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𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝
•••
FIVE LONG MONTHS HAD PASSED SINCE Amelia had moved in with Tewksbury. The boy, having won his vote into the House of Lords, had become extremely busy, leaving Amelia to become bored with her days. She spent them wandering the estate grounds, learning everything about the history of the house, making friends with the servants and gardeners, and spreading joy as she did. Caroline had provided her with a private tutor so she could work on her education, and she found herself enjoying the world of literature and mathematics. She was blossoming into a well mannered young lady, but she never lost her adventurous spark or humorous attitude. She took up horse back riding as a hobby, finding it difficult but worth it to spend her time doing.
Amelia sighed as she wandered the grounds, nearing the forest on the outskirts of the property. She had finished with her evening lessons and decided to take a stroll up the property to relax before dinner. She didn't intend to be gone for long, but she didn't tell Abigail just in case the woman would force her inside early to 'doll up' for dinner. It was clear the previous house maid was enjoying her new job as a handmaiden, taking any and every opportunity available to dress up Amelia. The girl figured it was payback for always disappearing on the older lady.
The Hastings' girl hummed a soft tune as she made her way through the trees, cool wind nipping at her exposed hands. The leaves were slowly dying, falling off the trees and coating the ground in thick layers of reds and oranges. Amelia always loved autumn. Her and Marcus used to run through the leaves when they were little, jumping in piles they made (even when they would get in trouble for making a mess of their clothing).
The sun was rapidly setting by the time she turned back, shadows overtaking her path and making it hard to see. Her breathing picked up slightly, nervousness taking over her body. She had no reason to be scared, but the dark woods were ominous, the tall trees towering over her small form, seeming to stretch ever tall. It became cold, her shoulders hunching closer to her body to keep some sense of body heat.
The grounds workers had no doubt retired for the evening besides the occasional guard along the pathways, but the lights were still on all around the estate. She could see the faint warm glow down the path she was on, urging her to quicken her pace.
Suddenly a gust of wind caught her off guard, sending her hat flying off the path. Part of her screamed to ignore it and come back for it tomorrow, yet the reasonable side of her guilted her. Caroline had gifted her that hat, and it would be horrible of her to let it get disgusting or worse, blown away by the wind. As she bent over to grab it, rapid footsteps from behind her made her spin around in shock. Nothing was there.
"Hello?" Her shaky voice called into the wind. Suddenly she felt something touch her arm and she turned to see a figure in a dark cloak staring at her. Her breath caught in her throat, the scream lodging stuck as she tensed. Every fiber in her being told her to run, but she was rooted to her spot.
"Amelia." Her eyes narrowed at the voice, eyebrows furrowing.
