
Leah nodded, leaned forward and poured the steaming liquid into the two chipped china cups. She sniffed. The liquid had a strange, acrid smell.
‘It’s all right, I’m not trying to poison you. Here, I’ll sip mine first and you can see if I die. It’s only dandelion tea. It’ll do you good.’ She took the cup in both hands and drank. ‘Try some.’
Leah tentatively put the cup to her lips, trying to breathe through her mouth, the pungent aroma too much for her. She sipped, and swallowed without tasting.
‘There now, that wasn’t too bad, was it?’
Leah shook her head and put the cup down on the table. She fidgeted in her chair as Megan drained her cup.
‘Thank you for the tea. It was very nice. I really must be going. Mum’ll start to—’
‘I’ve watched you pass here every day. You’re going to have extraordinary beauty when you’re older. It’s already starting to show itself.’
Leah blushed as Megan’s piercing green eyes scanned her from top to toe.
‘It may not be the blessing the world thinks it is. Take care.’ Megan frowned, then reached across the table. Leah shuddered as the bony fingers locked in a claw-like grip around her hand. Panic rose inside her.
‘Yes, but I . . . I must go home.’
Megan’s eyes were staring far beyond Leah, and her body was taut. ‘There is evil, I can feel it. You must be on your guard.’ Megan’s voice was rising. Leah was paralysed with fear. The grip around her hand tightened.
‘Unnatural things . . . evil things . . . never mess with nature, you upset the pattern. Poor soul . . . he is lost . . . doomed . . . He will come back to find you on the moors . . . and you will return of your own free will. You can’t alter destiny . . . you must beware him.’
Suddenly, the grip around Leah’s hand slackened and Megan crumpled back into her chair, her eyes closed. Leah jumped to her feet and ran to the front door and out into the street. She did not stop running until she reached the hen-shed at the back of the small terraced house where she lived with her parents. She opened the latch and slumped down onto the floor, causing the hens to scatter.
Leah leaned her head back against the wooden wall and allowed her breathing to slow.
The villagers were right. Megan was mad. What had she said about Leah taking care? It was scary. She was eleven years old and she didn’t understand. She wanted her mother, but couldn’t tell her what had happened. Her mum would think she had made it up and say that it wasn’t nice to spread nasty rumours about a poor, helpless old lady.
Leah stood up and slowly made her way to the back door. The secure smell of home calmed her as she stepped into the warm kitchen.
‘Hello, Leah, just in time for tea. Sit yourself down.’ Doreen Thompson turned and smiled, then a frown of concern crossed her brow. ‘Why, Leah, whatever is wrong? You’re as white as a ghost.’
‘Nothing, Mum. I’m fine. I’ve just got a tummy-ache, that’s all.’
‘Growing pains, most likely. Try and put some food inside you and I’m sure you’ll feel better.’
Leah crossed to her mother and hugged her tight.
‘Now, what’s all this about?’
‘I . . . I love you, Mum.’ Leah nestled into the comforting arms and felt much better.
But the following week, when her mother asked her to take the eggs round as usual to Megan, she adamantly refused.
Megan died six months later and Leah was glad.
Copyright © Lucinda Riley 2024
A spellbinding tale about the power of destiny from the global number one bestseller
Sweeping and evocative, The Hidden Girl is a lost treasure from the global number one bestselling author Lucinda Riley.
You can't alter destiny . . .
Born and raised in a small village on the Yorkshire moors, Leah Thompson grows more beautiful with each passing day. When she catches the attention of the influential, troubled Delancey family, she knows her life will never be the same again.
Years later, Leah takes the modelling world by storm, travelling from Milan to London and New York and living life in the lap of luxury. But her past follows her like a dark shadow, mysteriously intertwined with the tragic tale of two young siblings in Poland during the Second World War.
As two generations of secrets threaten to explode, Leah is haunted by a fatal, forgotten prophecy from her past, and must fight to challenge the destiny that has been mapped out for her in the stars . . .
Long before she became the bestselling author of The Seven Sisters series, Lucinda Riley wrote Hidden Beauty as Lucinda Edmonds. This standalone novel has been reworked and given new life as The Hidden Girl by Harry Whittaker, Lucinda's son and co-author of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt.
Women's Fiction Family Life | Saga [Macmillan UK, On Sale: September 17, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781035047970 / eISBN: 9781035047994]
Lucinda Riley is the New York Times bestselling author of The Orchid House, The Girl on the Cliff, The Lavender Garden, The Midnight Rose, The Seven Sisters, and The Storm Sister. Her books have sold in thirty languages. She lives in London and the English countryside with her husband and four children.
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