As the night wore on, I dozed off, my head on Robert’s bed. When I woke, the sun already shone through the windows. Robert still slumbered, his chest rising and falling gently. A hand squeezed my shoulder, and I reached up to grasp it. I glanced up, expecting to find Ella. Instead, Annie stood over me. She appeared different. Her dark hair was pulled neatly into an upswept style, framing her porcelain skin and rosy cheeks. Soft, dark brown eyes gazed down at me. Her red dress was bright, and no longer soiled.
She smiled at me. “Annie?” I asked. Realization dawned on me and tears sprung to my eyes. “You have come for him, haven’t you? Please, no.”
Annie smiled again and shook her head. My brow furrowed. She squeezed my shoulder again, then turned her gaze to Robert. She approached him and bent toward him. She kissed his forehead. “Be a good husband and father, Robert,” she whispered. She gazed at him, a smile forming on her lips as her thumb rubbed his cheek.
Annie stood and strode away. I vaulted from my seat. “Annie, wait!” I called. She turned to face me. “You do not need to leave.”
Her lips turned up at the corners. She spoke two words to me. “Thank you.” She made a quarter turn, holding her hand out. A small child appeared, the dark-haired girl I had witnessed playing at the stream. She grasped Annie’s hand, a grin on her tiny face. Together they walked toward the far wall, disappearing through it.
I stood in hushed silence, processing the experience. A noise sounded behind me. Robert groaned, and I spun to face him. “Robert?” I asked, racing to his side. I grasped his hand as his eyes fluttered open. “Robert?”
He blinked several times, then his eyes searched the room. “You are in your room. You were injured.”
Ella knocked and entered after I called. “Your Grace, I thought I heard voices.”
“Robert is awake,” I announced. “Fetch the doctor!”
“Right away, Your Grace!” Ella ran from the room to send for Dr. MacAndrews.
“Lenora?” Robert questioned in a hoarse voice.
“I am here, Robert.” I grasped his hand, squeezing it. His eyes found mine. “Lie still until the doctor has examined you.”
“I saw Annie,” he replied. I smiled and caressed his head. “She told me she was at peace.”
“I saw her, too. Her appearance changed. She was no longer disturbed.”
“She sent me back.”
I paused a moment before asking, “Do you wish she had not?”
Robert smiled at me. “No. I asked Annie if I must die. I hoped her answer was no. I wanted to return to you, to my son.” He paused, then added, “I love you, Lenora.”
I smiled at him. “And I love you, Robert.”
I clutched his hand tightly. I had my family. I found my home, my place in the world. In that moment, my heart was full. I could wish for no more. I hoped in that moment my life would settle, that I would experience no more unusual, uninvited drama.
This would not come to fruition. Though my other “adventures,” dear reader, are stories for another time.
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Look for another Duchess of Blackmoore Mystery in 2022!
Like cozy mysteries? Check out the Cate Kensie Mystery series. Misty Scottish moors and a quirky castle. Read Cate’s first adventure, The Secret of Dunhaven Castle, by clicking here!
Ready for adventure? Travel the globe with Maggie Edwards in search of her kidnapped uncle and Cleopatra’s Tomb. Book one, Cleopatra’s Tomb, in the Maggie Edwards Adventure series is available now!
Like supernatural suspense? Try the Shadow Slayers series, a fast-paced page-turner! Book one, Shadows of the Past, is available now!
A Note from the Author
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading this book! Duchess of Blackmoore was inspired by its cover! The design, originally proposed for my book Shadows of the Past, was such a beautiful cover, I knew I had to use it! I created Lenora around that image and brought her to life within the pages of Death of a Duchess. Look for more of Lenora’s stories coming in 2022!
I hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you did, please consider leaving a review and help get this book and series into the hands of other interested readers!
Keep reading for a sneak preview of The Secret of Dunhaven Castle, Book 1 in the Cate Kensie Mysteries series! If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you’ll love Cate!
All the best, Nellie
The Secret of Dunhaven Castle Synopsis
How in the world could she now own a castle?
Shy, introverted Dr. Cate Kensie never imagined that she would inherit a beautiful, and oddly quirky, castle nestled in the picturesque Scottish Highlands. Truthfully, she was sure that she didn’t have any family left after her parents died in a car accident several years before, but then she had gotten the phone call, and her entire world had turned upside down.
That was when she discovered that she had family in Scotland, and her distant family member, Gertrude MacKenzie, had passed away, leaving her Dunhaven Castle and a golden timepiece with the mysterious phone call: ALWAYS KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR TIME.
Soon after she leaves the only life she’s ever known in the US with her four-legged best friend, the adorable Riley, she quickly finds that owning this castle is not the fairytale she expected. Mysterious events occur that leave Cate wondering if her new home is haunted or if she’s losing her mind.
Will Cate be able to unravel the mysteries of Dunhaven Castle before it’s too late? Or will the secrets be too much for Cate to handle?
Find out if Cate can uncover the secrets her new home holds in The Secret of Dunhaven Castle!
The Secret of Dunhaven Castle Excerpt
Arriving in the kitchen, she found Mrs. Fraser preparing her lunch. The other woman was nowhere in sight. “You can call off the emergency, Mrs. Fraser, I found Riley.”
“Emergency?” Mrs. Fraser looked up from her work, not understanding what Cate was talking about.
“Yes, didn’t the other girl tell you? I thought I lost Riley, but I found him, thankfully.”
“Other girl?” Mrs. Fraser asked, perplexed.
“The other girl. I saw her in the entry hall. I told her to come and get you to help find Riley. She ran down the hall, did she not tell you?”
“I’m the only one in the place, Lady Cate. No cleaning service here today and both men are outside.”
Cate was dumbfounded. She struggled to get the word “what” out to Mrs. Fraser. Clearing her throat she followed up with, “I thought…” she stammered, “I thought maybe you hired your replacement and were training her?”
“Nay, I haven’t hired a replacement to train, Lady Cate. As far as I know, we are the only ones here.”
“Mrs. Fraser, I saw a woman standing right at the bottom of the stairs. She was wearing a long black dress and a white apron.”
“Long black dress and white apron?” Mrs. Fraser said, puzzled.
“Yes, I SAW her, no mistaking it. She stood right there in front of me, I spoke to her!”
“Did she speak to you?”
“Well, no.” Cate said after some thought. “But I didn’t imagine her.”
Mrs. Fraser went back to her work without a word. Cate pursed her lips. “I can’t believe I’m actually going to say this but… do you think she could have been a… a ghost?”
Want to read more? Click here to help Cate discover The Secret of Dunhaven Castle!
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Death of a Duchess Page 29
