“Now that is a story,” Amelia let out a long breath, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. “I feel it has affected me.”
“Me as well,” Bridget sat back, crossing her arms and rubbing her hands over her own arms for comfort. “The witnesses are too credible to be discounted.”
“My intellectual children! Hard at work!” their father’s voice broke the idle trance they both occupied, and Amelia shut the book to conceal the leaflet of ghost stories. “What are you reading?” he asked while sauntering over to them.
“A ponderer’s tome,” Amelia said, smiling up at him as he looked down to read the book’s title.
“An Examination of Russian land reforms since Ivan the Terrible,” he read aloud, his brow furrowing into a slight puzzle, then looked up to his daughters, cracking a great grin. “You find this interesting?”
“From time to time,” Amelia replied, returning his toothy smile.
“I have the smartest daughters in the whole of England,” their father laughed out.
“William! William, are you ready?” their mother’s voice wafted up the stairs and into the once peaceful reading room.
“You are going somewhere?” Amelia cocked her head.
“Parliament begins on the twenty-eighth of this month,” her father said, standing straight and adjusting his apparel. “And your mother is not at all satisfied with my wardrobe,” then he glanced around dramatically, and as if to make a joke, he leaned in close and whispered, “nor her own, for that matter.” Bridget and Amelia could not help but laugh heartily in response.
“William!”
“I’m coming now, dear!” he called back down the stairs, then turned to address his daughters. “Now, the two of you behave for your lady’s maids. Paul will be out arranging errands for some time, so you are entirely in their charge, do you understand?”
“Yes, Father,” they said in unison.
“Very good,” he rapped his knuckles on the reading table twice and said, “I expect a glowing report.” Then he was off down the stairs, and the two of them waited anxiously to hear the front door click shut. When it had, they hurried to the large circular window that overlooked the street, watched as their parents climbed into their carriage, and rolled away down the street.
“There they go,” Amelia said, retreating from the window. “Now go and prepare yourself.”
“For what?” Bridget asked, blinking confusedly at her sister.
“You are so sweet,” Amelia replied, pinching Bridget’s cheek lightly. “Come, we are going on an adventure.”
“But Father said—”
“Father isn’t here, is he?” Amelia cocked her head, prompting her little sister to step up to the challenge.
“No,” Bridget said, slowly breaking out into a great grin. “No, he is not.”
The pair rushed to their chambers, where they outfitted and prepared themselves hastily for a day’s venture in London on their own reconnaissance. Such an act was near scandalous, for they both knew it was improper for two young ladies such as themselves to walk about London unsupervised, but that was part of the thrill, and Amelia would not be dissuaded.
They reconvened near the foyer, and looked about for their cloaks, only to be stopped in their tracks by a familiar voice.
“And what, I wonder, are you two ladies up to?” It was Sarah, Bridget’s lady’s maid, blocking the entryway with her hands on her hips. The two of them froze, caught in the act, and Amelia took the lead.
“We are venturing out,” she said boldly.
“Is that so?” Sarah cocked her head, her hands moving from her hips to fold across her chest. “Where are you venturing to? Pray tell.”
“It does not concern you, Sarah,” Amelia was trying to stand her ground, but she knew this was a losing battle.
“Oh, but it does, milady,” Sarah said. “I won’t have you two slinking out of the house on my watch.”
“Then you will have to accompany us,” Amelia said. Bridget stood beside her, looking down at her feet, clearly embarrassed to be caught out of conduct in such a manner.
“Will I?” Sarah would not back down, it seemed.
“Would you rather tell our parents that you let us leave, or that you were with us the entire duration?”
“You are too bold for your own good, dear,” Sarah said with a sigh, and began to reach for the fur wraps.
“Should you not refer to me with more respect?” Amelia knew she did not need to press that point, but she could not resist. She did not enjoy being told what to do, especially by anyone that was not her parents. It is hard enough to take orders from them.
“When you behave like a lady, I will address you as such,” Sarah replied curtly. “Now come and put your cloaks on, it is frigid today.” Then she turned and shouted into the house, “Margaret! Fetch your coat!”
“Is that really necessary?” Amelia protested, but Sarah’s commanding look silenced her almost immediately.
“Are we going somewhere?” Margaret appeared, Amelia’s lady’s maid, and she arrived to quickly take stock of the situation. Margaret was a bit more old-fashioned than Sarah, and it was clear that she did not approve of the current goings on. “I see.”
“Come along, then,” Sarah sighed. “I shall fetch us a carriage. Where are we going?”
Amelia and Bridget looked at each other, wide smiles on their faces. There was one place at the top of their minds, and it was a place they had been dying to visit ever since they had heard the haunting tale of the tragic Duchess, and now was their chance. The sisters exchanged a mischievous smile, and replied in unison, “The old Cloudfield Manor.”
* * *
The four of them stood on the sidewalk, looking up at the old manor house. It had the appearance of a grand townhouse, grander than their own, but it had been a long time since anyone had cared for it. A few feet from the bottom of the steps, a beggar was hunched, and although he was most disheveled and dirty, he did not accost them in any way. Normally on this wealthy street, a beggar would be seriously out of place, and likely run off by some private constables, but here, in front of the decaying house, it seemed as if he could be nowhere else.
The paint was chipped, and the windows shuttered. The gray walls echoed the overcast January sky, and the house loomed above them like a forgotten phantom, to which the houses around had turned their backs. It was as if a shadow hung over the house’s halls, a shadow that would not break with even the most direct sunlight.
It was forgotten, cursed, haunted by some accounts, and Amelia had so looked forward to the day she could visit the legendary house. She had filled her head with so many ghost stories over the years, and her sister shared her enthusiasm for the genre. How they had talked and dreamed of the day they could venture to one of these legendary sites, and understand the stories from a closer perspective.
Now they were here, before the infamous Cloudfield Manor, and Amelia could not help but feel a chill as she looked upon the derelict building. A long shiver ran down her very being, and she craned her neck upwards to look at the only window which was not blocked off—a tall, circular window at the peak of the house on the third floor.
Amelia squinted, and then jumped back in fright, exclaiming, “Oh!” as she thought she saw a shadow move across the dim and dusty window.
“What is it?” Bridget stepped back and looked up as well. “What did you see?”
“There was a shadow,” Amelia pointed to the top floor window, her hand trembling with excitement.
“A shadow, really?” Bridget could hardly contain her excitement, it seemed, as she bounced up and down on her toes.
“Milady,” Margaret said nervously. “Perhaps we should not be here.”
“Nonsense,” Amelia snorted back. “I have never been so close to anything that I have ever wanted.”
“Nor I,” Bridget marveled.
“Come,” Amelia commanded, leading the charge up the staircase to the grand, pillared entryway. When s
he turned back, she saw that the three of them lingered still on the sidewalk. “Well, what are you waiting for?” she inquired, and tried the door knob. To her extreme delight, it clicked open, and the heavy double doors began to creak slowly inwards.
Seeing her entry, Bridget could no longer contain herself, and she sprang up the steps after her sister. Amelia saw Sarah and Margaret exchange worried looks, but she knew that they would not allow the sisters to venture alone into such a place, and so reluctantly the pair advanced up the steps after their charges.
Once they were all together at the top of the stairs, Amelia pushed the doors the rest of the way open, revealing the forgotten foyer, and all collectively held their breath, unsure of what to expect.
The inside of the manor was dark. The light that poured in from the street illuminated the tile floor of the foyer, and Amelia could see layers upon layers of dust that had collected on the benches and coat racks there. There were doors on either side of the room, and a grand entrance directly in front of them that no doubt led into the heart of the mansion.
A gust of cold wind blew through the open door, ruffling all of their cloaks, and collectively they gasped at the surprise as dust shifted in the gray light before them. Amelia realized that Bridget was clutching her hand, and so gathering her courage, she took the first step into the old Cloudfield Manor.
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Thank you very much!
Also by Violet Hamers
Thank you for reading Daring Deeds of a Forbidden Duchess!
I hope you loved it, as much as I loved the process of writing it ♥
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Some other best sellers of mine:
P.S. I’ll Make You Mine, My Duke
A Ravishing Lady for the Rebellious Marquess
Lustful Memoirs of a Bewitching Lady
Forbidden Desires of a Seductive Duchess
Wild Passions of a Mischievous Duchess
Sins of an Intoxicating Duchess
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Violet Hamers
About the Author
Violet Hamers knew from an early age that writing was something she always wanted to do. Growing up, her time was divided between writing stories and taking part in theatrical plays, that she used to perform exclusively for her family and friends.
As she loves reading and writing, she is rarely found without a book in her hands, or her fingers glued to a keyboard. Her love for reading led her to Jane Austen's world—the regency historical world that won her over in comparison to any other genre!
Even though being an author is not a simple task, her dream of becoming one has finally come true as she is currently writing Regency novels...romances her readers will love!
Follow Violet into a world of romance and fairytale, of passion and intrigue, and live unforgettable happy-ever-afters along with her protagonists that she guarantees you will remember forever.
Daring Deeds 0f A Forbidden Duchess (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 29