Hawley Hill Manor: A Mystery By

By B. J. Conner

Althea Hawley never knew her father Albert Miles Hawley, or any of the wealthy Hawley family. Her mother was widow with two young daughters and had married Albert for security, Althea was born a year later and Albert died when she was two. Althea half- sisters’ behavior towards her was less than kind. She was painfully shy, so when she started getting invitations to come to Hawley Hill Manor to meet her Aunt Camille and her cousins she was nervous. Even so, she decided she wanted to get acquainted with her father’s family. She was fifteen and enjoyed her first trip to Peoria, Illinois. However during her second trip, she finds herself in a confusing and somewhat embarrassing situation and she refused to return to Hawley Hill Manor. Six years later, she receives a summons from her aunt that she can’t ignore. Upon her return bizarre accidents begin to happen to her and others around her and she finds herself caught in web of intrigue, fear and romance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781663230744

B. J. Conner

B.J. Conner lives in Southern Indiana, high atop a hill overlooking the Ohio River. She enjoys combining her love of local history with a fictional mystery sure to please her readers. When she is not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

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Copyright © 2021 B. J. Conner.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

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any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue

in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-6632-3073-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-3074-4 (e)

iUniverse rev. date: 10/25/2021

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

This book is a work of fiction.

The characters and the Manor house are purely fiction.

Any resemblance to real persons, living or deceased,

or houses is purely coincidental.

I dedicate this book to the Russo family,

Patti, Frank, Rick, Megan, Sofia, Annabelle,

Michael, Heather, Anneliese and Lex.

Thanks to my helpers, Angie Conner,

Carol Haller and Marsha Pyott.

CHAPTER ONE

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Thea inhaled deeply allowing air to fill her lungs and exhaled slowly as she watched the countryside rush past the window of the train. She had taken this journey twice before and enjoyed this part of the trip. It was only arriving in Peoria that caused her anxiety. The thoughts of her previous visits made her uneasy. The last time she saw her Aunt Camille and Hawley Hill Manor, was six years previously. That was in 1893 and a lot had transpired since then. The next year would bring a new century and Thea felt she had finally developed a measure of confidence, at least more than she possessed on her last visit to Peoria.

She recalled her first visit. It was in the spring of 1892 and she was fifteen years old. The invitation she had received was written on very expensive paper with the heading, Hawley Hill Manor, embossed in gold. The invitation requested that Miss Althea Hawley come to her father’s family home in Peoria, Illinois, for a two-week stay with other members of the Hawley family. It was written in very neat handwriting, the script crisp and precise. Thea discovered later it was written by Aunt Camille’s secretary, Calvin Burns. That invitation instilled alarm and exhilaration, she was dreadfully shy, but the thought that her father was a part of such a prominent family meant that she was also a part of this unknown family, and it gave her goosebumps.

Given the fact she was only fifteen at the time, Marie, her mother, had reservations about her traveling from Rock Island to Peoria alone. Marie had only been to the Hawley family home once during her marriage to Albert Miles Hawley Jr. and she did not feel comfortable with sending Thea, as she had always been of a shy disposition. Marie was surprised to discover that her daughter pleaded to be allowed to go. Thea explained to her mother, given that, she had not had the opportunity to know her father or any member of his family, she would welcome the opportunity. Albert had passed away when Thea was just two years of age.

Marie reluctantly agreed to allow her to visit the Hawley Hill Mansion. However, as the time grew nearer to actually leave, Thea became hesitant. Never having met any of the Hawley family, she did not know what to expect. Her mother had always been vague when speaking about her father’s family. Marie told her she knew that Albert’s sister, Camille Hawley, lived at the manor and as for any other members of the family, she had no idea who they were or what they were like.

Marie had two daughters, Eve and Cora, from her first marriage and became a widow after seven years of marriage, with two young children. She had been eager to marry, to have security to raise her family. She married Albert Hawley Jr., within a month of meeting him. He was considerably older than Marie and was not in the best of health, due to years of drinking, eating rich foods, and living an entitled life. Thea was born the next year, and he passed away of heart failure two years later. Marie told Thea that her father was a very kind man, and he was devoted to his only child. He wanted to name their child after his father, Albert, and mother Theodora, so they chose Althea. He lovingly called her his precious little Thea, which caused discontent with Thea’s sisters. Eve and Cora were never kind to Thea and being six and seven years older than she, they always had the upper hand. They were apt to criticize her for everything, from her appearance to her behavior. Nothing she did to gain their approval persuaded them to improve their demeanor towards her. Marie was not a strict disciplinarian and allowed the older girls to reign over Thea. It was not as though Marie did not care about how her older daughters ridiculed Thea, she did at times scold them and took up for Thea. However, that only increased their ill behavior behind their mother’s back. Marie was a devout Christian; she and the girls regularly attended church and much of her time was spent in charity work. Marie loved helping the poor since she had known what it was like to be poor, having struggled in the years before she married Albert Hawley. Thea enjoyed helping her mother with preparing food baskets and working at the soup kitchens. It was something her sisters were not inclined to do, so at those events, she was free of their criticism.

Because of her shyness, Thea, as she wanted to be known, although her sisters would only refer to her as Althea, did not make friends easily. She was very quiet at school, so she became almost invisible. She had always wished she could overcome her shyness and thought it would be beneficial for her to meet the Hawley’s, of Hawley Hill Manor. Perhaps being away from her sisters, she hoped, would help her to become more sociable.

Thea’s first journey to Peoria started pleasant enough. She loved the train ride, though when it came time to disembark, she was so nervous she was nearly in tears. She was met by two men. One dressed in red and black livery, who was the Hawley’s youngest footman, and the other was a tall lanky older gentleman wearing a black suit and very shiny black shoes. She learned that Camille Hawley employed footmen, maids, a housekeeper, and a cook as well as a groundskeeper. As the two men approached her, she noticed the older man wore a large black onyx ring. She assumed that he was more important than the younger man.

The tall gentleman introduced himself. I am Miss Camille Hawley’s secretary, Calvin Burns.

Thea timidly nodded and said, I am Althea Hawley. She spoke so quietly that he had to ask her to speak up. She raised her voice and as she did so, two young girls, who looked to be younger than her, called out and waved from three cars down. Calvin Burns waved back, and the girls hurried towards them. Thea noticed they were twins. They looked exactly alike and were dressed the same. They wore dark blue traveling suits with matching hats, which sat charmingly upon very light blonde curls. Their lively blue eyes met hers and they smiled, which helped to calm Thea’s nervousness.

You must be cousin Althea, said the first girl sticking out her hand to Thea. I am Salina Miller, and this is my sister Sarah. I suppose you can tell we are twins?

Thea took Salina’s outstretched hand and said, Yes, I can. She then took Sarah’s hand. She noticed Sarah seemed to be a little shy, also.

Salina said to the young man in red and black, Henry, our trunk and bags are over there, she pointed to a wooden cart the porter was pushing toward them.

He nodded and asked Thea, Is this your bag, miss?

Thea looked down at the carpetbag that she carried and said, Yes, sir.

The girls looked at each other and giggled. As Henry took the bag from her, the twins each grabbed one of Thea’s arms. You do not have to call him sir; he is a footman and is only sixteen. We are going to have so much fun, Salina said. I cannot wait to get started.

Calvin Burns pointed to a carriage standing near the entrance of the station and said, This is Hawley Hill Manor’s carriage. The large carriage had the letters HHM emblazoned in gold on the door.

He allowed Thea to step in first and the twins followed suit. The girls were still smiling. We have been so excited since hearing that you were to visit this year, Salina said. We received a letter from Aunt Camille to tell of your coming. I suppose Aunt Camille is our great aunt since she is our grandmother Lois’ sister, and she is your aunt since she is your father’s sister.

She was looking at Thea as if she expected her to say something. Thea did not know what to say, given she had no idea about Aunt Camille or anyone connected to the family. Her mother only told her that they were an affluent family that lived in a big mansion overlooking the Illinois River. She knew her father was the oldest of four siblings; he had two sisters and one brother although her mother, Marie, had never had the privilege of meeting any of them, except Camille.

When Salina realized that Thea was not going to speak, she continued, We have been invited every year to Hawley Hill since we were ten; this is our third time to come.

This is my first time to be invited, and I am fifteen, Thea said, hoping to satisfy their curiosity.

The expression on both the twins’ faces gave her pause. Sarah spoke. Aunt Camille told us that she had sent you an invitation every year, though this is the first one that you have accepted. Isn’t that correct Calvin?

That is correct, he spoke in a monotone voice.

It was Thea’s turn to look perplexed. I have not received an invitation before this year.

That is not possible, since I am responsible for writing and mailing all of the invitations each year, Calvin Burns said. I distinctly remember mailing yours, Miss Althea.

The twins both shrugged at the same time. Salina said, It does not matter. You are here now, and we are quite pleased that you are. I suppose we should warn you about the boys. There is Virgil and Daniel Hawley; they are brothers and were adopted by Aunt Camille’s brother, William, and his wife Ann. They took the boys in when Ann’s sister and her husband died of influenza. They were just babies at the time. Virgil is the oldest of all us cousins and will inherit Hawley Hill Manor. He, like you, has lost his father. His father was the second oldest and then our grandmother Lois, who lives with us in Rock Island. Aunt Camille is the youngest of the four…

Thea interrupted her, You live in Rock Island?

Yes, with our father and mother as well as our grandmother, Lois, Sarah answered with disbelief as if Thea should have known. You were not aware of that?

I had no idea that any member of my father’s family lived so near, Thea said, shaking her head.

Well, we knew you lived in Rock Island, Salina remarked. We were told your family wished to remain private since your mother had remarried.

It was true that Thea’s mother had married for a third time seven years previously, to a very kind man named Steven Wade, whom Thea liked very much. She was at a loss to discover that anyone in her family had spoken to the Hawley’s at all, let alone to tell them they wished for privacy. She was learning so much from the twins that she could scarcely take it all in. Salina was quite willing to give Thea all the information she needed to know before arriving at the estate. Calvin Burns had closed his eyes and appeared to be napping.

On their carriage ride to the Manor, Salina continued to talk while Sarah stared at Thea. Thea was becoming uncomfortable at being scrutinized so intently and finally, Sarah spoke, You are so very pretty. I wish we had your hair color. Yours is a lovely blonde and ours is nearly white, and we have these horrid curls. Our maid, Janelle, said it is quite difficult to manage our wild curls.

Thea blushed to the roots of her hair. She had always been told by her sisters that she had a dreadful color of hair, her nose was too small, and her eyes were too large, as well as set too close together. Anytime Thea received a compliment from others, the sisters told her people were simply trying to be kind to her, seeing as she was such a misfit.

Salina quickly said, Yes, Althea is quite pretty. You know perfectly well we are always told how pretty we are. And Janelle should not complain about our hair; dressing our hair is one of the tasks she is paid to do.

It was Sarah’s turn to blush.

Thea, recovering, said, I believe the two of you are the most attractive girls I have ever met, and you are being so very kind to me. I am happy to spend the next two weeks with you.

Sarah smiled. I think we will get along rather well. We are usually ignored by the boys so I am also happy you will be with us. They leave us on our own most of the time.

Sarah, you are forgetting Clayton and Rosemary, they always try to include us in all the activities, Salina explained.

Yes, but most of the activities are things we do not care to do, or it is something we are not old enough to participate in, Sarah remarked.

Who are Clayton and Rosemary? Thea asked.

They are the Shears and live in Shears Manor on the adjoining property. Their father owns a bank, Salina answered as if that explained everything.

Clay and Rosemary are very pleasant, Sarah commented.

Sarah is keen on Clay; however, he is nineteen, and Sarah and I are only thirteen.

We shall be fourteen in ten months, Sarah stated quickly, while her cheeks turned pink.

Thea felt sorry for Sarah and said, In five years your age and his will not make that much difference. Thea could tell that her comment was pleasing to Sarah, for she smiled. So, how old is Rosemary? Thea asked.

She is sixteen, Sarah answered quickly before Salina could open her mouth to speak.

As they started up a hill, Salina said, Look there is the river!

Thea had her first glimpse of the river through the trees as the carriage climbed the serpentine road to the top of the hill. When they reached Hawley Hill Manor, she was amazed at the spectacular view of the river far below. As she tore her eyes away from the view and saw the manor, her anxiety returned. The mansion was set back off the drive and the entrance was the grandest anyone could imagine. There was a circular drive around a fountain and the house had five wide marble steps leading up to a large porch with four tall columns. There were two ornate oak doors with oval glass windows engraved with grapevines. As the groom jumped down and opened the carriage door, the oak doors opened. The housekeeper, dressed in gray with a white cap perched on top of her head, appeared on the porch and invited them to enter. As they entered the first set of doors, there was a second set of doors with stained glass depicting baskets of fruit. Thea slowly followed the twins into the grand hall. Calvin Burns nodded to the housekeeper and hurried away.

Thea craned her neck to gaze at the tall ceiling, which had plaster medallions around a fresco depicting maidens dipping vases into a water fountain.

Come along now girls, called the housekeeper. Madam is waiting in the small parlor.

Sarah took Thea’s hand and pulled her towards the parlor. Thea’s heart was beating so hard she was afraid that Aunt Camille would hear. The room was beautifully decorated in blue, gray and silver, and was not small at all. Aunt Camille was seated as if she were the queen waiting to greet her subjects. She wore a gown of mauve with a lace collar and cuffs. Her dark blonde hair was graying at the temples as well as streaked throughout and was quite skillfully done up under a lace mantilla. She smiled as they entered the room, only Thea noticed it did not seem to reach her eyes. She was surprised to see Aunt Camille was an attractive woman, even though she had to be older than fifty. She had the same blue eyes as the twins and herself.

Aunt Camille, Salina said, as Sarah still held Thea’s hand, here is our cousin Althea!

A lump developed in Thea’s chest; she did not know how she was to greet her aunt. She felt quite timid as the older woman surveyed her from head to toe. The silence grew until Thea found her voice and said, I am very pleased to meet you, Aunt Camille.

As I am quite pleased to finally meet you, Althea, she responded. I hope you will enjoy your stay here and will kindly consider coming back when invited. Her voice was very stern, and Thea knew that she was making a point about her not coming before.

I am certain that I shall, Thea answered, hoping she was making a good impression, though she had doubts.

Yes, well we will have time to get to know you better at dinner tonight when the rest of your cousins will be here. Martha will show you to your room and after you are settled in, perhaps the twins can take you around, so you may become familiar with the manor.

We are quite happy to show Althea around, Aunt Camille! Salina stated with enthusiasm.

Thea was relieved to leave Aunt Camille’s presence and gladly followed the twins out into the corridor where, Martha, the housekeeper, was waiting. As they left, Calvin Burns entered and they could hear Aunt Camille say, Calvin you must see to having Clayton and Rosemary to dinner when they return home.

Miss Althea, you are to have the Rose room, the housekeeper said.

Oh, that is such a lovely room, Salina declared. I know you will love it. Our room is next to yours, and it is called the Violet room because the wallpaper has violets all over.

Salina was eager to impress Thea with her knowledge of the manor. Thea was trying to take in the grandeur of everything she was seeing. As they took the enormous staircase to the second floor, there was a large round latticed window on the landing between the floors, looking out into a garden. Thea stopped to peer out, but Sarah pulled her along.

Her room was the second door down the corridor. She was delighted to discover the twins were in the first room, next to hers. At least they were close by since she was certain she would need their assistance.

The room was lovely, with rose-colored drapes and bed hangings, the walls were ivory striped wallpaper, and it was twice the size of her room at home. There was a writing desk as well as a vanity with a mirror, a chest of drawers, and an armoire. Her carpet bag was already in the room, so she began to unpack. She wondered if her clothing would be good enough, not that her things were of poor quality, they were quite nice. However, at home, she did not attend a lot of social events even if she was invited. She was not included often because of her age, and she always felt inferior. She tried to avoid large gatherings, though her sisters since they were older, attended every social event they possibly could.

Her sister Eve had become engaged just two weeks before she left home. Her mother was deeply immersed with Eve, planning the wedding. Marie was thrilled that Eve’s beau, Herald, had finally proposed. Eve had recently turned twenty-two and Marie was beginning to think he had no plans to marry her.

Cora congratulated