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

by Michelle Bradshaw

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  AMELIA

  A WALK IN THE WOODS

  I woke up refreshed, ready to start the day as I threw my clothes on, quickly. “Grandmother,” I called, running down the stairs and into the dining room. “I had the most wonderful dream …” I announced as my sentence trailed off because Grandmother wasn’t there. “Luna!” I screamed.

  “What?” she shouted, zipping into the room.

  “Where is she?” I asked, pointing to Grandmother’s chair.

  “Have you checked her room? I’ve never known her to sleep in, but maybe she is feeling ill today,” she advised. I said nothing, but darted off for her room. If you knew my grandmother, you would know this was not like her, and she is normally up with the sun. Turning the corner, I almost bolted right into her.

  “Oooff,” I said. “Amelia, why are you running?” she asked, smiling.

  “I was worried about you. You weren’t at the breakfast table and…”

  “Can’t an old lady be late every once in a while?”

  “An old lady can, but not you. You’re normally early to everything,” I replied.

  “Amelia,” she remarked a little irritated before clearing her voice, “I mean I am sorry to have worried you. I promise I am okay,” she responded, and without another word walked off to the kitchen to make breakfast.

  “That was odd,” I whispered to Luna, who trotted up beside me.

  “What?” asked Luna.

  “She just isn’t acting like herself today,” I said concerned.

  “Maybe the stress of the conversation last night made her feel ill. I don’t know, but don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to her later,” she assured me and skipped off to the kitchen.

  She’s in a good mood today, I thought, feeling happy for Luna, but still concerned for Grandmother.

  The morning dragged on until finally it was time for Matthew to arrive. I rushed to the front door to greet him, ready to apologize for the way I acted. I quickly opened it to find him waiting by his truck with a beautiful bouquet of purple flowers. Tears began to stream down my face as I ran down the steps of the front porch and jumped into his arms, almost making him drop the flowers. He held me tight as he stroked the back of my head. “I’m sorry,” we both said in unison.

  “Grandmother and I talked. I understand better what you meant, and I am truly sorry for acting the way I did,” I said as he wiped the tears I had shed from my cheeks.

  “I’m sorry, too,” he said, kissing my forehead as he always did. “I shouldn’t have lost my cool.”

  “Forgive me,” we both said in unison again, making us laugh.

  “Are those flowers for me?” I probed smiling.

  “Oh … yes, they are,” he laughed. “Uncle Bart helped me pick them out. He informed me they are Hyacinths. I have never really seen them in the shop before today, but I hoped you would like them.”

  “They’re beautiful,” I exclaimed taking them in as he surprised me with a kiss on my lips, making me smile.

  “Do you think your grandmother would mind if we went on a walk in the woods?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” I replied. She hasn’t really been herself today, I thought. “I’ll go put these in some water, and I’ll ask her.”

  “Make haste, my love,” he said, putting one hand on his heart and extending his other arm out dramatically.

  “You’re a goofball, you know that?” I remarked laughing.

  “I know, but you love me anyway,” he replied with a wink.

  I smiled and hurried inside to see if I could go. “Grandmother?” I called.

  “She’s lying down in the sitting room,” answered Luna. “I’m starting to worry about her myself,” her voice full of concern. “The moon should be out tonight, so hopefully that should help.”

  “I’ve never really asked before, but how?” I asked.

  “I don’t know how to explain it,” admitted Luna. “The moon is where your power is derived, but your true power lies within you.”

  “So, it really does help being out under it though.”

  “Yes,” she said simply, and trotted off back to the sitting room.

  “I’ll be in there in a minute. I have to find a vase for these flowers,” I said. I still didn’t understand the full nature of our magic, but I knew Luna had been around it enough to know what she was talking about.

  In the kitchen, I found a pretty glass vase, filled it with water, put the flowers in it, and set them on the counter. As I walked into the sitting room, Grandmother was lounging on the couch with her eyes closed. “Grandmother, are you okay?” I asked, sitting in a chair beside her, taking her hand in mine.

  “Yes, I am fine. Do not worry about me, dear. I am just resting,” she assured me, giving my hand a squeeze.

  “All right,” I remarked, still concerned. “Umm, Grandmother?”

  “Yes, child?” she responded without opening her eyes to look at me.

  “Matthew wondered if we could go for a walk in the forest today?” I nervously asked. “I mean, unless you have something for him to do,” I added, hoping it might help.

  “No, no. He deserves a day off. You two have a nice time,” she said.

  “Matilda!” exclaimed Luna surprised. “Do you really think she should go alone?”

  “She will not be alone. She will have Matthew with her,” she countered.

  “But, but, he can’t … I mean.”

  “She will be fine. Now, go have a nice time Amelia,” she instructed, interrupting Luna. “Oh, and while you are out, would you mind getting some nice looking stones from the creek in the forest? I want to make a new centerpiece for the dining room table.”

  “Sure,” I said. This was not like Grandmother at all, but I wasn’t about to question her if that meant spending time with Matthew. Luna ran in front of me causing me to almost trip. “Hey!” I exclaimed irritated.

  “You be careful!” she demanded.

  “I will. You worry too much,” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood as I pet her.

  “Well, just the same. I won’t be far behind,” she insisted. I knew by now that there was no talking her out of it. Even though I wasn’t scared, it did make me feel better that she would be near. “Get your jacket, Amelia. It’s getting cold.” I didn’t question it and grabbed one off the coat rack.

  “Ready to go?” I asked Matthew as I came out the front door, Luna following behind, and shut it.

  “Yeah!” he responded excitedly.

  We walked, hand in hand, to the back yard as Luna made sure to keep enough distance between us so as not to crowd us. “That cat follows you everywhere, doesn’t she?” he said, looking back at Luna. I just chuckled.

  If you only knew, I thought. I didn’t know how he would react, so I had no plans of telling him anytime soon. I, myself, was still getting used to the idea. As long as it didn’t hurt him, I was sure it would be okay. We reached the edge of the yard in no time.

  “Be vigilant,” whispered Luna. I spoke nothing, but continued on into the forest. It was very beautiful, almost magical, but cloaked in mystery.

  “Watch your step,” cautioned Matthew, as he held my hand tighter to help me over the tree roots that ran along the ground.

  “Oh, look over there,” I whispered, pointing to a doe as she wandered through the forest. “Beautiful,” I proclaimed as I accidently stepped on a tree limb causing it to snap, scaring her and making her run. Matthew and I continued to hold tight to each other as we meandered through the woods taking in all the beauty. “Look at those pretty flowers over there,” I instructed, pointing to a group of wild flowers basking in the sunlight. “I guess you get tired of flowers. You’re around them every day.” Matthew just laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

  “Can you hear that? It sounds like a little creek nearby,” he informed me.

  “Oh, that reminds me. Grandmother wanted me to get some pretty stones from it for her centerpiece. I was so excited to go walking with you tha
t I forgot to bring a basket. I guess we can use our pockets,” I suggested. Matthew just nodded his head as he led the way to the creek. As we reached the creek, all of a sudden, a black raven came diving from a tree limb.

  CAW! it sounded, dropping something into the water as we ducked as not to get hit.

  MEOOWW! shrilled Luna. “Get our rocks and get home!” she shouted at me as she chased the raven far away from us.

  Matthew looked surprised and proclaimed, “I guess cats will be cats.” I uttered nothing, for fear of saying the wrong thing. “Wonder what that thing dropped,” he said, looking in the water. “Look here,” he insisted, pointing to an alluring scarlet colored stone, shimmering under the water. “I guess it dropped this. I wonder why it had it,” he added as he stuck his hand in the water to get it. “Ouch!” he yelped, dropping it back in the water. “I think I know why it dropped it. It just about burned my hand.”

  “Maybe we should leave it alone,” I urged, not wanting him to be burned again.

  “No, I don’t know why, but I feel like I have to get it for Ms. Matilda. I’ll just use my shirt to pick it up and put it in my pocket. I’m sure she’ll like it.”

  “Okay,” I murmured, still unsure about it, but knowing Matthew always had my and Grandmother’s best interest at heart, so I let it go.

  We spent an hour or two splashing around in the water while looking for nice stones. Matthew, being the voice of reason, advised, “It’s getting late, Amelia. We should head back.”

  “Aww, you just don’t want to lose another water fight to me,” I joked playfully, splashing him with water.

  He chuckled but took my hand, “Come on. It’s gotten colder and you’re all wet.”

  “Spoilsport,” I teased laughing, but admitted defeat and began to head back to the Manor with him.

  We walked in silence for a while until Matthew wrapped his arm around me, pulling me to him. “You’re shivering,” he noted.

  “I’m f-f-fine,” I stammered with chattering teeth.

  “We can’t have that,” he said as he playfully scooped me up into his arms and began to run while carrying me.

  “Te-he-he. Stop,” I giggled. “Put me down. Te-he-he.” I added, still giggling.

  “Not until I get the fair maiden out of the cold,” he insisted laughing as he continued to run across the backyard. “What’s your grandmother doing?” he asked, coming to a halt as we reached the back of the house to find her lounging in a chair under the moonlight.

  “Umm, I guess she was waiting on us,” I lied, trying to hide the true reason.

  “Oh snap,” he panicked. “And you’re all wet.”

  “You are, too,” I reminded him playfully.

  “She’ll be more concerned that you are,” he remarked in a serious tone.

  “I’ll go talk to her,” I assured him, walking up to her. “You’re looking better.”

  “Amelia. You are soaking wet. Get inside and change, child, before you catch cold. You too, Matthew. I am sure you will find some clothes you can wear in the hall closet,” she demanded as she gracefully flicked her hand as if to point, but I knew better.

  “We found you some very pretty stones,” I informed her as Matthew headed toward the front door, leaving me with Grandmother.

  “Oh, thank you, dear,” she responded. “You can put them on the counter. I will clean them off and use them.” She paused. “Do not think I have forgotten about your training or did not take notice that you conned me into letting you go into the forest without me,” she scolded me, giving me a stern look for the last part. “I just have not been myself today, but I feel better now.”

  “Good,” I exclaimed. “I’m sorry about the forest,” I added sheepishly.

  “That is okay. Just do not make a habit of trying to pull one over on your old grandmother,” she winked.

  “I won’t,” I promised, surprised that she was handling it so well.

  “You had better get on inside and change before you catch cold. I will be in shortly.”

  “Okay,” I said, hugging her and hurried off inside.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  AMELIA

  THE SCARLETT COLORED STONE

  The hot water felt so nice and quickly warmed me up. “Amelia, Matthew is leaving soon,” announced Grandmother from outside the bathroom door.

  “Okay,” I responded, rushing to get finished so as not to miss saying goodbye to him. “Wait!” I hollered running out of the bathroom with my hair still wet.

  “You didn’t think I’d leave without kissing you goodnight, did you?” he remarked with a wink as he stood waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “You could have dried your hair,” he added playfully running his fingers through it.

  “Aaahhh!!!” came a scream from the kitchen as the sound of a glass shattering could be heard.

  “Grandmother!” I screamed as Matthew and I darted to the kitchen to find her unconscious on the floor with shards of glass and scattered stones around her. “Grandmother!” I yelped again.

  “Watch out for the glass," instructed Matthew, running to find a broom.

  “Get that stone out of her hand,” Luna shouted, referring to the scarlet colored stone the raven had dropped in the creek.

  “Ouch!” I exclaimed, snatching my hand back. “It is hot.”

  “That thing is hexed, Amelia,” Luna cautioned with a sense of urgency in her voice. “Remove it from her hand.” I grabbed a potholder hanging near the stove and tried to yank it from her hand. “It is draining her of her magic! Get it out!” I was finally able to unclasp her fingers and fling the stone across the room. “Wake her up, Amelia!” Luna ordered.

  “What? How?” I panicked.

  “You have healing powers! Use them!” Luna urged.

  “Huh?” I asked.

  “Believe!” she demanded, so I closed my eyes and placed my hands on her chest.

  “Wake up!” I commanded as the same warm, tingly sensation radiated from my fingertips as a bright golden light shot out once again and entered Grandmother.

  For a moment, all was silent until Grandmother gasped for air. “Where, where am I?” she asked.

  “You’re home at the Manor, Grandmother,” I informed her.

  “I am home?” she asked.

  “Yes, where did you think you were? Do you remember what happened?”

  “I-I-I do not know,” she stuttered. “I remember sorting through the stones, and I picked up the pretty scarlet colored one. All of a sudden, it felt like my hand was burning and like my entire body was on fire. And I-I-I hurt all over and then everything went black.” She still looked dazed as she examined her hand and then looked around at the scattered mess. “I felt like I was dying, Amelia,” she confessed, looking into my eyes as tears began to fall. “I was not here anymore. I was in our meadow. Ernest and my meadow,” she explained, looking away. “I called to him and he never came. Then this voice kept telling me not to fight it and just give in. I shouted, ‘No! I have to be there for my Amelia.’ The voice said, ‘She will not be yours for much longer.’ ” She began to bawl uncontrollably as I wrapped my arms around her to hug her.

  “Who was the voice?” I probed, almost in a whisper.

  “Your uncle, Amelia … the Darkness.”

  I shot straight up. “But how did he—”

  “I told you, there are ways, dark ways,” she interrupted before I could finish the question. She placed her hands on the sides of my face as I kneeled back down beside her. “I will fight to protect you until I have breathed my last breath on this earth,” she proclaimed as she wrapped her arms around me to hug me. We continued to sit on the cold kitchen floor, not saying a word, until Matthew came running back in.

  “I found a broom outside on the porch. Sorry it took so long. Oh, Ms. Matilda, I’m so glad you came to. Are you all right?” he asked, putting the broom down and rushing to help her up.

  She just nodded. “I need to sit down in the sitting room. If you will, help me in there, Amelia. Ma
tthew, I hate to ask, but will you be a dear and clean this up for me? I would but …”

  “Don’t give it a second thought. I’m on it,” he said smiling as he gave her a quick hug.

  “Oh,” she said surprised.

  “I’m just glad you’re all right. I thought I was going to have to call an ambulance.”

  “Like that would have done much good against magic,” scoffed Luna in the corner of the room, causing Grandmother and I both to crack up.

  “I’m not even asking this time,” he said shaking his head, but still smiling as he took the broom and began to clean up. “What do you want me to do with these stones?” he asked.

  “Just throw them away,” Grandmother replied.

  “What about your centerpiece?”

  “My what?” she remarked, looking at me, confused. “Oh, well I changed my mind about it so throw them away, please.”

  “What about the hexed one?” I whispered. Grandmother put one finger to her lips.

  “Oh, and Matthew, do not worry about the little red one.”

  “Oh, okay. I don’t even see it anyway,” he responded.

  “I did fling it pretty hard.” I whispered giggling. “It probably went under the counter or something.”

  “We will have to dispose of it properly later,” she informed me. I just nodded in agreement, not sure what that involved as we walked into the sitting room and I helped Grandmother onto the couch.

  After a few minutes or so, Matthew announced, “Kitchen is clean.”

  “Thank you, my lad,” she said smiling as he joined us in the room.

  “Do you need anything else before I go home? Will you be okay?” he asked, truly concerned.

  “I will be fine. Thank you for your concern though. You are a sweet young man.”

  He began to shuffle his feet a little. “I feel like I’ve gotten to know you as I’ve grown closer to Amelia. And well …” He paused and nervously cleared his throat. “I’ve sort of begun to think of you like my own grandmother. If anything happened to you, well … umm … I think it would just about rip my heart out.” She began to blush. “It’s just my grandparents died before I was born, so I’ve never really … well … umm … I’m sorry … umm … I hope you don’t think it’s weird,” he said, looking down at his feet still shuffling them.