She Returns From War by Lee Collins - Sample Chapters

The nun nodded. “Have yourself a seat,” she said, pointing to a pew. “I’ll be back soon.”

Victoria sat, the wood creaking slightly under her.

Sister Alice disappeared through a door on one side of the altar, her habit vanishing into the shadows beyond.

Leaning back into the pew, Victoria folded her hands in her lap. She tried to imagine what her father or mother would say if they found her in such a place, waiting to hear whether or not a Catholic priest knew where to find an American bounty hunter. She shook her head and smiled. It really did sound absurd, and that she was traveling alone made it all the more so.

Still, she had reason to believe she could follow through with what she’d started. After all, she’d managed the trip across the Atlantic with little difficulty. It had taken the Jewel of Scotland just over two weeks to make the passage. Victoria spent much of her time aboard in her cabin, searching histories from her father’s collection for any references to black shucks. When her eyes grew tired, she would venture above deck to watch the ocean swell beneath the ship. Spring storms blossomed on the horizon, dark and menacing, but the Jewel slid by them without incident.

When she’d made port in New York City, she gave the immigrations office slight pause. They were unused to a woman traveling alone, but in the end they’d waved her through. One of their officers had pointed her in the direction of the rail station, and