her hands, she still couldn't quite bring
herself to open the letter. She stared at it while leaning against
the island behind her.
It wasn't the
first time she'd had strange letters from fans, and it was probably
just another of those, but it was the first to be delivered by hand
to her door, and the first to arrive at such an odd time. That
alone made her more wary of it.
Knowing she
couldn't put it off any longer, Amelia put her drink to one side
and lifted the envelope up. The publishers had given her advice the
first time she'd had one, and she followed it now, keeping her
fingers near the edges to help preserve any fingerprints the writer
might have left. She turned it over and used a knife from the
cutlery drawer to slice open the flap.
After covering her
fingers with a piece of cling film and making an improvised glove,
she pulled the letter out. It was folded in half with no writing on
the back and no distinguishing features of any kind. She sniffed at
it as she brought it slowly towards her, but no particular scent
came off it either. With nothing else to do, she opened the paper
to read the letter.
Amelia,
I've been a fan
of yours for some time now and have had the pleasure of meeting you
several times. You're far lovelier than any of the other authors
I've met, and I'd love to get to know you better. I am just like
your character, Dalton. It's like you already know me and the way I
think, and I know you like him. You've said many times that he was
your favourite character.
I know you'll
remember me from your last book tour. I came to several of the
places you visited and I keep the photos of us from the Waterstones
in Trowbridge in my wallet. I'm so pleased that you're going on
tour again. I've noticed you don't write in public places very
often. It's a shame. If you did, I could join you sometimes and
help. I know I'd make a great muse when you're writing about
Dalton.
Your biggest
fan.
Amelia exhaled.
This wasn't quite as sweet as some of the others she'd received.
After tucking it back into the envelope, she pulled off the cling
film and hurried over to her laptop. Something like this would be
best dealt with by her publishers. They'd know what she ought to do
in response.
Her hands shook as
she typed out a quick message to them, letting them know the rough
details and that she had no idea who it could be. The last time
she'd been in Trowbridge to sign books was several months ago, and
no one came to mind that had stood out from the usual crowd. It was
also fairly common for her fans to come to more than one of her
signings when she did lots of stops in one area.
By the time she
was done, she realised she needed to shower and dress or she'd be
late for her first location of the day. Despite being on edge
because of the letter, she couldn't let it put her off when the
tour was only just beginning. It also might give her an opportunity
to spot who this letter sender was. If he was too scary or
obsessed, she could always tell Myron and Sebastian about it. Both
of them would know what to do.
Comforted by the
thought of her mentor and friend helping, she went about her
morning routine as if nothing had happened. Only tiredness made her
day any different, and she was a couple of minutes late walking
into Bath's biggest bookshop.
Every time she
started a tour she insisted it was her first location, and the fans
were used to this. Despite it being early in the day, a long line
of people wound inside the shop floor and then out the door and
down the street. She smiled and waved as she normally would,
apologising for being late to the fans nearest and the staff who
were already helping organise the large queue.
It didn't take
long for the manager, a greying, softly spoken man, to come over to
her. They hugged and he kissed her cheek before guiding her to the
familiar table in its usual location. She apologised for being late
once more before stepping into her usual spot. Instantly, the
normality of