A Fateful Twist of Love (Preview)

Chapter One

Scotland wasn’t the warmest place on earth, and that frightened Emily Asterly. Not for herself but for her elderly grandmother who huddled in the fireplace in her bedroom in her favourite, worn armchair.

Even though she was wrapped in blankets with a thick quilt hung over her knees, she was still trembling. Yet another of many signs, which Emily had begun to notice over the past few weeks, telling her that her grandmother was not long for this world.

The older woman’s eyes fluttered open and shut as though she could not quite hold on to consciousness.

The chance for Emily to get answers was slipping away fast, and she knew that if she did not ask her questions soon, she would lose it forever.

She bit the inside of her lip to keep from speaking as her grandmother’s handmaid placed a tray of tea on the coffee table between them.

“Can I get you anything else, Miss Emily?” The middle-aged woman whom Emily had known since childhood had become more of a nurse than a handmaid over the years, but she never once complained. In fact, if she had been asked, she would have said she was too fond of her mistress to ever have any need of complaining.

“That will be all, thank you, Theresa.” Emily gave a brief nod, eager to be alone with her grandmother again.

“Would you like me to stay and sit with her for a while?” Theresa asked. “You look as though you could do with a rest, My Lady.”

Had anyone else spoken those words, Emily might have seen it as an insult. From Theresa, though, she knew they were only words of concern.

“I shall stay a little while longer, thank you, Theresa,” Emily said politely, “I will have someone fetch you when I am ready to retire.”

The maid simply curtsied graciously and exited the room, leaving Emily alone with her grandmother once more.

The light from the hallway was blotted out as the door closed, and Emily found herself cast in the light of the fireplace once more.

“Theresa, is that you?” her grandmother choked in a voice wracked with age and frailty.

“No, Grandma, it’s me, Miss Emily,” Emily spoke back softly so as not to startle her.

“Oh, my dear, I thought you were still in France,” her grandmother croaked, and Emily felt her heart sink just a little further. Her grandmother’s wits were leaving her, that much was clear.

“I returned some weeks ago now, don’t you remember?” Emily asked, though she couldn’t blame her grandmother for thinking it. She had been forced to spend far too long in France, supposedly for her education, although Emily couldn’t help thinking there was more to it than that.

She had always wanted to learn more, but there had never been the right time to ask her questions.

Now she knew that if she wanted to know, she would have to force the subject. Once her grandmother perished, there would be nobody left to ask.

“Yes, yes! Of course, I remember!” her grandmother muttered defensively. “Why are you here?”

Emily was instantly hurt by her grandmother’s harsh tone. Although she had spent a lot of time away, she had always been close to her. There had always been fondness between the two, yet it seemed to have been eaten away by her grandmother’s illness.

“I just came to sit with you for a while,” Emily mused as she began to work up the courage to ask her questions. Sucking in a deep breath as her grandmother’s eyelids fluttered, she asked, “Grandma, would you tell me a story as you used to when I was a little girl?”

She could only hope that her grandmother would choose something more real than the fairy tales she’d been so fond of all those years ago.

“I do not have time to beat around the bush,” her grandmother groaned, and suddenly her eyes opened wide enough that she might glare at Emily. “Ask your questions or leave me be.”

Emily was taken aback by her grandmother’s forwardness and the strength in her tone, though she was not about to back down.

“Tell me about Grandfather,” she insisted quickly before she lost her nerve.
“I have spoken of him many times to you.” Her grandmother sighed, “What more could I have to tell?”

Yes, her grandmother had told her many times of his kindness and his love of hunting, but she had never been any more detailed than that.

“Tell me about your wedding,” Emily pushed. She knew that if she were to get her answers, she needed to start at the very beginning of the story.

All she knew of her heritage was that her grandfather was an English nobleman. Nobody had ever given her any more than that.

A pleasant smile crossed her grandmother’s face then, and she turned her gaze from the fire onto her granddaughter. “Are you sure you wish to know?”
Emily gulped down the lump in her throat and nodded.

“My father, your great-grandfather, Lord Jacob Radcliffe,” her grandmother began, “was a very proud man, and he did not wish to see me married off to a man such as Lord Robert Hawthorne.”

She continued when Emily simply gazed at her with wonder in her eyes, “He was determined to keep us apart, but we would not stand for it. I was a wild young woman in my early years, and the prospect of elopement was very exciting. Your grandfather spirited me away to Gretna Green, where we were married in secret. When my father found out, he was furious, and he decided to punish me with estrangement, determined to keep me from the family fortune.”

Emily’s grandmother smiled then as though it was not a terrible loss, but in fact, a great accomplishment.

“I loved your grandfather. He never once made me want for anything,” she continued as though she was suddenly lost in a whirlwind of memories. “He was a good man.”

“And he brought you here to live in Scotland?” Emily asked. She knew that if she were to keep her grandmother awake, she had to keep her talking.

“That he did,” her grandmother nodded, “We eloped and came to live here at Hawthorne Manor, where your mother was born.”

Emily felt a stab of pain in her heart at the mention of her mother, who had perished along with her father and grandfather in a tragic boating accident when she was only a small child.

“Did my mother ever meet Lord Radcliffe?” Emily wondered aloud. She could not imagine never meeting her own grandparents, although she couldn’t remember much of her grandfather.

“No, I never returned to Radcliffe House.” Her grandmother’s voice was melancholy then as though she regretted the fact.

Sadness swept over her face, and Emily was suddenly worried that she might have pushed the elderly woman too far.

“I should have gone back,” her grandmother insisted, and she made to move from the armchair, “I should go back still.”

“No!” Emily jumped up from her seat and rushed to her grandmother’s side. She was much too weak to stand alone. In fact, she hadn’t moved from her armchair in days, “Grandmother, you must rest!”

“Do not tell me what I am to do!” her grandmother scolded and roughly pushed her away, almost causing her to trip on the upturned edge of the bedroom rug.
“Please, Grandmother, do not concern yourself,” Emily urged, frightened that she might do herself an injury.

Her grandmother suddenly seemed much too tired to protest further, and Emily was relieved when she sank back into the chair.

“I can never forgive my sisters,” her grandmother muttered as she shook her head, “never, never, forgive them.”

The elderly woman continued to ramble on then, and Emily knew that she wasn’t going to get much more out of her even if she tried.

Instead, she waited for her grandmother to settle again before she took herself back to her seat.

She watched as her grandmother’s tired eyes fluttered closed once more before she turned her attention back to the fireplace.

The flames danced gracefully in the hearth, casting thick shadows about the room. Once she might have been frightened of them, but her grandmother had taught her that there was nothing in the darkness that wasn’t there in the light. It was a fond memory, which caused her to smile.

That same smile was doused the moment her grandmother suddenly opened her eyes, “I must return to Radcliffe House!”

The elderly woman made to get up again, stopped only by the fact that her legs were not strong enough to hold her.

“Grandmother, please,” Emily begged, although she knew that it was no good. Whenever she was so agitated, it was always best to call for the doctor.

“I have to right the wrong,” her grandmother muttered almost incoherently, “right the wrong. Must right the wrong.”

Fear and guilt clenched at Emily’s heart. She should never have raised the subject and upset her grandmother. It was too late to take it back now, and so she swept to the door to call one of the servants.

Theresa was the first on the scene as though she hadn’t moved very far from her mistress’s side.

“Is everything alright, Miss Emily?” Theresa asked, although the concern in her brown eyes told Emily she already knew the answer.

“You must send one of the servants for Doctor Farriers immediately,” she announced before quickly returning to her grandmother’s side.

The woman was trembling violently now, still muttering under her breath, croaking with every sentence.

Emily feared that her questions might have driven her grandmother to madness, and so she remained silent, clutching her relative’s cold and wrinkled hand as she crouched on her knees before her.

Instead of speaking, she began to hum a soft tune in the hopes that it might calm the sick woman.

Tears crept into her eyes as the bouts of coughing grew worse. It would not be long now before she was forced to say goodbye to the only family she had left.

The night wore on in much the same manner until Emily began to fear that the doctor might never arrive.

She sat pensively, never taking her eyes off her grandmother, even though Theresa had joined her.

The middle-aged maid wiped her mistress’s brow with a cool, damp cloth and whispered softly to her in a manner that reminded Emily of the way a mother might try to soothe a child.

In a way, her grandmother was a child now, returning to the earth with the same wits as she had arrived. Old and senile, she was knocking at death’s door. Emily knew it, and so did Theresa, for they glanced at each other several times, the knowledge passing silently between them.

When the servant arrived with Doctor Farriers in tow, Emily could not bring herself to be relieved.

“Might I have the room?” Doctor Farriers asked, looking at Emily as though there was no room for objection.

“I shall stay with her,” Theresa promised Emily even as the doctor began his examination of Lady Hawthorne.

Emily reluctantly swept from the room, pacing up and down the hallway until she was so dizzy that she had to sit down.

Seating herself on the edge of the window seat that overlooked the front lawn, she clasped her hands together and found herself praying for a miracle.

She was not yet ready to say goodbye to her last living family member. The thought of it caused her entire body to tremble violently, and her cheeks became wet with tears.

She closed them tightly and prayed, whispering beneath her breathe in an attempt for God to hear her, “Please, Lord, do not let this be it.”

Remaining there for what felt like hours, although it could have only been a few minutes, Emily jumped when she heard the door click open.

“Miss Asterly?” The doctor’s voice was grave, and she knew that he did not come bearing good news.

After taking in a deep breath, she stood politely before him.

“Thank you for coming so quickly, Doctor Farriers,” she said gratefully, “How is she?”

“You are welcome, though I am not sure that my coming has done any good.” Doctor Farriers sighed, and Emily did not miss the darkening of his red-rimmed eyes. “I’m afraid there is little I can do. She is close to the end now.”

A lump formed in Emily’s throat, and she struggled not to scream in anguish.

“You should sit with her,” the doctor advised, “it will not be long.”
Emily wasn’t at all sure that she was prepared for such a thing but knew it would be selfish not to. Right now, her grandmother needed her, and that was all that mattered. Her grief could wait.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Emily told him, “I am sorry we dragged you from your bed at such a late hour.”

“Think nothing of it, Miss,” the doctor said, and there was sympathy in his tired eyes, “I shall show myself out.”

Emily waited impatiently for him to leave before hurrying back into her grandmother’s bedroom.

She found that she had been removed from the armchair and placed in the bed where she looked much smaller and frailer than she had surrounded by the thick wadding of blankets.

Theresa sat at her bedside with her head bowed, but the moment that Emily entered, she raised to her feet.

Silently she offered up the seat to Emily and moved to stand on the other side of the bed where she could watch over her mistress.

Emily perched on the edge of the seat and reached for her grandmother’s claw-like hand. Clutching those bony fingers was sickening, but Emily would not release them until it was over.

“Doctor Farriers said it shall not be long now,” Theresa spoke up almost as though she was trying to get her grips on the knowledge.

Emily simply nodded, unable to speak.

I shouldn’t have pushed for information she thought guiltily, and yet she couldn’t help wondering what her grandmother might have meant when she said that she must right a wrong.

There was still so much that she didn’t know.

After so long sitting in silence, her grandmother fading in and out of consciousness, Emily could not hold her tongue any longer, “Theresa, did my grandmother ever speak to you of her home?”

“Her home, Miss Emily?” Theresa sounded confused. “She had no need to speak of Hawthorne Manor.”

“Not here.” Emily shook her head and turned a hopeful gaze on the maid. “Of Radcliffe House.”

Theresa’s face blanched at that.

“She only spoke of the fact that she could never go home,” Theresa admitted.

“Did she ever say why?” Emily pushed.

“No, Miss Emily, she did not speak of home very often.”

With that, Emily knew there was no point in pushing further. Her grandmother had always been a very private woman. Theresa didn’t know anything more than she did.

Emily glanced down and squeezed her grandmother’s hand.

“Miss Emily!” Theresa’s voice was frantic as she dropped down onto the bed beside her mistress.

Emily looked up just in time to see her grandmother’s chest fall for the last time. With one final gasping breath, Lady Hawthorne was gone from the world, leaving Emily all alone without a clue as to what had really transpired.

The next morning, after a fitful night of little sleep, Emily found herself wandering the gardens of Hawthorne Manor.

Her breath billowed out in clouds of white mist before her as she clutched her shawl tightly around her shoulders.

Several times Theresa had urged her inside, and several times she had declined, not yet ready to walk the halls of her grandmother’s house again.
Instead, she wandered down the shingle pathways between the flower beds and thought on what little she had learned the night before.

She didn’t have much to go on, but what she did know was that she would not find answers in Hawthorne Manor. Nor would she be able to rest until she had discovered the truth.

She was just about to rest for a moment on the edge of the waterfall at the centre of the garden when she heard footsteps hurrying down the shingle path towards her.

Striking tears away from her cold cheeks, she turned to greet the woman who met her.

“Miss Emily! I came as soon as I heard,” Miss Amanda Miles, Emily’s lady companion gasped as though she had run all the way down from the house.
She had been off visiting friends in the nearest town, and Emily had quite forgotten to send word of her grandmother’s passing. She made a quick mental note to thank Theresa, knowing that the maid would have likely sent out announcements to all those it concerned.

“You poor thing,” Miss Amanda sighed, “you are freezing. We should get you inside.”

The woman made to wrap her arms around Emily’s shoulders, but she quickly stepped out of reach.

“I am quite well,” she insisted, though Miss Amanda did not look convinced.
“Miss Emily, your grandmother has just passed,” Miss Amanda pointed out, “I am sure you are not well.”

“I shall be,” Emily assured her, “though I fear I must go away for a while after the funeral.”

“Go away?” Miss Amanda’s pale green eyes lit with surprise, “Go away to where?”

“There is some business I must attend to in England on my grandmother’s behalf,” Emily explained. She had been thinking it over all night, and her decision was finally made.

“England? Why ever would you wish to go to England?” Miss Amanda asked. She pushed back a lock of brown hair that had fallen out from beneath her bonnet and looked at Emily with worry etched on her face.

Emily thought for a moment on how much she should confide in her friend. They had always been close since they were children, but she wasn’t entirely sure that she was ready to have the conversation. It was too soon since her grandmother’s passing to begin talking of secrets and gossip.

“My grandmother told me of some family I have in Cornwall,” Emily admitted. Though she did not know much of where her family came from, she knew that her grandmother had come from there.

“Cornwall?” Miss Amanda looked as confused as ever. “What need do you have to go to Cornwall?”

As a Scottish woman, Amanda had never been too intrigued about England. In fact, she and Emily had barely ever spoken of it.

“I wish to meet what remains of my family and take news of my grandmother’s death personally,” Emily explained even though she knew that Theresa would have likely already taken care of that.

Although her grandmother had been disowned by her father, his remaining descendants would like wish to know of her passing. Emily couldn’t begin to imagine what their reaction might be.

“When will you go?” Miss Amanda asked as though she saw little use in trying to talk her out of it.

“Once the funeral is over, and I have had time to make all the arrangements,” Emily explained, “as my mother has already passed, I am the heiress of my grandmother’s fortune. I shall have no problem securing safe passage and accommodation.”

“You speak as though you shall be travelling alone?” Miss Amanda pressed.

Emily was about to say she had no idea of whom she could take with her when her friend suddenly spoke up again, “You do not think that I would allow you to go gallivanting off without me, do you?”

Emily could not help smiling then. She had to admit that she did not like the thought of travelling alone.

“I would be glad of the company,” she admitted with a nod.

“Then it is settled!” Miss Amanda’s voice rose with excitement, “We are going to England.”

Just then, there was another set of footsteps on the path behind Miss Amanda, and Emily looked over her shoulder to see Theresa hurrying towards them as though the cold might cause her toes to fall off.

“Miss Emily, I really must insist that you return to the house,” Theresa said in a stern tone.

Emily could not bring herself to be angry with the woman because she knew that she only had her best intentions at heart.

“Have you heard, Mrs Bird?” Miss Amanda spoke up excitedly. When the handmaid turned to look at the younger lady, she added, “Miss Emily and I are to travel to England.”

Theresa’s brown eyes widened with shock, and she turned her gaze on Emily, “Is this true Miss Emily?”

“Yes, Theresa, it is.” Emily nodded, leaving no room for argument.

“We can talk more about this later.” Theresa sighed and shook her head, “But for now, would you please come back up to the house, or you shall be too ill with cold to attend your grandmother’s funeral.”

Emily finally relented with a nod and allowed Theresa to lead them both back up towards the house.

She knew it would be difficult to say goodbye to her grandmother one final time, but the prospect of journeying to England offered her a small light of hope.

Her feet, which had been like lead weights since her grandmother’s passing, were suddenly much lighter, and she could only hope that the old woman would approve of her plan.

If Theresa’s reaction were anything to go by, then she wouldn’t have, but Emily tried her best to force the thought from her mind.

“Are you really sure about this?” Theresa asked even as she helped Emily to pack up all her possessions into the travelling trunks. “It is an awful long way to Cornwall.”

It was not the first time Theresa had voiced her concern, and Emily knew it would not be the last. She was fond of the middle-aged maid, but she was growing tired of it all.

It had been three days since her grandmother’s funeral, six days since her passing, and Emily had not had a single doubt in her mind.

“I am quite sure,” she insisted even as she skirted around Miss Amanda, who was reading through the letters that Emily had received from an English nobleman to console her on her grandmother’s passing.

From all the kind words she had received, Emily was sure that she would have a warm welcome when arriving, though she had yet to hear anything from her grandmother’s family.

The only concern she had about the entire thing was that she might not have any relatives left. Although her grandmother had been concerned about her sisters shunning her, she had never given any inkling that they had survived her.

“It shall be a fresh start for us both,” Miss Amanda put in quickly.
Although she had seemed doubtful at first, it now appeared that she was entirely on board with Emily’s plan.

“I have already secured accommodation near Hyde Park in London,” Emily explained to Theresa. “We shall stay there until I can make contact with whoever still resides at Radcliffe House.”

Theresa did not look best pleased with her answer but did not push any further.

“It is going to be wonderful,” Miss Amanda assured them, “the London Season is just beginning.”

“Yes, you shall arrive during the height of it all.” Theresa sighed. She did not sound enthusiastic about it at all. Emily didn’t blame her. The woman had never been interested in parading around.

“There will be so many wondrous events for us to attend,” Miss Amanda continued happily, “perhaps we might even meet some English noblemen to sweep us off our feet.”

“I would still feel much better if I were going with you.” Theresa sighed at that as though she was not happy to think of letting two young women loose during the London Season.

“We shall be fine,” Emily assured her. “I promise there shall be no funny business. Besides, as you pointed out, you must remain here to take care of Hawthorne Manor and your own family.”

It was no secret that Theresa was a widow with three children and twice as many grandchildren. There was no way Emily could have asked her to leave them all behind.

“I do so wish you would reconsider,” Theresa pleaded, “I hate the thought of you both being all alone in London.”

“We shall not be alone,” Emily told her gently as she placed a hand on the older woman’s arm, “my grandmother may have been estranged from her family, but she and my grandfather still had many friends in England.”

She knew so because the letters had been piling up on her desk for days now.
“The wives of several noblemen have already expressed their wishes to see Miss Emily,” Miss Amanda pointed out even as she handed one of the letters to the maid, “You see?”

Theresa gave the letter a cursory glance before turning back to Miss Emily. “Perhaps you should wait until the season is finished?”

“And miss all the fun?” Miss Amanda exclaimed, “I won’t hear of it.”

Emily turned to face Theresa squarely, taking the maid by the shoulders, “There really is nothing to worry about.”

Yet deep down she wasn’t quite so sure of herself.

She had travelled all over Scotland and France and yet the prospect of doing the same in England caused her stomach to fill with butterflies.

It was a brand new adventure for her, and yet she knew that it also opened up a can of worms she wasn’t sure she was ready to open.

“Mr Parks has already contacted his counterpart in London,” Emily explained, talking of her grandmother’s lawyer who had become her own upon her passing. “He is aware of our travels and has promised to make sure we are well looked after during our stay.”

Theresa seemed to deflate a little then. It was obvious that she wasn’t about to change Emily’s mind.

“You shouldn’t pack too much,” Miss Amanda spoke up again, “I’m sure you will want to purchase the latest fashions in London when we arrive.”

The thought of that set new excitement in Emily, and yet again, she couldn’t wait to be on the road.

“Has the carriage arrived yet?” she asked, looking at Theresa, whose face was still pale with concern.

“Not yet, My Lady.” Theresa shook her head. “I have asked one of the other maids to come as soon as it does.”

Emily nodded and finally placed the last of her belongings in the trunk.
She pulled the lid closed and sat down on top to breathe a sigh of relief. “There, I am finally finished.”

“It’s about time.” Miss Amanda chuckled and began to fold up the letters she had been reading. “We had better take these with us so that we can learn all the names of the nobles your grandparents were friendly with.”

“Good idea!” Emily exclaimed and took the letters from her friend so that she could place them in her carry bag and assess them on their journey.

“Are you sure you have everything?” Theresa asked, and it appeared she had finally given up on trying to talk them out of it.

“I’m quite sure.” Emily nodded, going over everything she had packed in her head one final time.

Just then, there was a sharp knock on the door.

“Come in!” Emily called, and one of the younger housemaids appeared through the door.

She gave a quick curtsey before straightening up to announce, “The carriage has arrived, My Lady.”

“Well, this is it!” Emily sighed with a smile, and Miss Amanda stood up from the bed where she had been perched.

“Will you help me with my coat?” Emily asked her, and Miss Amanda quickly set to it, pulling the green velvet coat up over Emily’s shoulders.
“When you returned from France, I did not think you would be leaving again so soon.” Theresa sighed, and there were tears in her eyes. “Your grandmother would be very proud of you.”

The comment touched Emily, and she couldn’t help offering the maid a shy smile.

“This is not farewell, Mrs Bird,” Emily assured the middle-aged woman who was beginning to look quite worn indeed. “I shall return with a hundred tales to tell.”

“I hope that you do.” Theresa nodded.

Emily could not stop herself from stepping forwards to embrace the woman then. Other than her grandmother, the maid had been the closest thing she had to family for so long.

She was going to miss her constant nagging and kind words.

“I promise I shall write to you every week,” she told her as she released her.

“Do not trouble yourself with me.” Theresa shook her head. “Just promise me that you will both have fun and above all else, take good care of each other.”

Just like that, it was time for Emily and Miss Amanda to leave.
Though Emily had no idea where her journey would take her, she was unable to hide her excitement at finally seeing England for the first time.
Miss Amanda seemed just as excited as the footmen arrived to carry their trunks down to the carriage.

“This is going to be wonderful!” Miss Amanda exclaimed as they hurried down the stairs. Yet apprehension began to coil in Emily’s stomach as she wondered what kind of secrets England might hold for her. She had very little to go on and even less of an idea on where to begin trying to dig up the truth.
Suddenly she felt like a dog trying to dig up a long lost bone, wondering whether it might be better off kept buried.

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“A Fateful Twist of Love” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

While on her deathbed, Emily’s grandmother offers up her biggest secret, leaving Emily with an abundance of unanswered questions. Seeking the truth, Emily finds herself travelling to England, comforted in the knowledge that her inheritance will allow her to live a pleasant life. Her world turns upside down though, when she finds out about the condition that dictates she needs to find a husband before her twenty-first birthday… Fate seems to be teasing her even further, as she soon finds her heart entrapped by the presence of a dashing lord. Will Emily manage to secure her fortune without risking her one chance at true love?

Lord Maximillian Camborne is a strong and independent man. Despite appearing calm and collected on the surface, a dark secret is hidden behind the reason he’s keeping everyone at distance. Rumours surrounding his wife’s death and a curse upon his home in Cornwall have left him with little to be joyful of, but the arrival of a mysterious young lady might be exactly the salvation he’s been looking for…

Emily and Maximillian feel completely lost before their pathways meet, but they end up finding more than they dreamed of in each other’s mesmerising gaze. Regardless of how unexpected their encounter is, the connection is instant and their feelings persist against all odds. With Emily hiding her real identity, though, and Maximilian concealing an even darker reality, could love stand a chance? Will they manage to defy the endless obstacles and rumours to reach the final destination of love?

“A Fateful Twist of Love” is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

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