Heart of Darkness

By Amy Cecil

AUTHOR's NOTE:  This title contains a complete short story, Heart of Darkness.  It also includes a sneak peek (not the complete book) into Ripper, also by Amy Cecil.  Both titles are for mature audiences.

HEART OF DARKNESS

Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned

Crimson & Snow Kinston, twin sisters and accomplished ladies of Society, who were raised in the grand English tradition.  They had one ultimate goal:  marry a man of wealth and be a dutiful wife.  Until the day Snow commits the ultimate betrayal against her sister.

Snow's betrayal will lead both sisters down a dark path into a world consumed by power and despair.  These two women will learn what it is like to face the ugly truths about one's self.

RIPPER

As a prostitute living in London's East End, Marie is no stranger to doing what she must to survive.  Offered more money than she could ever imagine by a handsome stranger, she agrees to his unusual request to be her one and only client.  But it's a dangerous time to be a lady of the night. The Ripper murders are splashed on every paper and whispered about behind the backs of hands. 

In the arms of her client turned lover, Marie feels adoration and acceptance she's never experienced before.  Unfortunately, contentment can't root out the dark questions clawing their way into the light.  Is it possible the man who has stolen her heart also prowls the streets of Whitechapel in search of his next victim?

Consumed by doubt, Marie finds herself questions the man she thought she had come to know so well.  Could he?  Would he? Did he?

From Best Selling author Amy Cecil comes, Ripper, A sizzling romance laced with spine-tingling suspense!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amy Cecil
• Release date: Sep 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393511076

Book preview

Heart of Darkness – Amy Cecil

Copyright © 2019 Amy Cecil

All rights reserved in accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. The scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the author constitutes unlawful piracy and theft of the author's intellectual property. If you would like to use materials from this book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the author.

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ISBN- 9781688596337

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental or used in a fictitious manner. The author acknowledges that all song titles, film titles, film characters, and novels mentioned in this book are the property of and belong to their respective owners.

Any views expressed in this book are fictitious and not necessarily the views of the author.

Thank you for your support of the author's rights.

Book cover design and layout by Rebecca Garcia of Dark Wish Designs. 

www.darkwishdesigns.com

Editing Services provided by Angie Wade of Novel Nurse Editing. www.novelnurseeditng.com.

Darkness

Noun

The partial or total absence of light.

Wickedness or evil.

Have you ever looked up the definition of darkness? The dictionary states darkness is the partial or total absence of light. I guess that’s true, but it’s not my definition. You see, I experienced total darkness the moment I made a deal with the Gryphon.

My name is Crimson Kingston, and this is my story.

Part 1

So where do I begin? At the beginning? No, that would not be the place to start. First I shall introduce you to my dear twin sister, Snow.

There was a time when I loved her. There was a time when I admired her. There was a time when I was envious of her. There was even a time when I wanted to be more like her. Little did I know there would come a day when I would despise her to the point where the only thing that would make me happy was to see her suffer. I took joy in her suffering. There was a time when her suffering was the only thing that would please me. My vengeance rained down on her and the forbidden man she dared to love.

Snow and I weren’t identical, but we were twins; however, I was two minutes older. While I was the one who was kind to everyone, Snow was cold and calculated. Our names definitely fit us as if our parents had known the minute we were born what our personalities would be like. Snow was stronger than I was and definitely more confident. I, on the other hand, always did what I was told, and most people took advantage of me. Nobody could do that with Snow.

Snow did everything in her power to undermine me. She never thought twice about calling me out in front of others, her goal obviously to embarrass me. I used to think it was jealousy. Until the day came when she hurt someone else to hurt me. I had a dog. His name was Sam. It wasn’t the most unique name for a dog, but it was for me, because Sam stood for Simply Adorable Man. Again, I knew it was silly. He was an Alaskan Malamute, full of fur and lots of love. I loved him more than anything. Snow hated him. I wasn’t really sure if it was actually the dog she hated or the fact that Sam loved me and only me. The day she put my dog in danger and he almost lost his life, I knew there was an evilness that lived inside her where none of us could reach. Until that day, I never realized how cruel she could be.

But that is a story for another day. Thankfully Sam survived.

Our family was English nobility, and we were of great wealth. Like all young ladies of London’s society, Snow and I had been raised to be accomplished, well-brought-up ladies. We could both play the pianoforte, sing, and paint. We were fluent in several of the modern languages and could make intelligent conversation with anyone. These accomplishments were all achieved before we were sixteen years of age.

When we turned sixteen, it was time for us to be shown to the world. The London season was upon us, and our debut into society had just started. There was talk of all the eligible young men, but they were all just names to me. Some I had heard mention of; others I had heard nothing at all. It was surreal to think that one of these men would end up being my husband, a man I would spend the rest of my life with. To be honest, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what my life would be like married to one of them.

Snow swore she would never marry and teased me often because, since I was the oldest, I was to be the first to marry. We were innocent young girls with our future ahead of us. It was the second ball of the season, and all the talk was of a gentleman named Ian Harris. Mrs. Crimson Harris? It had a nice ring to it.

I remember thinking to myself, You haven’t even met him and you are already marrying yourself off to him. I was young, foolish, and oh so naïve. With eager excitement to meet the illusive Mr. Harris, I didn’t realize then that was the beginning of the end.

It was rumored Mr. Harris received ten thousand a year, was prestigious, and was in want of a wife. Sounded like that wonderful story by Jane Austin. Perhaps Mr. Harris will end up being my Mr. Darcy. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure if I was ready for marriage. But ever since I was a little girl, I was taught how to be a proper wife. I knew my duty and so I accepted it. Snow, on the other hand, was the exact opposite and refused the prospect every time it was mentioned. But Snow really didn’t have a choice either.

My mother and governess drilled into us that we would provide a clean home for our husband, ensure he received his meals each day, and raise his children as we had been raised. We

Reviews for Heart of Darkness

[Ana · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Yes this short story was disturbing. But I could not help but love it. It gives us a background story to the queen of hearts. Damn its messed up!