the room, Diana asleep, or more likely inebriated , upon it.
“Did Diana agree to this?” Ivy rushed past the couple to check on Diana . The moment she reached the chair, she realized Diana was not merely foxed from too much drink .
“Did someone summon a physician?” Ivy glanced behind her only to find the man and woman dragging the once prized portrait from the room.
Ivy gently lifted Diana’s cold hand . All her jewelry had been taken . Her bare feet and ankles shone ghostly white beneath the thin gown . The monsters had taken her shoes and stockings, not leaving even a single blanket to respectfully cover the dead . At least someone had closed Diana’s eyes .
“Diana, I am so sorry. ” Ivy bowed her head . Her throat closed against the onslaught of tears . She swallowed her anguish, unwilling to give in to the weakness at a time she felt so vulnerable, so exposed, thanks to Darien . Not only did she have her own ravished reputation to protect, but Melody’s . When they were safely protected by Cornwall’s quiet countryside …
A splatter of brown stains circled a clean spot on the wood floor where a small round table had stood beside Diana’s lounging chair. A patch of white caught Ivy’s gaze and she bent down to find a square of paper sticking out from beneath the makeshift bed . She unfolded the rose scented parchment to find a scribbled note.
My dearest friend,
Please take care of my treasured gift . She is yours now . Never let her forget she is of noble blood.Please see that she is raised in the manner thatbefits her station . It is my wish that she never knowof her humble beginnings . Promise me!
Yours, Diana
Ivy reread the note twice, not sure if the passionate scrawl amounted to Diana’s deathbed ramblings or a cryptic clue as to what to do with Melody . The idea that the note might not have been intended for Ivy cooled her blood . She peeked under Diana’s chair, fearing she might discover further instructions , but found nothing but balls of dust . Ivy straightened, more determined than ever to secure a healthy, happy future for Melody . She could do nothing for Diana but she would do everything for her daughter.
However, Ivy had a visit to pay first . She would not be blindsided by the Earl of Westhaven a second time .
***
Ivy marched up the marble steps of Gregory Blackmore’s London mansion, shaking with fury . After having to fend off another group who tried to take the furniture from beneath Diana, and another still who wanted the fine white gown that hugged her body, Ivy’s anguish had turned into righteous rage .
The black lacquered door opened before she could bang the menacing brass gargoyle knocker .
“Miss Templeton, we have been expecting you . This way. ” Ivy followed the stiff butler through the octagon foyer, recognizing him from her first visit to Westhaven’s London mausoleum . The servant had aged considerably over the last decade and his permanent frown seemed only a tad less intimidating .
Eerily, everything was ex actly as she remembered it . Same oak-paneled walls, same stiff pictures of men on horse back draped in dead fox and geese . She had become more astute at navigating the male domain of power and intimidation over the years, and she had Darien’s father, her first and most brutal teacher, to thank for it.
The butler opened the wide paneled door and showed her into a smoky study . With the blinds closed, the place reminded her of a dark cave that housed a fire-breathing dragon who devoured maidens for breakfast . Luckily for Ivy, she was no maiden.
“Hello, Ivy . How good of you to answer my summons so promptly . You have saved me the trouble of following you all the way to Cornwall.”
Ivy stiffened at the earl’s almost friendly greeting, not that Ivy could ever tell the old bear’s mood . He always sounded gruff, even when he laughed . At least, that’s what Diana had claimed . Ivy was thankful she ’d left her house before whatever
“Did Diana agree to this?” Ivy rushed past the couple to check on Diana . The moment she reached the chair, she realized Diana was not merely foxed from too much drink .
“Did someone summon a physician?” Ivy glanced behind her only to find the man and woman dragging the once prized portrait from the room.
Ivy gently lifted Diana’s cold hand . All her jewelry had been taken . Her bare feet and ankles shone ghostly white beneath the thin gown . The monsters had taken her shoes and stockings, not leaving even a single blanket to respectfully cover the dead . At least someone had closed Diana’s eyes .
“Diana, I am so sorry. ” Ivy bowed her head . Her throat closed against the onslaught of tears . She swallowed her anguish, unwilling to give in to the weakness at a time she felt so vulnerable, so exposed, thanks to Darien . Not only did she have her own ravished reputation to protect, but Melody’s . When they were safely protected by Cornwall’s quiet countryside …
A splatter of brown stains circled a clean spot on the wood floor where a small round table had stood beside Diana’s lounging chair. A patch of white caught Ivy’s gaze and she bent down to find a square of paper sticking out from beneath the makeshift bed . She unfolded the rose scented parchment to find a scribbled note.
My dearest friend,
Please take care of my treasured gift . She is yours now . Never let her forget she is of noble blood.Please see that she is raised in the manner thatbefits her station . It is my wish that she never knowof her humble beginnings . Promise me!
Yours, Diana
Ivy reread the note twice, not sure if the passionate scrawl amounted to Diana’s deathbed ramblings or a cryptic clue as to what to do with Melody . The idea that the note might not have been intended for Ivy cooled her blood . She peeked under Diana’s chair, fearing she might discover further instructions , but found nothing but balls of dust . Ivy straightened, more determined than ever to secure a healthy, happy future for Melody . She could do nothing for Diana but she would do everything for her daughter.
However, Ivy had a visit to pay first . She would not be blindsided by the Earl of Westhaven a second time .
***
Ivy marched up the marble steps of Gregory Blackmore’s London mansion, shaking with fury . After having to fend off another group who tried to take the furniture from beneath Diana, and another still who wanted the fine white gown that hugged her body, Ivy’s anguish had turned into righteous rage .
The black lacquered door opened before she could bang the menacing brass gargoyle knocker .
“Miss Templeton, we have been expecting you . This way. ” Ivy followed the stiff butler through the octagon foyer, recognizing him from her first visit to Westhaven’s London mausoleum . The servant had aged considerably over the last decade and his permanent frown seemed only a tad less intimidating .
Eerily, everything was ex actly as she remembered it . Same oak-paneled walls, same stiff pictures of men on horse back draped in dead fox and geese . She had become more astute at navigating the male domain of power and intimidation over the years, and she had Darien’s father, her first and most brutal teacher, to thank for it.
The butler opened the wide paneled door and showed her into a smoky study . With the blinds closed, the place reminded her of a dark cave that housed a fire-breathing dragon who devoured maidens for breakfast . Luckily for Ivy, she was no maiden.
“Hello, Ivy . How good of you to answer my summons so promptly . You have saved me the trouble of following you all the way to Cornwall.”
Ivy stiffened at the earl’s almost friendly greeting, not that Ivy could ever tell the old bear’s mood . He always sounded gruff, even when he laughed . At least, that’s what Diana had claimed . Ivy was thankful she ’d left her house before whatever
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