The Lord of Blackthorne Manor
For years Evelyn Price had entertained potential suitors, but had never taken the prospect very seriously when her father was not terribly insistent that she marry. After the passing of Evelyn's mother, and with no other family to speak of, she and her father took solace in each others' company and formed a close bond, causing her father rue the thought of marrying her off. Matters changed, however, when her father's health suffered a sudden and rapid decline. With his impending death, Evelyn was poised to inherit his wealth and estate. He insisted that she marry immediately, so that he would know she was well taken care of after his passing. Though Evelyn was reluctant, she was taken by surprise when her father announced he had already accepted a marriage proposal for her from a Lord Donovan Blackthorne. She had never met the man, but she had heard rumors that he was both incredibly charming as well as undeniably peculiar. Still, despite her reservations she could not bear to deny her father his dying wish.
Some days later her father passed, and mere weeks after his burial she was escorted by the executor of her father's will to witness her marriage to Lord Blackthorne. Having never met the man Evelyn had to trust that her father agreed to the union with every faith that Lord Blackthorne would be a good husband for her.
Initially, Evelyn finds her new husband to be more ordinary than her imagination conceived him to be, save for only a few small instances of strangeness. He is polite and seems kind, if a bit reserved. Over time she even develops a fondness for him, which he reciprocates, but she is astute enough to realize he keeps her at a safe distance and can't understand why. As time ticks on, she finds it hard to ignore certain things. He seems to be away or locked in the basement all hours of the day and awake late into the night, oftentimes going out into the city when he believes she is asleep. Despite being newly married, he has refused to share a bedchamber with her and has even expressly forbidden her to enter certain regions of the manor. The serving staff of his estate are sparse, and seemingly mute or entirely uninterested in carrying on conversation with her, even going so far as to outright avoid her when possible. After growing tired of too many unanswered questions and being far too inquisitive for her own good, Evelyn takes advantage of her husband's absence one night and attempts to investigate.
