Paullina Simons - A Beggar’s Kingdom

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

The News Building

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London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published by HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty Ltd in 2019

This edition in Great Britain 2019

Copyright © Paullina Simons

Cover design by HarperCollins Design Studio

Cover images: Hands by Mark Owen / Trevillion Images; Icebergs on the water by Jason Hynes / Getty Images

Part title illustrations by Paullina Simons

Author photo by Paullina Simons

Paullina Simons asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780007441679

Ebook Edition © August 2019 ISBN: 9780007441686

Version: 2019-07-09

Tully

“You’ll never look at life in the same way again. Pick up this book and prepare to have your emotions wrung so completely you’ll be sobbing your heart out one minute and laughing through your tears the next. Read it and weep—literally.”

Company

Red Leaves

“Simons handles her characters and setting with skill, slowly peeling away deceptions to reveal denial, cowardice and chilling indifference … an engrossing story.”

Publishers Weekly

Eleven Hours

“ Eleven Hours is a harrowing, hair-raising story that will keep you turning the pages late into the night.”

Janet Evanovich

The Bronze Horseman

“A love story both tender and fierce” ( Publishers Weekly ) that “recalls Dr. Zhivago. ” ( People Magazine )

The Bridge to Holy Cross

“This has everything a romance glutton could wish for: a bold, talented and dashing hero [and] a heart-stopping love affair that nourishes its two protagonists even when they are separated and lost.”

Daily Mail

The Girl in Times Square

“Part mystery, part romance, part family drama … in other words, the perfect book.”

Daily Mail

The Summer Garden

“If you’re looking for a historical epic to immerse yourself in, then this is the book for you.”

Closer

Road to Paradise

“One of our most exciting writers … Paullina Simons presents the perfect mix of page-turning plot and characters.”

Woman and Home

A Song in the Daylight

“Simons shows the frailties of families and of human nature, and demonstrates that there’s so much more to life, such as honesty and loyalty.”

Good Reading

Bellagrand

“Another epic saga from Simons, full of the emotion and heartache of the original trilogy. Summer reading at its finest.”

Canberra Times

Lone Star

“Another epic love story—perfect reading for a long, lazy day in bed.”

Better Reading

To Kevin,

I can do all things through you who strengthens me.

“Guess I was kidding myself into believing that I had a choice in this thing, huh?”

Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Praise for Paullina Simons

Dedication

Epigraph

Prologue: Real Artifacts from Imaginary Places

Part One: The Master of the Mint

Chapter 1. Fighter’s Club

Chapter 2. Oxygen for Julian

Chapter 3. Silver Cross

Chapter 4. Keeper of the Brothel

Chapter 5. Lord Fabian

Chapter 6. Infelice

Chapter 7. Dead Queen, Revisited

Chapter 8. Bellafront

Chapter 9. Bill of Mortality

Chapter 10. Six Persuasions

Chapter 11. Objects of Outrage

Chapter 12. A Subject of Choice

Part Two: In the Fields of St. Giles

Chapter 13. Rappel

Chapter 14. Gin Lane

Chapter 15. Cleon the Sewer Hunter

Chapter 16. Agatha

Chapter 17. Midsummer Night’s Dream

Chapter 18. The Ride of Paul Revere

Chapter 19. Bucket of Blood

Chapter 20. The Advocate

Chapter 21. Troilus and Cressida

Chapter 22. Grosvenor Park

Chapter 23. Bowl of St. Giles

Chapter 24. Quatrang

Chapter 25. Karmadon

Chapter 26. Best Shakes in London

Chapter 27. Refugees

Part Three: Lady of the Camellias

Chapter 28. Airy’s Transit Circle

Chapter 29. The Prince of Preachers

Chapter 30. Sovereign Election

Chapter 31. The Love Story of George and Ricky

Chapter 32. Pathétique

Chapter 33. Five Minutes in China , in Three Volumes

Chapter 34. The Sublime and Beautiful

Chapter 35. My Love and I—a Mystery

Chapter 36. Foolish Mervyn and Crazy-eyed Sly

Chapter 37. The Valley of Dry Bones

Chapter 38. Ghost Rider

Chapter 39. A Mother

Chapter 40. Two Weddings

Part Four: Tragame Tierra

Chapter 41. The Plains of Lethe

Chapter 42. Masha at the Cherry Lane

Chapter 43. What Will They Care

Chapter 44. Termagant

Chapter 45. Hinewai

Chapter 46. Hula-Hoop

Chapter 47. The Igloo

Chapter 48. Door Number Two

Chapter 49. Heart of Darkness

Keep Reading …

About the Author

By the Same Author

About the Publisher

ASHTON STOOD, HIS BLOND HAIR SPIKING OUT OF HIS baseball cap, his arms crossed, his crystal eyes incredulous, listening to Josephine trying to sweet-talk Zakiyyah into going on Peter Pan’s Flight. Julian, Josephine, Ashton, and Z were in Disneyland, the last two under protest.

“Z, what’s not to love?” Josephine was saying. “You fly over London with Peter Pan aboard a magical pirate ship to Neverland. Come on, let’s go—look, the line’s getting longer.”

“Is it pretend fly?” asked Zakiyyah.

“No,” replied Ashton. “It’s real fly. And real London. And a real pirate ship. And definitely real Neverland.”

Zakiyyah rolled her eyes. She almost gave him the finger. “Is it fast? Is it spinny? Is it dark? I don’t want to be dizzy. I don’t want to be scared is what I’m saying, and I don’t want to be jostled.”

“Would you like to be someplace else?” Ashton said.

“No, I just want to have fun.”

“And Peter Pan’s magical flight over London doesn’t qualify?” Ashton said, and sideways to Julian added, “What kind of fun are we supposed to have with someone like that? I can’t believe Riley agreed to let me come with you three. I’m going to have to take her to Jamaica to make it up to her.”