Fellow Creatures – Emma Lowther

Look,’ he said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. ‘Why don’t we stay inside today? I’ll head out and get us some coffee, some pastries, and then we can have some, you know, time alone together, get to know each other a bit more . . .’ But I insisted.

He could play the gallant all he liked, but I knew what he wanted, the bargain I’d been entered into. He hadn’t invited me here out of the goodness of his heart; I knew he expected something in return. But if we were going to have sex, if I was going to relinquish my virginity, I was determined to do so on my own terms.

On the third day, as evening cloaked the city with its inky pall and waiters rolled their tables out into the square, I came upon a violinist playing for coins beside a fountain. I’d left Stefano – becoming increasingly bored by my frigidity – next to a stall selling carnival masks. The musician had a small crowd around him. A half-remembered melody ached from his bow. I moved closer. A bystander, an old man with leathery skin and bushy eyebrows, stepped forward and offered me his hand.

I shook my head, embarrassed. He grinned and gestured again, his hand outstretched. He had trusting eyes and a broken piano of a smile. Why not? a small voice inside me said. I gave in and placed my fingers in the crease of his palm. More people gathered. A woman sang softly in Italian. The man was a good dancer. He held me close and spun me so my skirt whirled around my knees.

I laughed, dizzy, feeling like I was in a movie, the leading lady – the star, finally, of my own life. But then I saw Stefano, smiling mirthlessly, push through the crowd. The old man, noticing, gave him a nod which Stefano answered by unhooking the man’s hands from my shoulder and lower back. Sensing trouble, the old man offered a small bow and melted into the crowd.

Stefano took me in his arms and reluctantly continued the dance. I looked over my shoulder, searching for the old man, wishing I could’ve thanked him or apologized to him somehow. ‘Where did he go?’ I whispered. Stefano twirled me like a spinning top then clamped me to his chest. ‘Stef—’ ‘Be quiet,’ he hissed, still smiling for the crowd. ‘Don’t you think you’ve embarrassed yourself enough for one day?’ THAT NIGHT, STEFANO GLARED at me from across the rickety Formica table.

‘You looked ridiculous.’ ‘I don’t care.’ ‘You showed me up.’ ‘I was just having fun.’

First published in Great Britain in 2026 by Quercus Part of John Murray Group Copyright © Emma Lowther 2026 The moral right of Emma Lowther to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Cover design © Andrew Smith All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library ebook ISBN 978 1 52944 407 0 Quercus Carmelite House 50 Victoria Embankment London EC4Y 0DZ John Murray Group Part of Hodder & Stoughton Limited An Hachette UK company The authorised representative in the EEA is Hachette Ireland, 8 Castlecourt Centre, Dublin 15, D15 XTP3, Ireland (email: [email protected]) OceanofPDF.com For my parents, Colin and Dawn OceanofPDF.com ‘The time onstage is easier than the rest of one’s existence.

At least for those two and a half hours, you can be quite sure who you are.’ Dame Maggie Smith OceanofPDF.com Contents Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Epigraph Prologue Act One One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen Act Two One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen Nineteen Twenty Twenty-ONE Twenty-TWO Twenty-THREE Twenty-FOUR Twenty-FIVE Twenty-SIX Twenty-SEVEN Twenty-EIGHT Twenty-NINE Thirty Thirty-ONE Act Three One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Epilogue Acknowledgements OceanofPDF.com Prologue OF COURSE, I’VE ALWAYS known there’s something wrong with me.

As far back as I can remember, there has been this wall, this two-inch-thick pane of glass that no one else seems to have. When I’m behind the glass, I see the world, I interact with it in a vague sort of way, but I never really come close to touching it. Except occasionally, when I get these bursts of feeling, where something takes over, some madness descends, and for a moment everything appears in vivid technicolour.

It’s in those moments that I’m afraid, those moments when I don’t know what I might do.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

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• File Extension: .pdf
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• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9781529444070
• Pages: 329
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 500.51 minutes
• Total Words: 100,102
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