Page 15 of Once Upon a Midnight Dreary
“Yes, if you please.”
With a curt nod, Gabriel reached for the door nearest him to his right.He pushed open the door, letting itthunkback against the wall into the room.No light spilled out.
Why she expected that, she did not know.She expelled a shaky breath as she approached the open threshold and paused there to peer inside.
A cold hearth sat unused and dark.Heavy drapes blocked out the one window.The bed was covered with a frilly pale coverlet.Across from it, a dressing table and armoire.The hardwood floor creaked as she took a step inside.There was no rug here to muffle the sound.The air was colder here.
She looked around and slowly realized this was a child’s room.
She had never seen this room before.Of that, she was certain.Why did the air feel so heavy?
Victoria stepped back into the hall, backing out of the room.Her uncle and Gabriel remained where they were.Neither had spoken.When she was back in the hall, Gabriel reached for the knob and pulled the door shut, sealing it in silence once more.
“Shall we continue?”he asked.
One glance down the shadowed hallway had her shaking her head.“That’s enough for now, I should think.Perhaps after luncheon we can look at the ledgers.”She hooked her arm with her uncle’s.“How about we take a stroll outside, uncle?I feel as though I need a bit of fresh air.”
“Grand idea, my dear.”
He didn’t argue the point as he turned her away from Gabriel and headed for the stairs.
Chapter 5
Victoriacouldn’tshakethefeeling that crept over her since the moment she stepped into the house.She chewed her lower lip as she and her uncle headed down the stairs and to the front door.
The hearth that seemingly lit itself.The phantom piano playing.The cold drafts.The strange sensations she sensed in that child’s room.
Was it hers when she was little?She didn’t recall.Perhaps it belonged to someone else in the family.Which got her to wondering how long Ravenfell manor had been in the family.Her father had inherited it from his father.But how many generations had lived here?
Her uncle released her arm to open the door for her and step aside.When she was out in the warm morning light, he followed.She headed toward the gardens where the sweet scent of the fully bloomed roses beckoned.
“My dear, are you well?”her uncle asked as he fell in step with her.
She took the footpath from the side of the house through the garden gate, her shoes crunching lightly on the gravel.“Yes.”
“You seem…” He paused, searching for the words.
She stopped at a rosebush with full, pink blooms to sniff them.Their sweet scent made her close her eyes and smile.
“For the state the manor house is in, this garden is certainly well maintained,” her uncle said.He glanced around at the blooming flowers.
“Yes,” she agreed, releasing the flower and glancing up at the foreboding house.
Truthfully, it wasn’t in all that bad of shape.The exterior could use some polishing, of course.The stone was dingy from dirt and moss.Grime crusted the windows.The shutters needed a good coat of paint.And who knew what shape the roof was in?
Her uncle placed a gentle hand on her arm.“Victoria, darling.You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to.”
Victoria hadn’t shared with him the clause in the codicil that stated she must maintain ownership until her death when it was to be passed to the next of kin, or her child.
“Yes, I do, uncle.”
She turned on the toe of her shoe and headed back up the path, going deeper into the garden.He followed.
“I want you to know, we’d be happy to have you back if you change your mind.”
She suppressed a snort.The last thing she wanted to do was go back and live under the controlling thumb of her aunt.While the woman meant well, she was overbearing and highly opinionated.She was determined to see Victoria married off to someone—anyone—who would take her.Furthermore, she didn’t want that woman scrutinizing her or telling her how to live her life.
“I do appreciate that, Uncle Hubert, but I’m determined to make a go of it here at Ravenfell.”
