Free Moorcroft - the Possession: Book One of the Moorcroft Trilogy by Sandra Callister

she was having so much fun reminiscing.
    Emily put the coat over her arm and entered the kitchen; it felt nice and cosy with the heat from the Aga. She placed the coat over the chair and took a mug from the cupboard, put milk in a pan and placed it on the hotplate. She sat down at the kitchen table and pondered on what she had just seen. Perhaps she was just tired and seeing things, after all it had been a hectic week. She looked at Richard’s coat. How had it ended up in the middle of the hall floor? She made her drink and carefully made her way back to her bedroom. She would talk about it to Richard in the morning.
     
    Charlotte watched the woman climb the stairs. The happy mood had left her, on the bottom step of the great staircase Charlotte sat and wept. She cried for the love of Richard and she cried for the loss of her sweetheart Frederick. Memories of how things used to be came flooding back. She let out a low wail, remembering the morning of her wedding day.
    She had descended these very stairs dressed in the most wonderful hand made wedding dress. Her father had stood at the foot of the stairs holding out his hand to her, ready to escort her to the church. They were alone everyone else had left for the church. He looked up at her with such pride and told her how beautiful she was and what a lucky man Frederick was to get her as his wife. Everything was perfect, until the knock on the door. Charlotte groaned remembering the agony that followed. As Reverend Peters entered the house he looked at Charlotte and then at her father and with shaking hands beckoned him over. They talked for a while and her father looked up at her, his face was filled with sadness.
    “Charlotte I need to talk to you.” Taking her hand he led her into the drawing room and sat her down. The fear and anguish was mounting and she began to shake.
    “For Gods sake Father tell me what has happened?” As he knelt at her feet a tear rolled down his face. Fear engulfed her, the only other time she had ever seen her father cry was when her mother died. He held her hand as she began to shake.
    “Charlotte, my darling girl, something dreadful has happened. Frederick has been involved in an accident on his way to the church.”
    Charlotte caught her breath and stared at her father’s face. “Is he okay? Is he hurt?”
    “Charlotte, there is no easy way to say this, Frederick is dead.”
    Sitting on the stairs, Charlotte could feel the pain once again, the tightness in her chest, she looked up to the ceiling and she let out a cry so mournful. Tears ran down her face, it seemed like only yesterday she had lost her Frederick, the love of her life, how was she to carry on without him. Her thoughts drifted back to the present and to Richard. Had Frederick come back to her in Richard, the resemblance was amazing. She always hoped he would return to her and she had been loyal all these years waiting. One day Richard would love her too, just as Frederick had. She moaned again, remembering the look of love Richard had given that girl, Victoria. She sensed someone coming and heard noises behind her. She moved to the shadows, now was not the time to show herself, but one day Richard would know her.
     
    Upstairs on the landing Charles and Richard stood looking down but could see nothing out of the ordinary. John approached them tying his dressing gown around him.
    “What on earth was that Godforsaken noise? It sounded like an animal in distress.”
    Richard bridled. “The mare!”
    He ran down the stairs, unbolted the back door and ran across the yard. Still in his slippers and dressing gown he made his way straight to the mare’s stall. The horses snorted as he rushed passed them. A sigh of relief passed his lips, she was fine. Again he looked around the yard as he secured the stables. By the time he got back to the hall Charles and his father were waiting.
    “Is everything okay?” Charles asked.
    Richard smiled. “Dancing Lady is fine, thank