This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, businesses, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any similarity to events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
First edition May 2018
Copyright © 2018 by Cheryl Bradshaw
Cover Design Copyright 2018 © Indie Designz
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form, or by any means whatsoever (electronic, mechanical, etc.) without the prior written permission and consent of the author.
Marriage is neither heaven nor hell, it is simply purgatory.
—Abraham Lincoln
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
About Cheryl Bradshaw
Books by Cheryl Bradshaw
CHAPTER 1
Addison Lockhart had expected to wake on the day of her wedding feeling refreshed, peaceful, and calm. But ever since she’d arrived at Blackthorn Manor the day before, a distressing uneasiness had coursed through her body like an illness determined to spread. She’d tried meditating, tried focusing on wedding preparations. She’d even indulged in a glass of wine. It made no difference. Not only was she unable to quell her worrisome feelings, they persevered and grew stronger.
Even now, sitting on a chair in front of an oval antique mirror, twisting the ends of her long, auburn hair over a curling iron, her hands trembled and she felt anxious, like she wasn’t alone, even though no one else was in the room with her. It seemed every nook and cranny inside the manor had eyes, and all of them were watching her every move.
A gust of cool air swept across her back, causing the hair on her neck to stand on end. Startled, she dropped the curling iron and it clattered against the dark hardwood floor below. She reached down and picked it up, gasping when she rose and gazed into the mirror again. She could have sworn she saw something in the mirror’s reflection—a shape maybe, or the faint glimmer of an object behind her. It had appeared only for an instant, and then it was gone.
Get a hold of yourself, Addison.
You’re working yourself up over nothing.
No one is here.
There’s nothing to worry about.
Nothing.
A hand pressed against the small of her back, and she shot out of her chair and whipped around, poised to strike with a hairbrush.
Luke, her fiancé, stood in front of her, his palms in the air. “Whoa, whoa. It’s just me. You’re really jumpy today. Is everything all right?”
She exhaled a long breath, lowered the hairbrush, and nodded. “I ... yeah, I’m fine.”
“Really? Because you looked like you were about to beat me with that brush.”
“I’m sorry, Luke. I didn’t hear you come in. You’re not supposed to see me before the wedding. Bad luck or something.”
He leaned toward her, planted a kiss on her forehead, and smiled. “I think we’re okay. You’re not even dressed yet, and we still have a couple of hours before the ceremony. I thought I’d check in on you and see if I can get you anything.”
There was something he could do—one thing she wanted more than anything else right now.
“Have you seen my grandmother? Has she arrived yet?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think she’s here.”
Addison sighed. “I tried calling, and she didn’t answer. If she’s not here soon, she’ll miss our wedding.”
“She wouldn’t miss our wedding. I’m sure she’ll be here anytime now. You know Marjorie. She’s all about making a grand entrance.”
He was right. Marjorie had more flash and flare than women half her age, and she never missed an opportunity to flaunt it. “When you see her, tell her I need to talk to her, okay?”
He leaned forward, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Will do.”
She thought he’d leave the room, but he didn’t. He just stood there, staring.
“What is it?” Addison asked.
He shrugged. “I don’t know, to be honest. Maybe you can tell me.”
“I’m not sure what you mean. Tell you what?”
“On the way here yesterday, you were so happy. Today you seem different, like something’s on your mind. Are you second-guessing anything? Should I be worried?”
She reached out, swiping a wisp of his long, sandy-colored bangs out of his eye. No matter how many knots twisted her insides, she wouldn’t allow anything to ruin their day. “I’ve been ready to marry you for a long time, Luke. I can’t wait to be your wife.”
“If it isn’t our wedding, what’s bothering you?”
Luke was aware of Addison’s gift, her ability to communicate with the spirits of those who had passed on, but she didn’t want to worry him. Not today. And besides, there was nothing to confirm her suspicions.
Not yet.
“I haven’t eaten anything today,” she said. “I’m sure that’s all it is.”
“What happened to the breakfast the staff sent up this morning?”
“I’ve been too busy preparing for the wedding to eat it.”
Luke glanced around, his eyes coming to rest on a round metal tray. He grabbed it, set it on the dresser next to Addison, and removed the lid, staring at the food like it was no longer appetizing.
“You need to eat something, okay?” he said. “Even if it’s a piece a stale toast. I don’t want you passing out on me when we’re saying our vows.”
Addison smiled. “I will. I promise.”
“Hey, thanks for agreeing to get married here. I’m sure this place isn’t what you had in mind.”
He was wrong. It was exactly what she’d had in mind. She had seen her wedding day before, years earlier, in a vision. Not the manor itself, but the ocean in front where they were to be married. She’d seen those in attendance too, and everything had come to pass, just like she knew it would.
She gazed at her hand, at the engagement ring Luke had given her two years ago, a ring once belonging to his grandmother. “It’s only fitting we marry at the same place your grandparents did.”
“I just thought the owners would have done a better job of preserving the place. The paint, the exterior, the roof—it’s all falling apart. I had no idea when I booked it. You deserve better.”
“I
t has sentimental meaning, and that makes it perfect.”
He shrugged. “If you say so.”
Luke stepped into the hall, closing the door behind him.
Addison walked to the closet and unzipped the plastic cover her wedding dress was wrapped in. She removed the dress, smiling at the slim A-line design she’d worked so hard to fit into over the last few months. She admired it for a moment, and then stared at her face, noticing how nice her makeup looked. She could hardly see the freckles.
Her attention diverted to her bedroom window. A young woman dressed in black stood in front of the manor, gazing at the sea, her hips swaying from side to side as if she were drunk. The woman was unfamiliar and seemed out of place, given they were miles from town, and Addison had been told by the manor’s owners that Luke and Addison’s small group of family and friends were the only guests staying at the manor for the weekend.
Addison walked toward the window, wondering who the woman was, why she was there, and how she got there in the first place. The dress she wore appeared several decades old, if not older. As if she knew Addison was watching, the woman looked up, meeting her gaze. Before Addison had the chance to open the window and address the woman, someone knocked on her bedroom door.
Thinking it was her grandmother at last, Addison dashed to the door. But she didn’t find Marjorie on the other side. She found the woman who owned the manor.
Mrs. Ravencroft had a scowl on her face and a plate in her hands containing two pieces of toast and an assortment of fruit. She tipped her head to the side, glaring at the untouched tray of food on the dresser. “I heard you didn’t eat the quiche Whitney sent up this morning.”
Addison shook her head. “I didn’t. I’m sorry.”
Mrs. Ravencroft pressed her eyes closed like she had no time for Addison’s excuses. “Your loss. The three-cheese quiche won an award last year for the best breakfast dish in the county.”
“I am sorry. I’m sure it’s amazing.”
“Your fiancé asked me to bring you a fresh plate. I agreed to it, but only this one time. I do not appreciate the food I prepare going to waste.”
“I didn’t mean to—”
“It doesn’t matter now. Just take it.”
Mrs. Ravencroft shoved the plate into Addison’s hands, brushed past her, and scooped the tray off the dresser, before walking back out of the room.
“Wait just a minute,” Addison said. “Can I ask you a question?”
Mrs. Ravencroft sighed. “What is it?”
“You said there were no other guests staying here this weekend, right?”
“There are not. It’s only your wedding party.”
“What about staff?”
“My husband and I tend to the rooms ourselves, for the most part. Whitney is the chef, and aside from the gardener, she’s the only staff I have. She lives in one of the guesthouses behind the manor with her husband Colin.”
Addison guessed Mrs. Ravencroft was in her late seventies, so it was a shock to hear she did all of the housework and tended to the guests herself.
Mrs. Ravencroft crossed her arms. “Why are you asking about other guests?”
“There’s a woman outside. I don’t recognize her.”
Addison turned and pointed, only to realize the woman she’d seen was gone.
Mrs. Ravencroft glanced out the window, irritated. “Well, she’s not there now, is she? Are you sure it wasn’t someone from your wedding party? From this distance, it could have been anyone.”
The distance Mrs. Ravencroft had referred to wasn’t far, and even if it was, at times one of Addison’s gifts was binocular vision. Sometimes she saw herself as an owl in her dreams and visions.
“The woman was right in front of the manor, staring out into the ocean,” Addison said.
“Whitney walks along the beach every day. Perhaps you saw her.”
Whitney’s hair was a different color than the woman she’d seen through the window. It couldn’t have been her. “There was a longing in the woman’s eyes, almost like she wished the ocean would open and swallow her up.”
“Swallow her up? What an odd thing to say.”
Addison supposed she was right, and since the woman was no longer in view, it no longer mattered. “Thanks for bringing another plate of food. I’ll eat it this time.”
Mrs. Ravencroft smirked, pausing a moment in the doorway. “I’m just curious. What did the woman you saw look like?”
“She was tall and slim. She wore a black dress that went to her feet, and she had long, dark hair. Her skin was pale, almost white, and even though she seemed distraught, she was beautiful.”
Addison detected a look of uneasiness in Mrs. Ravencroft’s eyes, though she did her best to hide it. She averted her eyes and said, “I’ll leave you to get ready, Miss Lockhart.”
She then closed the door behind her.
Addison took a few bites of toast and set the plate down. She walked to the window and opened it, peering across the shoreline. In the distance, she thought she saw the silhouette of the woman she’d seen before, but the woman was too far away now. It was hard to know for sure.
Hoping to get a better look, Addison leaned out over the windowsill, gasping when she felt an intense pressure against her back—someone thrusting her forward. Addison grabbed the side of the window to brace herself, but it was too late. She was already falling.
CHAPTER 2
Addison regained consciousness, her eyes opening to a small audience huddled over her. Luke. Luke’s parents. Her father. Her grandmother Marjorie. Her closest friend Lia McReedy, and an irritated-looking Mrs. Ravencroft.
“Are you all right?” Luke asked. “You fainted.”
Addison nodded. “I think so.”
But he was wrong. She hadn’t fainted.
She stared up at the window she’d just fallen from, perplexed. She’d landed on her backside on the porch, and yet she felt fine. No bruises. No broken bones. No injuries.
How could I have fallen without getting hurt?
It’s a two-story drop.
It isn’t possible.
Luke knelt down, extending a hand toward her. She took it, and he pulled her to a standing position.
“I need a minute,” she said.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
“I’m just shaken up. Did anyone see what happened?”
No one had.
“I was inside the house and heard a noise outside,” Luke said. “I opened the door and found you passed out on the porch, which was strange, since I never saw you leave your room.”
“I didn’t,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
Addison pointed to the open window, and everyone looked up.
“I fell from the window. I’m just not sure how. The last thing I remember is opening it and leaning out. Then I was falling.”
Mrs. Ravencroft snickered a laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way you fell from the window. You couldn’t have.”
“I’m not a liar.”
Mrs. Ravencroft grabbed Addison’s hands, looked her over. “It’s not possible. You don’t have a scratch on you. I noticed an empty glass of wine on the dresser when I came to your room. Perhaps you’ve had too much today?”
Marjorie stepped in front of Mrs. Ravencroft, wagging a pointy, blood-red fingernail in her face. “Perhaps you should consider watching what you say to my granddaughter.”
“And perhaps you or someone in your party should keep a better eye on her today. She’s obviously intoxicated.”
“It was one glass of wine,” Addison said, “two hours ago.”
Mrs. Ravencroft threw her hands in the air. “I’m not doing this. Not my circus.”
She pivoted and went inside the house, slamming the door behind her.
Marjorie smirked, grabbed the handle on her suitcase, and glanced around, her head shaking. “Look at this place. It’s falling apart. It’s not fit for visitors, and it’s definitely not suitable for my granddau
ghter’s wedding.”
“Gran, it’s fine,” Addison said. “This place has special meaning to Luke.”
“I don’t care what it has. It’s a dump. And what’s the matter with you? Why are you thrusting yourself out of bedroom windows? When did you become so clumsy?”
As all eyes fell on her, Addison considered her answer. “You’re right. I lost my balance, I guess. It’s my fault. I should have been more careful.”
Marjorie frowned. “It isn’t your fault, dearest. This place is a death trap, and you shouldn’t allow that woman to—”
Addison squeezed Marjorie’s hand. “There’s less than an hour before the wedding. I’ve been waiting for you to get here before I change into my dress. Will you help me?”
Marjorie nodded and followed Addison into the house. Once they were out of earshot, she grabbed Addison’s arm. “I want to know what’s really going on, Addison. I saw the look you just gave me. If you expect me to believe you shot out of that window, I don’t.”
Addison walked to the staircase, tapping a finger to her own lips. “Lower your voice, Gran.”
“Why should I?”
“Please. Let’s get to my room first. I’ll explain everything.”
They reached the room, and Addison closed the door, startled to find an unfamiliar man inside, arranging a large display of flowers inside a vase on the dresser. He was a slender man of about fifty and had sandy-blond shoulder-length hair swept back into a ponytail. He was dressed in all black, including black rubber bracelets on his wrists.
Marjorie stepped in front of Addison like a protective shield. “Excuse me. Who are you, and why are you in my granddaughter’s room?”
He wiped a wet hand on his pant leg, stuck his hand out to Addison, and they shook. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Brad, the Ravencroft’s gardener. She told me you were getting married today, and I thought I’d bring up some flowers from the garden.”
“What kind of establishment are they running here?” Marjorie glared at Brad. “You should ask permission before entering a guest’s room.”
“I wanted the flowers to be a surprise,” Brad said. “I didn’t mean to upset anyone.”
“My grandmother’s right,” Addison said. “You should have said something. But I appreciate the gesture. Thank you.”
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