Chapter 1
’Sir, someone is waiting for you in the guest room’
‘Thank you, Phillipe. Tell them I’ll be down in a few minutes’ Sir Charles hurried to the library to put back some old books and maps he’s been studying that morning. After the books were placed with much grace back on the shelves of the big library, Sir James slowly walked down the stairs to the guest room.
Opening the big wood door, decorated with different sculptures of flowers and leaves, he suddenly stopped at the sight of the person inside the room, sitting on the beautiful red velvet couch.
‘Oh, what a pleasure to see you again my dear friend.’ Exclaimed Sir Charles giving the middle-aged man a warm hug.
‘The pleasure it’s mine, Charles. I’ve missed you a lot in these past few years since the day…you know…’
‘Yes, yes, I know, but let’s not talk about that. I see you brang someone with you?’ Charles turned his head to the young gentleman sitting on the edge of the sofa and slightly scrunching his nose at the boy’s manners.
‘yes my dear Charles…things are changing and there’s a few things I would like to ask you, as your oldest and best friend.’ The pain and fear were clear in James’ eyes.
‘go on my dear friend, you know I would help you with anything.’ Charles showed a little smile, not sure what was going to happen next and trying to prepare himself for the worst.
′ a few months ago, my dear Charles, a woman our age, came to my house and asked if she could talk privately with me. We went into my office and the lady handed me a file with some papers. They were old and full of dust spots. After she saw my confused look, she explained to me. Oh Charles, how much I wish it wouldn’t have been real. She told me that my house, my palace, my gardens, my home for so many years, was going to be taken away from me. Forever.′ A few tears escaped from James’ eyes but he quickly brushed them away before they could fall down his cheeks.
A few moments of silence and then James spoke again, this time almost whispering like he was afraid of his own words.
‘Charles, we’ve known each other since we were young and you have to believe me when I tell you that I would never ask for your help, your wealth, and your kindness if it wouldn’t be absolutely necessary. This young boy, he is my nephew, Richard. After his parents died in an accident when he was only five, I took care of him and we lived together until now. I am begging you and calling for your kindness, please take him to live with you and your family. I promised my sister I would take care of his education and future but how can I don’t even know where I am going to stay anymore?’
‘James, Richard is welcomed to stay here as long as he wishes, and, please, don’t ever think that I wouldn’t help you. If you need anything else, please just ask me.’ They hugged again and after some long goodbyes and a few tears, James got back into the carriage that brought him and Richard took his bags and all the things he had brought inside the castle.
‘Richard, my dear boy, welcome to your new home. If you need anything, please just ask me. You can wait here until I will go and ask Elizabeth to come downstairs. She will show you around.’ Charles excused himself and went up the stairs to Elizabeth’s room.
While he was gone, Richard started looking around him at all the elegant and good taste sculptures and pieces of art hanging on the walls or standing on different shelves. Then, a sudden movement caught his eye and he turned around facing the staircase.
A young girl, around his age, was going down the stairs in a hurry and almost fell on the last step. Her hair was dark and beautiful curls were framing her face. You couldn’t look at her and not notice her beautiful green eyes and her rosy cheeks. She was holding tight a few books up to her chest, showing her tanned little hands.
′ you must be Richard’ she said to the boy staring at her ′ I can lead you to your room so you can unpack your things or we can go around first, you chose.′ She gave a big and warm smile.
‘I would be pleased if you could show me around miss.’ He stumbled the words.
‘oh please, don’t call me Miss. You can call me Elizabeth or Beth, but most people call me Beth’ she laughed. Richard gave an awkward smile and they started walking, him following Beth down the corridor.
‘so first, we are going to the library because I have to put these books back or my dad is going to remind me every day of my life that I should be organized like a lady’ she laughed again, this time Richard joining her too.
‘you like reading?’ asked Richard without looking at her
‘of course, I do. Whoever doesn’t it’s a fool. I love reading, it’s like an escape from the real world. When I’m reading I feel like I’m part of the story and everything around me is fading away, not even existing anymore for a few hours. It’s amazing.’ She smiled looking at the books in her hands.
‘do you like reading, Richard?’ she turned to face him, smiling
‘yes, I do, but unfortunately, I don’t spend much time doing it. Until now, I had many more important duties and lessons to do so I couldn’t find time for reading.’ Beth uninterrupted him
‘well, those duties are gone. From now on, you can choose any book from here and lock yourself in your room for 3 days while reading it’ she said, opening the doors of the library.
‘let me tell you. Once, I found such an amazing book that I couldn’t stop reading, I locked myself in my room and starved myself for two days just to finish the book. That one time, my dad thought I was mad and that I was going to die.’ They both laughed.
While Beth was telling different stories about books, Richard started admiring the library. Shelves full of books, from the ceiling, down to the floor. Every single shelf was perfectly arranged and cleaned, not a single dust thread. In the middle of the room was a quite big desk of dark brown wood, shiny and clean, with sculpted legs. ON the table were more than ten books, placed in a tower on top of another, multiple maps and in the corner, a big lamp. In the left corner of the room, another desk, a smaller but tidier one, with only a few books on it, organized alphabetically and a few fountain pens.
‘don’t mind father’s desk’ Beth pointed to the nig messy one ′ he’s been working on something for more than three months, and when it comes to his researches, you can never tell him to be organized.′
‘oh my uncle was doing just the same’ said Richard
‘Well then we shouldn’t be surprised they were such food friends when they were younger’ they laughed.
‘so tell me something about you, will you?’ said Beth while closing the library door and leaving the room behind as they were slowly moving on to the next rooms.
‘Well I am not really good at presentations but I shall start with who I am, right?’ he laughed and Beth nodded in agreement.
′ my whole name is Richard Kaden Hanley’
‘that’s a long name’ Beth interrupted
′ I got used to it’ Richard laughed
′ go on’ Beth insisted analyzing him
‘I used to live with my parents up in the mountains in a little castle, but only for five years, when they died in an accident’
‘Oh I am so sorry, I wouldn’t have asked if I had known’ Beth excused herself
‘you know, my mom died too a few years ago so I know how you must’ve been feeling’
‘Don’t worry, I’ve passed that phase’ Richard laughed
‘well then you can go on with your presentation’ laughed Beth
‘yes of course. I used to love it when my uncle was studying different maps and I remember I couldn’t wait to grow older so that I could go exploring over the seas. I haven’t really had the opportunity yet but I will wait as long as I have to.’
′ now if you don’t mind, I would like to hear something about you too’ smiled Richard
‘For me it’s simple’ laughed Beth ‘I am from the Hammond family so that means, just as everyone says, I am as stubborn and rebellious as all my relatives. I love reading but you already know that, and I spend most of the time here’ she opened a small door that was leading outside to a pretty garden, full of different kinds of flowers and plants, trees protecting us from the burning sun. A few birds were flying and chirping above us. On each side, there was a bench and in front of us was a big easel and lots of paintbrushes and colours spread on the ground along with the colour palette.
‘And now you’ve discovered that I also paint’ smiled Beth
‘sounds like I just met a proper lady who loves art and literature’ laughed Richard
‘Oh don’t think so. You’ve seen only that part but there’s more to come’ Beth laughed along.
‘Should I prepare myself or it’s not necessary?’ Richard tried to make a serious look while saying this but miserably failing and bursting into laughter along with Beth.
‘You’ll have to wait and see’
The rest of the day was spent by the two, and later three, when Beth’s big brother, William, joined them, just by walking around the castle and exploring the gardens and rooms together, telling Richard all kinds of legends and stories about the castle and the family.
In the evening they all had dinner in the big dining room, along with their father, Charles. When dinner was ready, everyone said goodnight and went upstairs to their rooms. Only Sir Charles went to the library to study, choosing more and more books from the shelves, and analyzing every centimetre of the maps in front of him.
A light knock on the library door woke Charles up from his deep thoughts.
‘Who is it?’ asked Charles with a trembling voice. Two in the morning was not quite the time for visitors.
‘It’s me, sir Charles, Richard.’ Answered a whispering voice
‘Come in’
The door opened and a tall man, all dressed in black, with a red clough over his shoulders, entered the room, slamming his hands on sir Charles’s desk. He snapped his head up from the book he was reading, looking fearful to the tall man in front of him.
‘well you’re definitely not Richard’ said Charles with a trembling voice, more to himself.
‘OH yes, you got it right Charles. I am not Richard but you know exactly who I am, am I right, my dear friend?’ if his face wouldn’t have been covered in black, you could have easily spotted the evil smile growing on the man’s face.
Charles nodded in agreement.
‘Then you also know why I am here tonight’ whispered the man, moving around the room
Charles nodded again, following the man with his eyes.
‘Good’ was the only word the man said before disappearing from Charles’ sight.
Suddenly, a gunshot was heard and Charles’s head fell on the desk with a loud noise, blood starting to fall on the books and maps sitting on the desk.
The man disappeared into the dark of the night, leaving everything just how it was.
