The Visitor (A Secret Past - Volume One): A Secret Past, #1

By Norah Black

Volume 1 of the A Secret Past series

Clara has spent twenty-three years watching life pass by from her family’s country estate while they enjoyed all the pleasure and company available to the wealthy in 1920’s America.

But the day her parents and sister are due to return from an extended stay in the big city, everything Clara has known and accepted begins to change, starting with the unexpected appearance of a handsome stranger looking for assistance.

Who is this man and what could he possibly want from Clara?

Note: Parts of A Secret Past were previously published as Clara’s Secret.

Also includes a Sneak Peek at an upcoming novel!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roja Publishing
• Release date: Oct 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781540155191

Book preview

Volume 1 of the A Secret Past series

Clara has spent twenty-three years watching life pass by from her family’s country estate while they enjoyed all the pleasure and company available to the wealthy in 1920’s America.

But the day her parents and sister are due to return from an extended stay in the big city, everything Clara has known and accepted begins to change, starting with the unexpected appearance of a handsome stranger looking for assistance.

Who is this man and what could he possibly want from Clara?

Note: Parts of A Secret Past were previously published as Clara’s Secret.

Also includes a Sneak Peek at an upcoming novel!

Volume One

Clara gazed out the open window overlooking the grounds to the road beyond, searching for the cloud of dust that always preceded the return of her parents and sister from the city. She had long given up begging to join them while they wintered in New York City, knowing her mother would simply give her that look again and adopt that tone as she explained, yet again, that, You are simply too fragile. The air there would only aggravate your lungs and lay you up. It is better for you, for your health that you spend the harsh winter months in the country where there are fewer people putting you at risk for something serious.

It was a story Clara had heard time and again from her mother, how ill she’d been as an infant and young child. Clara herself had no memory of such illnesses but the strict precautions to prevent a devastating relapse had been in place as long as she could remember. She remembered the joy she felt when her younger sister had been born and Clara overheard everyone remarking on how healthy little Helen was. It had always been through Helen that Clara was able to enjoy the outside world.

Miss Clara, a familiar voice grabbed Clara’s attention.

She turned and looked into the rosy face of Trudy, her longtime nursemaid and governess. It was Trudy’s arduous task to maintain Mrs. Davis’ rules in the house while the family was away. That meant being the voice that scolded Clara whenever she pushed the boundaries put in place for her protection. But while her mother continued to treat her like an errant child, Trudy did what she could to acknowledge Clara’s frustrations.

By the time Trudy had reached twenty-three years of age, she’d found her way from an overcrowded family farm in Germany across a continent and an ocean to America where the Davis family had earned her eternal gratitude and loyalty when they hired her to care for Clara. In her twenty-three years, Clara had only once managed to find her way off of the Davis’ large property and for her trouble earned a severe scolding and several unpleasant visits from the family doctor to be sure her health hadn’t been jeopardized by the excursion.

As Trudy shuffled across the room to where she sat, Clara reached out and pulled the window shut, taking care to secure the latch.

I have no problem with you keeping watch, but you know better than to sit by an open window like that, Trudy scolded.

She saw the expression on Clara’s face, a mixture of resignation and disappointment. Trudy had her doubts about many of the precautionary measures her mistress insisted upon, including keeping the windows closed in Clara’s rooms, but she knew that Mrs. Davis had her reasons and it wasn’t her place to challenge them.

Catching Clara’s eye, Trudy adopted an expression of mock severity as she added, What would I tell your mother if you fell? A cold or some such ailment she’d expect, whether the window was open or not, but a fall? She’d know the window was open and I’d be sacked. You don’t want to see me sacked do you, my princess? Or are you looking for another to guard your castle for you?

Not even a fire-breathing dragon could be as fierce a protector as you, Trudy, Clara said with a smile before turning back to catch a glimpse of something, anything through the window.

They’ll be a while yet, Trudy cautioned her. They sent the driver on ahead with a few of the main staff to open the rest of the house up here and air it out. Their train isn’t due in until tonight.

Clara didn’t look back at Trudy.

Maybe they’ll catch an earlier train. You know how eager Helen always is to get back and tell me everything that’s happened in the city.

And your mother does have a difficult time resisting anything Helen requests, Trudy admitted reluctantly.

And Father will go along if Mother asks. They’d had the conversation so many times before, nearly every time the rest of the family was away for longer than a week. This is the first winter in the city since Helen’s coming out. She’ll be looking for someone new to tell everything to. They’ll take an earlier train if there is one.

I’ll have the cook put something light together just in case you’re right. They’re still stocking the kitchens so someone may have to run to the grocers to pick something up. Trudy ran through the mental checklist of who was on the premises and what they were doing to ready the enormous house for Mrs. Davis’ inspection. I won’t be far if you need anything, she assured Clara as she turned to go speak with the cook and housekeeper.

It was a very bright day and staring out into the sunlight began to strain Clara’s eyes. She thought she saw dust rising in the distance but it was too far off and squinting didn’t help. In fact, she was afraid she felt the first stirrings of a headache. One last glance verified that, if there was dust rising on the horizon, it wasn’t getting closer to the house. She sighed and shifted so that she wasn’t sitting directly in the sunlight. She was afraid it would only bring a headache on faster. What she needed was a darker, cooler room.

Clara abandoned her post by the window and slipped down the stairs, quietly making her way into her father’s library. It was her favorite room in the house but her mother didn’t like her being in that part of the house. She didn’t want Clara disturbing her father while he worked, though he rarely worked at all, let alone at home. She didn’t want Clara getting underfoot when it came to the household staff, convinced that she would somehow get sick if she came into contact with any of them.

So Clara waited patiently for those time when her mother was out of the house to enjoy the library with it’s inviting shadows and welcoming corners. Books were an indulgence that even her mother couldn’t find fault with as a means of keeping Clara occupied and she could locate her favorites while blindfolded. Her fingers trailed along the worn leather spines as they felt their way to a book that didn’t really belong with the others. Lifting it from the shelf where it was protected from her mother’s critical eye, Clara retrieved a book of fairy tales that Trudy had given her as a gift after her ill-fated adventure in the world beyond the property line.

It was in Trudy’s native German, a language that Clara learned because Trudy insisted the stories lost something in their translation. Though Trudy only had a limited education herself, Clara proved to be an apt and independent pupil. It wasn’t until Helen needed instruction of her own that instructors with more experience were hired. Clara preferred Trudy to the parade of tutors brought in for Helen. But Helen wore out her instructors the way she wore out new pairs of shoes: quickly and thoroughly.

After three different tutors in as many months, Clara petitioned her parents to allow her to return to lessons under Trudy’s guidance. Though she had expected a fight, Clara was surprised by the relief and eagerness her parents expressed at her request. Their only condition was that Trudy consult with whomever was instructing Helen at the moment to be sure Clara’s education was consistent with what was acceptable. Though they would have preferred Clara learn French like Helen, German proved to be a suitable alternative and Clara’s command of German was far more impressive than Helen’s handful of French phrases.

Clara settled into the chair behind her father’s desk and eased the book open. Gently turning the delicate, almost translucent pages, she was transported back to the day Trudy had given it to her.

A gardener had found her asleep in the tall grass just beyond the line of trees that marked the edge of the Davis’ estate. After a thorough tongue lashing from her father and an unprecedented and never repeated lashing from her mother, Clara lay crying on her bed, refusing to speak with anyone. Helen sat by the barricaded door talking at her for a while before Trudy sent her on an errand and forced her way into the room. Clara had rolled over, keeping her back to Trudy, ignoring the way the mattress sagged as she sat on the bed and brushed her hair away from her face.

She didn’t say anything but just sat there, silently comforting rather than scolding or explaining away the Davis’ harsh reaction. Instead Trudy asked about something that had piqued her curiosity. Why did you ask your parents to have your lessons with me? Clara was surprised enough to look over her shoulder at Trudy and nearly answered before remembering her self-imposed vow of silence and burying her face in her pillow again. You’re a bright girl, Clara, Trudy continued. I’ve had a better education than most but the instructors your parents have brought in for Helen are all properly educated. They can teach you more than just what you’ll need to run a household and manage staff; they can turn you into a proper, accomplished young lady. So why would you turn your nose up at an opportunity like that?

With her head still hidden from sight, Clara mumbled, I didn’t like the way they would look at me.

Trudy’s hand paused and her brow furrowed in confusion. The way they would look at you?

Clara propped herself up on her elbows, her loose hair falling as a barrier between her face and Trudy’s insightful gaze. They all look at me as if there’s something wrong with me. As if I’ll break before their eyes. They watch and wait but they don’t see me. At least, not the way they see Helen.

They’ve probably been warned by your parents about how delicate you are, Trudy said as she brushed aside Clara’s dark hair and looked into her reddened face. It was impossible to tell whether the uncommon color was a result of the time spent crying or Clara’s earlier exposure to the sun. They’re likely afraid that something they do will cause you harm. It can be intimidating to those who don’t know you like I do.

You don’t look at me like that, Clara pointed out.

But that’s because I come from a place where we understand these matters. It’s something we’re taught from a young age. Sit here for a moment and dry your tears. I have just the book that will explain it all.

A few minutes later Trudy had placed the worn book in Clara’s hands and waited. Clara held her breath as she opened the book to the first page. It wasn’t what she’d expected and as she turned a few pages, searching, frustration and confusion creased her brow. What is this? What does it say?

I told you, Trudy said as she sat down alongside Clara. I brought this book with me when I came to this country. It’s written in German, but I’ll teach you to how to read it on your own. Until then, you’ll have to make do with my translations.

But what is it about? Clara insisted. She’d found a page with a faded woodcut illustration of a creature unlike any she’d ever seen. She turned a few pages more and discovered a grand stone castle with high towers overlooking a rolling countryside.

These are sometimes called fairy tales here. They’re about princes and princesses, magic and fairies, curses and castles, Trudy explained as she turned that pages and pointed out more illustrations.

I still don’t understand, Clara said. The book was pretty but felt like it was just a distraction, not the explanation she’d been promised.

Some of the princesses in these stories remind me of you, Trudy began. Some of them have been locked away in towers or are sent away to be raised far from the palace. It’s usually to protect them from a curse or an evil sorcerer or sorceress that wishes them harm. But in spite of everything, the princesses are beautiful and kind. They inspire awe and reverence in all those they meet. Much like you. Clara looked up from the book, her skepticism written across her face. Trudy laughed quietly and tilted Clara’s face up so they were looking straight into one another’s eyes. It is not easy to live with the rules that have been put in place for your protection, but you appear to do so with such ease. It’s an amazing feat to witness, especially in one so young. That is why they look at you as if they don’t know what to make of you. You are unlike anyone they’ve ever met and they’ll never meet another like you again.

A smile crept into Clara’s eyes and through her cheeks to her lips. What happens to the princesses? Her eyes slipped away from Trudy’s to the window where the setting sun sent rose-colored light streaming through the panes at a sharp angle. Do they ever get back to the palace? Are the ever let out of their towers?

Always, Trudy assured her. But... she cautioned, recapturing Clara’s full attention. It’s never what they think it will be. Some escape and the dangers they’d been protected from find them. Others are lucky and find happiness. Each princess’ story is different.

But, having been cheered up, Clara refused to let Trudy’s warning dampen her spirits. Do they find princes?

In many instances, the princes find them.

Can you read one right now? Clara pressed, turning the pages back to the beginning and pushing the book into Trudy’s hands.

The woman chuckled and began to read the text in the tongue it was written. Clara laughed, urging Trudy to start again but to go through the words slowly in both languages.

From that day on, Clara turned to the worn book when she needed comfort. When her parents and Helen would travel to Newport for a few weeks as some oil tycoon’s guests and she was left behind, she would imagine they were traveling the realms in search of a potion that would break the curse that kept her confined to her tower. Trudy was her steadfast guard and companion, a dragon to challenge anyone who would do her harm in the absence of the royal couple. Of course, as she grew older, the fantasy faded but not the reassurance that flooded through her whenever her fingers skimmed the familiar binding, traced the lines of the illustrations, and turned the fragile pages.

Her mother approved of the book in the beginning. It kept Clara from complaining about the disparity in the rules she had to follow as opposed to those Helen had to obey. But as time passed, Mrs. Davis became exasperated whenever she saw Clara carrying it around from room to room. Oblivious to her mother’s sighs, it was Helen who suggested the book be kept hidden, a secret for just the two of them. Though she was uninterested in learning German, Helen did enjoy the stories as Clara related them and was willing to listen to her older sister practice the tales in either tongue. The book migrated from one hiding place to another, staying in each new spot a little longer than the last as their mutual interest began to fade. Finally, Clara settled for hiding the book in plain sight, adding it to the crowded shelves of her father’s library.

Clara now knew that no prince would come to free her from her solitude. If she married, it was likely to be arranged by her parents since she was never invited out into society. Besides, fear for preserving her health would keep her at home if an invitation were to be extended. After Helen married, Clara was sure she’d be deemed healthy enough to leave the house and pay a call. Their neighbors and friends couldn’t be counted upon to understand and accommodate the various conditions necessary to avoid aggravating Clara’s sensitive constitution, but Helen knew what posed a threat almost as well as Clara herself. It would be a while before Helen was married, though. She’d only just had her coming out so it must be several years at least.

Clara dropped into a luxuriously overstuffed chair near the library’s only window, heavily draped in a thick, dark velvet that matched the room’s dark but soft décor. She reached out to pull the drapes aside. Trees nearby kept that particular window shrouded in shade without obstructing the view of the drive that led up to the front of the house. She would have plenty of warning if her parents and Helen arrived earlier than expected. The fabric swung back into place and Clara settled deeper into the chair. The book naturally fell open to her favorite tale, a testament to their longstanding relationship. She smiled and began reading, hearing the words in her mind, a strange hybrid of the German she read and the English of her thoughts.

Somewhere during the third tale, Clara thought she heard the actual footsteps of the journeying hero. Lifting her head, she strained to make out Trudy or one of the maids in the hallway or one of the nearby rooms but there was something wrong about the steps she heard. They were muffled, but not in the