by Ava Stone
He stomped off towards the forest that boarded Healeyfield Abbey. Surely, there was some sort of adventure just waiting for him to find it. An adventure that didn’t involve parents or kissing.
“Reid!” called his younger sister, Maggie, not far behind him. Actually, she was much too close for Reid’s comfort. “Wait for me, Reid!”
Not on her life! Couldn’t he spend some time with just himself? Somewhere without kissing parents or irritating sisters chasing after him? “Go home, Maggie!” he called back over his shoulder, refusing to slow his gait and give her the opportunity to catch him.
One couldn’t, after all, find a grand adventure with a six year-old girl underfoot. And Reid wanted a grand adventure. He wanted to traipse across the continent like his father and grandfather had done. He wanted to brandish a shiny sword and strike fear in the hearts of villains and pirates alike. He wanted—
“Re—id,” his sister hollered once more. “Peggy said you have to wait for me. And it’s getting dark. You’re not supposed to go into the woods.”
As he reached the forest’s edge Reid slowed just a bit, just long enough to see that despite her shorter, pudgier legs, Maggie was gaining on him. Blast it all. If she fell down in the woods chasing after him, he’d be the one to get in trouble. So he stopped, turned around, planted his hands on his hips and said in his most commanding voice, “Go home! I don’t want to play right now.”
Maggie stopped just a few inches from him, but she didn’t look at him, she looked past him and her silvery eyes rounded in surprise.
What was she looking at? Reid glanced slightly behind him to find an old woman in a ratty cape, her face the color of worn leather and a jagged scar across her neck. She stood just a few feet away in the clearing, and though she seemed harmless enough, Reid hadn’t ever seen her before and there was something about her that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
The old woman cracked a smile at his sister. “Are you a brownie?” she asked, her old voice sounding slightly haunting.
His sister giggled and shook her head, her dark ringlets swaying back and forth.
“Are you sure?” the woman asked. “You look a little like a brownie.”
Maggie took a step towards the woman. “I’m lots bigger than a brownie, but Healeyfield Abbey does have some brownies. Ailis and D’Ary.”
“And are they nice, these brownies of yours?”
Reid scoffed. “There’s no such things as brownies, Maggie.” How many times had he told her that? How many times had Grandfather told her that?
“There is!” his sister insisted, just like she always did. “I’ve seen them myself.”
The old woman turned her black eyes on Reid, sending a shiver racing up his spine. “You, Master Reid, are very much like your father, are you not?”
He narrowed his eyes on her. “How do you know my name?”
Before the woman could reply, Maggie said, “Reid’s not like Papa at all!” She giggled. “Papa believes in brownies. He even named Ailis and D’Ary and he tells us stories all about their adventures.”
Stupid brownie nonsense. They were just bedtime stories. Only a dolt would believe them…Well, a dolt and Maggie. “How do you know my name?” he asked again, sticking his chin out rather stubbornly, like he’d seen his grandfather do on more than once occasion.
The old woman tilted her head to one side as though to better see him. “I met your mother a long time ago.”
“You’re a friend of Mama’s?” Reid found that hard to believe. He knew all of his mother’s friends and none of them looked like scary old hags.
“I like to think I helped her once upon a time.” Then she reached into her cape and retrieved a bauble of some sort on a chain. Reid wasn’t certain what it was, but the thing looked a bit foggy in the waning light. The old woman lifted it out towards Maggie. “This is for you. It will help keep you safe in the years to come.”
Maggie hurried before the strange woman and accepted the bauble, a necklace of some sort, wrapping her hand around the chain. “Thank you, but…”
“Yes, child?”
Maggie twisted up her face. “Do you have something to keep Reid safe too?”
The woman’s weathered face cracked as she smiled once more. “Master Reid will be safe all the days of his life.” She glanced back towards Healeyfield Abbey, a wistful expression in her eyes. “You should head back home, Miss Margaret. Have your mother help you with the necklace.”
“Thank you,” Maggie said again, staring at the treasure in her hands.
“And Master Reid,” the old woman began, her dark eyes now focused solely on him. “You have a lifetime of adventure ahead of you, my boy, but make sure you always listen to your heart. It is most important.”
If he had a farthing for every time his parents had said those words to him…
“Maggie!” Papa’s voice echoed across the green. “Reid!”
He and his sister looked back towards the abbey. It was starting to get dark.
“We’ll have to—” Maggie frowned. “Wait! Where did she go?”
Who? The old woman? Reid turned to where the mysterious woman had been, but all that was left was a bit leaves swirling in the autumn air as though she’d never been there at all. Another chill ran down his spine.
Mina lifted Georgia out to Peggy’s awaiting arms. How a little girl could become so filthy in so short a time was quite the mystery. “Do be careful, Peggy,” she warned. “It’s difficult to find a spot that isn’t covered in paint.”
“The Colonel ought to be flogged for giving a two year-old paint.” Peggy shook her head, but her smile belied any irritation on her part. She adored the children and happily cared for them. Even so, she started for the corridor, holding Georgia out from her like one might a dirty dog. “Come on. Into the bath with you.”
Honestly, it was surprising that Papa showered the children with gifts and affection. Nathaniel said it was the difference between being a parent and a grandparent, that his parents were the same way with the children. Whatever it was, Mina was happy for it. These days Papa reminded her of the adoring man she’d remembered as a child. Well, he did from time to time, certainly not always.
“You know better than to go off into the woods when it starts getting dark,” Nathaniel grumbled in the corridor.
Reid must have gone off on one of his adventures again. Mina sighed. She wasn’t certain what to do with her son. He wasn’t like his sisters in the least. And though he reminded her a great deal of her own father, Nathaniel’s father had declared Reid a Carrick man the first time he saw him, swearing he was just like Nathaniel in both looks and temperament. And if that was the case, then she supposed there was nothing to worry about. After all, Nathaniel was the most wonderful man in all the world. Honest. Noble. Kind. He had been from the beginning, and each day they’d spent together, her love for him had only grown.
“Mama! Mama!” Maggie rushed inside the yellow parlor, stopping just in time to keep from barreling into Mina. “I saw a ghost!” She grinned, lifting a golden chain up for inspection.
“A ghost?” Mina echoed.
“It wasn’t a ghost,” Reid complained from the threshold.
His hand on their son’s shoulder, Nathaniel guided Reid further into the parlor, following right on his heels.
“It was a ghost.” Maggie turned back to glare at her brother. “You could see right through her and she had horrible scars on her neck.”
At once, Nathaniel’s brow furrowed in worry. “You saw someone in the woods?”
Mina glanced down at the golden chain in Maggie’s hand and slipped it from her daughter’s grasp. Her heart nearly stopped. “Maggie,” she whispered. “Where did you get this?” Heavens, Mina hadn’t laid eyes on that opal since she was a child.
Maggie met Mina’s gaze and smiled. “The ghost gave it to me. She said it was to keep me safe.”
“It wasn’t a ghost,” Reid grumbled once more, but Mina paid his dissentio
n very little notice. How could she when she could barely remove her eyes from the relic?
“This was my mother’s,” she said softly.
Nathaniel crossed the floor, coming to stand at Mina’s back. He slid his arms around her waist and peered over her shoulder. “Did you misplace it, sweetheart?”
Hardly that. Mina shook her head, rubbing her fingers over the familiar Trevelyan crest engraved in the golden setting. “I haven’t seen it since Mama threw it in the ocean at Land’s End.”
“She threw it in the ocean?” He moved slightly to better see her face.
“She said it had come from Lyonesse and it should be returned there. I never understood why.”
“The ghost said it would keep me safe,” Maggie lifted up on her toes to catch a glimpse of the necklace.
“What did this ghost look like?” Nathaniel asked, concern lacing his voice.
“Well, you could see through her,” Maggie said.
“You could not,” Reid insisted.
But Maggie shook her head. “She had wild black hair and—” she touched a hand to her neck “—she had a horrible scar right here.”
“Madam Derbardi,” Nathaniel whispered.
Mina’s heart warmed at his words. He’d never accused her of being mad, or of lying. He’d taken her at word. He was the first person to really do so. “But why?” Mina asked. “Why now? Why would she have Mama’s necklace?”
Nathaniel shook his head. “I don’t know. But if she thinks it will keep Maggie safe…”
“Yes, of course.” Mina nodded, returning the chain to her daughter’s hands. “Do you want to wear it, sweetheart?”
Maggie nodded enthusiastically. Nathaniel released his grasp on Mina, then dropped down to one knee. “Hand it here, love.” Taking the chain from their daughter, Nathaniel secured the clasp around her neck. Then he rose back to his feet, peered down at her and said, “Prettiest girl in all of County Durham.”
As Maggie raced toward a small mirror to examine herself, Mina slid her hand into Nathaniel’s. “I thought you said we make our own future.”
“We do,” he agreed with a nod of his head. “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take a little guidance from time to time.”
“Even from a ghost?”
“Ghosts, fairies, sprites.” He shrugged. “What’s the difference?”
She couldn’t help but grin. “I love you, Nathaniel Carrick.”
“I hope so,” he said before turning her in his arms and pressing a kiss to her lips.
“Ugh!” Reid complained. “No more kissing!”
The author of several Regency Noir Romances, Ava Stone first fell in love with Mr. Darcy, Jane Austen and Regency England at the age of twelve. And in the years since, that love has never diminished. If she isn't writing Regency Era romance, she can be found reading it.
Her bestselling Scandalous Series is filled with witty humor and centers around the friends and family of the Machiavellian-like Lady Staveley, exploring deep themes but with a light touch. A single mother, Ava lives outside Raleigh NC, but she travels extensively, always looking for inspiration for new stories and characters in the various locales she visits.
Ava can be found at www.avastoneauthor.com and at Lady Jane's Salon Raleigh-Durham, where she is one of the salon's directors. You can also find her at Facebook and on Twitter.
The Red Door Reads ‘Who’s Ben Skrewd?’ Novellas
What do you call eleven books ranging the gamut of Romance, from Regency Historical to Contemporary, to Paranormal, Urban Fantasy and beyond, all releasing on April 15, 2014 (tax day!) and each featuring a Red Door and a mysterious figure named Ben Skrewd? You call it a novella series like none other, all from the fabulous writers at Red Door Reads!
Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness by Deb Marlowe
A Half Moon House Series Novella
Hexed by Andris Bear
A Deadly Sins Novella
Dances with Demons by Lori Handeland
A Phoenix Chronicles Novella
Firebird by Linda Winstead Jones
A Columbyana Novella
In the Stars by Ava Stone
A Regency Encounter Novella
Her Muse, Lord Patrick by Jane Charles
A Muses Novella
Cross Springs In Bloom by Caren Crane
A Cross Springs Novella
The Earl’s Passionate Plot by Susan Gee Heino
Touch of Trouble by Susan Sey
A Blake Brothers Novella
Reagan’s Revenge by Tammy Falkner
A Reed Brothers Novella
Accidentally in Love by Claudia Dain
A More Courtesan Chronicles Novella
You can find them all at http://www.RedDoorReads.com!
DEB MARLOWE’s LIBERTY & the PURSUIT of HAPPINESS
A Gentleman, of fine airs, blonde, dressed in Cerulean from top to boots and in a coach with a Crest on the door, who so gallantly came to the aide of a Young Lady on the evening of Thursday, the 5th, and who solemnly pledged to meet her again at the hidden red door with the white lintel, is earnestly requested to keep his promise at last, or send ‘round a note explaining his failure. She has not lost her good opinion of him, but finds it hard to stand fast against those who accuse him of ungentlemanly behavior and even deceit. Please, kind, kind sir, do keep your appointment and don’t disappoint her.
“It is something, isn’t it Miss?” Harris stared at the Post, clearly in awe.
“Indeed. The third something, at that.” For three weeks running the unknown Young Lady had posted her plea in the adverts. “She’s growing desperate, the poor thing.”
“I do feel for her,” the maid sighed.
“As do I.” In point of fact, Liberty felt entirely in sympathy with the girl, who must be sitting, waiting for her gentleman to show up, for something to happen, for her life to begin. “I’m sure anyone who has read these sad notices must sympathize with her.”
“But that’s just the thing, Miss. Everyone’s reading them!”
“Everyone?”
Harris nodded. “All the young ladies, all their maids and servants. Even some of the gentlemen have caught wind of it, according to servant’s gossip. And most of them are taking pokes at the poor girl, and saying she’s likely no better than she ought to be.”
Liberty gasped. “How could they say such a thing when they don’t know anything of her? Of her situation?” She scowled down at the paper. “There’s nothing here to suggest anything improper on her part.” She watched Harris. “Is that what you think?”
“No, indeed, Miss! My heart goes out to the dear girl.” The maid frowned in speculation. “She can’t be from London, though, or have spent much time about in Society, or she’d never have done such a thing.”
“Not from London? How shocking. That will set them all against her for sure,” Liberty snorted. But it only fixed the girl more firmly in her sympathies. She waved the paper. “Clearly she’s had some sort of an education. She must only be young and inexperienced.”
And likely at cross-purposes with a world that wished to pigeonhole her. What I need is a project, an occupation. Perhaps she’d found just that.
“I’d dearly love to help her. But she’s been careful to give away nothing definitive, I’ll grant her that. And London is so very large. I’d never find her.”
“But that’s just it!” Harris practically quivered in her excitement. “You know Charlie—the errand boy downstairs who runs for the kitchens?”
She nodded.
“He says as how he knows which place she’s speaking of—the secret red door with the white lintel.”
Liberty straightened. “Does he?”
“He says it’s on a shortcut he takes, through a back lane on his way to the dairies.” Harris’s eyes widened. “Perhaps he’ll show us!”
Purpose ignited in Liberty’s belly. It felt good. Wonderful to think of being useful and occupied once more. Just a little digging about and she could lif
t this girl’s spirits, perhaps even secure her life’s happiness.
A thread of caution crept into Harris’s expression. “But what will you do for the young lady? What could you do?”
“I can talk to her. More important—I can listen. My parents are connected to Society. No doubt, with a little more information I could track down her ‘gentleman of fine airs.”
Harris’s eyes widened. “Do you really think so? Oh, what a fine thing that would be!”
“I could.” Liberty’s shoulders straightened. “I shall. It’s decided. I’ll help this poor girl find her happiness if it’s the last thing I accomplish in London.”
