Katherine Langford is in London ready to make her debut to society when she discovers that the home next door is being rented by the "Murderous Marquess" Hayden Rowling. Always impulsive, Katy decides to sneak over and take a peek at the notorious M...
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How was I to discover what terrible secrets lurked behind the locked door of his heart?
After that night, Madelaine became a model pupil. She showed up for her lessons each morning promptly at ten o'clock, pinafore starched and stockings neatly gartered. She would stand beside her desk, hands clasped in front of her, and decline one Latin noun after another, then follow that with a matter-of-fact recitation of her multiplication tables. She could locate Marrakesh on the globe and deliver an oral history of both the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths that would have made the Romans weep with envy.
Katy no longer had to shake out her shoes each morning before donning them or hide her bonnets just in case a stray goat wandered into her bedchamber. With both Madelaine and the ghost holding their silence, they were all able to enjoy several blissfully peaceful nights of sleep. It seemed a truce had been declared at Oakwylde Manor, albeit a wary one.
But without the challenge of foiling Madelaine's schemes, Katy soon found herself plagued by another malady—boredom. If anything, Hayden was even more distant than before, treating her with the remote courtesy one might accord to a second cousin thrice removed. And although she was grateful for her friend's loyal companionship, Karina's company had never been overly scintillating. Her chief topic of conversation was usually whatever they'd had for tea the day before.
One gloomy Tuesday morning found both her and Madelaine gazing out the schoolroom window, watching rain trickle down the mullioned panes.
As one raindrop merged into another, Katy felt her eyelids growing heavy. Madelaine's yawn was quickly echoed by one of her own.
Catching herself before she could slump into a full-blown doze, Katy closed the book on her desk with a decisive snap.
Madelaine started guiltily and began scribbling madly in her ledger.
Katy rose. "We've been studying Magellan and de Soto for the past week. Well, what better way to understand the mind of a great explorer than to go exploring."
"Exploring?" Although Madelaine looked no less wary than usual, a spark of interest lit her eyes.
"Rumor has it that this manor has over fifty rooms and I've probably only seen half of those. Why don't we start with the attic and work our way down? We might even find some of those priest holes and secret passages Ines and Jem are always whispering about."
"But what about Father? If I don't finish my lesson for today, he won't be pleased, will he?"
Katy felt an impish smile curve her lips. "Rumor also has it that your father rode over to Boscastle with his steward this morning to settle some accounts and he won't return until late afternoon. Even Sophia has gone off to the village for the day to visit her sister." Although Madelaine still looked doubtful, Katy held out her hand. "Come, my little conquistador, there are new worlds for us to conquer."
