The Persephone Star by Jamie Sullivan

Author:Jamie Sullivan [Sullivan, Jamie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Lesbian steampunk fantasy romance
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Published: 2020-02-09T16:00:00+00:00

Penelope’s mind was reeling. The story Mell told had been contradicted by Wiley, by the lawmen in White Hills, and by the judge that sentenced Corinna. Mell was nothing but a criminal, who openly admitted that she thought she was above the law. Yet, what reason did she have to lie to Penelope? There was nothing to be gained from convincing one lone woman—who seemed to have no connection to Wiley or Corinna’s case—that her sister was innocent. There was absolutely no reason to waste time and energy on a nobody like Penelope.

Unless Mell’s story wasn’t part of some larger nefarious plan, but was just the simple, honest truth. But if that was the case, it implicated Wiley and Lewis—and maybe every lawman in White Hills—in knowingly sending an innocent girl to the gallows. Despite her dislike of the man—and Penelope was starting to realize that she really did dislike everything about her fiancé—Penelope didn’t want to believe Wiley capable of such a thing. And it was near impossible to imagine Lewis Greenman as part of some well-planned conspiracy. And why would they do it? Sure, Wiley despised the whole lot of the gang, but Corinna seemed to be the last one he’d go after. Mell said she stayed on the ship during every crime, meaning she wasn’t just innocent of the murder, but also of every other charge lobbed at the crew of the Star. Why target her?

Nothing made sense. June, Byrdie, and most surprisingly, Mirage Currier herself, were all kind. Even Vera, Penelope suspected, had been kind in her own way, through the food she cooked for Penelope. Criminals were not supposed to be nice. Murderers shouldn’t be caring.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Penelope blurted, after they were back on solid decking.

Mell looked over at her, surprised. “What do you mean?”

“I’m a hostage. You kidnapped me.”

“Unintentionally,” Mell reminded her.

“Still. I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be keeping me under lock and key, feeding me scraps of dry bread and dirty water.”

Mell barked out a startled laugh. “I was going to see if I could rustle up some breakfast for us, but if you’d prefer dry bread and bilge water . . .”

“You know that’s not what I mean,” Penelope huffed.

“Well, why wouldn’t we be nice to you?” Mell countered. “You’ve never done anything bad to us.”

The words soured in Penelope’s gut. Every second she kept her mouth shut about what she knew, she was hurting Mell. She knew she had to do something to fix this.

“Now come on. Seeing as you don’t want dry bread, why don’t I fry us up some breakfast?”

She led Penelope through the doors of the mess and gave her a gentle push toward a table.

“I thought Vera did all the cooking,” Penelope said.

“You implying I can’t fry bacon?” Mell said, narrowing her eyes in mock outrage.

“I don’t know. Can you?”

“You better believe it,” Mell said, pointing a spatula at her, face serious. “Prepare to have your mind blown.”

It would be hard for a simple breakfast to be more surprising than Mell herself.

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