The Gilded Curse: Will the young heiress be the next victim of her family's curse? Read Online Free PDF Page A

but paused. “Let me run up to my room first and get my sweater.”
    “Go ahead. I’ll wait for you here.” He motioned to a row of white rocking chairs on the veranda. “At least it’s much nicer than yesterday, even though it’s still chilly.”
    “It’s lovely, and even better, there’s no snow here.”
    “No, ma’am. Don’t think we have to worry about that. Although I believe it may have snowed here once or twice in history.”
    “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
    Lexie hurried inside and climbed the stairs to her second-floor room. Taking her room key from her bag, she placed it in the keyhole and grabbed the doorknob. But the door inched open from her grasp. It wasn’t locked, much less shut tight. She distinctly remembered pulling the door closed and locking it. How odd.
    She glanced up at the number—214—yes, that was her room number. Then who … Someone had been in her room. It must have been the housemaid. She looked up and down the hallway for signs of the cleaning staff. Seeing no one, she shrugged. Obviously, it’d been an oversight on the maid’s part. As she pushed the door open, she scanned the room to see if anyone was there. Finding the room empty, she allowed herself to exhale.
    Her stomach rumbled, reminding her of the scone she still had hidden in her sleeve. She smiled at herself for putting it there. A carafe of water sat on the nightstand, so she poured herself a glass and sat down near a small table to eat her hasty breakfast. She closed her eyes with the first bite, savoring the citrus tang of its lemon glaze. Still as good as she remembered, even though no longer warm. She hurried to finish and not keep Russell waiting. She took another sip of water before crossing the room to the dresser to retrieve her sweater.
    As she leaned over to pull out the drawer, something caught her eye. Her toiletries on top of the dresser had been moved. Her brush and comb were previously parallel to each other on the right side, her perfume and powder on the left. Now they were reversed. Of course, the maid would move them to dust, but usually they would be put back the same way they’d been found. It wasn’t that important, but perhaps she needed to speak to the head housekeeper about the negligence of the maid—leaving a room unlocked and rearranging a guest’s personal items.
    She opened the drawer and gasped. Her things were scrambled,not folded as she’d left them, as if someone had rummaged through them. But why would anyone do such a thing? Were they looking for valuables?
    A chill shook her. Maybe someone was still in the room, hiding. That would explain the door. She turned around and knelt down to look under the bed. Holding her breath, she lifted the bed skirt, hoping another hand wouldn’t grab hers. She exhaled a sigh of relief when she found the space empty and open through to the other side. She straightened as she scanned the room for another possible hiding place. The wardrobe door beckoned. She tiptoed across the room, grabbing an ornamental vase off the dresser for a weapon. Hoisting it over her head, she jerked open the door.
    But only her clothes greeted her, the dead mink on her coat the most menacing, staring at her with glass eyes. She shoved the hangers apart to make sure no one was behind them. No one there. She blew out a breath, closed the door, and leaned against it, her body shaking. Had she imagined these things? Was this how her mother had felt?
    No. Someone had definitely been through her things. Perhaps a thief had been looking for valuables. Well, they must have left disappointed. She wore the only valuables she’d brought.
    Russell must be told about this. She grabbed her sweater and left the room, then made sure she shut the door and locked it. As she scurried down the hallway to the top of the stairs, she heard a door close behind her. She spun around and recognized the woman from the launch, the mother of the little girl. Dressed in a housemaid’s uniform