Tumbled into Love and Magic

By Lucy Marsh

Via Victoria Vinsen just discovered she's inherited a house from a great-uncle she didn't know existed.

 

Leaving her routine life in New York City to venture to the wilds of rural Missouri was not something she'd ever pictured herself doing. Finding the house to be fascinating and interesting made up for feeling out of place. But the discovery that the house was soaked in magic brought a unique set of problems.

A talking cat who calls himself Hudson and a mystery man named Thorne are only the tip of the ley line. The dark wizard, Max, wants the house and he'll do whatever he needs to get it.

Can Via and Thorne work together to save not only her fantastic house, but possibly the entire world? Or will it be the cat that saves the day?

 

Best for ages 17 and over.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lucy Marsh
• Release date: Mar 30, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224701735

Lucy Marsh

Lucy grew up in a small town on the fringes of the Mark Twain National Forest. As the baby of the family, she spent more time as an "only child" with parents who loved exploring State parks and commercial caves. This gave her an appreciation of natural springs and the beauty of nature. She is still trying to find out where she fits and each story is a little different and you never know what you'll get. Spending so much time alone as a kid helped to develop an imagination rife with characters that love to come to life. Now considered a bit of a hermit, she lives with a special daughter on the tiny farm she grew up on. With too many judgmental cats covering every surface with cat hair, life is a merry-go-round of pink and red horses.

Book preview

THIS BOOK IS A WORK OF FICTION. ANY SIMILARITIES TO ANY PERSON, PLACE, OR THEORY ARE IN NO WAY INTENDED OR TO BE INFERRED AS FACT OR REFERENCE.

THE WORK IS THE PARTICULAR PROPERTY OF THE AUTHOR. IT MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION UNLESS PART OF A REVIEW, INTERVIEW, OR PUBLIC PUSH OF THE WORK AND CERTAIN OTHER NONCOMMERCIAL USES PERMITTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW.

CONTAINS ADULT SITUATIONS.

FIRST PUBLISHED BY LUCY MARSH, MARCH 2024

TUMBLED INTO LOVE & MAGIC

FIRST EDITION

DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING BY JONES EDITING

COVER DESIGN BY LUCY MARSH

COPYRIGHT ©2024 AUTHOR LUCY MARSH

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

THE CONTENT OF THIS BOOK IS ENTIRELY THE PRODUCT OF HUMAN CREATIVITY AND NO AI TOOLS WERE USED IN ITS WRITING.

Thanks to the fabulous Chris, Tonya, Trudie, Katrina, and Jen for all your help in polishing the story. Also, thanks to model, Ozzy the cat, and Grandma C’s driveway for a background. Miss you Grandma and Mom. Without you for my romance book introduction, we might not be here today.

Chapter 1

Pulling on stretchy workout leggings and a sports bra, Via stepped into her running shoes before yanking her blonde hair into a ponytail. Swiping open the curtains, she let in the uninspiring view of the building next door. She pretended it was a grand vista overlooking the city.  

Pulling up her workout routine schedule on her phone, Via was soon stretching out, warming up. The exercise bike in the corner was the next stop. With her music blaring, she soon had sweat dripping and her muscles burning as she powered down an imaginary challenging bike trail.

Life was very orderly for Via Victoria Vinsen. Every morning was identical, regardless of the weekday. Monday through Friday, she would shower and dress for work after her workout. Weekends meant she would spend Saturdays cleaning the apartment and doing the shopping. She prepared for the following work week on Sundays, with small bouts of relaxation thrown in. Via had goals for her life, and so each day was one more step on a steady staircase. 

Two hours later, she’d dressed up in her sensible blue skirt suit with a soft floral blouse and cute matching kitten-heeled pumps. Her make-up was light, and she neatly tucked her blonde hair into a bun. Ater entering the downtown skyscraper office building with her sleek black briefcase firmly in hand, she strode briskly down the hallway to the temporary office she’d been working in.

Seeing a man at the desk caused her to screech and halt suddenly. It reminded her forcefully that this wasn’t actually her desk. The upper brass had asked her to fill in the Senior Accountant position until they could find a replacement for Mr. Giles, who had retired two months ago.

She had been pretending that the job was hers. In her mind, she indulged in a little daydream of being hired for the position. This office really was hers now and the fact that it had four walls and a door instead of interlocking foam boards was her secret thrill.

The dark-haired man appeared about her age, although he was clearly experiencing male pattern baldness, the reason for a monk’s ring of hair and a shiny pate. His face was round, and glasses perched on his nose. He looked up at her and smiled. Hi, you must be Miss Vinsen. They told me to tell you to head straight upstairs when you got in. Remembering his manners, he jumped to his feet and held out a hand to her. I’m Doug Martin, the new Senior Accountant.

Via automatically shook his hand, finding it soft and slightly damp. They hired you? Of course they did or you wouldn’t be here! Silly me. Disappointment, embarrassment, and hurt over the disregard for her feelings washed through her. She kept her smile determinedly polite. So if you’re here, that means my work is done. I do have some files you’ll need in my briefcase. He motioned for her to use the corner of his desk, and Via quickly pulled out the files and handed them over. Welcome to Riley and Botagan. Her voice was warm, even though inside her felt cold and brittle. Spinning on her heel, she left the office, her daydream a popped bubble of aspiration.

The march to the elevator had her stomach knotting up. Someone could have told her instead of letting her just blunder into the place. While she knew, she just knew, that they’d send her back to her old uninspiring job in accounting, Via couldn’t help but hope that the upper management had something else for her. Something better. She’d been doing a damn good job as Senior Accountant and deserved more than to be the mindless drone she’d been. There had been no need for them to hire outside the company when she was right here.

The elevator opened, and dark red carpeting muffled her footsteps. Only the upper floors had carpeting. Pompous jerks. Taking a deep breath, she ordered herself to calm down. Stopping at the reception desk, Via gave her name and waited. A girl who looked barely old enough to drive sent her through to the company’s vice-president. 

Via waited at another reception desk, sitting in a plush leather chair for nearly twenty minutes. Via’s orderly day was shot to hell. She didn’t like the disorder; she didn’t do well with it.

Finally, an older silver-haired man stepped through a door and waved her inside. Sudden nerves had her licking her dry lips before straightening her jacket and following him. Entering the wood-paneled office, she tried a smile. Mr. Levy, good morning. 

Miss Vinsen, thank you for coming in. He waved her into a comfortable chair and it just reinforced how horrible cubicle life on the lower floors could be.

Someday, Via would have this office. It was just one of her goals. The large window showed the view of the city that she imagined every morning. Skyscrapers, domed churches, and green parks lay like puzzle pieces against the brilliant blue sky.

Mr. Levy sat behind the desk and linked his fingers together on top. You have done a spectacular job for us filling in as Senior Accountant. I must say, the way you handled the position was truly impressive to the brass. We wanted to thank you personally for all your hard work. 

That little kernel of hope deep in her chest grew the tiniest bit. Thank you, Mr. Levy. It was wonderful getting to stretch my wings a bit there. I hope you understand that Riley and Botagan feels like home to me. I’m happy to do whatever I can to help.

So good to hear that. We love to know that our employees are happy here. Since we’ve filled the position, you can return to your old job. We are going to give you a raise just to show how much we appreciate you. His smile wasn’t precisely condescending, but that’s how it made Via feel.

And there was the crushing disappointment. Via kept the smile on her face by sheer force of will. Thank you so much for your generosity, sir. I hope that if any other positions come open, they will take into consideration my recent experience as the Senior Accountant.

Oh, of course, of course. Your work has been valuable; we won’t forget it. He unlinked his fingers and pressed his hands to his desktop. It was evident that their little meeting was over.

Via stood gracefully and again thanked the vice-president again before leaving his office. Knowing that security cameras were everywhere, even in the elevators, she stayed calm. Keeping her expression pleasant and unbothered, she rode down to her usual floor. Instead of heading for her cubicle, she detoured into the nearest restroom.  Carefully making sure she was alone in the room, Via spent the next five minutes cursing. She used every bad word she could think of and made a few more up. When the doorknob rattled just before it opened, she clamped her mouth shut and flipped on the water tap to the closest sink. Pompas, sniveling, old, saggy bottomed assholes. Her rant continued in her head.

She washed her hands, smiling blandly at the other woman that entered before drying them quickly and leaving. Walking briskly to her foam walled office, Via pretended that she was fine. She’d done the job they asked of her, and now it was time to get back to normal. She preferred routine and order, anyway.

Once at her cubicle, she discovered someone had stolen her stapler and the pack of colorful sticky notes that she preferred. Also, someone had switched out her decent desk chair for a crappy one. Sitting in the worn, fake leather chair and feeling the distinct lean to the right, Via clenched her fists in frustration. Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths. With a resolution she didn’t feel, Via booted up her computer and got to work. 

She’d known this would happen. There were no other open positions at the firm. She knew because she checked daily. Upper management had nothing to offer her. The fact that they could have let her have the Senior Accountant job instead of hiring someone new, yeah, that had her grinding her teeth. What the hell was up with that, anyway?

When one of the wheels fell off the chair she was sitting in and she nearly crashed to the floor, Via felt the sting of tears. Extricating herself from the chair with caution, she glanced around to confirm no one observed her kicking it. When that didn’t make her feel better, she sighed.

Slowly, her anger faded over the day, and depression set in. This was her life. The one she had built brick by brick. Her mother had passed away from breast cancer when Via was only eighteen. Evelyn Vinsen had watched Via graduate from high school and then she faded away. Her father died a few years later from a massive heart attack. With no siblings, no other family she knew of, Via marched through life by herself. Friends were something that she hadn’t seen the need for. Just more people to get attached to before they were taken away as well.

She wasn’t giving up. Via might be getting uncomfortably close to thirty, and her goal list pushed down slightly. But what else did she have? Life would continue whether or not she got her promotion. Let the trudging continue. She would make it someday. She would.

Chapter 2

Via Victoria Vinsen worked in the accounting department for a large attorney group, Riley, and Botagan. The business occupied a ten-story building. The first floor contained a coffee bar and a restaurant. Via worked on the fourth floor, a wide-open space divided into cubicles.

Her gray foam walled office was bare of personal effects. She kept things neat and tidy. The only concession was a tiny air plant in the corner. Someone gave her the air plant as part of a company Secret Santa event, and the note inside promised she couldn’t kill the plant. So far, it was true.

She lived her life as streamlined as possible. Doing the same things in the same order every day kept life on an even keel. She didn’t tolerate sudden changes to her routine very well. Via had been with Riley and Botagan for six years. She searched the company’s internal job listings almost daily. Hoping for the possibility of moving up, advancing, and climbing the corporate ladder.

She was bent over a file, studying the numbers before entering them into the computer, when someone stopped in the opening to her cubicle. Glancing up, she found a sweaty, lean young man wearing a bike helmet. He was so out of place in the office setting that she could only stare at him.

Yes? A frown started forming on her brow.

The young man, whose humid odor was now drifting towards her, shoved a small but clunky tablet at her. Are you Via Vinsen?. Her name and date of birth were on the screen.

Via wrinkled her nose at the musky scent of the man. Yes, she replied cautiously.

Can I see your ID, please? The man tapped buttons on his tablet.

Why?

Adjusting his weight from one foot to another, he tried to manage his eye roll. Via saw it anyway. Only Via Vinsen can sign for this, and I have to verify you. It’s the rules.

What is it? Via asked while reaching for her wallet. She plucked out her unused driver’s license and handed it over.

He sighed as if this was a common question he wished would go away. Registered mail. Special courier delivery. Not my business to know what’s inside. He squinted at the small plastic card before handing it back. Sign here, please. He handed her the tablet, tapping the line on the screen.

Let me see the envelope. She set her license on her desk and eyed the suspicious packet.

With an obvious eye roll this time, he held out the large envelope so that Via could clearly see her name on the front. What the hell? she whispered to herself as she took the tablet and, using her fingertip, awkwardly signed her name. As soon as she handed it back, the man shoved the envelope in her face. Via took it, and before she could even offer thanks or a tip, he was gone.

Swiveling the brown oversized package, she perused the return address. Ford Law Office, 113 East Main Street, Rock Balls, Missouri. What the hell? The words continually circled in her head. For the delivery address, there was simply her name in the care of Riley and Botagan.

Narrowing her gaze at the return address, Via shook her head slightly. She’d never been to Missouri. Hell, she’d never been more than 200 miles away from New York City. She certainly didn’t know anyone outside her small circle of acquaintances that had anything to do with the central state.

Via glanced at the work spread out in front of her. She needed to finish these reports. Instinct had her setting the envelope aside to look at it on her next break. But curiosity got the better of her. The fact that some place called Rock Balls actually existed was not going to just wait for later.

Snatching up her letter opener, she carefully slit the top of the packet open. Inside was a stack of papers. Extracting them, she located the top one, a letter written on thick vellum paper. The letterhead was the same Ford Law Office as the return address.

DEAR MS. VINSEN,

It is our solemn duty to inform you that your Great-Uncle Hortimer Vinsen has passed away. His last Will and Testament is on file with our office. It was Mr. Vinsen’s wish that his estate passed to the next closest living relative. After an extensive search, we have discovered that person is you.

Ms. Vinsen, it is imperative that you come to our office as soon as possible. This estate is extensive and worth a vast sum of money. We need to ensure a quick and safe transfer of Mr. Vinsen’s holdings to you before May 30 of this year. If a relative cannot be located and the transfer made, we must relegate this entire estate to Unclaimed Property of the State of Missouri. That is not a situation we desire to happen.

Please contact our office as soon as you receive this letter to make arrangements for your visit. We are committed to assisting you in any way that we can. Thank you for your prompt assertiveness in taking care of this situation.

Sincerely,

Alex Ford, Attorney at Law

BY NOW, VIA’S EYEBROWS had disappeared somewhere well above their usual resting place. On the next page, she came across what seemed to be a family tree. Near the bottom was her name, with her parents just above it. Their birthdays and dates of death were correct. The following few pages were more accounts of her relation to this Hortimer Vinsen.

She had a great-uncle? Well, used to have. Natural causes led to the man’s death at the age of 103. Via never met any of her grandparents. Her mother had once said that her parents lived in England and it was too expensive to visit. She was sure her dad’s parents had passed away before she was born or shortly after. Via had never been curious enough to find out more information. She had a brief uneasiness toward herself that surely not wondering about your family couldn’t be normal.

She’d had to learn to live with no family for her entire adult life. It had never occurred to her to see if she had anyone else out in the world. The proof she held in her hands told her that until six months ago, she had another family member.

Scanning the letter again, her eyes snagged on the words: This estate is extensive and worth a vast sum of money. She had to wonder how vast this estate was. Via also had an uneasy feeling that she’d just inherited a considerable headache. An estate in Missouri wasn’t something she was interested in. Not when her entire life was in New York.

Wait, wait, wait, her brain screamed at her. This can’t be real. She brushed her thumb over the letterhead of Mr. Alex Ford. What if this was some sort of scam? Reviewing the letter once more, Via couldn’t deny that it demanded nothing from her. Other than her appearance in Rock Balls. She closed her eyes and shook away the inappropriate image the name brought to mind. Who the hell would name a town that?

The ringing of a nearby phone snapped her back to her present location. She was at work; all of this was going to have to wait. What the hell is this? How did he even find me if I didn’t know about him? Via whispered to herself. She found her eyes drawn to the little air plant as if it held answers. Sliding the papers back into the envelope, she stuffed it in a drawer with her purse.

But her day that had started so horribly had taken yet another turn. She couldn’t concentrate on her work, thinking of the letter. Via also had an annoying sense of failure for not knowing she had an elderly relative. If his intention was to pass his estate to his nearest living relative, he must have been certain of her existence. Right?

Chapter 3

That evening, she sat on her couch with a glass of wine and re-read the attorney’s letter repeatedly. She stared at the genealogy reports until they blurred. Her parents, Henry and Evelyn Vinsen, and her dad’s parents, Haymond and Margaret Vinsen, were listed in black and white. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she recognized her great-grandparents’ names, Hallman and Sarah. The facts didn’t lie.

What she didn’t know was all the other, more personal details. Why hadn’t she learned about this uncle? Why hadn’t she cared enough to find out if she had more family? But also, what was she going to do with this supposed vast estate?

Via thought she should tell the lawyer to sell any property and transfer any funds to her electronically. Why was he insisting that she travel all the way to Missouri to take care of things? In today’s modern electronic era, surely this could be handled without her traveling thousands of miles?

But this was her family. Something she’d had too briefly in her life. As her wine bottle emptied, Via slowly discovered that she missed having a family.

Realizing she now indeed