Emerald Manor Unveiling a Mystery

By Angela Leigh

Sadie's house-hunting journey leads her to Emerald Manor. Captivated by the Victorian beauty from the moment she laid eyes on it, Sadie moves in. With her creative flair, sense of curiosity and keen eye for detail, Sadie is lured into an adventure which leads to the most unexpected discoveries. 

 

Mystery and intrigue fill the halls of Emerald Manor as Sadie brings life back to its bones and uncovers the manor's best-kept secrets. 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Angela Leigh
• Release date: Sep 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223229285

Book preview

Chapter 1

As Sadie turned off , she drove slowly down a suburban street lined with towering oak trees not far off the main road. The air was fresh. Winter had not yet set in and the leaves were still changing colour. The sun shone through the trees and gave her a warm fuzzy feeling as it reminded her of the farm where she had grown up. This was a neighbourhood near the edge of the city, rather quiet and had all the amenities she had been searching for on her house-hunting journey.

She passed by a pond and caught sight of a lovely green park as she drove towards the house, the one she had so eagerly been waiting to view. Becoming a new homeowner was an exciting but also nerve-wracking experience for her. As she pulled up to the front gates, Sadie rang the buzzer and waited. The heavy wrought-iron gates creaked and opened slowly. Okay... she thought.

Looking ahead, she drove cautiously up the driveway and stopped in front of the veranda. There it was, even more spectacular than the photo on the property listing. She had been drawn to it from the moment she saw it. Sadie got out of the car and took in the lovely sight in front of her. The old manor was just magnificent. Exquisite greenery surrounded the walls, the stone tower laced with floral vines.

Sadie stood there and held her gaze before walking up the steps of the front veranda and reaching for the knocker on the door. She knocked three times and felt the heavy antique piece in her hand, beautifully crafted and perfectly suited to the exterior of the house. She couldn’t help noticing the stained glass window above the entrance. The glass was intricately cut into various leaf shapes, each a different shade of green. Most striking of all was a small emerald in the centre of the design, which seemed to catch the glint of the sun bringing out its colour. Sadie was so caught up in it and got a fright when the door swung open.

Standing in the foyer was a young man who couldn’t have been older than thirty-five years old, around Sadie’s age, a pleasant chap who had inherited the property. Good morning, Sadie. It’s a pleasure to meet you, he said.

Well, hello, George. It’s great to meet you too, she replied. I’m so glad to have finally got here. Your home is everything I expected and more.

It belonged to my late mum, and I was fortunate enough to have grown up here with both my parents, he said.

Wow, lucky you, smiled Sadie, gazing at the pictures in the foyer.

Let me take your coat and you can have a look around, said George.

My mum lived here with my father for many years prior to his passing. She cherished her home and I have many splendid memories, but I realised that it will never be the same without her. There is a caretaker who has been looking after it since she passed away. I live in another city and don’t get the chance to come up here much these days. So, I decided to sell the manor. It's old, but has good bones, George told her.

Downstairs, I have the living room with a small section off the side. There is a large kitchen and underneath the main staircase, you will find the powder room. You’ll also see the long dining hall further down which Mother used for hosting guests throughout the years that she lived here. And beside that room is the library, which has two floors. The top floor is the best spot in the house, as far as I am concerned. There are also four bedrooms upstairs, the master has an en suite and there is another bathroom as well. Out the back, there is a conservatory and I also have a lovely patio off the dining hall.

He spoke about it as if it was just casual and everyone lived like that. I suppose he is used to it, thought Sadie to herself. Although he had dropped the price significantly to sell it quickly, it was still near the top end of her budget. But the manor was a real gem of a find and she could only have dreamed of living somewhere like this. 

Well, I’ll leave you to it, and you can have a thorough look at the property in your own time. Just give me a shout if you have questions. I have some calls to make, but I am happy to answer questions. 

Right, said Sadie. She couldn’t wait to start the tour of the manor. George went and sat outside at the table on the veranda, leaving Sadie to have a good look.

She was quite taken aback as she entered the living room, which was just off the foyer, and found it to be so inviting and peaceful. The room was decorated with the most beautiful antiques that complemented the modern style. The walls and ceilings were adorned with ornaments, lamps, and chandeliers among various art pieces. She twirled around in her sandals looking at it all. She felt as if she was walking through a treasure trove. Sadie had a great appreciation for art and found the colours and textures in the room captivating. Elegant handwoven Persian rugs laid across the old wooden floorboards, showing off the most intricate designs and colours. Although not antiques, the sofas were plain but their light blue tone picked up the blue and purple hues in the rug, the paintings and several other pieces in the room.

She walked through and stepped down into the small addition to the living room. The elderly lady had done a wonderful job of converting it into a sunroom, making it both cosy and light. The windows looked out over the surroundings where the sun caught the edge of the woodlands in the distance. It’s like a dream, she thought.

Sadie made her way over to the kitchen, anticipating what it would be like. Built from the old  original stone walls, it was slightly cold, but the wood stove in the corner heated the entire room. To one side of the kitchen stood a long, hand-carved wooden table with eight chairs around it. The wooden floorboards creaked slightly as she moved towards the table to look at it.

The tiniest carvings curved upwards around the legs of the table, very unique. Although it was unvarnished, it looked beautiful and suited the old kitchen. The shelves that held collections of old china, enamel kitchenware, and teapots were made from rustic pieces of wood. They looked as if they belonged there, almost untouched.

On a mat in the centre of the kitchen lay the most gorgeous feline creature Sadie had seen in a long time, a white Scottish Fold cat. She stroked it; the cat looked up at her, blinked its eyes and went back to sleep. She looked more carefully at the cupboards, seeing that they would need to be replaced, but that did not phase her as she loved that old farmhouse kitchen look. The counter had a new gas top and an electric oven as well. Great, the best of both worlds, she whispered to herself.

At the back of the kitchen was a walk-through pantry which led to a laundry room. From there, Sadie spotted the conservatory through the window and decided that she had to go there next. So she returned to the foyer, passed the main staircase and went out the back door. They had constructed the walls and the ceiling of the conservatory using only glass and lead. The old stone floor had been taken over by ground cover and ferns that trailed along past the many plants which had been so well taken care of.

At the far end of the conservatory stood a glass table and a chaise longue beside a tea trolley. The furniture was worn out and dusty, standing to one side. Much to her delight, she found two other entrances to the conservatory, one on the left and one on the right, as well as a few small windows. Birds and insects flew in and out freely, some even nestled in the branches of the small trees in the conservatory. She could hear them chirping and looked up to see two tiny nests, but turned around suddenly when she heard a light splash. Near the right side of the conservatory sat a fish pond teeming with brightly coloured koi fish. What a lovely addition to the manor, she thought. 

This is just what I want, said Sadie. There is no way I can pass it up. George hadn’t mentioned much detail in the listing. Perhaps that’s why it hadn’t attracted too many buyers. He was in a hurry to sell and Sadie was so fortunate to get a viewing before other buyers had taken an interest in it. She could hear George on the phone as she walked back inside and opened the door to the powder room. It was a simple room underneath the main staircase with a toilet and a washbasin. It was just fine for visitors, nothing fancy. The foyer walls were painted in a shimmery plum colour and, although it was quite dark, there was plenty of light that flowed through the windows of the hallway. She thought it a rather unusual shade to use, but took a liking to it. 

Her curiosity led her through the hallway into the library at the front of the house, an antique lover's paradise. Its rounded stone walls encompassed the tower, which she had admired from outside the front of the house. It then extended into the far left corner of the front of the house. Time stood still, the desk and lamp covered in dust, as were the bookshelves that reached from the floor to the ceiling stacked with mostly old books, as well as a few modern ones. In front of the desk stood an enormous globe. She gave it a light push and watched it turn on its axis, her fingertip covered in a thick layer of dust. Lamps lined the walls of the tower, although the lighting was dim. Her eyes followed a spiral staircase leading up to the second floor of the library, where she caught sight of a large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

She ran up the stairs to take a further look. The shelves of the upstairs portion of the library were also filled with books, although they were not so high. It had a viewpoint from the front window and Sadie could see why George had mentioned that it was the best spot in the house. She didn’t stay too long in the library, but headed back to the foyer and down the passage to the dining hall.

The first thing she noticed was the classic black and white flooring, which really appealed to her but certainly needed a good polish along with the furniture and the fireplace. The drapes were old and torn and the lights and chandeliers on the ceiling were dirty. A few of them were not working. It had a bit of a drab feel to it, but Sadie could only imagine how extravagant it must have been in its day.

George had told her how his mum had loved entertaining guests there. Her lifestyle probably changed a lot as she grew older and she no longer used all the rooms in the house. The windows of the dining hall stretched along the entire length of the room, where French doors opened up onto a patio leading to a rose garden. The garden had a few benches, birdbaths and hedges. Again, she could see that this part of the property was rather neglected. There were a fair amount of weeds and the hedges were in dire need of a good trim. Great, I’m going to have to hire a gardener to sort this one out, sighed Sadie. 

She had already seen so much downstairs, but other than the library, she had not yet ventured upstairs. So, she made her way up the main staircase, running her hand along the bannister which she could see had been refurbished. Several portraits hung on the walls of the passageway and it was cold and bare in comparison to the rest of the house. The main bedroom was quite cluttered. It was old but functional with an ensuite bathroom. The large windows and the view made it more worthwhile, so that was a bonus. The other three bedrooms were sparsely furnished and in decent condition. The main bathroom was very spacious with stained glass windows, and it still looked fairly old except for the shower, which had new fittings. She also spotted an attic door out of the corner of her eye before heading downstairs.

And that was that. She had seen the house and loved it. It was far better than any of the other properties she had viewed. They didn’t come close to this. There was no doubt in her mind that she should purchase it. She just needed to negotiate the right offer with George. Sadie breathed in and out deeply, then went back downstairs to find George.

And what are your thoughts on the manor? asked George as she walked out the front door onto the veranda.

It is a wonderful home. I simply adore it, she said. The two of them sat out on the veranda, taking in the views as George told her more stories about the house and his family. Sadie sipped her tea and listened intently. She discovered that the house was known as Emerald Manor. His grandmother had given it that name when she moved in.

Above the gates at the entrance to the property, there used to be an iron arch which bore the name of the manor, George told her. It was damaged one night during a very bad storm.

It must have looked so grand, said Sadie, and tried to picture it for herself.