6"The Hunter's Moon"
written by kris-et-dan
Authors' notes:
Hello and greetings! This is a planned eight chapter or so long story. It's more or less done completely, I just have to go through it and fix errors and such... Major editing is needed before it can be posted.. ; That aside, this is to be appreciated as a penny dreadful-style gothic novel... So cliches and such will most assuredly abound. Even so, I hope it's enjoyable for you... First, however, a short disclaimer... this story and characters are the creation of kris-et-dan (www dot kris-et-dan dot deviantart dot com), and belong solely to us. Please do not use this (very cliche) story-line or (very stereotypical) characters without our permission. Now on with the story!
'prologue - new moon'
"Dear Miss Renee Blanc," the letter began. "19 July 1842."
It had been laid on the dressing table in her room, by one of the maids, most likely while she had been out to see the play that night. It was what they tended to do as per her request. She had always been a personal sort of person, preferring to get what little amount of letters she received delivered in private. That way, Papa and Maman would not be able to harp on about whether it was a love letter. It never was, and it inevitably led to a long stretched moment of silence. It was almost as if Papa and Maman silently berated the girl for her lack of suitors, though now that she thought about it, they probably were. She was at that age to be married off, after all.
As for the letter itself, it was a plain sheet of creme-colored stationary, with no frills or scents. It must not be from Madame Nom de Postiche. Letters from the older woman, dear as she was, tended to arrive in a cloud of perfume. The envelope, also lacking the familiar harsh smell of lavender, it came in was similarly bare of personal detailing. Simply a plain beige paper folded over with two red and blue stamps with the profile the good Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland along with a small burnt-orange seal on the back. Obviously a no-nonsense sort of man.
'I write to you now out of a need for a heir. After the late John Edward Micheals of the Hunters Moon Manor passed away many years before, the Micheals family has been searching for the next-in-line, and after much researching it has been found that you are directly related to inherit the manor from the late master, in accordance with his will. We, the Micheals family, hope that you should agree to our selfish request to take the manor as your own and, in any case, hope that you will be kind enough to at least stay in the manor for a period of time to find if it is to your liking. Should you agree to our troublesome requests, please reply with as much haste as you are able. Transportation and an escort will be provided to guide you on your journey to the manor. We hope you will find this situation of the agreeable sort.
signed,
yours faithfully,
Peter Melbourne Micheals'
Renee sat in her bed, looking at the envelope, flipping it over and back again. A light frown twisted her lips downward before reaching over to turn off the bedside lamp, gently placing the envelope alongside the glazed metal base. There she laid under her bed linens, staring up at the paneled ceiling with the meager light that flitted in through her open window from the flickering lamps that lined the street outside. There was also the light scent of the fragrant Jacob's Ladder flowers that had been planted just outside her window.
She rolled over onto her side, shoving her hand underneath the pillow, a finger slipping out from underneath to fiddle with the stray lace that stuck out from the casing. There she laid for a moment, willing her eyes to shut as they should. It was late after all. She should feel tired, but... but after receiving the letter... It was all she could think about!
With a stubborn little sigh, the girl sat up, half reluctantly and threw back the sheets, taking the letter with her to the roll-top desk that stood in the corner. Pulling out a sheet of stationary, Renee started her reply, reading it aloud softly under her breath as she wrote.
"Dear Monsieur Micheals..."
'prologue - new moon'
To Be Continued...
Thus, the prologue... I hope it's caught your attention enough to carry on over to the following chapters. The first chapter will be out this (pause) this weekend... Hopefully? (haha) Even so, please continue to read! Ah! Also, if you see any mistakes and/or errors, glaring or otherwise, please let me know so I can get them fixed. I'm doing my best to keep everything with the time, but I could easily screw something up. I appreciate all sorts of reviewing! Thank you. (low bow)
yours sincerely,
kris-et-dan