The Secret of Dunhaven Castle by Nellie H. Steele

Author:Nellie H. Steele [Steele, Nellie H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nellie H. Steele

Cate set the book aside in favor of a sip of hot chocolate, as she mulled over the entry. The entry seemed to describe a party being held at the castle. Strangely, the lady of the house did not attend.

Perhaps these journals were not Mary MacKenzie’s, or maybe she wrote them at a young age and wasn’t talking about Dunhaven at all, but rather her family home. She didn’t know much about any of her predecessors, so it was possible that Mary MacKenzie also came from a wealthy family who would have hosted such parties. As a young child, she wouldn’t have been in attendance.

Cate imagined Mary as a small child longing to go to her parents’ ball, standing at the top of a grand staircase, listening to the music play, watching for a glimpse of the ladies in their elegant gowns as they passed by.

Perhaps these journals were older than she realized, coming from a childhood version of Mary. She studied the first entry. It didn’t look like a child’s handwriting, although Cate couldn’t be sure. Penmanship was a different matter in the era when Mary was a child, so it was comprehensible that this could have been the writing of someone around the age of ten. If these were her childhood journals, not only would it be interesting to see things from a child’s perspective in a different era, but that may also explain the torn-out pages. Perhaps they were failed attempts at making an entry or those that showed poor penmanship, inkblots, or something else careless that a child may have done. Maybe an older Mary reread her journals and tore out things she didn’t want to remember—childish thoughts that she regretted later.

Cate caressed the leather on the outside of the journal, fascinated by reading someone’s innermost thoughts. Even if they didn’t provide her with information about her own family, they would be interesting from a historical perspective.

Cate set the journal aside, intending to collect more information on Mary before continuing. She grabbed her laptop, a pen, and a notepad. The appeal of another sip of hot chocolate was too strong for her, and she lay back on the chaise for an extra moment, enjoying the snack. The fire gave the room a warm coziness despite its size.

Rain still fell steadily from the gray sky outside her window. She watched it fall as she took another bite of one of the cookies Mrs. Fraser had left her. She spent another few moments enjoying the snack and the dreary weather, her thoughts slipping to the great ball Mary spoke of in her journal.

She bit her lower lip as she imagined women in fancy gowns swirling around the room, laughing, enjoying each other’s company. What a different life they must have led, Cate thought, both because of the time period and their upper-class lifestyle. Things had changed quite a bit in the almost one hundred-odd years since Mary was a child.

Cate tried to imagine a world without computers—lacking instant

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