Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
I settled into the oversized chair, its well-worn cushions cradling me in comfort. I had hoped it would relax me, but the mixture of nerves and excitement coursing through me made that impossible. My hands trembled slightly as I ran my fingers over the aged leather cover of the journal, the scent of old paper and time-worn ink rising from its pages. Aunt Effie’s journal. A piece of her. A piece of the past.
Taking a deep breath, I opened it.
The words on the first page leapt out at me, as if Aunt Effie had known this moment would come.
I had no doubt you would find this, Pepper. There wasn’t a mystery you couldn’t solve when you were young, and I knew your talent would only grow with the years. In here, you will learn the truth about Ignatius and Claire Willow. I chose not to reveal it while I was alive, as they had worked so hard to keep their secret and protect themselves and their only child. It is now your choice what to do with this information.
I paused, my heart hammering. Aunt Effie had always had a way of pulling people into a story, of making the past feel alive. I swallowed hard and continued reading.
It starts with a confident young Irishman, Shamas O’Rourke, from a poor family, who journeyed to England in search of work. He had a sharp mind, a talent for managing, and a willingness to do whatever it took to succeed. His determination led him to Mumford Castle, home of Lord Benedict—a powerful noble known for ruling with an iron fist. Lord Benedict had three sons and one daughter, Sarah. She was a beauty, but it was her fierce mind and kind heart that set her apart—though both were considered troublesome traits in a woman of her station.
I could already tell where this was going. A forbidden romance. A tale of love and sacrifice.
As you might guess, this story became a love story. Shamas and Sarah fell for each other, their differences overshadowed by the strength of their hearts. But their love came with a price. When Sarah became pregnant, Shamas was determined to run away with her, to build a new life together. But Lord Benedict found out before they could escape. In a desperate move to avoid scandal, he arranged for Sarah to marry one of his older friends—a match meant to erase any shame. Shamas barely escaped with his life, but he would not abandon his love or their unborn child.
I exhaled slowly, feeling the tension in the words.
Sarah had been prepared. With a substantial dowry left to her by her grandmother, she sewed jewels into the hem of the few dresses she managed to take. One night, under the cover of darkness, she slipped away and met Shamas. Together, they fled to Liverpool, their sights set on America. But they couldn’t travel under their real names. I was never able to uncover exactly how Shamas came into possession of Ignatius Willow’s passage ticket, but he did. And when he and Sarah boarded the ship, they left their old lives behind. They became Ignatius and Claire Willow—and they remained those people for the rest of their lives.
A shiver ran down my spine. Aunt Effie had unraveled a secret buried for generations.
Lord Benedict died only a month after Sarah fled, and her brothers blamed his death on her betrayal. Enraged, they worked to erase any trace of their sister from the family records. But their fury grew when they discovered she had taken her dowry with her. Desperate to secure their own futures, they scrambled to marry wealthy wives, hoping to restore the family’s dwindling fortune. The Mumfords did everything in their power to bury the scandal, and for a time, it seemed they had succeeded.
I flipped the page, eager for more.
It was sheer luck, a photo of the Willow family portrait I had with me, and Max’s help that led me to the truth. A friend of Max’s from England had invited us to dinner, and as we talked, the conversation drifted to my research. Max encouraged me to show them the photo, and I did. Most admired it, but one elderly man—Neil—stared at it too long. I saw it in his face. He knew something.
I leaned forward, completely absorbed.
Later, when I managed to speak with Neil alone, I asked him outright if he recognized the people in the photo. He smiled and said, “I believe my grandfather knew them, Lady Sarah Mumford and Shamas O’Rourke. He always prayed that she and Shamas got away safely and had a good life.”
I could picture the moment—Aunt Effie pressing for answers, Neil caught between nostalgia and secrecy.
Neil told me that his grandfather had worked at Mumford Castle and had told him about his time there. He had been frail, often teased, but a fellow named Shamas had defended him. In gratitude, Neil’s grandfather had helped him and Sarah escape. Shamas had spent months digging a tunnel from a secluded part of the castle to the nearby forest, ensuring that no one would see Sarah flee. The night she ran, Neil’s grandfather was waiting at the tunnel’s exit. He guided her to where Shamas waited, ensuring their safe passage. Lady Sarah had pressed a pouch of coins into his hand, a gift that had changed his grandfather’s life, allowing him to leave the castle and build a future of his own. He had never forgotten the couple, and he had spoke often about them, wondering what became of them. I recognized the woman since a portrait of her hangs in Mumford Castle now open to visitors.