Hannah Emery - The Secrets of Castle Du Rêve - A thrilling saga of three women’s lives tangled together in a web of secrets

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First published in Great Britain by Harper Impulse 2016

Copyright © Hannah Emery 2016

Cover images © Shutterstock.com

Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers 2016

Hannah Emery asserts the moral right to

be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book

is available from the British Library

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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Ebook Edition © February 2016 ISBN: 9780007568802

Version 2016-02-09

For Jessica and Isobel

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page The Secrets of Castle du Rêve HANNAH EMERY A division of HarperCollins Publishers www.harpercollins.co.uk

Copyright Harper Impulse an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in Great Britain by Harper Impulse 2016 Copyright © Hannah Emery 2016 Cover images © Shutterstock.com Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers 2016 Hannah Emery asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Ebook Edition © February 2016 ISBN: 9780007568802 Version 2016-02-09

Dedication For Jessica and Isobel

The Castle of Dreams

Part One

Chapter 1: Isobel 2010

Chapter 2: Evelyn: 1939

Chapter 3: Isobel 2010

Chapter 4: Victoria: 1964

Chapter 5: Isobel: 2010

Chapter 6: Evelyn: 1947

Chapter 7: Isobel: 2010

Chapter 8: Victoria: 1964

Chapter 9: Isobel: 2010

Chapter 10: Evelyn: 1948

Chapter 11: Isobel: 2010

Chapter 12: Victoria: 1964

Chapter 13: Isobel: 2011

Part Two

Chapter 14: Victoria: 1964

Chapter 15: Isobel: 2011

Chapter 16: Evelyn: 1948

Chapter 17: Isobel: 2011

Chapter 18: Victoria: 1965

Chapter 19: Isobel: 2011

Chapter 20: Victoria: 1965

Chapter 21: Evelyn: 1965

Chapter 22: Isobel: 2011

Chapter 23: Evelyn: 2011

Epilogue 2015

Acknowledgements

Hannah Emery

Also by Hannah Emery

About the Publisher

About HarperImpulse

Look around you. Look at the golden stone of the walls, glistening with history and secrets. Look at the elegant, arched windows that shine with the rich colours of the past. You stand in what was once the dining room of the enchanting Castle du Rêve. Some say that if you listen closely enough, you will be able to hear the distant music of a grand medieval banquet in the main hall, the trotting of noble horses across the courtyard, the whispering of voices long dead.

Castle du Rêve was built for Edward du Rêve following the Norman Conquest. For hundreds of years, the castle was known by all of Silenshore for lavish banquets, indulgence and pleasure. Some of the castle has been replaced since those strange medieval times, but its legacy remains ensnared in the walls that stand around you.

During World War II, Castle du Rêve became the home to evacuee children from London, who were hosted by Robert and Catherine du Rêve. The children were astonished to begin their strange new lives in the castle, for the ways of the du Rêves were so very different from the ones they had left behind. The du Rêves continued, in spite of the gloom that pervaded the country, to throw opulent parties and serve mysteriously copious amounts of butter, and dance as though everything was wonderful. Children were seen running through the lush green gardens, playing in the courtyard and riding well-groomed ponies across the cobbles.

It was after the war that the castle became blanketed in mystery. For in spite of the du Rêves’ generosity, their fortune appeared to run out suddenly. One night they vanished from the castle without a trace and within a few weeks, Silenshore University opened. The warm glow of glittering lights faded from within and became replaced with piles of books and the shouts of students. The life of the castle as a private home, and as Castle du Rêve, was over.

The du Rêves have not been seen by anybody since they left the castle. Some say that their wealth was in land only: that they drowned in rising taxes and repairs needed on the castle, and sold it to the University before the grand estate crumbled into a tragic ruin. After all, castles do not glitter without some gold behind them.

Others say that the du Rêves were always rich, but that a scandal forced them to pack their shimmering finery and shoot off into the frozen twilight, never to be seen again.

It is possible that the du Rêves returned to France after hundreds of years in England. Some say they left something here, more than the memory of sparkling jewels and charming smiles and balls. They whisper that one or more of the du Rêves are amongst us, living a life so different from the one of wealth and plenty that they had. Perhaps this is so. Perhaps there is a du Rêve beside you, or behind you. Perhaps you are a du Rêve yourself. Perhaps you will never know.

V. Lace, 1964

Silenshore University

My Queen,

I’m writing to you because I don’t quite know what else to do.

You told me that you were going with Sally to take care of her aunt, but I saw Sally working in Clover’s today. I asked how her aunt was, and she said that she doesn’t have an aunt.