I’m feeling sorry for myself! You see, I desperately wanted to read The Shadows of Rutherford House by CE Rose as I have loved her writing under other pen names (see here) but I simply couldn’t fit it in in time to participate in the blog tour. However, I’m delighted to have the Prologue from The Shadows of Rutherford House to share with you today – even if it has made me think I’m missing out even more.

Published by Hera on 10th November 2022 The Shadows of Rutherford House is available for purchase through the links here.

The Shadows of Rutherford House

Darkness lies at the heart of this family…

In 1959 Milly starts her new life as a housemaid at Rutherford House, working for the aristocratic Rutherford-Percy clan. Entranced by her new mistress, Vivienne, she becomes deeply embroiled in the household and the keeper of dark secrets the family conceals beneath the mansion’s grand exterior.

In the present day, Christie is working as a psychiatric nurse when she meets troubled patient Lillian Percy, Vivienne’s granddaughter and heiress to Rutherford House. They soon bond over the loss of their mothers
– Lillian’s died when she was a child; Christie’s mysteriously disappeared over twenty years ago – and Christie finds herself increasingly fascinated by
Lillian’s family and their imposing ancestral home.

As Christie learns more about the Rutherford-Percys, she finds a shocking clue that could help her uncover what happened to her own mother. Desperate for answers, Christie puts her job, her family and even her very life on the line. But how much of the truth does she really want to know?

A twisty, chilling and unputdownable page-turner about family secrets, perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Louise Douglas and Harriet Evans.

An Extract from The Shadows of Rutherford House

Prologue

Present Day

It’s heavily raining tonight, the wind whipping the windows behind the closed shutters. As ever, the midnight darkness is inky black, but that makes no odds to me. I know every inch, nook and cranny of this old manor like the back of my hand; even with my eyes closed, I could find each remnant of its former glory in seconds, the oil paintings depicting the haughty Percy line, the exquisitely shaped standard lamps, the Romanesque pillars and busts, the ornate marble hearths, brass grates and antique fire tools.

It wouldn’t be appropriate to be seen wandering Rutherford House as though I owned it, so I like this quiet time to explore the ancient corridors and chambers, to take in the aromas, the textures and vibrations, and tonight is no exception. I trace my fingers along the walls and feel the nap of velvet wallpaper, ridges of stucco trim and knots in fine hardwood. The panelling hasn’t been polished for years, and yet I know each room’s distinctive, waxy smell. I know which floorboards creak, which chairs have broken springs, which handsome tables have woodworm, the crystals missing from the showy chandeliers, the locks and latches which no longer work.

Remembering a spring ball I once watched from the wings, I dance across the marbled floor of the domed hallway. The worn carpet of the sweeping staircase is rough beneath my toes, yet it still has the elegance, the grandeur of the past, especially when I pause to listen to the rock ’n’ roll echoing from the dance floor below. Humming at the memory, I sashay up the steps, and when I reach the open landing, I stop again to new noises which pierce the silence. Babies, of course, the joyful bleats and shuffles of all the newborns brought into the world under this very roof. I brush by the balustrade and make my way through the shadows towards the warmth and the sound, but as ever, a hand slips into mine, insubstantial but undoubtedly there. And though I long to turn back the clock and wipe out my one and only guilt, history can’t be changed, so I pull away and cover my ears to block out the inevitable.

Yet I still hear it. A thud and the crack of broken bones.

****

Crikey! That’s some prologue! I can’t wait to read The Shadows of Rutherford House.

About CE Rose

CE Rose is the pen name of Caroline England, the author of psychological thrillers Beneath the Skin, My Husband’s Lies, Betray Her and Truth Games. As CE Rose, Caroline has written gothic-tinged domestic suspense novels, The House of Hidden Secrets and The House on the Water’s Edge. As Caro Land she has written the legal suspense drama series, Convictions and Confessions.

To find out more you can follow Caroline on Twitter @CazEngland and find her on Instagram and  Facebook or visit her website.

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