Page 30 of A Governess' Forbidden Flame
“Does the journal have any clue as to who it might be?” she asked, her voice hopeful.
“No.” Sebastian shook his head. “There are no names. I know these earlier lines from before. He would let me read his notes, although I never took them all that seriously. But I see no revelation in his final notes either. In other words, his work was left incomplete. He was prevented from finishing it by his untimely demise.”
“Maybe there is something else in here, something that might prove to be a clue,” she suggested, looking about.
Filled with hope, he set out to search for whatever could be of use. Over the course of the next hour, the hidden library revealed itself as a treasure trove of forgotten secrets, a sanctuary untouched by the ravages of time. Their eyes were scanning the yellowed pages that chronicled the lineage of Ravenscroft Manor.
The inked script told tales of a bygone era, where the Knights Templar once left their indelible mark on the estate. The weight of history pressed upon them as they navigated through the passages of time.
However, there was nothing that could shed any light on his brother’s death, or anyone else’s for that matter. This newfound place only seemed to create more questions instead of offering answers as they expected it to. Deciding that it was already too late, he suggested that they both should retire to their respective bed chambers.
At her door, he hesitated, his gaze meeting hers in the dim candlelit corridor. “Thank you, Miss Wycliffe.”
She was so much more than Miss Wycliffe, but he couldn’t bring himself to call her Amelia. There were too many burdens he was carrying, and in light of these new developments, he wasn’t even certain if following this path was a good idea. He was putting her in danger just by keeping her here. Still, he was grateful for her presence, for the fact that he didn’t have to go through this heartache alone.
Somehow, he had almost managed to convince himself that he didn’t need anyone, that he was more than fine being here alone with Anna, and that the two of them would simply be happy in their own little world. But Amelia’s arrival had proven to him how wrong he had been. Her presence had broughtback sunshine after a long bout of rain. Anna had become rejuvenated, and he had to admit that Amelia was having the same effect on him as well.
“Thank you for being a part of this journey,” he added, the words carrying a weight beyond the parchment and ink of the hidden library. They came straight from his heart, from a place he thought he had locked away forever.
In turn, Amelia’s eyes glimmered, reflecting the subtle glow of the flickering candle that separated them. “We’re in this together,” she said, much to his surprise. “We’ll find the truth, wherever it leads us.”
Without saying another word, she leaned closer and kissed him on the cheek, then closed the door behind her. He felt a heaviness inside his chest, which was making it increasingly more difficult to breathe. He knew that it was too late. They were falling down an endless pit, hand in hand. And it was he who pushed them down it.
He raked his fingers through his hair, inhaling deeply, but it brought no relief. He turned around on his heel, walking in the direction of his chamber as his steps resonated in the corridor. Selfishly enough, the thought of sending Amelia away had not even crossed his mind. No. They needed her here…both he and Anna.
That night, he dreamed of his brother. The dream unfolded in a surreal tapestry, where memories intertwined with whispers of the past. In the dream, his brother’s presence exuded a spectral grace, an ethereal figure that seemed both distant and achingly close. They walked through corridors of memory, shadows dancing on the walls, reminiscent of the hidden passages beneath Ravenscroft Manor.
Conversations, long-forgotten, echoed in the dream realm. His brother’s voice, a melodic resonance, spoke of mysteries unsolved and the weight of unfinished quests. Sebastian listened, captivated by the spectral wisdom that transcended the boundaries between life and the afterlife. The dream dissolved as dawn’s light tiptoed through the curtains, leaving Sebastian with a lingering sense of disconnection and unresolved questions.
He could not remember what the dream was about, but he knew it was important. He knew that this was his brother’s way of trying to contact him somehow. Perhaps that was the clue he had to find, only he had been searching for it in the wrong place this entire time.
***
Amelia held a small bundle of letters in her hand as she stood in front of Sebastian’s study. She had immersed Anna in some newlessons, which gave Amelia some time for the two adults to delve into the secrets unearthed in the hidden library.
But not only that, Amelia also wanted to see if this had brought them closer together or if their secret liaison had to be forgotten now, in light of these new discoveries. Whatever the answer to her predicament was, she wanted to show Sebastian that he could count on her for anything.
With that resolve guiding her, she curled her hand into a fist and knocked on the door gently.
“Yes?” she heard him say from inside.
She pushed the door slightly, peering through. “Am I interrupting you, my lord?” She showed him the letters she was holding in her hands.
“No, no, come in,” he gestured, seated at his writing table by the window, which was left open. The curtains fluttered in the morning breeze, filling the room with the scent of fresh blossoms from the garden.
“I come bringing your correspondence,” she said, walking over to his writing table and placing the bundle gently on it.
She didn’t say that this was also a good excuse to come and see him without waiting for the evening to do so, and she alsodid not wish to wait to see whether he would be working in the garden with Nicholas that afternoon. She wanted to see him right then and there.
“How are you?” she asked a little sheepishly, but it was a genuine question, nonetheless. The revelations of the previous evening were enormous, and they were bound to add to the burden he was already carrying. She doubted that he had a good night’s sleep, although she did not even consider mentioning it aloud.
“Good,” he said with a sigh, revealing the true answer. “I mean, as good as one would expect, I suppose.”
“Of course,” she affirmed. “That was quite a discovery we stumbled upon. Have you perhaps gone through your brother’s journal?” she wondered. “I know you probably didn’t have the time for it…”
“I did.” He nodded, surprising her. “I must say, it is a puzzle piece I wasn’t expecting. It just…doesn’t fit into anything, nor does it offer any insight.”
“I can imagine,” she replied, feeling at a loss for words. For some reason, the new revelations seemed to have settled between them, forcing them apart. She reminded herself that he was overwhelmed by everything, and that was more than understandable. She was the last thing on his mind right now, as it should be. Still, a small pang of hurt bit her heart.
