A Game of Shadows: A totally unforgettable historical time-travel novel (The Hands of Time Book 4) by Irina Shapiro

Author:Irina Shapiro [Shapiro, Irina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Published: 2024-05-23T00:00:00+00:00

FORTY-EIGHT

FRANCE SEPTEMBER 1624

Alec felt a chill as soon as he passed through the doors of the convent. It wasn’t just the cold reception he and Valerie received at the gate, but also the bone-chilling cold of a building made entirely of stone, with windows no wider than arrow slits, allowing in very little light and warmth. The sunshine of early September did not penetrate the gloom of the monastery, giving the impression of being in a tomb. The silence was so complete that it almost hurt his ears as he followed an elderly nun to the office of Mother Superior.

The nun initially refused to admit them, saying that their order was almost entirely cut off from the outside world and did not permit visitors, but he wouldn’t be turned away so easily. After several minutes of arguing, the nun finally agreed to consult Mother Superior, and returned for them with a look of severe disapproval on her weathered face, her lips pursed to the point of being almost invisible. She glided down the stone hallway as if her feet didn’t touch the ground, frowning at the sound of Alec’s boots echoing through the dim halls.

They passed the chapel, where countless candles burned at the feet of Christ, casting eerie shadows on his face and making it appear almost lifelike. The chapel smelled of wax and wood polish, but there were no signs of life, not even nuns at prayer. What had it been like to grow up in a place like this? No wonder Genevieve was so timid and shy. Most likely, she’d never known the sound of joy or laughter, or the comfort of a loving touch.

Their guide brought them to an arched doorway at the end of the corridor and knocked lightly before turning on her heel and leaving without a word.

“Ready?” Valerie asked. She looked as if she’d rather be anywhere but there, and suddenly Alec felt the same way. Why had he come? What was he hoping to find? Whatever information lay on the other side of the door wouldn’t really change anything. Nothing Mother Superior could tell him would change the fact that his sister was dead by her own hand and that her daughter was the product of an encounter that most likely led to her suicide. All he could do now was offer Genevieve the love and protection she’d lacked since the day she was born, and in that small way hope to make up for the actions of her parents. But it was too late to turn back. Alec gave Valerie a rueful smile before turning the brass handle of the door.

“Ready.”

Mother Superior sat behind a carved desk, her hands steepled in front of her as if in prayer, a shaft of light illuminating her stern face. With a narrow face, serious eyes, and lips that were so colorless they blended into her pale skin, she had to be somewhere in her mid-fifties. Unlike the other sisters, who worked in the garden

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