A storm rolled in by dusk, throwing wind and water against the tall windows. Candles flickered along the hallways, casting shadows that danced like ghosts. Eleanor paced the study, her mother's latest letter trembling in her hand.
Trust no one fully… not even the ones who seem to care.
But Thomas had stood by her hadn't he?
A sharp knock broke her thoughts.
She opened the door to find Thomas, soaked from the rain, a folded parchment in his hand.
"I found this," he said. "Behind the cellar wall. It was hidden under the floorboards."
She took it. It was another letter this time not from her mother, but from Lord Reginald.
To Evelyn,
You must never speak of the child. If the truth comes out, everything will unravel. The Hall must never know.
Eleanor gasped. "Child?"
Thomas looked at her carefully. "He wasn't talking about you?"
"No," she said slowly. "He said the child, not our child…"
Her heart began to race.
"Someone else," she whispered. "Someone connected to all of this."
The wind howled through the corridors as they descended into the wine cellar. Dust rose with every step. At the far end, where old crates sat untouched, Thomas found the loose stone. He pried it open.
Inside was a small wooden box.
Inside that an infant's bracelet, engraved with the initials "J.A."
Thomas's expression darkened. "Ashford. But who is J?"
"I don't know," Eleanor said. "But this proves it there was another child."
She held the bracelet tightly, a thousand questions rising.
Who was the child?
Where were they now?
And what truth had her mother tried so hard to bury?
The Hall creaked above them. The storm outside had found its echo within the stone.
Eleanor met Thomas's eyes.
"We have to dig deeper."