Hidden (Marchwood Vampire Series #1) by Shalini Boland Read Free Book Online Page A

asked.
‘Surely some of them must’ve had kids? Are me and Ben really the
only ones?’
    ‘ Yes, we’ve researched it extensively. We had to go back to
the eighteenth century to find another branch of the family, which
led us back down to you. It was only with the advent of the
internet and the release of certain classified military records,
that we were able to trace you.’
    Maddy thought
for a bit. She and Ben were alone in the world. Here on a scrappy
piece of paper in black and white, was evidence of a real family,
but they were all dead. Just her luck. She knew she’d give up all
the money if she could have her mum back, but that wasn’t going to
happen. So she decided this money would be their way forward. She
would use it to make their lives safe.
    ‘ So let me get this straight,’ Trevor said. ‘These Swintons
were Maddy’s ancestors, but their kids are dead and there’s no
other relations anywhere apart from Maddy and Ben?’
    ‘ Just so.’
    ‘ And Maddy gets everything?’
    ‘ I’ll get to that in a minute.’
    ‘ I thought you said she gets a house and sixty one million?
Angie, you told me …’
    ‘ Mr Johnson,’ Mr Vasey-Smith interrupted. ‘I mean no
disrespect to you, but this meeting is for Madison and I would be
obliged if you would let me explain all the details.’
    ‘ Just looking out for Maddy here, that’s all. She’s only
sixteen.’
    Maddy looked
at her foster father with dislike and felt an unfamiliar wash of
embarrassment at his crassness. She returned her gaze to the
solicitor and waited for him to continue.
    ‘ Once the paperwork is signed, you will stand to inherit the
house in Gloucestershire and will receive a very generous monthly
allowance from your trust fund. The main stipulation is that you
must make the property your permanent residence, not just in name.
You must live there for at least forty weeks in each
year.’
    ‘ Live there? I can’t live there.’

Chapter
Four
    1881
    *
     
    Inside the
Gare du Nord, a cold March light washed down through a massive
glazed arch onto the hoards of passengers. Among them, Alexandre
and his family stood in the Salle de Depart, waiting to board the
sleeper train from Paris to the Port of Marseille.
    Papa went off
to locate their platform and soon returned to guide them towards a
large black steam train which hissed and blew on the line. They
found their first class carriage easily enough, their name written
on a piece of stiff card attached to the door.
    Other
passengers squeezed passed them in the corridor and Alexandre eyed
them with interest, wondering what their stories were and whether
he would have the chance to converse with any of them. The rest of
his family bustled about inside their compartment, stowing away
bags and removing overcoats.
    ‘ Come in, Alexandre,’ his mother chided. ‘Why are you standing
out there? You are blocking the way for the other
passengers.’
    ‘ Sorry, Maman,’ he replied and entered their
compartment.
    ‘ But where are we to sleep?’ Isobel asked.
    ‘ It has only just turned four o’clock, Isobel. You do not need
to worry about that just yet,’ Papa teased.
    ‘ Tell us more of Turkey, Papa,’ Jacques said.
    ‘ Let us remove our outer garments and make ourselves
comfortable first. We have a long train ride ahead of
us.’
    Before long,
they were snugly ensconced in their first class compartment, all
coats and bags stowed away under their seats.
    Doors slammed,
the whistle blew and great clouds of steam wheeshed into the icy
afternoon air. The carriage lurched backwards unsteadily and then,
with more confidence, rocked forwards and away, out of the station,
leaving behind the great iron roof of the Gare du Nord.
    The soft
rhythmic puffing of the train took Alexandre and his family
northwards through the grimy Parisian suburbs until they were
outside the city. And then it curved back round onto the main line
that would take them south to the sea and beyond.
    They travelled
down the