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But sometime past midnight, I was suddenly awoken by a startling crack.
Everything around me was in motion, and in my state of half-sleep, I was struggling to understand my surroundings. Before I could utter even a cry of surprise, I found myself flying forward. My body hit the front cushion of the carriage… and only moments later, I was tumbling out of the side door, my knees thick in black mud.
Lying on the ground, I blinked through the rain to take stock of what had happened. The carriage had evidently toppled over, expelling us from the doors as it careened into the muddy road. I could hear the sound of horses neighing and running off into the darkness, and the coachman cursing vulgarly.
“Cassandra?” I asked, peering through the darkness.
I suddenly felt a hand clutch my arm, and I looked over to see my friend staring back at me, her face full of shock.
“Lady Radcliffe?” I asked, my heart beating fast.
She nodded towards the other side of the carriage, where the butler was helping the ladyship to stand upright. Even in the dark, I could tell that we were all covered in mud. The idea of Lady Radcliffe in such a state almost made me laugh… but then I remembered the seriousness of our predicament.
The butler suddenly appeared beside us.
“Ladies! You must take cover!” He yelled, his eyes squinting at us. “The coachman will lead you to shelter… there appears to be a great house just over yonder. I will escort Lady Radcliffe. Be careful!”
Cassandra and I looked at each other with wide eyes. We had every reason to be afraid in such a situation, of course, and I couldn’t lie – I was a little. But I knew that Cassandra was probably relishing the adventure, and that gave me a little courage.
Besides, how much worse could things get?
Even covered in mud, I was still a poor orphan. All I could do was roll with the punches.
The coachman led us through the darkness, his lantern leading the way down a hard-packed road. In the faint, foggy glow of his light, I could see that the road looked overgrown, with wild roses and thick vines encroaching over the edges. A deep forest surrounded us, and the further we walked, the closer the trees became.
Finally, we entered a wider space. The road turned in front of us, and then we were standing before a great house. Large white Georgian columns rose majestically before us, framing the grand entrance to the estate. Rows and rows of windows extended from each side, eventually disappearing into the darkness where his lantern could not reach.
The coachman began to rap on the front door, his height made comically small against the enormous backdrop of the stately doors.
Yes, it was definitely a great house… that much was obvious.
But there was something more than that, and I was sure that I had to be dreaming.
Because in the darkness, surrounded by the hard pitter patter of raindrops and the distant clash of thunder, I could make out the outline of Rosehill Manor in front of me.
The same Rosehill Manor I had spent my childhood at, running through the halls with William Thorne.
Yes. I was standing in front ofthatRosehill Manor.
I froze, staring up at the house with disbelief.
What were the odds?
“Amelia?” Cassandra asked, looking back at me with a confused expression. “Are you coming? We have to get inside.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing would come out.
I was back at Rosehill.We were taking shelterat Rosehill.
All I could do was nod and follow her.
Perhaps it was all a dream.
Iwokeupthenext morning, convinced that I had the wildest dream of my life.
Within a few minutes, I realized where I was…
And I realized that indeed, it was all real.
