Shadow Duet Read online

  “Of course not, Signor.” She wrapped her fingers around his forearm as she stood, enjoying the familiar warm strength within her grasp. As they crossed the crowded and noisy room, she leaned closer to murmur, “Miss Kauffman and Signor Zucchi...”

  “Ah, yes.” Carlo breathed the words into her ear, his warm breath ruffling against her skin. “Miss Kauffman, I’m afraid, was taken advantage of many years ago by a rogue who persuaded her into marriage using fraudulent means. When the truth came out, she fought bravely with the help of her friends to win herself independence and separation...but of course she cannot re-marry while the scoundrel yet lives.”

  “I see.” Charlotte glanced back at the artist with admiration. For a woman to escape a dangerous marriage took both courage and fortitude.

  And to find true love despite such impediments...

  Well. The very proper young Charlotte of several years ago, who had been too well-trained even to question the rules of her society, might indeed have been perturbed by such apparent immorality. But the Charlotte she had grown into as an adult...

  How could she do anything but applaud such astonishing good fortune?

  Charlotte smiled at her own love as she seated herself at the ornately decorated clavichord that stood in pride of place in the center of the room, waiting for their performance. A glittering crowd was already gathering around it, rustling with anticipation and curiosity.

  The aristocrats who crowded around the clavichord brushed their gazes across Charlotte with the same disrespect that had burned against her skin earlier in the evening. But she recognized friendly faces further back in the crowd now.

  There was a whole world beyond the dazzling lights of the high society to which she had been born. Once, that outer world had felt shadowy, unknown and full of danger. It had been the lifelong subject of her family’s most dire warnings of what would happen if she ever dared step off her appointed path.

  But Charlotte had already found her true love in that shadowy outer world, an unexpected gift that had first shattered and then transformed her life; and now, astounding all probability, it seemed that she might find true female friendships as well, along with a community that finally welcomed both her and her beloved.

  His gaze rested questioningly upon her as she raised her hands above the keyboard—and for once, she let the trained mask of propriety slip away from her in public. Heedless of every inquisitive or scandalized eye upon them, Charlotte allowed every feeling in her heart to shine shamelessly in her face as she met her lover’s eyes.

  No regrets, she mouthed and brought her hands down to strike the first, ringing chord.

  No regrets, Carlo mouthed back, his face alight. Then he turned to sing for their audience, the mask of his own public persona slipping seamlessly over his expression...

  But she knew without a doubt that every note in his aria was aimed at her, just as every note she played was for him.

  It was a duet that would never end.

  * * *

  -FIN-

  Afterword

  Thank you so much to all of you for following Carlo and Charlotte’s story from Eszterháza in Masks and Shadows to London in Shadow Duet!

  If you’d like to find out more about the historical characters in this story (and on the front cover of this ebook!), please check out the Historical Notes on my website.

  And if you have time to write an honest review for this story on Goodreads or elsewhere, I would really, really appreciate it. Thank you! Even short reviews make a big difference to authors.

  Congress of Secrets

  In 1814, the Congress of Vienna has just begun. Diplomats battle over a new map of Europe, actors vie for a chance at glory, and aristocrats and royals from across the continent come together to celebrate the downfall of Napoleon…among them Lady Caroline Wyndham, a wealthy English widow. But Caroline has a secret: she was born Karolina Vogl, daughter of a radical Viennese printer. When her father was arrested by the secret police, Caroline’s childhood was stolen from her by dark alchemy.

  Under a new name and nationality, she returns to Vienna determined to save her father even if she has to resort to the same alchemy that nearly broke her before. But she isn’t expecting to meet her father’s old apprentice, Michael Steinhüller, now a charming con man in the middle of his riskiest scheme ever.

  The sinister forces that shattered Caroline’s childhood still rule Vienna behind a glittering façade of balls and salons, Michael’s plan is fraught with danger, and both of their disguises are more fragile than they realize. What price will they pay to the darkness if either of them is to survive?

  “An intriguing story of dark alchemical magic among the power brokers of the Napoleonic era. A compelling, fast-paced read—historical fantasy with real substance.”

  – Juliet Marillier, author of the Blackthorn & Grim series

  * * *

  “Stephanie Burgis uses her considerable gifts to invest the city of Vienna with dark, magical splendor. It was a pleasure to visit the brilliant lights of its opera halls and the deep shadows of its lanes and alleys. I want to go back.”

  – Greg van Eekhout, author of California Bones

  Available as an ebook and in paperback.

  About the Author

  Stephanie Burgis has lived in Michigan, Vienna, and Yorkshire, and now lives in Wales, surrounded by castles and coffee shops, with her husband (fellow writer Patrick Samphire), their two children, their (very) vocal tabby cat, and thousands of books. She is the author of two historical fantasy novels for adults, Masks and Shadows and Congress of Secrets (both published by Pyr Books), as well as four MG fantasy novels, most recently The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart (published by Bloomsbury in 2017).

  You can read more about her and her books and short stories on her website: www.stephanieburgis.com or sign up for her newsletter for news and free tie-in short stories.

  Copyright © 2017 by Stephanie Burgis Samphire

  Cover design © 2017 by 50 Degrees North

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.