Enchanted, A Paranormal Romance / Fantasy (Forever Charmed) by Rachel Wells Read Free Book Online Page B

woman and opened the trunk to put it safely in there until she could decide what to do next. Maybe there would be a pocket in the lining, as sometimes you see in old suitcases, that she could slip it in to. She let her hands slide along the red silk interior feeling for a give in the material as her eyes scanned along. The shininess of the red on red silk made it hard to discern if there was any such thing with her eyes alone. She let her fingers continue on, feeling and searching out any suggestions of a place to store it. As they traveled closer to the edge of the trunk she realized the fabric was frayed a bit along one side.
    Mandy’s fingers walked along the feathered edges and realized the fabric was indeed so frayed that it was no longer connected to the wood of the trunk itself. It had come apart ever so slightly, only allowing the very tips of Mandy’s fingers entrance. Mandy thought it could probably be fixed easily enough; her grandmother would know what to do. On the other hand, there was no pocket to be found…maybe Mandy would not mention the little tear to her grandmother. She could stash the image behind the fabric itself, no one any the wiser.
    Mandy folded the paper into thirds, and began to maneuver it delicately under the silk fabric. She did not want to damage the heirloom anymore than it was already. The paper was being difficult, however. It simply did not want to slide easily behind the fabric as Mandy had assumed it would. She put her fingers under the little give that was there and tried to see if it was not being held to the wood in other spots. As she did this, her fingers brushed on something. It felt as though someone else had already found this hiding spot and claimed it as their own.
    Paper of some sort was folded behind the fabric. Mandy dropped her own printout and began to try to get a grasp on what was behind the silk. It was pushed pretty far back. She walked over to her desk and started opening the drawers, looking for something, anything, with which she could lure the hidden contents out. A ruler! Mandy grabbed it and stuck it gingerly behind the fabric and up against the paper. She slid it towards the opening, slowly, trying not to put a run in the fabric or pull it off more from its resting place. The paper was acting agreeably and complied with the ruler, making its appearance after a moment of struggle.
    What was before Mandy was not just one paper, but several, folded in thirds as Mandy had just folded her own. They were held together by a thin string, discolored as the paper was, from age. It was tied in a neat bow. Mandy wondered how long this string had done its duty by holding the stack neatly together. She was almost scared to touch it for fear it would disintegrate into dust before her very eyes, but she couldn’t escape the urge to do so anyway.
    Mandy pulled on one edge of the string ever so slowly, all the while holding her breath for fear of breathing it into oblivion. No such thing happened though. The delicate little string must be sturdier than it looked. It came off easily, gladly even, bestowing to Mandy what it had held for so long in its clutches.
    Eagerly, with shaking hands, Mandy unfolded the yellowed papers that felt stiff with age. It was obvious they had not been so much as touched in a very long time, never mind unfolded. Upon straightening out the first page she saw a date in elegant script written in the upper right hand corner. Letters. Notes. To who? From who? The lady on the trunk and on the tombstone? Mary Nasson? She scanned the page, observing the old-fashioned handwriting that adorned it, until she came to the bottom of the letter and saw the phrase “Ever yours, M. Nasson”.
    Mandy could not stifle the gasp that forced its way from her mouth. She almost couldn’t believe her eyes. Was it possible she was dreaming? Maybe this whole move was one long dream. It did have a dreamlike quality to it. Too much weirdness had filled her days since coming