MEANWHILE IN THE VALLEY

CHAPTER 43

MEANWHILE IN THE VALLEY

Far from the winding mountain road, Nevermore Valley continued with its ordinary afternoon.

Farmers worked their fields.

Children traveled along the roads.

Wagons moved between the nearby communities.

The forests remained quiet beneath the afternoon sky.

Life continued as it always had.

At least, that was what it appeared to be.

Near the eastern edge of the valley stood an old property belonging to the Vesper family.

It was not as grand as Breedlove Manor.

It was not as ancient.

But the house had stood there for generations, and like many old homes in Nevermore Valley, it carried its own stories.

A woman stood near an upstairs window, watching the road.

She had been waiting for nearly an hour.

At last, a carriage appeared in the distance.

Dark wood.

Black wheels.

A silver crest upon the door.

The woman stepped away from the window.

"They're here."

Footsteps approached from the hallway.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes."

The woman returned to the window.

The carriage passed through the gates and slowly came to a stop.

The door opened.

A woman stepped down.

She wore a long traveling coat and carried a small leather case in one hand.

She looked toward the house.

Then she turned toward the distant hills.

Her eyes settled upon the towers of Breedlove Manor.

For several moments, she said nothing.

Then she whispered,

"So it is still standing."

The older woman watching from the window frowned.

"Who is she?"

The woman beside her answered quietly.

"Elara Vesper Breedlove."

The older woman's expression changed.

"Breedlove?"

"Yes."

"I thought there were no others."

"There are always others."

The older woman slowly stepped away from the window.

"Why would she come now?"

"That is the question."

Outside, Elara handed her luggage to the driver.

The driver looked toward the distant Manor.

"Are we going there?"

"Not yet."

"Why not?"

"They're away."

"How do you know?"

Elara looked down at the leather case in her hand.

"I asked."

The driver waited.

Elara opened the case.

Inside was an old envelope.

The paper had yellowed with age.

Across the front was a name.

Breedlove.

Beneath it was an old family seal.

The driver stared at it.

"That looks ancient."

"It is."

"And you carried it all the way here?"

"I had to."

Elara carefully closed the case.

"There are things in that letter that were never meant to remain buried."

The driver said nothing.

Elara turned toward the Manor once more.

"I did not come here to cause trouble."

The older woman from the house had now stepped outside.

"You say that now."

Elara looked toward her.

Their eyes met across the distance.

Neither woman smiled.

The older woman knew that face.

Not personally.

But from an old portrait.

She had seen it years ago.

A Breedlove woman.

One who had disappeared from the valley before most living people could remember her.

"Elara."

The name escaped her lips.

Elara heard it.

She walked toward the woman.

"You know me."

"I know your family."

"So do I."

The older woman studied her carefully.

"Why return after all these years?"

Elara looked toward Breedlove Manor.

"Because someone died."

The woman waited.

"And before they died, they gave me something."

"What?"

Elara touched the leather case.

"A letter."

The older woman became very still.

"What does it say?"

"I don't know everything yet."

"You haven't read it?"

"I have."

"And?"

Elara looked toward the Manor.

"It mentions a door."

The older woman's face went pale.

"What door?"

Elara did not answer immediately.

Instead, she reached into the case again.

This time she removed a small object wrapped in cloth.

She unfolded it carefully.

A key rested in her palm.

Old.

Darkened with age.

Its handle bore the same crest as the Breedlove seal.

The older woman stared.

"Where did you get that?"

"It belonged to my grandmother."

"That key should not exist."

Elara looked at her.

"Why?"

"Because that door was sealed."

Elara's expression changed.

"Which door?"

The older woman looked toward Breedlove Manor.

"The one no one speaks about anymore."

Silence settled between them.

A breeze moved through the trees.

Far away, a raven crossed the sky.

Elara closed her hand around the key.

"Then perhaps it is time someone spoke about it."

The older woman shook her head.

"You don't understand what you're asking."

"No."

Elara looked once more toward the distant Manor.

"But I intend to."

The carriage waited behind her.

The valley remained peaceful.

The roads remained busy.

The afternoon continued.

And somewhere beyond the hills, the Breedlove family was still making its way home from Ravenshade.

They knew nothing about the visitor waiting in the valley.

They did not know about the letter.

They did not know about the key.

And they certainly did not know that someone from their own bloodline had returned.

Elara watched the road leading toward Breedlove Manor.

She could wait.

For now.

But eventually, the family would come home.

And when they did, she would be waiting.