Engraved in Gold

~ Prologue ~

Silence. A quiet so thick, it pierced the walls of the manor and oozed into the gardens. It was an unusual occurrence for Ellingsworth Manor to be stirring at this hour. Its residents were night owls.

This night was different. Just after the clock struck midnight, a figure slipped from the main manor house. A girl. She was dressed in a plain gown, her dark hair pinned hastily behind her head. A cloak the same color as her hair was pulled tightly against her, a barrier from the biting wind.

She pulled the door behind her closed. Her hand lingered on the rough wood. A heart beat later, she scurried away.

Through the green gardens, past the pristine trimmed roses. Into the stable house. Stopping, in front of the midnight black horse.

The horse stirred, nickering softly at the girl. She offered it a snack, and it gratefully accepted. Hastily, the girl outfitted the horse to ride. Her fingers were clumsy. It was the first time she had done this on her own. She prepared to swing herself onto the horse.

Suddenly, a voice broke the night. "Milady?" The girl, who already had one foot in the stirrups, froze.

A stable maid, hardly eleven years of age, stared wide eyed at the girl. Hastily, the girl placed her finger to her lips. "Please, please don't let him know you saw me." Her eyes were pleading. This was life or death. She needed to leave.

The stable girl nodded vigorously. "Yer secret is safe wit' me, Milady." And just as quickly as she had arrived, the young girl was gone.

With a sigh of relief, the girl swung herself onto the horse. With a swift flick of the reigns, she was off in the night. Nothing but a shadow careening into the unknown void.