Chapter 2: The Clockwork Vault
My fingers traced the faint lines on the yellowed parchment, the fine, tight cursive of my father, Thomas Higgins, unmistakable. I recognized the unique “TH” [more…]
Series: You don't belong among decent people, Clara, and no dress from Paris can hide a beggar's blood, Eleanor Montgomery said.
Chapter 1: Red Wine on White Satin
This entry is part 2 of 12 in the series You don't belong among decent people, Clara, and no dress from Paris can hide a beggar's blood, Eleanor Montgomery said.
Part 1 She leaned forward at the head table and deliberately dumped a full glass of deep red Cabernet directly across the front of Clara’s [more…]
Chapter 3: Whispers in the Carriage House
This entry is part 3 of 12 in the series You don't belong among decent people, Clara, and no dress from Paris can hide a beggar's blood, Eleanor Montgomery said.
The next three days in the carriage house were a blur of unsettling incidents. It began subtly. I woke on Tuesday morning to find a [more…]
Chapter 4: The Old Lady in the Conservatory
This entry is part 4 of 12 in the series You don't belong among decent people, Clara, and no dress from Paris can hide a beggar's blood, Eleanor Montgomery said.
The sting of Julian’s doubt was a physical ache. I felt like a net was slowly closing around me, tightening with every blank paper, every [more…]
Chapter 5: The Box at Riggs National
This entry is part 5 of 12 in the series You don't belong among decent people, Clara, and no dress from Paris can hide a beggar's blood, Eleanor Montgomery said.
The morning bus ride into downtown Washington D.C. felt like an escape from a waking nightmare. Every turn of the wheel, every passing street, pulled [more…]
Chapter 6: The Web of 1927
This entry is part 6 of 12 in the series You don't belong among decent people, Clara, and no dress from Paris can hide a beggar's blood, Eleanor Montgomery said.
The aroma of stale coffee and grilling onions in the diner across from Riggs National Bank was a jarring contrast to the earthquake that had [more…]
Chapter 7: The Petition
This entry is part 7 of 12 in the series You don't belong among decent people, Clara, and no dress from Paris can hide a beggar's blood, Eleanor Montgomery said.
My return to the Montgomery estate was propelled by a frantic urgency, a desperate need to show Julian the paternity report, to lay bare Eleanor’s [more…]
Chapter 8: The Gathering at the Manor
This entry is part 8 of 12 in the series You don't belong among decent people, Clara, and no dress from Paris can hide a beggar's blood, Eleanor Montgomery said.
The main drawing room of the Montgomery manor was a formidable space, usually reserved for the most important social functions. Tonight, it felt like a [more…]
Chapter 9: The Pre-Climax Silence
This entry is part 9 of 12 in the series You don't belong among decent people, Clara, and no dress from Paris can hide a beggar's blood, Eleanor Montgomery said.
Great-Aunt Beatrice raised a trembling hand, her gaze sweeping across the faces of the assembled Montgomery family council. Her eyes, though dimmed by age, held [more…]
Chapter 10: The Unlocking of 1927
This entry is part 10 of 12 in the series You don't belong among decent people, Clara, and no dress from Paris can hide a beggar's blood, Eleanor Montgomery said.
Beatrice’s hands, though still trembling, held the parchment steady. She carefully untied the faded green ribbon and unfolded the letter. The air in the room [more…]