Wonderland: A totally gripping and emotional historical timeslip novel by Irina Shapiro

Author:Irina Shapiro [Shapiro, Irina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781805081487
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Published: 2023-11-06T16:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-EIGHT

Liza stared into the murky contents of the cup and sniffed experimentally. She expected the decoction to smell terrible, but it had a pleasant minty aroma that reminded her of the country. Mavis had prepared the mixture and left her alone while she went about her work, promising to check on her in a bit. It was just past noon, and Liza had the rest of the afternoon off. She got one afternoon off every fortnight, and it was a time she savored. Normally, she went for a walk by the river or looked at shop windows in Cheapside. She couldn’t afford to buy anything, but it was nice to be able to look and pretend that she was just being choosy.

Once, she’d even gone to the Tower to see the lions. Liza didn’t have the money to pay the entrance fee, but she’d managed to catch a skinny alley cat that had been too feeble with hunger to put up much of a fight and used the cat to pay for admission. The lions had been an awesome sight. They seemed oblivious to the crowd gathered on the viewing platform, one just walking around and the other lying on its side and licking its paws. That one is probably a female, Liza had thought as she’d edged closer to get a better view. She’d never seen a wild animal before, and she had been shaking with fright as the attendant had tossed a few cats into the dry moat.

The lions had fought over the spoils as the cats tried to run away from certain death. Liza had nearly bit her tongue as the male lion swiped a cat with its paw, knocking it senseless before tearing it to pieces with its teeth, the blood dripping down its chin as it fed. The other cats were still alive, their desperate screams turning Liza’s insides to water with pity. She’d turned and ran, unable to get the memory of the carnage out of her head.

Liza had been responsible for the death of a cat, but if she drank the mixture, she’d be responsible for the death of a child; a child conceived in love—at least on her end—and very much wanted. It wasn’t until this moment that Liza realized that what she felt for this baby was love. She’d felt angry, betrayed, and humiliated, but it wasn’t the child’s fault, was it? It was innocent of any wrongdoing on its father’s part, and despite what Mavis said, Liza felt it was a grave sin just to snuff it out. She knew many women did away with unwanted babies, some even after they’d been born. It didn’t take much to smother an infant, but the thought made her sick.

Liza’s mam always said that God had a plan for all of us; it was just that sometimes it was hard to see it while events unfolded. Perhaps this baby was part of that plan. Liza had always longed for a family. Of course,

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