Page 4 of Euphoria
3
Two months ago…
The manor wasa menacing presence as I approached on foot.
Lights shone from windows above, tiny pinpricks of warmth in the chill of night. All was still and close as frost began to settle on the lawn beside the long drive. My boots crunched on the gravel, making quite a racket as I advanced, and I fancied it was loud enough to wake the dead from their graves.
I never liked making a spectacle of myself or drawing unnecessary attention, leaving it to more outward folks, so my noisy path had my nerves on edge. I was one of those rare women who went about life quietly, indulging where she may but as a mostly solitary figure among the crowd.
It had caused many people to think of me as a standoffish kind of soul, so I was mostly left alone. I was plain enough that I was overlooked more times than not, but it did mean my personal relationships had been few…and very brief. It was a lonely life, but I was used to it, so it didn’t bother me as much as it did when I was a child.
The main entrance was closed, a large oak door barring my way. Unsure as to how to proceed, I lingered on the step, questioning my next course of action. Finally, I decided to go inside without announcing myself. I opened the door and stepped over the threshold, wondering what I would find inside. Thornfield was a hotel, after all.
I was entirely expecting to come face to face with hotel staff and guests as I entered, but all was quiet and still, much like it had been outside. Curious, I ventured farther into the manor, inspecting my new surroundings as I went.
The air had a chill to it despite the modern radiator set against the far wall. Perhaps it was the ancient house and the spirits that lingered in its dark corners, or it could just be the fact it was simply winter. One could never tell in places such as these.
“Hello?” I called out as I stepped into the main gallery.
I was rather late in arriving due to a fiasco with a taxi driver at the train station, and I was to make myself known to Alice Fairfax. I assumed she was the owner of the hotel from the short conversation we’d had on the phone. She’d seemed to know a great deal about the comings and goings of Thornfield and had spoken with much authority on my hiring. I already liked her, even without having met in person.
My gaze roamed the large room, absorbing as much detail as I could in the low lighting. The oak staircase was grand, rising toward the second level—and above to the third and fourth levels—with a wide bannister and glossy finish. Paintings dotted the paneled walls, their gilded frames containing desolate landscapes and portraits, which stared down at me with empty eyes. The floor was carpeted with long, ornate rugs and runners over polished oak boards, the pile worn in the center from years of footsteps.
Once, it had been a well-loved place, but now it seemed forgotten.
“Hello?” I called again, beginning to wonder if anyone was here at all.
There was a clatter and a bang from an adjoining room, and in a whirlwind of activity, a woman appeared in the doorway.
“Please tell me you are Jane?” she asked, sounding breathless.
I nodded, startled at her appearance.
“You’re late,” she said, but not in an unkind way. “We were beginning to worry you had become lost on the moor!”
“Are you Alice Fairfax?” I inquired, taking in her delicate features and short, spiky chestnut hair. She couldn’t be a day older than I, and she looked more like a pixie from a fairy tale than the owner of Thornfield.
“That’s me,” she said cheerfully. “And you are Jane Doe.”
I nodded once more.
“Did you walk from the village? I didn’t hear a car.”
“Yes.”
Her eyes widened at my revelation. “Oh my! We should have arranged you a taxi! Are you hungry? You must be chilled to the bone after walking all that way in the dark.”
“Thank you, but it cost far too much,” I replied. “I have legs that work, and I don’t fear the darkness of the moor.”
The hour and a half walk was a sight cheaper than the twenty-minute, sixty-five-pound taxi. The driver informed me I had to pay both ways to make the trip worth his while because there were never any fares on the way back. We’d argued, and I’d parted ways with the man, rather irate. The walk had sufficed to calm me down, so all was well in the end.
Alice began to laugh at this and wiped a tear that had escaped from her eye. “You are a delight, Jane. You shall get along here just fine with a no nonsense attitude like that.”
I smiled, and I felt the color returning to my cheeks as the warmth of the manor and the welcome heated me from the inside out.
“Come. Let me show you to your room.” She glanced at the duffel bag in my hands. “Is that all you brought with you?”
“Yes,” I replied, hoisting the bag over my shoulder.
