Chapter 7
The imagery was stark and undeniably haunting, suggesting a secret room or a hidden cellar beneath the sprawling estate. Clara folded the drawing and tucked it safely into her apron pocket, determined to find out what lay behind that door.
She made her way down the dimly lit east wing corridor, where the historical portraits of the Vance ancestors stared down with stern, unblinking eyes. Rumors had always swirled among the domestic staff about the mansion's older subterranean wings.
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According to old estate blueprints filed with the county courthouse, the original nineteenth-century manor included a secure archive vault beneath the main foundation. Margaret had legally sealed those lower levels off years ago under the guise of structural renovations.
Clara reached the heavy oak service door leading down to the basement stairwell, testing the brass handle with cautious fingers. To her surprise, the deadbolt had been left unlocked.
