Chapter 2

• " I didn't cause any of this. " She whispered.
• " You did. I'm sure you were glad you lost it. "
• " How could you say that? Do you know how much it hurt me to lose the child? I did want the baby. I wanted it more than anything in the world. " There was silence in the room for a few seconds.
• Tears leapt to her eyes as she was at a loss for words. It was obvious. There is nothing left to save in this marriage. He fucked another woman a month after she lost the baby and now he wants a divorce. Was he ever in love with her?
• He cleared his throat. " Look, let's not drag this any longer. Let's just get a divorce. "
• That's how their marriage ended. The court divided his properties and gave her The Denham Manor in England. The Denham Manor was from Jacob's father's family and it had been passed down to the first sons of the family and now she was the owner. It was built in the mid 1800s and was kind of a lifeline to the family which seemed strange but Jacob seemed rather nonchalant about losing it to her in the court.
• She'd heard strange things about the manor although she had never been there.
• Amelia was heartbroken after the divorce so she decided to take a vacation to the manor. He had already brought his new wife home and they were making wedding plans when she left in the first week of August.
• Going on a vacation to England was all she could have hoped for. As she left the capital far behind and made her way north-east toward Colchester. She watched the green countryside, the quaint towns, and the slower paces, from the window of her car and she liked them. She even liked the narrow roads and the farm buildings. Right now, both Jacob Denham and his new wife seemed magnificently far away or on the other side of her mind.
• She was determined to use the next two weeks to think carefully about the future. If she had known all of this would've happened within a blink of an eye she wouldn't have submitted her resignation letter but now it was too late.
• All this was going through her head as she drove, but as she reached the edge of the slope above the wide valley where Colchester and the natural beauty within the Dedham Vale were laid out before her, something happened that was so strange it made her temporarily forget all her problems.
• The moment the panoramic view came into sight, she was struck by such a fierce feeling of deja vu that she almost swerved her car into the path of an oncoming truck. With a scream she slammed on the brakes and the truck thundered past. It was a close call, and her heart pounded as she rested her forehead weakly against the steering wheel.
• As she recovered a little, she looked at the view again. There was something so oddly familiar about the Colchester town that made a shiver run up her spine. Then she shook her head . The prospect was clearly a famous one, for she might have seen it in a magazine or something. But if she had, it wasn't recently, because she hadn't looked out or searched up for the history of England and its cities so it was still strange to her.
• A wry smile touched her lips. If anyone should experience deja vu her, it was Jacob, not her. After all, it was his father's family, the Denham, that came from these parts.
• Even with that the "been here before" feeling lingered as she drove closer to the city and towards the direction of the Denham Manor. The feelings were so strong as drove past the buildings and that she was even thinking she was going to see someone she knew, but there was no one.
• Standing tall in all its glory was the Denham manor. The private house just lay off the street with smaller buildings and wooden fences around it.
• There was an old man and woman in the middle of the compound and they had their heads bowed. The old man was dressed like a Butler and so was the woman who looked like she was still in her fifties. They had a broad smile on their faces as she parked her car and came down from it. It seems they came out the moment they heard her car from the yard.
• The lane was wide enough to take a car, and ended in a rose-decked courtyard where derelict eighteenth-century cottages had been turned into luxurious tourist accommodations.
• The old man walked up to her. " Would you be Mrs Denham? "
• She was about to nod her head but stopped, remembering that she was not married anymore but she had no choice but to give him a reply. " Yes, I would, Mr? "
• " Walker. Noah Walker. I'm the butler. Everyone calls me Noah. "
• Amelia raised a brow. Everyone?
• " Right, Noah. You can call me Amelia or just Miss. I'm no longer a married woman. " She replied with a forced smile and she could see the look of confusion on his face when she told him that she was no longer a married woman.
• Her gaze darted to the woman who was still smiling at her and she returned the smile.
• " I'm Alicia Walker. The cook. " She introduced herself. Her gaze focused on Amelia.
• " Nice to meet you. I can't wait to eat one of your meals. "
• She nodded as she helped her take her luggage from the trunk. " I trust you had a good journey? "
• " Yes, thank you. " The courtyard roses were sweet and heady in the warm air, and the fragrance seemed to stir hidden memories. It was another odd feeling, like the way she'd felt when she saw the view from the slope. How strange!
• She looked around to see if there was anyone in the compound except for the three of them but there was no one.
• " Where are the others? " Amelia popped up a question.
• " Others? We're the only ones here. "