Читать книгу The Secrets of Castle Du Rêve: A thrilling saga of three women’s lives tangled together in a web of secrets - Hannah Emery - Страница 6

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