CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Rachel exulted in the brief glint of sunshine slanting into the courtyard of 38 Great Pulteney Street. Though Aubrey had gone for his run over an hour ago, the flagstoned space still smelled of the coffee and blueberry pancakes they’d shared for breakfast. She bookmarked the Old Bailey website and closed the browser down, wanting no distractions as she outlined the next chapters of the Polidori biography up to her current point of research. The document was already over one hundred thousand words, researched and honed during the last four years, but she knew Margie, her editor and friend, would excise at least five thousand—maybe ten—to polish it for publication. Rachel thought of it as friendly fire, but she still took care to highlight her darlings, hoping most of th
