Chapter 13
The morning brought bright sunshine, as though the previous day’s storm had washed away all the torment and shadows.
When Victoria rose and dressed that morning, she inspected her head.
She had shallow scrapes and nothing more.
She was lucky to have gotten out of the greenhouse without serious injury, especially after the tree branch fell.
Her thoughts turned to the night before when she was curled on the settee with the blanket around her while she ate and had tea. Gabriel remained at a distance, his aloof demeanor resuming. When the storm was all but gone, she returned to her room and went to bed.
Yet she couldn’t shake the knowledge that he was the figure who had lurked at the edges of her childhood.
Her mother saying with a tremble in her voice, I don’t like this house, Abner.
Her father’s reply, I thought you loved the gardens, dearest.
Her retort, I do but, Abner…something sinister lurks in the shadows.
And neither of them realizing Gabriel was there all long. The man in the shadows.
He had not aged a day in her twenty-year absence. How was that possible?
She headed to the dining room for breakfast. Gabriel was already there arranging a place setting for her. She wanted to tell him she knew who he was, but the words froze in her throat.
“Good morning, Miss Ravenwood. How do you feel?”
He was back to calling her Miss Ravenwood, which sent a stabbing pain to her heart. As though the progress they’d made the night before was wiped away.
“I’m better, thank you.”
He disappeared to the kitchen while she had her tea and scones and remained there, much to her disappointment.
After breakfast, he announced he was going to see about cleaning up the storm damage in the greenhouse.
She headed to the study where her father often worked.
She closed the door, sealing her inside the silence of the room.
She’d spent time here writing her letters to her aunt and the Tribune, but she hadn’t really looked at the room.
She moved to the window and drew back the thick curtains allowing the morning light to splash inside. Dust motes danced in the sunlight and spilled across the top of the desk. She sat at the desk where she’d left a stack of parchment, an inkwell, and pen where she’d written her letters.
There were drawers on either side. She pulled open the top one where she’d found blank parchment the day before.
There was nothing of note so she moved on to the second one.
This drawer held old papers—correspondence to her father, letters to her mother, invitations to balls.
These were on the desk at one point. She assumed Gabriel stacked them and put them away.
Curious, she slid out a letter from the stack.
It was addressed to the Honorable Abner Ravenwood.
Dear Sir,
It has come to our attention that your recent inquiries into the restoration of the Parliamentary Committee on Occult Affairs have stirred old fears among those who prefer such things remain forgotten.
We urge caution in your continued investigations, especially regarding the Lenore Blackmore incident.
Some doors, once opened, cannot be closed.
Should you require protection for you and your family, you know where to reach us. However, we formally advise you to cease your efforts immediately.
In service to the realm,
Simon de Bauch, Chancellor
Office of Unnatural Matters, Crown Hollow
Her heart rose to her throat as she stared at the letter and read it again and again.
What did it all mean? Who was Lenore Blackmore? And why was her father investigating her?
More questions she was unable to answer. Mysteries she couldn't solve. Uncle Hubert told her that her parents traveled because of her father. Because he was a dignitary.
And the solicitor, Mr. Williams, mentioned the estate was inherited by her father when his father died. And now it passed to her. But did her grandfather know there was something sinister about the estate?
It seemed her father knew there was something going on here since he was searching for answers about Lenore Blackmore.
She replaced the letter and thought about the west wing. Perhaps she would find answers there.
A thorough search of the desk revealed nothing. The locked cabinet gave her pause. She’d have to ask Gabriel for the key to see what was in it.
Or, better yet, see if the key was somewhere in his room.
While he was occupied outside, it was a good time to search his room.
She left behind the study and headed up the stairs, down the long hallway past her room to his at the end. His door was ajar. She hesitated reaching for the knob, but she heard no movement on the other side of the door, so she pushed it open with a creak.
His room was tidy and in perfect order. It was dust and cobweb free.
As though this was the only room he gave proper attention.
The bed was made, the blankets pulled up and tucked neatly under the pillows, the creases sharp.
Across from the bed, the wardrobe. Beyond that, a tall dressing table that looked as though it might have belonged to a woman.
Victoria took a tentative step inside. Heavy draperies covered the window much like in her room. In front of the window, a tufted-back loveseat in a garnet brocade. Next to it, a low round table with a candelabra.
A cursory glance of the bedside table did not produce any type of key. She was hesitant to go through the drawers. That seemed a little too invasive. She took a turn about the room one last time and then started for the door.
As she passed by the bed, something sticking out from under it caught her eye. She paused, peering down at it trying to make sense of what it was. It looked like the corner of a book.
She knelt and reached for it, sliding it out from under the bed.
It was a large book, the same size as the financial ledger, with an aged black leather cover. She recalled that day she found Gabriel in the study how he seemed nervous. Old estate records, he’d called it. He’d hurried past her out of the study with the book.
Victoria stared down at it now, wondering if she dare open it. He said he was relocating them because the mildew was getting to the pages. Why would he store them under his bed?
Unless it was something he didn’t want her to see.
Curious, she opened the cover. The first page was blank. Yellowed with age.
As she flipped the page, there was really nothing of note. Lists of things that did, in fact, seem like an inventory. Items for the larder. Supplies for the garden.
Halfway through the book, she stopped cold.
The first entry was written in an old-fashioned hand. The ink faded but still legible.
Her cries never stop. The girl’s room remains untouched. I cannot bear to close the room and seal it in forever darkness. I failed them both. For that, I remain bound to this place. Forevermore.
Her mouth went dry. The second entry followed on the next page.
The child wandered the west wing again. I tried to remain hidden in the shadows, but she saw me.
She wasn’t frightened of me. She clutched her doll and looked up at me with bright eyes that reminded me so much of the girl I lost. “Are you the sad man?” she asked.
Words were frozen. I nodded. She smiled and something deep inside me cracked.
She is like her mother. Light and bright and full of life. The house watches her now.
The next entry dated days later.
The truth is hidden within the pages. The price was paid for that which could not be undone. Abner knew. He tried to buy more time, but the debt was never repaid.
What price? What truth? She read on. Another entry that looked to be written recently. The ink was not faded.
The house knows her now. It will not let her go. It remembers the Ravenwood blood. It remembers the child who saw the man in the shadows and did not flinch. I wanted to leave—I couldn’t leave. And so, I stayed. Waiting. And now, she has returned.
A breath shuddered out of her as she flipped the page. Ice pricked her nape.
Cracks have formed. The veil thins. She is the key, though she does not know it. Spirits awakened. And now…it is too late. If she finds this, it means I’ve failed to keep her safe.
There were no more entries.
Her breath hung in a pale cloud as she snapped the book closed and pushed it beneath the bed. She stumbled toward the open bedroom door, when the whisper brushed against her ears.
Now you see. Now you know. Nevermore.
Victoria fled.