Unlocking Adeline (Skeleton Key) by J.D. Hollyfield, Skeleton Key Read Free Book Online

past a cluster of stone-made water wells, a giant green wall comes into view, draped with an array of bold full-bloomed roses. We pass small groups of people, stopping to stare. I hold the cloak closer, hoping to cover my jeans and tank top.
    “Just in there, darling.” She points and guides me down a beautiful path of red and pink roses. I gaze at the perfectly trimmed bushes that align the entire garden. “Wow, this is amazing.” I inhale, reaching out to touch a rose, the petal feeling like soft silk between my fingertips. “This place is so beautiful,” I compliment, as my eyes wander over the entire garden. The bushes range from short to tall, offering privacy in some sectors and shorter ones to allow a view of the entire center.
    “I do agree. It is one of my favorite places to come. The scent itself is a reason to get lost in here.” She is right about that. The powerful, but not overwhelming scent of fresh flowers seeps into my nostrils, offering the most beautiful mixture of roses and greenery. “Shall we sit?” Faith offers, taking a seat herself on a bench just next to us. I sit beside to her, unsure of what to say.
    “I grew up with yer father, ye know.”
    I turn at her words. “You did?”
    “Oh yes. We were playmates. Did almost everything together. He was a mighty fine soldier, that boy. Never let anyone defeat his castle.” She giggles, remembering them as kids I assume.
    “Were… were you the one he was supposed to marry?” I ask, feeling guilty if my dad abandoned her.
    “Oh no! Heavens no,” she laughs again. “Not that I wouldn’t have been happy if I was paired up with yer father. He was a great man. But no, I was paired to marry my William from a very young age. Ye see, when we were all children, my William and I didn’t get along. Ye can imagine how scared I was, knowing that one day I would be set to marry him. I couldn’t see any good in him. I thought he was a bully and odd looking. Of course, I was also only seven. Yer father used to defend my honor with William. Threatened that if he didn’t treat me right, he would come and behead him in front of the whole village. It was quite admirable.”
    I find myself smiling with her, learning about my dad as a child. It sounded just like him, always protecting the people he loves the most.
    “When I turned sixteen, I knew I was at an age to be courted. William was to be my partner in this world, and that given the proper time for him to court me, we would be married by the time I turned eighteen.”
    “That kind of seems young to be married, don’t you think?” I try and think of where I was in my life at age eighteen. I couldn’t even imagine having to be married .
    “Well, time is different in Wren. We lose our youth at sixteen. Not that we lose ourselves, but we become grownups to this world. We are not sheltered as some are in other worlds. We believe that the soul has grown from its shell by that age. Tis no pressure for one to marry, but we support it.”
    “Then why did you marry? Why didn’t you hold off? What if William wasn’t the one for you?”
    “Oh, I waited. William courted me, and by courting; he annoyed me out of my ever-loving mind. We fought and fought. Didn’t agree on a single matter. Until one day. I was walking home from another village, just over the hills, after offering the children of Ferrow an English lesson. I made a bad judgement call and stayed well past my time. The day was getting away and night was soon falling upon me. I knew I should have left earlier in the day, but those eager children. They have a place in my heart when they become so excited to learn.
    “Either way, I lost track of time, and when I left it was dark. I had made the journey many times, so finding my way home was not the issue. It was that I was a lady and traveling alone. Sadly, that was noticed when I left. I was followed, and unfortunately attacked. The men wanted my horse and any jewels that I had on, but once they