Ghost Girl

Chapter 4

The platform at King's Cross Station pulsed with passengers coming and going. Some stopped to buy flowers or refreshments from one of the many stalls, while others lingered with loved ones as people surged around them. Porters carried luggage or pushed wheeled trolleys piled high with crates, and railway staff kept a watchful eye on scruffy unattended children—the pickpocketing industry thrived at stations. Steam hissed and spat from the engine, momentarily cloaking our little party. Through the clearing haze, I saw a face I hadn't seen in months. My heart lifted. How good to see him again!

"Mr. Faraday!" I waved, but he did not respond, despite looking directly at me with those slate gray eyes of his. How odd. Surely my appearance was familiar to him. We had become good friends on the long journey between Melbourne and England. At least, I thought we had.

"Mr. Faraday!" I called again. "Nathaniel!

He walked off, although I could still see his hat above the others in the crowd for several more seconds before he was finally swallowed up altogether.

"Handsome fellow," Sylvia said, following my gaze. We stood a little apart from Tommy and Quin as they divided the luggage between them. "Who is he?"

"A gentleman I would like to meet again. Come with me." I grabbed her hand and dragged her after me in the direction of Nathaniel Faraday. I wouldn't have bothered with most acquaintances, but Nathaniel was different. Before parting at the dock, he'd promised to write to me at Emily's and I had promised to respond. He had not kept up his end of the bargain, and that was the end of that.

Yet here he was in the flesh. It was the perfect opportunity to confront him. Perhaps a girl ought to take silence as a sign that a gentleman had no interest in her, but I didn't like to be slighted. It had happened more times that I cared to admit. Perhaps associating with a brown skinned woman at home in London wasn't acceptable, whereas striking up a friendship with one on board, where he knew no one, was. It was the sort of ill-mannered double standards that made my blood boil.

The more I pursued him along the crowded platform, however, the less I wanted to reconnect with him. Just the thought of it was tiring and made my head ache. My chest tightened too and I felt a little out of breath.

I slowed and watched Nathaniel disappear around a corner, my heart sinking at his disregard for me. I'd thought I was above caring about the opinions of others, but it would seem I wasn't.

I squeezed my stinging eyes shut, but a wave of dizziness had me reaching out my hand for the nearest solid object.

"Cara!" Sylvia caught my arm, steadying me. "Are you all right? You look rather ill and you were swaying, just now."

My skin prickled with heat and my vision blurred. I pressed my hand to my chest, but I couldn't suck in enough air to draw a full breath. "I think…I'm going to faint."

"Cara!"

As I fell against her, I had the fleeting thought that I'd done something very stupid. I'd left Quin's side. Did he know? Would he find me in time before the illness took hold?

I grappled with the questions in a bid to stay conscious. I tried to stand but couldn't, and Sylvia struggled with my weight.

"Tommy!" she cried. "Quin! Here!"

My heavy, burning eyelids closed. I could feel the bodies of concerned onlookers pressing all around us. Somebody called for a doctor, another suggested water, and a man with a thick northern accent thought loosening my corset would help.

Then suddenly they were gone and a pair of strong arms scooped me up. Quin. I recognized his scent and the crispness of his shirt beneath my cheek. I relaxed into him and drew in a strong, full breath.