Page 2 of Autumn Secrets

“Yes, it never fails to impress, does it?” Mum stopped the car and got out, and I quickly followed her move. We stood there next to each other, observing the manor in silence. It was a white two-storey mansion, with front steps leading up to a massive oak door. There were big windows everywhere and a small balcony in the middle of the second floor. Above that was an attic with two smaller windows. I couldn’t even remember how many rooms there were, but I knew there were a lot of them. I had a faint memory of playing hide-and-seek when I was younger, and the manor was like a never-ending maze.

“Well, let’s get everything inside,” said Mum.

It immediately felt like home as soon as we stepped inside the foyer with the old chandelier hanging from the roof. Mum turned off the alarm as I let my eyes sweep across my surroundings, admiring the many paintings on the walls. My grandmother had been a great painter, and the house was full of her work.

I loved the high ceilings and massive rooms; it was just so easy to breathe in here. There were two broad staircases on either side of the foyer, leading up to a balcony on the second floor. It was like walking into a castle.

I helped Mum carry the groceries to the kitchen, which was big enough to host one of those cooking shows on TV. I put the groceries down and moved over to the windows to look outside. A deep longing to explore my old surroundings had washed over me as soon as I saw the manor from the car. I was curious to see if everything else looked the same as I remembered it, but I knew I had to wait until the morning. Mum started to unpack food into the fridge, but suddenly stopped and gave me a horrified look.

“No, no, no! I left the bag with the meat in the shop! How am I supposed to get everything ready for tomorrow? I need to slow-cook everything…”

“I’ll go back and get it,” I offered straight away.

“No, you can’t find your way in the dark.”

“Of course I can. It’s straight ahead up to the main road and then left, all the way into town. It’s like a ten-minute drive, Mum.” I laughed. “This is not a big city; there’s no way I can get lost here.”

She looked at me. “Are you sure? I mean, I could just go back in the morning.”

“Don’t be silly, I’ll do it. Where are the keys?”

“On the table in the foyer. I’ll keep unpacking. If it’s not there, call me and I’ll explain what you need to buy.”

Chapter 2

I found a radio station with some decent music as I drove back into town. I hadn’t driven at all since we moved to Paris,as I found it too stressful to navigate my way around. This was a newfound freedom I didn’t know I’d missed. I found the supermarket with ease, just as I told Mum I would, and pulled up in the empty parking lot. I had a feeling you never had to wait to get a park here, even in the busiest part of the day. I walked straight to the cashier when I got inside and, luckily, she had kept our missing shopping bag. I thanked her and was about to jump back in the car and drive home, when my eyes darted to the other end of the main street.

The street looked completely deserted in the dark. However, it wasn’t the shops I was interested in; something else had awakened my memories. Further down the street was the town library, and the lights were still on. I loved that library; I had really clear memories of going there with my grandmother. It was located in an old church, and its interior honestly looked like the library from a Harry Potter movie. That was how I remembered it anyway. Before I could think twice, I threw the bag with the meat onto the back seat, locked the car and started to walk towards the old church. I wasn’t worried about walking alone at night. I felt safe in this little town, and there were streetlights leading the way anyway. Once I reached the old church, I hurried up the front steps and peeked inside.

There were still a few people in there, and excitedly I pushed open the door and walked inside. The smell of books and old wood hit me as soon as I entered and it brought a huge smile to my face straight away. There was a lady at the front desk and a group of girls sitting together by a table. I waved to the lady at the desk and continued upstairs. The second floor used to be my favourite place and when I reached the top of the stairs I found, to my relief, that it still looked the same. There were little study nooks everywhere and the dim lighting made it feel so cosy. I walked through an aisle of books and reached a bay window with a cushioned seat. I sat down and looked around me, smiling. I had always found such pleasure being surrounded by books.

I sat there for a few minutes before a sudden crash near the window behind me made me jump to my feet. I quickly turned and looked out the window, but there was nothing that caught my eye. Maybe it was a bird? When I turned back from the window again, I noticed a book on the floor in front of me. It must have just fallen off the shelf, because I was sure it hadn’t been there when I came in. I reached down to pick it up and an intense feeling of déjà vu swept over me, freezing me to the spot.

I studied the book cover.Fallen Angels and Demons.For some reason I recognised this book, although it definitely wasn’t what I would normally read. I had just risen to my feet with the book in my hand, when I noticed movement in front of me. My eyes instinctively shot up and found the most striking pair of pale, turquoise-blue eyes I’d ever seen.

Oh my God.

I placed my hand over my suddenly pounding heart to try and calm myself down.

I wasn’t sure if my heart was reacting to being scared by a random stranger or if it was because that stranger happened to be stunningly gorgeous, but I was pretty sure it was the latter. He was very tall, and his black T-shirt hugged flawlessly against his well-toned body. His raven black, tousled hair looked so silky I almost wanted to reach out and touch it. I realised I had been staring and he was staring right back at me. His eyes were mesmerising, reminding me of the lakes around the Rocky Mountains. He was absolutely spellbinding. My stomach fluttered, and a sudden rush of heat coloured my cheeks in an unwelcome way.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” His voice was smooth and deep. I shuddered slightly. He casually took a step closer, his gaze still steadily locked on mine, affecting me in an unfamiliar way. His god-like looks combined with his confident approach screamedtroublefrom a mile away. Adding to the lethal combination was his playful, yet seductive smile.I was usually far from adventurous or confident enough to even look at someone like him but here I was dumbstruck by his presence, unable to tear my eyes away.

“It’s just that no one ever comes here on a Friday night. I thought I was alone,” he continued as he stopped right in front of me. His eyes stayed locked on mine, making my head spin and my eyes begin to hurt. This was crazy. I could almost feel my knees begin to buckle underneath me.

“N-no, that’s okay,” I mumbled with a shaky voice, as I tried to draw a breath.

“Are you sure?” He grinned and arched an eyebrow, like he could tell exactly what kind of effect he was having on me. I nodded and tried to divert my gaze away from him, but it was impossible. I was hypnotised. “I’m Adrian. Adrian Hunter.”

“Aurora Kinsley.”

I thought I saw a flicker of surprise, or perhaps recognition when I mentioned my name, but that was silly. Why would he recognise my name? Did he know me when I used to live here? Wishful thinking, I suppose.

His eyes roamed my face, curiously. “So, Aurora Kinsley, what brings you to the library of all places on a Friday night?”

His voice was soft and soothing against my tingling skin, and it spoke to me on a deeper level than I could explain, singing in tune with my body and mind. It was almost as if it was calling to me. It was the most unsettling feeling I’d ever experienced. It was almost like I was falling under a spell and I was completely powerless to stop it.

“I…I just wanted to have a quick look around. It’s been a while since I was here.” My voice was still too shaky, betraying how nervous I was standing here talking to him.

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