Shadows of the Silver Screen by Edge Christopher

Author:Edge, Christopher [Edge, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780857630537
Publisher: Nosy Crow Ltd
Published: 2013-01-09T23:00:00+00:00

XV

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Penny inspected herself with a critical eye. She smoothed the silken material over her shoulders, the collar of her evening gown, half a size too small, rubbing at her skin. The dress she was wearing had been cut for the frame of Miss Devey, but with the actress returning to London in the morning, her costumes had now been delivered to Penelope’s room. She glanced down at the array of clothes left in a heap on her bed, a riot of colours illuminated by candlelight. Skirts and ball gowns, blouses and shawls: the clothes that would help her bring Amelia to life when she stepped in front of the camera tomorrow.

Penny shook her head, the thought of this filling her with dread. The fact that she was now the star of this moving picture show still seemed beyond belief, but when Gold had fixed her with his piercing stare she had felt unable to refuse. Your story will be told, the filmmaker had said. She shuddered.

Her thoughts returned again to the strange events that had unfolded that evening. After Vivienne and Miss Mottram’s dramatic exits, Monty had retired early, too ashamed by his behaviour to even stay for dinner. It had been left to Penny and the young actor, James Denham, to join Edward Gold in the dining room. There, they had listened respectfully as the filmmaker outlined his plans for the next day’s filming, the atmosphere as frigid as the plates of cold meat they were served. But as the meal dragged on, Gold became more garrulous with each glass of wine that he drank, his conversation taking a slightly sinister turn.

“With this film, I will take my revenge,” he had slurred, waving his wine glass at the portrait of Lord Eversholt. “The wrong that was done can finally be put right.” James and Penny had exchanged puzzled glances, both of them confused by the director’s cryptic comments. Eventually, to their relief, the last course was served and, finishing it, they had hurried from the dining room, leaving Gold grumbling into the bottom of his wine glass.

Penelope frowned. What on earth had Gold meant? With a sigh, she picked up the script from her bedside table, resigned to rehearsing her first scene before she slept that night. Staring into the mirror, she addressed her own reflection:

“My name is Amelia Eversholt and this is my story – a tragic tale of murder, betrayal and revenge.”

As she spoke the words aloud, Penelope caught a glimpse of a second face in the mirror, the shadowy features of a girl hovering at her shoulder. With a sudden gasp, she spun round in alarm. But in the shadows that lurked behind her, nobody could be seen.

A strange unearthly sensation gripped Penny as she peered around the room. The candle’s flame flickered and the shadows thickened, as though some unseen presence was trying to make itself known. At the very edge of her hearing she could just make out a soft murmuring sound, the whisper of a heartbeat next to her own.

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