Family Secrets (Davenport Manor Book 1)

by Melissa Zaroski

  “You must be exhausted after your flight,” Emma said. “I know it’ll take a day or two to adjust to the time difference.”

  “Yeah,” Todd replied while looking at his watch. “It’s 6:00 here, so it must be midnight back home. I think I’ll have dinner and then hit the sack early. Is that lame or what?” He laughed.

  “Totally understandable,” Emma agreed. “In the morning, if you like, I can take you on a tour of the property since you have a few more days until you start filming. Now might be the only chance before you all get busy.”

  “I’d really like that! I’m still in utter amazement that I’m actually here,” he exclaimed while raising his arms wide. “I also saw the Chicago skyline while descending—on one of my days off from filming I’d really like to go downtown.”

  “We can definitely make that happen for you. I love going downtown! We’ll give you the full Chicago experience while you’re here. I suggest we go during Christmas-time, they decorate the windows at Macy’s a different theme every year. They’re really awesome to see.”

  Zachariah spoke up, “We should all go to the Christkindlmarket. I have always enjoyed that.”

  Todd asked, “What’s the Christkindlmarket?”

  Zachariah replied, “It’s this big, outdoor market that is all German fare. They also have the Chicago tree lighting ceremony there. It’s right by Macy’s, so we could all make an evening out of it.”

  This was all up Todd’s alley, he didn’t know how he was going to wait two more months until December to do all of it.

  “So, will I see you at dinner?” he asked Emma, hoping he would get a chance to get to know her better as soon as possible.

  “Probably not, but Daniel will be there and some of the cast and crew that have already arrived. Your bedroom is right across from mine, so come knock on my door when you get up in the morning, okay? You go ahead and get yourself settled for now.”

  Todd nodded, feeling a tad disappointed that she wouldn’t be there. He gave her arm a quick touch before parting ways for the evening, stealing a chance for physical contact once again. Zachariah gave a slight bow of his head and he had seemed to relax a bit as he joined Emma into the grand parlor across from the foyer.

  Todd slowly climbed the staircase, taking in the beauty and intricate details of his surroundings. He still couldn’t believe his luck that he was here. Daniel’s sister was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever laid eyes on and as his fortune would have it, she was a fan.

  Chapter 2

  The next morning Todd woke up at 8:00 and realized he had slept for 12 hours. He climbed out of bed and scuttled into the bathroom that was attached to his room. The bathroom was about as big as his living room back home. It was adorned with intricate accents, a large, clawfoot tub with a shower, and fresh flowers. He stepped into the shower to freshen up; he wanted to look his very best for his personal tour of the property with Emma.

  He took one final look in the mirror, fixed his hair, splashed on some cologne, and made his way across the hallway to her bedroom door. He lightly knocked on it, hoping it wasn’t too early in the morning. The door opened and she was just as ready as he was.

  “Well, good morning, handsome!” She said brightly.

  “Good morning,” he replied with a surprised smile. “Have you had breakfast? I haven’t eaten yet, so I figured we could go down and have a quick bite.”

  She chuckled to herself as if she heard an inside joke and said, “I’m good. But, why don’t you go and get something to eat and meet me in the grand parlor in a half an hour. Sound good?”

  Todd headed downstairs and Emma turned back into her room and closed the door behind her. She looked at Zachariah who was kicked back on the chaise lounge by the window reading through his script.

  “You’re leading him on, you know. I think everyone in the house heard his heart pounding when he met you,” Zachariah said as he set the script on his lap and looked up at her.

  “I know, I don’t mean to though,” she replied with a hint of regret in her voice. “He’s good looking; he caught my eye when I saw him in his first film. Okay…yes…I guess I have a little crush on him, but you know that’s as far as it can and will ever go.”

  “How much are you going to tell him about the property’s history?”

  “Need to know basis only, of course,” she said as she spritzed on some Burberry perfume, her signature scent.

  “I don’t know why you use that stuff, it’s so strong,” he laughed while scrunching his nose.

  “Oh, Mr. Sensitive Nose, everything is too strong for you!”

  He stood up, sauntered over to her, slid his hands around her waist, and pulled her close to him. “You don’t need perfume, you smell sweet enough without it,” he said quietly. He gently sniffed her cheek and snuck a kiss on her lips.

  She kissed him back forcefully, wrapping her arms around his neck and grabbing the back of his hair. He reciprocated by pulling her tightly against him and his hands making their way down to her perfectly round butt.

  He pushed her against the wall and pinned her there with the right amount of strength, using his entire body. Now he was frantically groping her, sliding his hands up her sides and stopped when they found her supple breasts. He began to rhythmically grind himself on her, breathing heavily through his nose, taking in her scent. He undid her jeans and tugged them down, using his feet to hold them to the floor while she slid her legs out. She unzipped his jeans and pulled out his hardening penis, grasping it in her hand, gently stroking it. He grabbed her legs and hitched them up on either side of his hips and slid effortlessly into her while groaning at the welcome sensation.

  While still pinned against the wall, she held on to his shoulders with little effort while he ground himself into her with a slow, yet forceful rhythm. He got as deep as he could go by using his entire body weight against her. She kept rhythm with him and circulated her hips, internally squeezing herself around him.

  “Faster,” she growled, staring directly into his eyes.

  He pounded on, faster as she requested, and harder to his own desire. He felt his climax creeping up and she arched her back, preparing for hers. He used the strength in his legs to push as hard as he could against her, crushing her against the wall, burying himself deep into her. With one final thrust he came, which sent her over the edge. Both yelling and grasping each other, they slowed their rhythm to match their orgasm aftershocks.

  He gently let go of her and she slid off of him. She pulled her jeans back on and he put his softening member back in and zipped his pants up. She gave him a quick kiss and a “thank you”, and just like that she marched out of the bedroom.

  Hopping down the grand staircase with a kick in her step, she headed into the grand parlor where Todd was already waiting.

  With a smile she said, “All set? I’m going to take you around the interior first, is that cool?”

  “Absolutely!” Todd couldn’t wait to start exploring the Manor with Emma.

  “Well, this is the grand parlor, which is basically our living room. If you ever want to watch TV or relax, make yourself at home here.”

  The grand parlor had several couches, chairs, and chaise lounges throughout the area. There was a flatscreen TV on the interior wall and a surround sound system throughout the room. A large fireplace was in the center of the exterior wall that was so big Todd could have stood up straight inside it.

  “This fireplace is so big because back when the house was built it was their only means of heat in the winter. Luckily, the house has been upgraded to central heat and cooling, so you don’t have to worry about being chilly at night! We also have movie nights in here where everyone will come down with blankets, pillows, and just sprawl all over the room.”

  Yeah, it’s official: I never want to go home, he thought to himself.

  They walked across the foyer into the grand ballroom, which was adorned with chandeliers and great archways. The entire building itself was an architect’s
wet dream. The intricate details that were sculpted into the walls weren’t something you see now days.

  “This is the grand ballroom,” Emma said with her arm dramatically spread and her voice echoing in the empty space. “This room has held two centuries worth of parties that have included politicians, the well-to-do, and celebrities. Judy Garland once sang here, Gene Kelly has danced on this very floor, and even Abraham Lincoln once stayed here for a visit.

  “Along the walls you’ll see paintings and photographs of the balls and parties that have been held here over the past two centuries. This one here is from the very first house-warming party they had,” she pointed at a painting of people having a gay time. There were ladies in elegant gowns and gentlemen in waistcoats; dancing and toasting the joyous affair.

  “The Manor was founded by William Davenport along with his wife Victoria and their three children, Emma, Christopher, and Elizabeth. They originated in Boston where William had made his riches in the shipping and trades business. He decided to move his family west in the early 1800s to the new Illinois Territory. He had the Manor built and owned much of the surrounding land. As more settlers came to the area, he allowed those to build upon his land for a fee, of course. Over the years, the town grew with businesses and families and was always known as Davenport. His son, Christopher invested in the railroads, which really turned the community into a booming town at the time.”

  “The driver that brought me here told me about that,” Todd added.

  “About five years after the Manor was built, William had iron gates erected around the two-square miles of his personal property since the town was growing. He wanted to maintain his privacy. He never completely cleared the land of trees, so there has always been a forest surrounding the entire perimeter of the property.”

  As they made their way out of the ballroom, they climbed the grand staircase, but instead of going left towards the bedrooms, they went right. The hallway looked like an art gallery. Along the walls were portraits of the Davenport ancestors. The first and largest painting was of William Davenport, looking forever regal. Next, was his wife Victoria, looking prim and proper, yet with the soft look of a mother’s love. Along next to them were the portraits of their three children, Christopher, Elizabeth, and Todd stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the last portrait.

  “Emma Davenport,” he read the plaque underneath the portrait aloud and looked back up at the painted beauty. “My gosh, she looks identical to you! Were you named after her?”

  Emma looked longingly up at the lovely girl staring back at them. “Yes,” she simply replied. After a pause she added, “My parents always liked the name Emma and since I was the oldest they decided to keep the tradition alive. We always thought how remarkable it was that I look so much like her. Maybe I’m her reincarnated or something!” she laughed.

  After a few moments of gazing at the picture, Todd turned to Emma and spoke softly, “She’s absolutely stunning…just like you.”

  Emma looked away and nervously cleared her throat, “Uh, thank you, that’s very kind of you to say.” She looked up at him and gave him a tight-lipped smile that barely reached her eyes. “Shall we move on to the exterior? I think you’ll find the surrounding grounds fascinating.”

  She immediately started walking toward the stairs before Todd could respond. He followed her down and out the front door where the morning sunlight beamed on them. As they walked across the circle drive made of gravel, the autumn leaves and rocks crunched under their feet. They approached a pathway that lead through a front yard and into a thick area of trees. As they walked down the path, Todd pulled his jacket on a little tighter. The air was brisk, but tolerable until there was a breeze.

  Todd examined Emma and said, “Aren’t you cold, love? You’re not wearing a jacket, do you want mine?”

  She crossed her arms and lightly rubbed them. She replied, “Oh no, I’m fine, thank you. I have been doing so much this morning I’m actually too warm. This actually feels good!”

  He offered, “Well, if you get chilly you just say the word.”

  She hooked her arm around his and remarked, “Whenever I am strolling with someone, whether it is a friend, a lover, or family member, I always find it more enjoyable if you’re connected with them. My mother used to always say that.”

  “It’s sounds as if your mother was a very wise woman. People just don’t take the time to connect with one another these days – everything is always via email or texting,” he replied with a flip flop in his stomach from her bold move. “Where are we headed?”

  As they came through the clearing of the trees he saw a large field with stones. As they grew closer he realized it wasn’t just a field…it was a graveyard. It was a huge cemetery with perfectly trimmed gardens sprawling throughout the premises.

  “We’re headed here…I hope you’re not creeped out,” she hesitated.

  “No, I’m not creeped out,” he replied. “Although, I don’t know if I’ll feel the same tonight now that I know this is here,” he chuckled.

  Emma let out a short laugh and patted his arm, “Ah, no worries! The dead ones who are walking around amongst the living are who you want to watch out for anyway.”

  He stopped and gave her an incredulous look, clearly taken back by her odd choice of words. “Do you believe in all that nonsense that’s been swirling around? The zombie apocalypse, vampires, werewolves…”

  Emma laughed, “Zombies, definitely no. That’s just ridiculous. Werewolves, maybe. Vampires, I’m undecided. Lately there have been so many people claiming to be vampires, they even have the fangs.”

  “Yeah, but I’ll bet they have those retractable fangs you can buy on the internet. I don’t know, I think it’s just a bunch of malarkey. They’re people who are overzealous fans of all the vampire books, movies, and TV shows that are out there. It’s just a fad.”

  “Possibly…I hope you’re right! Werewolves though, I don’t know if I can believe that a human can turn into an animal.”

  Todd agreed, “Yeah, that seems completely impossible to me as well. But, I can’t even believe vampires may exist, either. To me they’re just glorified zombies--they’re dead, they eat humans, but still walk around like they’re alive. It’s just…well…it’s bullshit,” he laughed.

  She smiled with him, “Glorified zombies, I never thought of it like that. Except vampires aren’t rotting corpses and they don’t eat humans, they just drink their blood.”

  “Oh you’re right, that’s all,” Todd laughed with some sarcasm.

  “Well, now that we got all those theories cleared up,” she chuckled, “here’s the Davenport family cemetery. All of our ancestors are buried here. Our family has always strived to stay together and know about our heritage and the generations who came before us.”

  Directly in front was a large, marble family crypt, the only one that held multiple people in the vast cemetery. The inscription “Davenport” was centered on the top with names going down each side.

  Emma (1790 - 1815), Victoria (1771 - 1830), William (1770 - 1823), Christopher (1791 - 1843), and Elizabeth (1795 - 1815).

  “Wow, Emma and Elizabeth died the same year…and so young. How sad for William and Victoria.”

  Emma solemnly nodded in agreement, “Apparently Elizabeth and her husband, George were murdered. They lived in a cottage in the wooded area of the property. The person who did it was never caught. Emma died of pneumonia a few days later.”

  “One of history’s mysteries, eh?”

  Emma snickered, “Yeah, I guess it is! William and Victoria were absolutely devastated losing both daughters. The story says that they just told the people of the town that she and her husband ran away together. They were right in the middle of caring for Emma and already had enough to deal with. William and Victoria weren’t thinking clearly as they knew that Emma was on her deathbed.”

  “Wow, that had to be quite a cluster-fuck of a week for them.”

  Emma nodded in agreement and gave an u
ncomfortable chuckle.

  As they walked through the cemetery she pointed out who was who. Not all were Davenports, those with different last names were the daughters who had married and taken their husband’s names. They came upon the most recent occupants of the cemetery. They were Emma and Daniel’s parents, John and Mary. Todd felt a bit guilty and voyeuristic for knowing their story all too well since it had been on every news channel and magazine six years earlier. Of course, the media never failed to bring it up from time to time when talking about Daniel’s career.

  Todd lightly rubbed her back, “I’m sorry about what happened to them.”

  She smiled lovingly at the graves, “Thank you. They were good people; they didn’t deserve what happened to them.”

  “How did you and Daniel cope with that?” Todd sympathetically asked.

  She shrugged, “I stayed strong for him since he was just a kid. He began to spiral into a depression for a time and Zachariah and I just tried to keep him from going too deep. Slowly, he came out of it as he grieved, but he’ll never get over it. What’s horrible is that our dad was just heading into town to grab a few groceries, mom decided at the last minute to go along. She was originally going to just stay home.”

  “Wow…I’m so sorry.”

  “I dwelled on it for a long time, but there comes a time when you realize you can’t change the past, but just continue to move forward,” she said, still staring at the names engraved on the headstones.

  Todd nodded in agreement and put his arm around her. It just seemed like the natural thing to do.

  She shivered and rubbed the tops of her arms, “So, I think I’m going to take you up on that offer. May I borrow your jacket? It’s getting a bit chilly now!”

  He happily shrugged it off and helped her put it on. The arms were far too long and the sleeve openings were way past her fingertips. She looked like a child playing dress-up in an adult’s clothing. She rolled the sleeves up to her wrists to free her hands.

  “Come one, enough with the dead folks, I have some other cool stuff to show you,” she said as she took his arm once again.