[color=9400D3][H2][center]Lady Northam[/center][/H2][/color]
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Cora sighed a huge sigh of relief when she finally got a moment alone to herself in her room. It was all so much for her to take in. She had no idea what to expect when being betrothed to Lord Northam. But she was beginning to understand why everything was kept so vague from her. But she was a bit relieved that her new husband wasn’t in a rush to share her bed. She immediately unlaced her corset and tossed it on to a chair in the corner taking in a deep breath. She had no idea why she felt so compelled to keep up with all of the latest fashion trends, but was much relieved when she could just be by herself alone and be comfortable. The night was her favorite time because she could get away without having all eyes on her and could wear less restrictive clothing. While the attention that being young and pretty garnered her, it also was like living under a magnifying glass for her. So she seized any opportunity she could to shed the pretenses and expectations put upon her. She sat at her dressing table in her long chemise/night gown braiding her hair into long braids before bed staring casually into the mirror. She thought she kept seeing someone behind her in the mirror just out of the corner of her eye but would turn to look at what was just her empty room. Something felt just off about this place. 

She knew she was accustomed to more “newer” accommodations than this…so she tried to convince herself that it was all just the oldness of the house getting to her and all of the rumors she had heard from her friends when they found out who she was betrothed to. Even though it wasn’t some bright gas lit mansion with freshly adorned shiny colored paints and wall papers, it still drew her in and had a certain charm to it with all of its antiquities. But it was definitely not home to her. Every corner of the estate was a mystery and she was ever curious to explore. Her new husband wasn’t very forthcoming with information, so she was also keen to uncover more about him and his family. She definitely came to understand why there had been so many rumors swirling around the Northam Estate, though. It was rather unique and had a rather unearthly vibe…but rather than buying into the gossip, she was curious to find out just how many of those rumors were true for herself.  She brushed away the eery nagging feeling in her gut telling her to stay in her room and instead waited until she knew she was well alone to sneak out and explore by herself. She couldn’t help her insatiable curiosity to find out what secrets hid behind the walls. 

She quietly crept along the hallway, candle in hand trying to not disturb anyone as it was the middle of the night.  For being so late though, she swore she could hear a piano playing somewhere quietly deep within the house. Her love of music had persuaded her to follow the sound…although she couldn’t quite make out where it was coming from. At first she would head down one direction just to dead end and find nothing…or the music would fade away. But she finally found her way into what must have been an older more unused part of the estate by the appearance. The fixtures weren’t as well polished and maintained, and the rugs didn’t have the appearance of being rather worn and walked on like the others. The music grew louder drawing her further in. She approached a set of double doors and as she turned the latch opening them…the music had simply stopped. There behind the doors was the piano inside of what must’ve been a sitting room and conservatory. But whoever had been the pianist had simply vanished. The hair on the back of Cora’s neck stood on end…she glanced about the room trying to rationalize where someone could’ve gone and where they could be hiding. She knew older houses had secret passages in them…so she started pressing on the walls hoping to find some secret door to no avail. 

She glared back at the piano…unsure what to think but with a chill ever increasing up her spine she decided curiosity was most certainly getting the better of her and quickly scurried back to her room. She rushed over to her lavish four poster bed and proceeded to hide well under the covers like when she was younger and her siblings would tell her ghost stories. She could hear the piano faintly in the distance again and Cora buried her head deep under her down pillow to drown it out…praying she’d drift off to sleep soon. She really was beginning to wonder what she had gotten herself into