
Near midnight in March, Richard Jones walked from Bromsgrove after missing the last train home. Beyond Helstonleigh he found townspeople moving quietly toward an old churchyard where burials had ceased. You step into this one-chapter preview with Alletha Rye at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. Before my own door opens, I must be ready to hear why Alletha risked her name to defend the dead. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.
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