Mollie McQueen Box Set: The first three books in the smash hit series! (Books 1 - 3) by Lacey London

Author:Lacey London
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2020-07-13T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Lowering her gaze to the envelope in her hands, Mollie attempted to make sense of what Evangelina was saying. The name Eugenie Hickenbottom stared back at her as she tried and failed to solve the riddle.

‘So, is this your real name?’ She asked slowly. ‘Is Evangelina Hamilton a pseudonym?’

‘It’s more than just a pseudonym, Mollie.’ Refusing to make eye contact, Evangelina stared straight ahead as she spoke. ‘It’s the whole thing. Evangelina Hamilton is an act. I’m a fraud.’

‘You’re not a fraud.’ Mollie said encouragingly. ‘Loads of people choose to change their name, and let’s face it, Evangelina Hamilton has a slightly better ring to it than Eugenie Hickenbottom.’

‘You don’t understand.’ She replied, slurring her words slightly. ‘I’m not Evangelina Hamilton. I’m not who people think I am…’

Struggling to push herself up, Evangelina wandered over to a cabinet on the other side of the room and began pulling open drawers. A series of bangs and frantic scrambling sounds made Mollie wince as she watched from her place on the sofa. Seemingly finding what she was looking for, Evangelina returned with an old photo frame. Gingerly accepting it, Mollie wiped the glass clean with her sleeve and studied the photograph closely. The girl in the picture was rocking a heavy set of metal braces, and a fringe that would have made Claudia Winkleman green with envy.

‘That was on my twenty-first birthday.’ Evangelina explained, crashing back down onto the sofa. ‘That photo kick-started this entire process. After that picture was taken, I went straight to the town hall and changed my name. It’s been twenty years, but I still receive the odd piece of junk mail addressed to Eugenie.’

‘Why?’ Mollie asked, a heaviness settling in her stomach.

‘I just had an unshakeable urge to reinvent myself. I wanted to shed my old identity and start again.’ Taking the photo, Evangelina stared at it sadly. ‘This girl was never accepted in the way that I wanted to be accepted. Everyone from her parents to her teachers thought she was odd. She didn’t want to play in the park like the other children. She was happier in her own company. As time passed by, she became an adult who people also thought was strange. She wasn’t invited to parties. She wasn’t asked out on dates. She simply didn’t fit in with what society wanted her to be.’

Mollie fell into a mesmerised silence, completely captivated by what she was hearing.

‘Once I made the decision to transform myself, there was no going back. I became addicted to it. Every slight change gave me a rush of adrenaline that has never been paralleled to this very day. First it was the clothes, then it was the hair. Before I knew it, I had lost everything that made me me. Even the accent isn’t mine.’

‘The accent?’ Mollie repeated, refusing to believe that the ever so eloquent voice that floated out of Evangelina’s mouth didn’t belong to her. ‘You’re not from Chelsea?’

Shaking her head, Evangelina’s cheeks turned pink.

‘Richmond?’ Mollie asked.

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