Greetings to you, my lovely readers! I must first say that I am SO sorry, because it has been an ETERNITY since I last posted something on here or updated any of my other stories :/ Yikes! In case you hadn't guessed, there's a very high chance that those others will not be continued. So now, of course, you must be thinking, then why are you posting a new story? Well, I have some very good news! Knowing myself and my previous issues with getting chapters out, I went ahead and have already finished this story. I intend to release a new chapter every week, so you should have nothing to worry about!

I do not own the Haunted Mansion or any of its characters, with the exception, of course, of my OCs.

While the character of Elizabeth Henshaw is not mine, she is an OC in this story, and is not based on Marsha Thomason, for reasons involving the sequel. If you'd like a face claim, I've used Kylie Bunbury in the cover pic.

So, without further ado, please enjoy Before the Haunting Hour.

Elactress

XXXXX

1869

"Elizabeth, darlin'! Come along now!"

I looked up from the frog resting in my palms to see my daddy waiting for me, and I eagerly ran up to show him my catch.

"Look daddy!" I thrust it up towards him.

He chuckled, setting down our bags on the road and kneeling down to my height.

"Aye, that's quite a hopper ye've got there. " He grinned.

"Can I keep him?"

"Now love. You know they're only expectin' two of us up at the house, and I'm not sure the Lady would appreciate sharin' her rooms with an amphibian."

My face fell.

"She doesn't like frogs?" I frowned, not sure I wanted to live with someone who didn't like frogs.

"Well…I just reckon she's never met one before. But you know what, " He leaned in in a conspiratorial manner. "I bet that someday, once ye've gotten to know each other, you can introduce her. How does that sound to you?"

"Very good!" I agreed.

"That's my girl." Daddy ruffled my hair. "Now we'd better let our slippery friend get back to his family."

My mouth formed a little 'o' shape. I quickly turned and put the frog back near the pond where I'd found him while daddy picked up the bags, and then the two of us continued on our way up the road to the mansion that was now looming over us.

XXXXX

As I followed my daddy up the steps to the house, I could feel those darn butterflies flying around in my stomach again. My hand clutched onto his coat as he knocked on the door.

Several moments passed before the door swung open to reveal a short, funny-looking man with balding, brown hair, who looked my daddy up and down curiously.

"May I help you, sir?" He asked, not noticing where I hid behind my daddy's leg.

"My name is William Henshaw, and this is my daughter, Elizabeth." He motioned to me and I noticed the man's eyes widen as he saw my dark skin. "I believe we're expected by Lady Gracey."

"Oh, yes! Of course! Do come in!" The man cheerfully ushered us inside. "My name is Ezra. I'm one of the servants here, along with my wife and a small handful of others. Please feel free to ask me any questions that may come up, and in the meantime, make yourselves comfortable."

My eyes grew as big as saucers and my mouth fell open in awe as we stepped into a very large hall, more grand and glorious than anything I'd seen in my entire life. The walls were covered in paintings and elegant draperies. The floors gleamed as though they'd never been stepped on, and beneath our feet lay a Persian rug whose pattern twisted in an endless, dizzying maze. In front of us, a long archway lead to another pair of doors which currently stood closed, and which - I realized as I stepped forward to get a better look - were guarded by several menacing suits of armor that looked as though they could spring into battle at any moment. The air was filled with the scent of sweet spices, and above our heads hung an enormous, glittering chandelier.

"I'll run and tell the Mistress you've arrived." Ezra told us.

I watched as he turned and quickly made his way up one of the two staircases that curved around the archway, disappearing briefly behind the clock at the top and then into one of the passages that lead further into the manor. That's when I heard a light giggle.

My head whipped back towards the clock, and I met a pair of bright blue eyes. A fair-skinned girl with blonde ringlets was peering down at me from behind the bannister, lips parted in a mirthful grin, and as another high-pitched giggle echoed through the room, an exactly identical girl peeked out from behind her.

"Daddy." I tugged at his jacket. "Daddy, look."

He glanced down at me curiously, then followed my gaze to the twin girls that were staring at us.

"Good afternoon, ladies." He smiled up at them.

"Good afternoon, sir." The first girl replied.

"You two must be Lady Gracey's nieces."

"Yes, sir."

"Are you living here?"

"Uh-huh. Our parents are always away for a long, long time." The other girl nodded.

"Well," Daddy placed a hand on my shoulder and pushed me to stand in front of him. "I'm William Henshaw, and this is Elizabeth. We're going to be living here as well from now on."

The girls' eyes both gleamed and they immediately leapt to their feet, turning and dashing down the stairs at a pace that both scared me and drew me in to the strange and bizarre pair. As soon as their feet touched the floor, they made a beeline straight for me.

"Are you really going to be staying with us?" The second girl asked as they came to a halt in front of me.

"Yep! My daddy works here now." I stated proudly.

Their faces both lit up.

"We've never had a playmate before!" The first girl explained. "How old are you?

"Eight."

"That's the same as us!"

"We've never met someone like you who's our age." The second girl told me. "Your hair is so much darker than ours!"

"Alright, girls! That's enough."

We all looked over to see a brown-haired woman in a black dress and apron coming towards us from the hallway to our left. Her eyes were warm and soft, and I liked her instantly.

"Now you two go on and wait in the library so we can give them some time to breathe." She instructed the twins.

"But Emma-!"

"Ah ah ah! No complaining. I'm sure your new friend will be along shortly."

I felt slightly sad as the two girls let out a groan, but slowly turned and shuffled their way over to the curtain on the other side of the stairs, pushing through it and vanishing into the room beyond.

"I'm terribly sorry if they overwhelmed you, Mr. Henshaw. Aggie and Jamie mean well, but they can be a bit…enthusiastic." The woman apologized.

"Not at all. It's a pleasure to know that Elizabeth won't be without friends here." He ruffled my hair.

"Daddy!" I whined, pulling out of his grasp and retreating back behind him.

He and the woman both chuckled and I frowned, determinedly trying to brush my hair back into place.

"I'm afraid I didn't catch your name, ma'am." Daddy prompted the woman.

"Oh, forgive me! I'm Emma. I believe my husband Ezra met you at the door."

"Just William, please. And yes, he mentioned that you worked here as well." Daddy confirmed.

"That will be all, Emma. Thank you."

Emma quickly turned towards the stairs, bowing her head and retreating from the room, and I peeked out from behind my daddy's leg to see a powerful, stern-looking woman in a high-collared purple dress descending towards us- no doubt the woman that had called us here.

But my attention was quickly captured by the tall, dark-haired boy who trailed behind her.

He didn't appear to be that much older than me, but he held himself with a confidence and poise that left me gaping at him in wonder, and as he and the woman drew near, I shyly pulled back to hide behind my daddy's jacket. The boy, however, noticed the movement, and a gentle smirk crossed lips as he caught sight of me watching him.

"Mr. Henshaw." Lady Gracey greeted him politely, extending out her hand. "So good of you to come."

"The pleasure is all mine, madam." He kissed her fingers. "Your husband saved my life more than once durin' the war. He was a good man."

"Thank you. I know it all too well."

She stepped to the side, allowing the boy to come forward.

"This is my son, Edward." She introduced.

Edward…

I mouthed the name silently to myself, testing out how it felt on my tongue. It was very nice.

"An honor to meet you, Mr. Henshaw. My father spoke of you often." Edward told him, and I noted how smooth and gentle his voice was.

He gave my daddy a small bow, but as he began to straighten, his eyes suddenly raised to meet mine and he flashed me a dazzling smile, which sent a warm sensation through my body and made the corners of my lips turn upwards. The encounter did not go unnoticed by Lady Gracey, who immediately stiffened when she saw me.

"And who is this?" She inquired, almost demandingly.

Daddy placed a hand on my back.

"This is my daughter, Elizabeth."

"Your…daughter?" Lady Gracey repeated, looking astounded.

"Aye. Her mother passed away several years ago, so it's just been the two of us for some time now." Daddy explained, unfazed by her reaction.

She looked between the two of us, a deep frown marring her features as she realized I was mixed race.

"…I see."

Giggling reached my ears, and I turned my head to see the twins grinning at us from behind the library curtain.

"Ah! Jamie! Agatha! Come and meet Mr. Henshaw!" Lady Gracey instructed them.

They obeyed her, emerging from their hiding place and skipping over to us.

"How do you do, sir?" They curtsied in a very rehearsed manner.

"My nieces, Mr. Henshaw." Lady Gracey went on. "Their parents are diplomats to France, so they've been living with us while they receive their education."

"I'm afraid we've both already become acquainted with these two fine ladies." Daddy smiled.

"Ah. Then why don't you girls take…Elizabeth…to the garden, while Mr. Henshaw and I discuss his new position here?"

"Oh, yes Lizzie! You have to see the garden!"" The first girl- Agatha, I think – ran forward and took hold of my arm, dragging me towards the library door.

"Do you mind if we call you, Lizzie?" Jamie asked, taking my other arm. "It could be our nickname for you!"

Just as they were about to push me through the curtain, I cast a fleeting glance over my shoulder and was met, once more, with the eyes of the young Master Gracey. A smile spread across my lips.

XXXXX

"Does Edward ever play with you?" I asked from my perch by the pond.

After the three of us had left the grand hall, I'd barely had time to look at the library as they pulled me towards a glass dome and then down several steps to a door which led out to the garden. It truly was as beautiful as they'd said- a winding dirt path between rows upon rows of foxgloves and magnolias and larkspurs, and an entire kaleidoscope of other flowers which all centered around a small, marshy pond. We stood now throwing pebbles into the water, and I made a careful note to look for frogs later.

"Oh no." Jamie replied without missing a beat. "Edward is twelve. He spends all of his time studying or with Aunt Abigail."

"We're lucky if we see him before supper." Agatha agreed.

My spirits fell. I had very much hoped that I might have another friend in the mansion.

"Oh."

The girls quickly noticed my gloom.

"But we don't need him to have fun!" Jamie assured me.

"Yeah! You haven't even seen most of the mansion yet!" Agatha chimed in.

"There's the nursery and the attic and the ballroom-"

"Do you like to play with dolls?"

I felt my face grow warm at her question and I looked down at the ground, embarrassed.

"I've…I've never had a real doll before." I admitted.

"Never, ever?" Jamie gasped. "How dreadful!"

"Well, we'll just have to give you one of ours." Aggie declared.

My head snapped up and I looked at her in shock.

"You really mean it?"

"Of course!" She said. "How are you going to play dolls with us if you don't have one?"

"That's a great idea! We can go up to see our collection right now!" Jamie suggested.

"I'll race you both upstairs!" Agatha shouted out.

She spun around and began to bolt back up the path to the house, and Jamie and I both gave each other a stunned look before we took off after her.

"No fair, Aggie! You had a head start!" Jamie cried out.

"And I don't know where we're going!" I protested.

"You better speed up slow pokes!"

We were both hot on her heels as we dashed through the library entrance and up the stairs - nearly crashing into the piano at the top in our haste - then sprinting across the room and ripping through the curtains into the grand hall. My competitive side took hold of me and I became quite determined to beat them at their own game as we scurried up the stairs.

"Give up, Jamie! You know I'm faster than you!" Agatha taunted her as we ran down the hall.

Part of me wanted to stop and take in my surroundings, but I kept my eyes locked onto the blonde curls bouncing in front of me and let a sly smile cross my lips as I picked up my pace and soon easily bolted past the girl in front of me, feet pounding as fast as my heartbeat.

"Hey!" Jamie let out an indignant cry.

We all came to another set of stairs at the end of the hallway, and I boldly began to leap up two at a time, ignoring the way my skirts flew up around my knees. By the time I reached the top, Aggie and I were neck and neck.

"You said you didn't know where we were going!" Aggie objected.

"It doesn't matter as long as I get there first!" I grinned.

She turned her head forward with strong resolve written across her features, but just as quickly grew pale and began to slow down dramatically. I sped past, looking back at her in confusion.

"Lizzie look out!" She screamed.

I whipped my head around immediately- only to crash directly into something firm and dark and to fall in a heap on the floor, the hallway sent spinning around me as my adrenalin wore off and I gasped for breath. My arms slowly pushed me off the ground, and I peered back down the hall to see Jamie and Agatha standing a good ways away and staring beyond me in horror. My blood drained from my face. Very cautiously, I turned around and was greeted with the sight of two black shoes standing in front of me, in which I could see my own terrified reflection. As I reluctantly let my gaze move upward, black shoes turned into dark blue pants, which turned into white gloved hands and a dark blue jacket…and…eventually…I was staring into a face so cold and severe that I felt an icy chill come over me, and I shivered violently. The man had extremely white hair and sickly pale skin…but what frightened me the most were his eyes- a hollow shade of blue that revealed nothing about the mind within them. I was up on my feet within seconds.

"I'm terribly sorry, sir!" I squeaked out. "I meant no harm!"

He said nothing, merely staring down at me with a dark grimace. I swallowed hard.

"It was our fault, Ramsley!" Jamie came to my rescue, Agatha following close behind. "We were showing Elizabeth a game, and…I guess we got a little carried away."

"You must be the Henshaw girl."

Oh, that voice. It was about as pleasant as the sound of breaking glass.

"Yes, this is Elizabeth. She's going to be living here with us." Agatha explained, though much quieter and more timid than her usual self.

I didn't dare look away from his stony face as I dropped into a clumsy curtsy.

"H-How do you do, sir?" I stammered out.

Again, he was deathly quiet. He mercifully seemed to decide to ignore me altogether as his critical gaze moved to the two girls behind me.

"Forgive me, ladies, but it is my duty to remind you that the study lies not two doors down from here, and Master Edward is far too engrossed in his lessons to be distracted by your shrieking and silly games. After all, he has a responsibility to this household far greater than your own. Is that understood?"

The power he held over the both of them astounded me, and I watched as the bowed their heads and nodded.

"Yes, Ramsley."

I froze as he turned his gaze to me.

"Is that understood…Ms. Henshaw?"

My head was nodding before I was even aware of what I was doing.

"Yes, sir." I mumbled obediently.

Without another word, he pivoted on his heel and made his way over to the door just a little ways away from us, and as soon as it latched shut behind him, the spell was broken.

We all let out a shaky breath, and I turned to my companions in disbelief.

"Who was that?"

"That was Ramsley, our butler." Agatha shuddered. "He's a mean old goat."

"He's your butler?" I gaped at them.

"More like Edward's private tutor." Jamie explained. "He runs everything around here- the household, all the servants, and especially Edward himself."

"Poor Edward." I frowned.

"He and Ramsley get along really well, actually." Jamie told me, much to my surprise.

"They do?"

"Mmmhmm." Aggie nodded. "We've tried to complain about him before, but Edward won't hear a word of it. He says we'll understand when we're older, but I just think he doesn't know how bad Ramsley is when he's not around."

"Anyway, let's forget about him. It's only Lizzie's first day at the manor, and we're going to make it absolutely perfect." Jamie grinned. "Now let's go! The nursery's at the end of the hall."

She and Aggie both looped their arms through mine, but as we continued on our way, I couldn't help but wonder what other surprises the mansion had in store for me.

XXXXX

I lay curled up in my bed, trying not to cry as thunder shook the house.

When Emma had showed the room to me earlier in the day, I was excited that I had one all to myself for the first time. I had my own enormous bed, and a fireplace, and a big, fancy desk – but now…when everything was all shadowy and dark…I could swear that there were monsters lurking in every corner, ready to jump out and get me if I set foot on the floor or if I fell asleep. Oh why did daddy's room have to be so far away? What if one of the creatures got me and he couldn't hear me scream? What if the lightning came in through my window and struck me? As a bright flash lit up my room, I yanked my covers over my head and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to make all the bad things go away. It's not real, it's not real, it's not real-

BOOM!

I couldn't bear it anymore, and I bolted straight up, screaming. Tears began to flow down my face and I shoved the blanket into my mouth, trying to stifle my uncontrollable sobbing. My nose was dripping and my throat hurt, and I just wanted to be anywhere but here.

But then my door flung open.

I let out another little scream and stared with wide, fearful eyes at the figure standing in the doorway, but as they stepped towards my bed, it took me all of two seconds to realize, with a sigh of joy and relief, that it was Edward Gracey, dressed only in a loose white shirt and pants. He came directly to my side.

"Are you alright?" He asked, concern flooding his features.

I shook my head no, quivering in fear as I pulled the blanket tightly to my chin. For a moment, he looked confused, but then understanding dawned in his eyes and he sat beside me on the bed, his expression softening.

"Are you scared?"

I nodded.

He smiled gently.

"It's alright to be frightened, Elizabeth. I used to be scared too. But do you know what I did?

I shook my head again.

"My father and I made up a little game. Would you like to play it?"

I didn't respond, but lowered the blanket away from my face as my curiosity got the better of me. Edward took this as encouragement.

"It's very easy, I'll show you. All you have to do is pretend that the thunder and the lightning are in an argument. Watch."

We waited for a moment, and I stiffened as lightning flashed in the window.

"Get out of my sky, you rotten thunder!" Edward mimicked the high-pitched voice of an old woman and I couldn't help the smile that lit up my face.

The loud crash of thunder that followed shook the bed, and I nearly burrowed under the blankets, but Edward's arm quickly wrapped around me.

"You smell of stinky cheese, Mademoiselle Lightning!"

Now his voice was dramatic and deep.

An unbidden giggle bubbled to my lips and Edward beamed down at me.

"Now look at that! You're doing better already!" He grinned.

"Would…" I began quietly. "…would you stay with me awhile longer?"

He mimed shock as the words came out of my mouth.

"And she speaks as well!" He teased. "I'd say this has been quite an eventful evening."

My cheeks grew warm and I pressed myself closer to his side, shyly raising my eyes to meet his gaze.

"Thank you for saving me." I whispered.

His dark eyes softened, and his arm tightened affectionately around me.

"You're very welcome, Elizabeth."

XXXXX

So, just to clear it up, Elizabeth's father is a white Irish man, and her mother was African American. Edward's father and Elizabeth's father fought together in the American Civil War on the Union's side (which I'll explain more about later), which took place four years before this chapter. Woo! First chapter up!

Feel free to review, but please don't be mean about it!

I'll have the next chapter up next Wednesday!