Amelia and the Secret of Stoney Manor (Amelia Series Book 1)

by Michelle Bradshaw

  “So, now the shoe’s on the other foot,” I joked.

  “Huh?” she remarked, confused.

  “Never mind,” I responded. “I was just thinking about something my best friend Jason would have said.”

  “Oh, does he live here?” she asked.

  “No, he lives in my hometown. Maybe you’ll meet him one day.”

  “Maybe,” she echoed with a grin as she kissed me once more before returning inside.

  Not that I wasn’t looking forward to work, but I hoped the day would fly by so Amelia and I could have our lunch date. Whoa, I thought. It would kinda be like an unofficial first date, which sort of made me feel all the more nervous. “Gotta get busy,” I announced as I ran to the truck to start the day.

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  AMELIA

  WHAT A GENTLEMAN

  I don’t know how Matthew was feeling, but I admit I was really nervous about lunch. I mean, I was excited to be able to spend time with him and still be able to train later today, but I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. Not leaving the Manor has kind of limited my knowledge on dating in itself. “What do I do? How do I act?” I asked Luna as I folded clothes on my bed in my room.

  “What do you mean what do you do?” she reiterated as if she didn’t already know.

  “I mean, during the picnic. Do I start kissing him or do I let him start or what? Where do I put my hands when we’re not … oh Luna, I’m so nervous. I’ve never … ummm. I mean, I don’t know where to start. I’m sure he’s kissed other girls like that before,” I admitted, turning pale.

  “I imagine he’s just as nervous as you are, Amelia. Just take a breath and let him lead the way. He’ll let you know when he wants to kiss you like that, as you say. After that, just relax and go with the flow,” she advised, before abruptly shouting, “That flow better not turn into a current. I’ll get that boy if he …”she growled.

  “Huh?” I exclaimed.

  “Just make sure all you do is kiss, Amelia. Believe me, you’re not ready for anything else.”

  “What?” I asked confused.

  “Promise me!” she demanded.

  “Okay, I promise,” I murmured, not quite understanding what she meant, but feeling really uncomfortable for a brief moment.

  We sat in silence for the rest of the time until I finished the laundry and began to put the clothes away. “Have you been wearing your locket like you were told, Amelia?” she asked, finally breaking the tension.

  “Yes,” I said as I stopped for a moment to caress it with my fingers.

  “Good,” she responded and all was silent again.

  I wanted to rush through everything and be done, but I knew that wouldn’t make the day go by any faster, so I took my time. A couple hours later, my chores were done, and I was about to start on my schoolwork when Grandmother stopped me on the stairs. “Amelia,” she spoke.

  “Yes?” I answered.

  “I must be gone for a little while into the woods. Luna thinks she may have found us an ally against the Darkness amongst our friends. Most are too afraid to make an appearance, so I must go and make good on my word to talk to them. When the day comes, we will need all the help we can get.” I just nodded, even though I was willing to do whatever it took to get my mother back, I did not want to think of the battle that lay ahead. “I do not know if I should say this, but I feel I must. I trust you, Amelia, to make good decisions pertaining to Matthew while I am gone.”

  “What?” I exclaimed. “Have you been talking to Luna?”

  “No, why?” she asked.

  “No reason,” I replied nonchalantly, hoping she wouldn’t further question me.

  “Hmm,” she said, as if questioning whether she should go or not. She took a deep breath before saying anything else. “Well, I will be off now. Please do not go out until lunch, Amelia. The boy at least needs some time to miss you.” I didn’t understand what she meant, but hugged her and said goodbye.

  I ran to the sitting room as I watched her through the big bay window walk across the backyard before disappearing into the forest. “I wonder what’s in those woods?” I said, thinking of the large white wolf that I had seen on my birthday.

  “Don’t you go getting any ideas, Amelia,” cautioned Luna, as she waltzed into the room.

  “I won’t,” I said, continuing to stare out the window.

  “Promise me, Amelia. I know you can be curious.”

  “I promise,” I assured her turning around to face her. “Well, I guess I need to get to my studies. Lunch will be here before you know it.”

  I was right. Time flew by so fast, that for once I didn’t finish all my schoolwork like I usually did. I have to admit, my mind wasn’t really on it this time, though. It was on Matthew and what lay ahead at the picnic. Even though I would rather of been wearing jeans, I threw on a skirt and tried to doll myself up for the handsome beau waiting outside for me. I half ran down the stairs, almost tripping on the way down, and sprinted to the kitchen to grab the picnic basket. Grandmother had everything already tucked away inside with a large checkered blanket folded nicely beside it.

  “Do I need to come as a chaperone?” asked Luna, slinking into the kitchen.

  “No thank you, Luna. I’ll be fine,” I said, scooping the stuff up in my arms as I proceeded to head to the front door with Luna following close behind.

  “Well, just the same, I’ll be outside too. I promise to not get in the way, but I would feel better if I was near you in case you might need me.”

  “Matthew is a gentleman!” I shouted as if in his defense.

  “All guys say what you want to hear, Amelia. Besides, he wasn’t really who I was referring to. As you know now, I’m always on my guard for intruders,” exclaimed Luna.

  “Do you really think they’d come today?” I asked, annoyed.

  “Amelia, the Darkness doesn’t care about your little date with your boyfriend. They will stop at nothing to get you,” she retorted, swatting at me to get my attention.

  “I’ll be careful,” I mumbled, opening the door to find Matthew looking as nervous as I felt.

  “I didn’t know whether to come in or not,” he confessed, stepping back from the door as he nervously ran his hand through his hair and then put it in his pocket. “You look great. I wish I would have thought to bring a change of clothes so I could clean myself up.”

  “You didn’t know. Besides, you look fine, just as handsome as ever,” I affirmed, almost stumbling over my words. Luna bolted out of the door and off the porch.

  “Will you two get on with it?” she grumbled, running off into the gardens.

  “You promised,” I whispered, hoping she would not get in the way of our time together.

  “What’d you say?” asked Matthew.

  “It doesn’t matter. Let’s get this date going,” I replied quickly.

  “Not much of a date, is it?” he noted. “I’ll remedy that soon enough though.” He winked.

  “I’m just grateful Grandmother is letting us do this,” I sighed.

  “Yea, I saw her headed to the back woods. What’s she doing back there?”

  “Bird watching,” I blurted out as gracefully as I could. “Oh, okay. Uncle Bart likes to bird watch too. He’s been leaving a lot lately when I get home and doesn’t get back until morning. I don’t know much about birds, so I didn’t volunteer to go.”

  That was easy enough, I thought to myself. “Oh, he doesn’t ask you to go?” I said, hoping I didn’t put my foot in my mouth as we walked down the steps.

  “No,” he responded, nonchalantly. I didn’t press him anymore about it because I didn’t want any more questions coming up about Grandmother.

  “Wow!” I said, stopping in my tracks. “The walkway looks great! You did a really nice job.”

  “Thanks,” he said, blushing. “Here, let me carry that,” he said, reaching for the basket and blanket.

  “What a gentleman,” I said, feigning a curtsy.

  “
You’re quite welcome, my lady,” he remarked with an impromptu bow, causing him to drop the blanket making us both laugh hysterically.

  “Come on, you,” I playfully instructed, still laughing as I snatched the blanket off the ground.

  “Where should we put the picnic?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” I remarked.

  “How about over there?” he proposed pointing to the area beside the pond where I had found the locket.

  “Okay,” I replied. “I don’t see why not.” As we walked over to the pond and began to sit our things down, Luna came bolting out of nowhere.

  Meeeooowww! she screeched as she hissed.

  “I guess your kitty doesn’t want us sitting here,” he concluded as he started to pick up the basket.

  “No, she’ll be fine,” I reassured him, mouthing her a stop it and sitting down.

  “Amelia, it’s not safe to sit here,” she whispered.

  “Oh hush, go look for intruders,” I blurted out, without thinking.

  “What did you say?” uttered Matthew, stopping abruptly from setting up the picnic.

  “Oh, you know cats. They like to hunt little creatures, like squirrels and what not,” I said, trying to cover up my blunder.

  “Yeah, they do,” he agreed laughing as he began to lay everything out again. “I had this one cat when I was little who liked to bring dead birds and put them on our door step. Jason’s dad is a vet and he said they do it as a way to say thank you for taking care of them.” He snorted. “But really it’s like, ‘Here’s this dead bird for you.’ ” I just nodded. “Sorry, that was supposed to be funny. I guess it wasn’t.”

  “No, it was. I’m just … nervous,” I admitted, blushing.

  “You want to know a secret,” he said, cupping my chin. “I am too,” he whispered. That was all I needed to hear. I lunged for his lips, scattering egg salad sandwiches and potato chips everywhere. I didn’t care. I began to kiss his lips and run my hands over him without thinking.

  Whoa there, I thought to myself for a minute. Luna said he would lead the way … forget that, I argued with myself as I continued to kiss him more and more. As we rolled around on the ground, kissing each other, Matthew gently placed one hand on the back of my neck and the other against my cheek as he began to kiss me like I had never been kissed before. I gasped.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, stopping.

  I could only nod and barely breathe. Boy did he know how to kiss! Wow! As he gently began to massage my lips with his, he slowly slipped his tongue into my mouth. As it began to dance with mine, feelings I had never felt before began to surge through my body as I ran my hands more aggressively across him, tugging at him to pull him closer. I couldn’t get enough. Every inch of his body seemed to call out to me, and I didn’t understand the desires that were screaming from within me.

  All of a sudden, he stopped and pushed me back a little. “I think we need to cool down for a moment.”

  “Wh-wh-what?” I asked, unsure if I was doing something wrong. “Was I doing it wrong?”

  He smiled as he caressed my face. “No. I loved every second of it. I feel like I could kiss you every second of every day for the rest of my life. I just don’t want to do something too soon that we will both regret.”

  “Oh,” I remarked, and all became silent as we began to pick up the scattered food and try to salvage what was once an elegant picnic. “I’m not really that hungry anymore,” I announced as I got up to walk away.

  “Don’t be like that,” he insisted as he gently took my hand in his, pulling me back down beside him. “I promise it wasn’t anything you did. I just don’t want you feeling like I’m taking advantage of the situation like most guys would.” He once again caressed my face.

  “What if I want you to though?” I countered, not really understanding the gravity of what he meant.

  “You don’t know what you’re saying, Amelia,” he said, almost angry and removed his hand from my face as he looked away.

  “I love you, Matthew,” I proclaimed, trying to get him to face me but he wouldn’t.

  “I love you too, Amelia, and that’s why I don’t want to let it get to that point yet.” He paused and finally turned back to face me with pain in his eyes. “You don’t know how powerful the emotions are that are involved in it. Once we do it, there is no going back. The relationship is forever altered. I’m not saying I never want to be that intimate with you,” he explained, taking my hand in his. “Just trust me that the timing is not right.”

  “Okay,” I murmured, quietly trying to digest all that had been spoken as he kissed my hand.

  “Now, let’s get to eating this delicious lunch before Ms. Matilda gets back.”

  I quietly nodded thinking, I hope Grandmother is safe whoever she’s with.

  I really didn’t have much of an appetite after that, but managed to eat half a sandwich and a few chips. Before I knew it, Matthew had devoured his portion of food and was already cleaning up. I spoke nothing as I helped him pack everything away and fold the blanket. “Your grandmother is on her way back,” whispered Luna from the bushes.

  “Okay,” I muttered, unamused.

  “You look a little unkempt, Amelia. You might want to tidy yourself up,” she hissed. I looked down to examine myself.

  “Oh, I guess I do look a bit rough,” I acknowledged as I began to primp myself here and there.

  “What … oh yes, I guess we do need to fix up before Ms. Matilda gets back,” agreed Matthew, trying to groom himself.

  “She’s on the way here now,” I uttered without thinking.

  “Oh okay … wait, how’d you know that?” he asked, confused. I ignored him as I picked up the blanket and basket and began to walk back to the house. I honestly didn’t care what he heard and wasn’t in the mood to explain anything. “Amelia, why are you acting like this?” he probed running to catch up to me as he spun me around to face him.

  “I think you know why,” I jeered. “Or do I need to replay our little scene at the picnic over.”

  “Uhhh,” he said, frustrated. “I have explained the situation and my love for you, Amelia.”

  “Blah blah blah, not the right time,” I mocked, pouting.

  “Amelia, you are acting like a spoiled child,” he said.

  “So, I’m a child now, huh?” I countered throwing the basket and blanket on the ground and crossing my arms.

  “Ugh …” he grumbled. “I said you are acting like one. I still love you, but I better leave before either one of us says something we’ll both regret. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he fumed and turned on his heels, stomping off to his truck. He got in, slammed the door, and drove away.

  I wanted to cry. I don’t know why I behaved like I did. All of a sudden, my emotions became too much for me to handle, and I collapsed on the ground in tears.

  “He’s right, you know,” proclaimed Luna trotting up beside me.

  “What?” I said, looking up at her as I sniffled.

  “About everything,” she continued. “He’s really not as bad of a guy as I assumed he was,” she confessed as she nuzzled my face.

  “I guess,” I mumbled.

  “No, Amelia, trust me. I know the difference in a good one from a bad one. The difference in truth from a lie. He truly seems to want what is best for you, Amelia, and not just what benefits him.”

  I used the sleeve of my shirt to wipe my face. “Please tell me what happened to you, Luna.”

  She sighed, “I promise I will soon, but not today, all right? You need to get ready for training with your grandmother.” As she spoke those words and began to purr, the emotions of the afternoon were replaced by the excitement of training. I slowly got up and picked everything up as I hurried off to the house to change.

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  AMELIA

  TRACK 11

  Four hours later and still no word from Grandmother. “I thought Luna told me Grandmother was on her way," I said, starting to get worried, but knew in my g
ut that she was all right. I needed to get my mind off her, so I decided to finally listen to Matthew’s mp3 player. “Okay, so I put these in my ears,” I said. “I turn it on like this. Whoa! Too loud.” I adjusted the volume the way Matthew had shown me. After the first few songs, I noticed it was a mix between ballads and songs with an upbeat tempo. “This is all right,” I announced to myself, almost shouting, as I smiled and began to bebop to the music. The fourth song was okay. The fifth one I really liked. Six and seven I could do without, but maybe I could get used to them. Several songs later … “I’m on track 11 now. This is the one he urged me to listen to,” I explained as Luna joined me in the sitting room.

  “I saw your grandmother walking across the backyard.”

  “What?” I shouted, not really hearing her. I was about to turn it off to see what she said until:

  “I kiss your lips I see your face; You’re so perfect, my saving grace,” sang a male voice. “Blue eyes that shine, just like the moon; You smell so sweet, you make me swoon.” It continued.

  “Hey, I like this,” I exclaimed smiling. “I wonder who sings it.”

  “And I’ll never be the same again. I’m yours forever, forever to the end. My Amelia, how truly I love you. My Amelia, I pledge my life to you.”

  “What?!” I hollered, almost dropping the mp3 player.

  “What’s wrong, Amelia?” panicked Luna.

  “That … that … that was Matthew singing,” I stammered as I thrust the ear buds in my ears.

  “I was so lost like in a dream; you brought me back you set me free. You give me hope when I’m in fear; I saw no future, you made it clear. And I’ll never be the same again …”

  I took the ear buds out to process it all as the chorus repeated itself. “He wrote me a song,” I said in awe. Luna just smiled. I put the ear buds back in my ears as the song came to end.

  “My Amelia, how truly I love you. My Amelia, I pledge my life to you.”

  “Wow,” is all I was able to get out of my mouth, as I tried to process the fact Matthew had written me a song and sang it to me while playing his guitar, and it was forever mine on this gift he gave me. I loved the mp3 player now, but the song had greater value than the mp3 player ever would. “Luna,” I said. “He loves me. He really loves me. I know he has displayed his affection for me before this, but I don’t think I truly understood how much he loved me.” I said, pausing for a moment. “Do you know what it feels like to truly love someone … to risk it all, to tell someone how you feel with the possibility of them not returning that same feeling to you? That’s the feelings that came to my mind as I listened to that beautiful song. It’s like I was given a piece of his soul, if only for a moment. A soul that shouted, ‘I love you, Ameila’ more than you will ever know. Golly, to be loved like that struck a chord that I thought I had hidden away.” I took a breath as Luna just quietly listened. My life before has been a relatively lonely life, but I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I thought. I just couldn’t get it out of my head that I could affect someone so deeply that they would write something so beautiful. I listened again and again, until I had it memorized, until I noticed Luna seemed sad.