The Unexpected Coincidence (14 page)

After an hour of
deliberating, Mycroft made his mind up. It would be done outside of
official channels, but by morning he would know all the information
there was on Mr Delra.

A sigh escaped
Amelia's lips as she finished the first draft of her next novel. It
had taken her six weeks of effort and hard work, but the next
Dalton story was told and nothing had ever felt quite as satisfying
as writing the last words of a tale and knowing it was told and
done, at least for a little while.

To reward herself,
she ordered another hot chocolate and sat back in her favourite
writing café to people-watch. She'd been in Bath since Sebastian
had declared her recovered enough to be on her own. The care he'd
shown had been sweet, but even she had craved coming back after
three days stuck in his flat with him, especially once her hand had
healed well enough to write again.

While processing
her emotional response and preparing for Christmas, she'd decided
to write another novel and she'd finished the three tasks at about
the same time. Not only was she ready for the chaotic season of the
year, but she felt like she could face Myron and danger again. And
now the book was complete. If nothing else, Shane would be
pleased.

As she drank she
noticed the other people around her. A couple of mums, laden with
shopping bags full of toys, were taking a break over coffee, while
a couple of students huddled in one corner with their laptops,
trying to concentrate in the hustle and bustle around them.

When her eyes
caught those of an elderly gentleman who'd been sitting a table
over reading a newspaper for the last hour, Amelia smiled. He
returned the gesture, the corners of his eyes wrinkling up in a way
men seemed to manage with more dignity than women. Just as she was
finishing up her hot chocolate, he decided he was leaving and
packed away his things. After taking up his walking stick and
leaning on it, he hobbled in her direction.

He pulled an
envelope out of his pocket and threw her a wink as he gave it to
her. She had to stop herself from laughing as she realised it was
the same man who had passed her a letter before. Myron was up to
his usual tricks.

“Merry Christmas,
pet,” he said and then hobbled off. Knowing he wasn't old only made
her more impressed. One day, she hoped to be as good at disguising
herself.

Once she'd watched
the messenger leave, she tore open the sealed envelope and pulled
out her next letter.

My first is in
soccer, my second in polo, hockey contains my third, and the
equestrians have my fourth, while my fifth lies in tennis; what am
I?

Some of these
are soft and some of these are full of nuts. Everything has one,
even the world, but you can't journey to it, despite the story.

We like hot T
and tolerate cold C, we're adrift in the water, but not alone, with
a castle for every man. What are we?

I am no
fearsome beast, but my thin teeth are bared. I can't befriend the
bald, but find love with the haired.

Realising it would
take her a little while, Amelia ordered another drink. Staying a
little longer wouldn't do her any harm.

Of all the
riddles, the third was the easiest, so she scribbled the answer
beside it on the letter. She used pencil just in case she'd got it
wrong, but she knew that one without a problem.

Out of the other
three, the first one looked easiest. It also appeared like the
first, second and so on meant a letter in each of the words. She
used the envelope as scrap paper and wrote the words out one under
the other with plenty of space between the letters, not bothering
to repeat any if they occurred twice in a word.

She eliminated the
Q immediately, as there was no U to follow in tennis. After
eliminating a few other letters she found only two words jumped out
at her and only one made sense, given the context of the lines. She
wrote in the first word still using pencil, and then tried to work
out the other two riddles.

For several
minutes, she nibbled on the inside of her lip and tried to work out
what the second riddle could mean. Eventually it came to her. The
classic book, Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

She then turned
her attention to the fourth, but she agonised over it far longer
than the rest had taken her combined. Eventually, she went back to
the three words she had already.

Sport, Centre
and British

A frown flitted
across her face. The words didn't make much sense. The first two
appeared to be telling her something about a sports centre, but
with British as the next word, it didn't make enough sense on its
own.

When Amelia
realised the mistake she'd made she hit her forehead with the palm
of her hand. She then crossed out British and wrote English
instead. A grin spread across her face when she remembered there
was a sports centre on Englishcombe Lane nearby. The answer to the
fourth riddle dawned on her. Bald people didn't need a comb but
someone with hair did.

After picking up
her phone, Amelia tapped the type of building and the road into the
map section and soon had directions to the Baskerville Fitness and
Gymnastics Centre.

Less than a minute
later she was outside the café and walking towards it. It wasn't
far up the hill from where she was, so she didn't bother getting a
bus or calling a taxi. It would be quicker to walk.

Breathless and a
little sweaty underneath her coat, Amelia arrived at the building
and walked into the reception. Before she had time to think about
where to go, a well-built male in what looked like a martial arts
gi came up to her.

“Amelia Jones?” he
asked. She nodded. “Brilliant, you're early. It gives us plenty of
time to get your training under way.”

~

Thank you for reading The Unexpected Coincidence. The sequel,
The Invisible Amateur, is available on November
27
^th
2015 and can be bought or pre-ordered
here
.

While you wait you might like to try my fantasy works,
beginning with a free short,
Wandering to Belong
.

If you would like to subscribe to the new release email to be
notified of the next publication by Jess Mountifield (or Amelia
Price) you can do so
here
.

For a complete list of all works by the author and her pen
name, separated by genre, please continue. If you have enjoyed the
book you just read and would like to let the author know you can
email her via
[email protected]
or alternatively leave a review at your place of
purchase.

Already
published

Historical
Adventure:

With Proud
Humility (#1 in the Hearts of the Seas series)

Chains of
Freedom (#4 in the Hearts of the Seas series)

Fantasy (Tales
of Ethanar):

Wandering to
Belong (Tale 1)

Innocent
Hearts (Tale 2 & 3)

For Such a
Time as This (Tale 4)

A Fire's
Sacrifice (Tale 5)

The Hope of
Winter (A short story in the anthology 'Flights of Fantasy' - Tale
6.05)

Sci-Fi:

Sherdan's
Prophecy (#1 in the Sherdan series)

Sherdan's
Legacy (#2 in the Sherdan series)

Sherdan's
Country (#3 in the Sherdan series)

Sherdan's Road
(A short story in the anthology 'The End of the Road')

The Slave
Who'd Never Been Kissed (A novella in the anthology 'The Kiss')

Find purchase links
here

Coming
soon

Historical
Adventure:

Victorious
Ruin (#2 in the Hearts of the Seas series)

Fantasy (Tales
of Ethanar):

The Fire of
Winter (#1 in the Winter series, Tale 6.1)

The Tales of
Ethanar anthology - containing:

The Tales of
Ethanar 1-5

A Brief
History of Ethanar

Maps of
Ethanar

A Note on
Dragons

A Note on the
Humanoid Races of Ethanar

Fantasy
(other):

Angel of the
Sands

Already
Published

The Hundred
Year Wait (#1 in the Mycroft Holmes Adventures)

The Unexpected
Coincidence (#2 in the Mycroft Holmes Adventures)

The Boy Next
Door (A short story in the anthology 'The Bitten')

The Invisible
Amateur (#3 in the Mycroft Holmes Adventures)

Coming
soon

The Female
Charm (#4 in the Mycroft Holmes Adventures)

Jess was born
in the quaint village of Woodbridge in the UK, has spent some of
her childhood in the States and now resides near the beautiful
Roman city of Bath. She lives with her husband, Phil, and her very
dapsy cat, Pleaides.

During her
still relatively short life Jess has displayed an innate curiosity
for learning new things and has therefore studied many subjects,
from maths and the sciences, to history and drama. Jess now works
full time as a writer, incorporating many of the subjects she has
an interest in within her plots and characters.

When she's not
working she can often be found with friends, enjoying a vast array
of films, ice skating or trekking all over the English
countryside.

You can find out more
about the author and her upcoming projects by following her
on
twitter
or her fanpage
on
facebook
or at her
blog
www.jessmountifield.co.uk