Family Secrets (Young Adult Edition) (Davenport Manor (Young Adult Edition))

Davenport Manor

Family Secrets

Book 1

Melissa Zaroski

Copyright © 2013 Melissa
Zaroski

Cover illustration by Amanda
Busi

Photograph of Harlaxton Manor licensed
through Dreamstime.com

Photographer Artur Bogacki

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely
coincidental.

No part of this book may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form
or by any means without the prior written consent of the
author/publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages
in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine, or
journal.

DEDICATION

For my Mom and Dad,

who always encouraged me to
write.

For my husband, who always supports my
crazy endeavors.

For my children, who are my world and
my reason to live.

For my best friends, Miklyn and Holly,
who have encouraged me all along.

Prologue

Our property is historic;
it is known worldwide for its grandeur. Outsiders long to see what
lies beyond the iron gates that surround our home and wish to see
further than the little road that leads into a forest. They want to
go inside and experience the life they think we lead. They know who
we are; people
think
that they know us. They imagine we live this grand and
perfect life regardless of the tragedy that happened to us six
years ago. Everyone knows about
that
day. It was splashed all over
every news channel and celebrity magazine. If you missed it, then
you must have been living under a rock.

However, the image that people
envision of us couldn’t be more wrong. Some may be fascinated, but
most would be frightened if they knew the truth of what lies beyond
these iron gates.

Once in a while, people
are granted permission to cross through the gates for whatever the
given reason. This time, it is because of the movie being filmed
here. Of all the people that have come onto
my side
of the gates over the last
several years, he is the first man that has caused me to nearly
abandon all that I believe in. There is something about him that
makes me long to be who I once was. Ultimately, he deserves better
than me. He doesn’t seem to think so, but I ought to know better
than he does. We have discovered things about each other that we
cannot forget; not because we want to, but because it would be
dangerous for both of us if we went our separate ways.

He was one of the many that imagined
the perfect lives that were being lived down that little road that
leads into the forest. My father had the gates erected when the
house was built. One would think it was for the safety of those
living inside of them, but they don’t realize it was for the safety
of those on the outside. Because no one knows what lies beyond the
gates…

Chapter 1

As Todd was packing his
suitcase in his London flat, he imagined what life at the famous
Davenport Manor in the U.S. would be like for the next three
months. He had finally landed the role of his dreams in the fifth
installment of the movie franchise,
Ticking Through Time
. Years of
supporting roles in “B” movies, and even those were a struggle to
get hired for, had paid off. He wasn’t a bad actor, in fact he was
quite good, but he didn’t have that competitive edge that made
actors into celebrities. Standing at 6’3” with dark hair and blue
eyes, he didn’t have classic Hollywood looks, but he was indeed
handsome. He had a small fan base of people who took notice of his
English charm, but he wasn’t a household name yet. He hoped that
this role was finally going to change that.

He was newly single for the first time
in five years and was still nursing his broken heart. He had lived
with his girlfriend, Shannon for three years until the day he had
come home from a weekend visit with his parents to find that she
was packing her things. She explained that she had a hard time with
him being away on movie shoots and wanted to be with someone with a
stable career. She had met someone else that she had been seeing on
the side and had decided to move in with her best friend to have
the “roommate” experience. She still cared for Todd, but was no
longer in love with him. His heart was crushed.

Davenport Manor, the setting for a few
period movies that have needed an air of elegance and mystery. Part
Gothic, part Baroque, the grand and historic property was heavily
guarded. The only glimpse the outside world would get is from the
films that took place there or aerial shots from helicopters. Todd
looked over the agreement that he had to sign in order to even pass
through the iron gates of the Manor. It stated that he would not
disclose anything he saw or heard while on the property, pictures
were allowed to be taken, but never put on the internet or sold.
The consequences included a lawsuit of course, but it had such a
threatening undertone, he had the impression his life would be in
danger if he ever leaked information about the property. He had
cautiously signed the agreement, but was afraid of what might
happen if he had an innocent slip-up.

One of the primary
residents of Davenport Manor was no secret at all. Daniel
Davenport, an instant child star when he landed the lead role of
Paul Butler in the
Ticking Through
Time
films. He came from the prominent
Davenport family consisting of his parents and older sister.
However, his tale is tragic–Todd remembered it being splattered
across every news channel and gossip magazine six years ago.
Daniel’s parents were killed in a freak car accident when a large,
old tree fell and slammed into their car as they drove down their
private road on the property. At the time of their deaths, Daniel
was merely 15 years old and his only remaining family member, Emma,
was awarded custody of him. She also inherited the property and the
wealth, as she was the next of kin and the eldest child of the
Davenports.

Todd checked the clock on the wall; he
had two and a half hours until his flight departed to Chicago. He
decided that it was always better to be early and there was no
sense in lingering around when he was ready to go. He gathered his
suitcases, his folder of important papers, and looked around his
flat to make sure he didn’t forget anything.

As he went down the front steps of his
flat, the crisp October air and smell of a light mist was a welcome
feeling. It felt instantly refreshing to be out and away from the
tension and heartbreak that had plagued him here. He raised his arm
to hail a cab to London’s Heathrow Airport, where a plane awaited
to take him away from all the stresses in his life, if only
temporarily. He hoped this was a new beginning and the start of
something big. He felt a sense of adventure to be able to live at
such a historical place in the world and even if this role didn’t
put him on the Hollywood map, he would have a great memory of
living there.

As the plane descended, Todd looked
out the window and saw the beautiful Chicago skyline beneath him.
He had researched the things he wanted to do while in Chicago on
his days off from filming; The Ledge at the Sears Tower, Navy Pier,
an architectural tour on the lake, and do some shopping along
Michigan Avenue. Davenport Manor was a little over an hour north of
the city, so he hoped he could find transportation to get downtown
on his off day. After a ten hour flight, Todd finally arrived at
Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. He picked up his luggage from baggage
claim and saw a driver holding a sign with his name on
it.

“
Hello, I’m Todd Foster.
Are you taking me to Davenport Manor?” he asked.

The driver, obviously employed by the
property and not an outside company, asked for his identification
and took his luggage to the awaiting car. It was a midnight black
Cadillac Escalade with completely tinted windows that welcomed him
with a sense of luxury, something he wasn’t familiar
with.

During the hour drive north out of the
city, houses and buildings became few and far between until they
reached a small, quaint town with a population of just over
1,000—the town of Davenport.

Todd leaned forward and asked, “Excuse
me, I noticed the name of the town is Davenport as well, is it
named after Davenport Manor?”

“
I guess you could say
that,” the driver replied while looking at him in the rearview
mirror. “The Davenports settled in this area in the early 1800’s.
William Davenport had made his riches in shipping and trades in
Boston when he decided to move his family west. He built Davenport
Manor, which has grown in size over the last two centuries, and
built the original town as well. As more settlers came here, their
town was simply known as Davenport. His son, Christopher invested
in the railroads, which brought more wealth to the family and more
business for the community. To this day, the Davenports own the
town. They’re good people, each generation of them.”

As they approached their destination,
all Todd could see were dense trees and he knew that the Manor had
to be lurking behind them somewhere. He anxiously kept his eyes out
the window ahead of them like a child going to an amusement park
for the first time. The road ahead ended at high iron gates and a
guard shack.

“The Davenports are very friendly
people; everyone in town knows them and often speaks with them
while out and about. But, they are also extremely private people,
always have been for as long as I have been around. I’m sure before
that, too,” the driver explained as they pulled up to the guard
shack.

The guard, stern and ominous,
requested Todd’s photo ID and the signed agreement before allowing
him to enter the gates. But, once they did, the narrow road winded
a bit through some woods and up over a small hill. Once over the
hill, Todd gazed in amazement of what was lying before him.
Pictures didn’t do this place justice. The road before them was
still about a straight mile before they reached the front door. The
grandeur could be seen from this distance—the Manor itself was
sprawling and there were acres of grass surrounding it. Todd
already envisioned himself getting lost on purpose inside the
house. Toward the entrance, there were stone walls on either side
of the road with statues of roaring lions standing guard. They
pulled up into the circle drive and stopped in front of the
exceptionally large front door.

They gathered Todd’s belongings and
made their way inside where Daniel Davenport was
waiting.

“Welcome Todd! It’s great to finally
meet you! We’ve been excited about your arrival especially since my
sister is quite a fan of yours!” Daniel exclaimed while they shook
hands.

Daniel looked like he did in his
films, just more relaxed in jeans and a t-shirt. It’s always the
same when you’re meeting a celebrity you’ve come to know on the big
screen; it’s surreal and so normal at the same time.

“It’s great to meet you,
too Daniel. I can’t believe I’m actually here!” Todd said with a
smile as he looked around the grand foyer, feeling as though he had
entered an episode of
Downton
Abbey
. “Your sister actually knows who I
am? That’s a first!” He couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of
someone so prominent in high society knowing that he actually
existed.