When Lily Kline takes possession of a Gothic estate with Ian Hawke, her co-heir and a stranger, she soon realizes there is more than meets the eye within the many corridors of the sequestered mansion.
Ian is aloof and even hostile at times, and thou...
Pulse elevated, she tiptoed back to her bedroom and climbed in under the sheets, housecoat and all. She shivered and eventually drifted off to sleep—only to dream of orbs falling in the forest like snowflakes.
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Lily awoke with the first rays of dawn, eyes burning from lack of sleep.
After lying awake for a full hour, drinking in her new surroundings, she climbed out of bed, donned her slippers, and padded over to the gilded mirror above the chest of drawers. Her hair hung limply and she realized that she hadn't seen any shower or bathtubs during the tour Mike had given her the night before. There must be one somewhere. She would find Hannah and ask first thing.
After gathering a change of clothes and a bag of toiletries, she stuffed them in a canvas bag, tied her hair back in a bun, and stepped out into the hallway.
Hannah was emerging from the staircase, a bundle of folded hand towels in her arms.
"Hannah—I'm so glad I found you. I have no idea where the shower is." She laughed.
"Oh, my." Hannah lowered the armload of towels and peered at Lily curiously. "Goodness. Didn't the boys take you on a tour last night?"
"They did but it was cut short."
"Oh. Well, I'm afraid this place is rather old fashioned." She shifted her weight and smiled. "Surely they showed you the master baths last night."
Master baths?
"No, I think I would have remembered that." She laughed. "I got to see the main floor rooms and the rooms in this wing, but I only saw a couple of rooms in the west wing before Ian sent Mike away. I've yet to see my grandfather's rooms."
"I don't understand though—why did Ian send Mike away?"
Lily lowered her voice to a confidential tone. "He got his nose way out of joint, I have no idea why, and a few minutes later took off himself. He was very awkward."
Hannah frowned but said nothing.
"So, you mentioned the master baths? Where are they located?"
"In the basement."
"There's a basement?" Despite her better judgment, a vision of dungeon chambers and cement shower stalls came to mind. "How creepy."
Hannah chuckled. "Not creepy in the slightest—Goodness me. Wait till you see! Just let me unload these towels here and I'll fetch Mike for you."
Lily blushed but realized she was being silly. If she was going to live here, she was going to have to get used to being seen in her housecoat by the staff.
Hannah excused herself and went into her room, returning a moment later, empty-handed. She then went to the third bedroom on the left side of the hallway and rapped on the door. "Mike," she shouted, "there's a damsel in distress out here."
