Page 38 of Once Upon a Midnight Dreary
“Oh, miss?I do recall there was another family that lived there long before yours.A man and his wife—they had a little girl, too.”
She turned back, pausing to look at him.“Are you sure that wasn’t me and my parents twenty years ago?”
“I’m sure.It was before that.Several decades.Maybe more.Reckon the little girl died, too.That’s how the story goes, anyhow.I heard tell the man was so distraught after his lady wife died, he never left the place again.Don’t know what ever happened to him.”
Victoria thought she knew.
A shiver of ice moved through her as though someone had walked over her grave.
She took her time walking back to the manor.With every step, the dread increased.A shiver ran through her at the thought of returning to that desolate place where shadows crept and mist whispered along the halls.She had longed for Ravenfell.Now it felt like it was swallowing her whole.
Her aunt’s letter was clutched in her hand.She glanced down at it, saw it was wrinkled from her tight grip.What news did her aunt have for her?
For the briefest moment, a flash of longing went through her.Of the sun-splashed parlor in their brownstone in the city.The hum of the noise from the streets.The soft warm glow of the lamplight in her room.
If she wrote to her uncle telling him she’d changed her mind about Ravenfell, she had no doubt he would welcome her back with open arms.Her aunt would be more than delighted to find her a husband.
But that’s not what she wanted at all.Living her life under false pretenses was something she could never accept.The idea of a husband being found for her filled her with defiance.She preferred not to live in the shadow of her larger-than-life aunt.
Victoria sighed.Even as she dreaded the manor, she could not stop her feet from carrying her toward it.Toward an uncertain future in a place that was likely haunted.
When she arrived back home, she headed to the parlor to sit and read the letter her aunt sent her.She lowered herself to the chair, ripped the letter open, and began to read.It was nothing more than her aunt’s ramblings about city life, her uncle returning to his banking job, the dinner party she threw for several of his colleagues and a few more in high society.
I was so pleased to meet the Honorable Earl of Berkhampstead.Perhaps you’ve heard of him?He remembered your father.It seems they traveled abroad together attending galas and the like.He was quite interested in you when I mentioned you’d inherited Ravenfell and asked if you would mind ever so much if he called on you.Of course, I told him yes, that you certainly wouldn’t mind—
Victoria stopped reading as a strangled gasp escaped her.Oh, Gods, what had she done?And why was she telling strangers—an earl, no less!—about her and Ravenfell Manor?She crumpled the letter in her fist out of frustration.
How could Aunt Eloise do this to her?Now, Victoria would be on edge wondering if and when this earl would make an appearance.She didn’t need him here snooping around, nor did she want that sort of intrusion here.If he did show up, she’d then have to explain his arrival to Gabriel.
He’d warned her once before the house didn’t like changes or accept them very well.How would this earl’s arrival affect the manor?Would the ghostly presence of Lenore ramp up, then?
She didn’t know.She shot to her feet and paced the small area of the parlor, nerves jangling.
“Is everything all right?”
Gabriel’s voice from the doorway startled her.She yelped, pressing a hand against her racing heart as she halted.
“Oh!You scared me.”She blew out a breath.He was very good at skulking about the manor, unheard.
“Apologies, miss.I didn’t mean to.You seem agitated.Everything all right?”he asked again.
“I’ve received a letter from my aunt.”
He lifted a dark brow and, for a moment, amusement flickered over his face.“Judging by your face, I take it the news was less than delightful.”
She wanted to laugh, but somehow kept it from bubbling up her throat.He didn’t know justhowdistressing the letter was.And she couldn’t bring herself to tell him.She couldn’t share with him their solitude might be invaded by the Earl of Berkhampstead.So, she played it off with a smile.
“My aunt is…well, she doesn’t think I should be living here.”
Curiosity flickered across his face.“And why is that?”
“I’m a single woman.I’m sure you can guess why.”
“Ah, of course.She thinks you should be married.”
“Married and living in the city, bearing children like a proper wife.”The words tumbled out of her, unbidden.She hadn’t realized how bitter she felt about that until she said it aloud.“I’m sorry.I shouldn’t have said that.”
He leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms across his chest giving him a causal air that seemed quite out of character.Perhaps things had shifted between them, allowing him to feel a bit more comfortable around her.
