The Lovers of Reading Abbey

 by The Royal Shrimp

(about author and writing context)

Part 1

Anne Thompson was one of the most beautiful teenage girls of her town. Her eyes had an almond shape and had a deep blue tone. They were as deep as the ocean. She also had long and thick black eyelashes. Her face had an oval shape and she had rosy cheeks and freckles on her temples and nose. Her lips were a bit plump with a really light purple shade. She had very dark hair that amplified her really pale skin tone, as pale as her grand-mother’s china. She looked like a beautiful porcelain doll dressed with a muslin dress. She usually wore some muslin dresses that were tight under her breast. That day her dress had a lilac tone which was matching her lips.

Anne was eighteen years old and was the pride of her family. She had nine brothers and sisters and was the oldest. They were all living together in a small town called Canterbury in the county of Kent. She wasn’t as much open as one could think. This girl was pretty discrete and withdrawn. Despite her fresh beauty and her natural kindness, she never really had friends. Only the men were turning and focused on her during some random walk in the town. This was a behavior that she qualified of rude. However she had always been really interested in books. That was her only real pleasure in life. The first book she really loved was the “Tales of Canterbury” by Geoffrey Chaucer. She read it because she lived in Canterbury. Then she read all the other books in the library. She loved gothic novels full of murders because she felt the same feelings as the main characters. And then she imagined stories in her head about fair women who were saved by respectful gentlemen.

It was the beginning of January 1912 and it was rainy. Anne was invited by her neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham to spend a few weeks in London. During this trip, she met in Harrod’s Charlotte Hamilton who was a pretty nineteen-year-old girl. She had fair hair, and blue eyes and was looking for a muslin dress for a ball. Anne also met her brother, the charming Frederick, who was twenty. Frederick was pretty tall and had blue eyes and fair hair. He had a beautiful and seductive smile, with two lovely dimples. He was always wearing some dark fitted coat that made him slim. They became friends and slowly Anne fell in love of Frederick and vice-versa. One day after a walk in a park, he decided to introduce her to his father, General Hamilton. During this dinner, the General invited her to spend time in their Abbey, Reading Abbey in the county of Berkshire.

A few days later, Anne arrived at Reading Abbey. The journey was correct and she spent as usual all the trip reading gothic novels, especially one with a murder and an investigation in it. The first feeling she had about the Abbey, was not a good one. She felt that it was not very congenius and cozy. Actually this place was cold. Everything was dark and massive and every piece of furniture was made in a really gloomy wood. One of the maids brought her to her bedroom. It was like the rest of the Abbey, cold without any light and any happiness. She didn’t expect this feeling, and she felt really uncomfortable in this place. Just before she changed her outfit, someone knocked on the door. When Anne opened it, she saw Charlotte who just wanted to tell her that the dinner would be served at six and a half pm, and she recommended her never to be late especially for lunch or dinner time. Her father was really strict especially about the hours.

At twenty-five past six, she went down the stairs and arrived in front of the dining room where Frederick and his father were standing. Charlotte and Emma weren’t there. At twenty-five to seven, the sisters arrived.

“We apologize for being late, father, I was helping Emma with her dress”

“Well, the next time you’re late, you won’t be able to take a dinner”, said General Hamilton abruptly.

Anne was very afraid of the General, and she thought that it was unfair that her friend got punished. Just because Charlotte wanted to help her sister, she arrived late and both had to be punished. She didn’t say anything but she looked at Frederick who seemed to agree with her.

The dining room wasn’t cozier than the other rooms of the Abbey. It was a really big place with a very long table and next to it, there was a fire place. Apparently General Hamilton thought it was really important to have a lot of space to invite people, even if Frederick had already told her that it’s been a long time since he saw a guest.

“My dear guest, I wanted to tell you something very important that my son probably never told you about the abbey…” said, the general.

“Yes sire, indeed I don’t remember anything about that.”

“For your safety, it is absolutely forbidden to go to the old wing of our home”.

Anne didn’t really understand why it was forbidden to go to the old wing, but she would never ask why, especially to the general. He wasn’t gentle and his behaviour with his children wasn’t correct for Anne. She decided to ask Charlotte a few questions about it during a walk, the next day.

After this frosty dinner, everyone went to sleep and Anne did some nightmares: she dreamt that a woman was killed by a mysterious man there; then she dreamt about a demon living there. She didn’t sleep much and spent a horrible night. When she woke up, she couldn’t help thinking that her dreams were somehow connected to the mysterious old wing.