Awaken, Shadows of a Forgotten Past by Marcia Maidana

Author:Marcia Maidana [Maidana, Marcia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-68046-494-8
Publisher: Melange Books, LLC

14

~ Back in Time ~

The New Forest, Hampshire, England, 1915

My father was coming home. I folded the letter and hurried out of the kitchen in search of Mrs. Allerton. The manor seemed immense whenever I needed to find something or someone.

The good news infused me with a vitality I had almost forgotten I could feel. Amidst the great suffering that the world was experiencing, it was only natural to be distressed—especially when my father, General Marcus Contini, was at the head of the British army.

In August of last year, Britain had entered the Great War, honoring its treaty to protect Belgium after Germany marched into their land. Germany had just launched a new savage way of warfare—directed at killing civilians. Two German zeppelins had dropped bombs on the eastern coast of England, spreading horror throughout the peaceful region. And with Britain’s recent announcement of a blockade of German ports, the chaos reached the point of no return.

I spent my days at our manor, Forte Radici, in Breamore, the region of the New Forest far from the destruction, but still suffered its consequences. The only family I had left—my father—was never home.

In the year 1894, after giving birth to my twin brother Lucca and me, my mother passed away. With the help of our housekeeper, Mary Allerton, my father had raised us.

Lucca and I had been like two sides of a coin. More than a brother, he was my best friend—my protector, my guiding light. To my deep sorrow, a few years earlier, Lucca made a decision which claimed his life—he followed in our father’s footsteps and chose to pursue a military career. Less than a year later, his small troop was ambushed and killed on a scouting mission. His premature departure left me feeling like a kite without a string, lost in the sky. I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror without seeing Lucca’s reflection—delicate face, large brown eyes, and the exact same smile.

Mrs. Allerton had been my guardian angel during those dark days. Without her love, I would have been consumed in the depths of despair. Yet life went on, and I had learned to move on as well, never forgetting but always hoping for a brighter future.

Calling for Mrs. Allerton, I ran up and down the staircase, through the corridors, and opened almost every door in the house, before I finally caught sight of her through one of the library windows. Her white hair was tied into a bun on the back of her head, and her spectacles shone in the sunlight, making her impossible to miss. She was vigorously expressing herself, with both words and gestures, giving instructions to the gardener, Ames Leroy, a short French fellow that had worked for our family since I could remember. He had threatened many times to leave Forte Radici because of Mrs. Allerton’s obsessive ideas about how he should do his job. He argued that the garden was his chef d’oeuvre so all decisions regarding the grounds should be left to him.

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