Chapter seven: Prologue


She stirred and fell off the bench into the pile of hay. She groaned and spat out the hay as she stood up. Her mahogany hair was probably a mess, but she didn't care. She got up and walked over to the horse. He nickered approvingly at her, causing her to smile.

She undid one of the ropes, preparing to walk him around the stall. "What are you doing?" she spun around to see Tommy entering the stall, cigarette in his mouth.

She held the rope out to him. "Walking him. I need to see if he's limping."

He nodded and turned. "Curly! Uncle!" both men came hurrying in the room. "Moment of truth." He took the rope from her hands and led the horse out. The horse walked calm and smoothly, no signs of any limping. All the men exhaled in relief. Tommy actually cracked a faint smile, which made her smile in return.

"I don't even know your name."

"I'd like to keep it that way." She said softly. "I bring bad luck to everyone I meet."

"I doubt that." he handed the rope of the horse back to curly. "You cured him and for that I owe you something. Allow me to repay you."

She bit her lip and asked. "Can I name him?"

"Depends if I like the name."

She chuckled at his blunt tone. "Aspen."

"Aspen?" he asked.

"It's a white tree that grows in America. The leaves quake as the wind blows, but they always stand strong and upright.

"You're an American?"

"Partly." She exhaled as she rubbed her arms. "I'm not sure what I am anymore. I need to go. My father and brother probably have men out combing the city."

"I can give you a ride."

She smiled. "As delightful as that sounds, I need to walk. Think, clear my head."

He nodded. "I understand."

She held out her hand to him. "Goodbye."

His brow rose as he shook her hand. "Fancy lady like you shaking hands."

She smirked. "I suppose so. Good day gentlemen."

"Miss," he called after her. "Hang in there. You never know who'll need your help when you're gone. The world could be a lot darker without you in it."

She nodded as she turned and walked down the street. She wasn't sure where she was going, but her heart felt a little lighter now. Maybe he was right, maybe happiness was just around the corner for her. Life was terrible and it was miserable now, but maybe all she needed to was just turn a page and start the next chapter of her life


Present day,


"Kate?" She spun around at the sound of his voice. His eyes narrowed curiously. "Are you alight?"

"Yes, sorry." She cleared her throat and gestured towards the portrait. "It's a stunning portrait Mr. Shelby. The horse is stunning." Her voice still sounded slightly shaky.

"He was a good horse." She could tell from his tone of voice that he missed Aspen. "Had to put him down a few years back. He had a foot problem that never truly healed, but as long as his stall was kept clean…it wasn't too bad."

"What kind of foot problem?" She prodded, hoping to spark a recognition in him.

"No idea." He exhaled and rolled his eyes. "Charlie, he takes care of the horses, couldn't figure it out. We had a mad woman break into his stall one night," Kate bit her lip in amusement. "and she told us about a cure that actually worked. It helped him throughout most of his life."

"Interesting." She tried to keep her tone casual "What happened to the woman?"

He was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "She was very upset and I hope that she didn't end her life after that. I did have people out looking for her, but, she'd left Birmingham."

She was surprised. "Really?"

"Yes, she did me and my horse a favor. Would have liked to repay it."

"Well, I guess it's lucky for Aspen that she just happened to be there."

"Yeah." He paused for a moment before turning to her. "How the hell did you know his name was Aspen?"

She smiled simply smiled at him as he studied her carefully for a moment and then, recognition flashed in his eyes. "Aspens are a white tree that grow in America." She reminded him softly. "The leaves quake as the wind blows, but they always stand strong and upright."

"You Kate?" He questioned as he stepped towards her, placing her hands on her shoulders. "You were her Kate?" she nodded as he shook his head in bewilderment. "What were you doing there?"

"It's a long story and one day, when I have the time, I'll tell you about it."

He shook his head. "I'll be damned." He shook his head. "So, we did know each other. I'm not sure how I'd forget a face like yours."

She pondered it for a moment. "Were you married to your first wife at the time?"

"No, met her a few days before that, actually."

She smiled. "So, why should you remember my face? It would be insignificant in comparison to the love of your life."

"I should be able to remember someone who did a kindness to me, especially saving the life of my horse. I never really thanked you properly." He pulled her into a tight hug, which she returned. "Thank you."

"Thank you too, for being there for me when I needed someone."

He pulled away and held her gaze. "Your fiancé was murdered around that time, am I right?" she nodded. "So, when you mentioned suicide attempt-

"You prevented it." she exhaled. "I had arsenic in my pocket, but…your words stuck with me. so, I pulled myself together and moved to America. I never looked back until last year and realized I missed it. So, I decided to write a story about a haunted cottage in England and here I am."

He held her gaze before stating. "Welcome back."

"Thank you." The sounds of running footsteps caused them to separate. "And here come the children."

At that moment, the children enter the dining room. they both appear hesitant to jump into the room. Things had changed between her and Thomas, she could feel it in the air. The knowledge and the connection had made things feel very different between them. "May we, come in?" Charlie asks hesitantly.

"Yes!" She smiled broadly at them as she stepped towards them "I brought everyone Christmas presents from America!" The children's eyes grew round with curiosity as she turned to Thomas. "Is it alright to give everyone their presents, now?"

"You bought everyone presents?" he inquired.

"Well, everyone I knew. You, Polly and the children. Yours will be here in a few months. It's a special order and it should be here by July."

He frowns. "What in the world needs several months to get here?"

"It's a surprise. So, can I give them their presents?"

He smiles. "Can't figure how a body would ever tell you no. Alright, yes, but first," the children and Kate squealing drowned his voice out. "have your tea."

"Where's the parlor?" she asked. And with that, Ruby and Charlie dragged her out of the dining hall to the parlor. Thomas shook his head and followed behind her. Yes, this woman was curious and Thomas found himself slowly growing attracted to her.


Luna: Thank you very much for reviewing. As this fic is completed and I'm just rewriting it, I'm going to be uploading 6 chapters a day. So, you certainly won't be left waiting for too long. Kate certainly is an interesting character and fun too write. It took a few stories for me to develop her personality, so I had to rewrite her first one. She certainly keeps Thomas on her toes. I hope you enjoy the next 6 chapters.