The Mysterious Duchess of Lavender

The pretty lady who lived in the old Victorian manor at the end of the street was always seen wearing black. The skirts and dresses varied in length however all were black. On occasion she would be seen wearing a white blouse or some other color blouse or top underneath her black blazers and other black jackets. Her face was pale with very high cheek bones, medium size lips and huge eyes. She was considered quite beautiful by almost everyone who say her. Her very green eyes actually emerald green eyes sparkled like jewels. Her lashes were long and full. When she blinked her lashes looked like butterfly wings flapping in the wind. This made her very youthful appearance more noticeable.

The Duchess stood six feet tall in flat shoes. Her body was slender however strong and muscular. Her appearance was striking and you could not help to look at her when she passed. Many men would actually stare at her until poked by a wife or daughter and reminded how rude it is to just gawk at someone. Most people referred to her as Duchess or my lady. A few older people in the village would call her Ms. Lilly however most could not say that they were ever formerly introduced to her or were given permission to call her such. Some older people in the village said she was the very young widow of the late Duke of Lavender. Others said that the Duke had died some time ago and the woman they were seeing now had to be a daughter or a niece due to her obvious youth. No one could ever confirm that they ever knew of a daughter or niece in the Dukes household.

One delivery person said he only had seen the Duchess face covered with a veil. The Duke usually answered the door when he brought a delivery of packages from the postal depot. He said he had not seen the Duke for at least 15 years however did not remember his funeral being announced. Although it was not out of the ordinary for families of noblemen to have private funerals. There usually was a family cemetery on the premises. It did seem odd that there was not an announcement in the newspaper or posted on the bulletin board in the village square.

Since the manor was very close to the center of the village. The Duchess would come out once a week unescorted and walk to the town center, pick up meat from the butcher shop and then go to the grocer. If you greeted her she would smile and nod however never open her mouth. She would appear and seem to disappear from sight as though she had not walked by you or into your shop. The lady was very much a mystery.

The manor house was well lit at night most of the rooms had at least a small light that could be seen through the windows. You did not actually hear any type of noise unless you were very close to the property however it just seemed like the place was alive and more than three people lived there. The Duchess had a small staff of two her housekeeper who also served as a cook and butler who also attended to the grounds both resided with her in the manor.

The house was well maintained in fact many people who had lived in the village for many years said it look like it never aged. They never saw anyone making repairs or painting. The butler who attended to the grounds would be seen working a few hours a week pruning the bushes and weeding the flower beds. The manor grounds were so well-kept with elaborate floral designs and shrubbery. Such meticulous landscaping of the grounds resembled the botanical gardens at the palace of the King.

At night there were other residents who were never seen by towns folk who moved about the manor. The very pale face people who floated around the manor with their feet inches off the floor. They danced and laughed merrily until almost dawn. One day some of the children came onto the grounds uninvited and peered through a window. They watched the Duchess looking into a small mirror mounted on a table as she brushed her long raven black hair. The oddest thing is that when they looked at the mirror there was no image. Upon seeing this all of them screamed and ran home to tell their parents.

The very next day the Duchess went for a walk in the public park in the center of town as if she wanted to be seen by all. She wore a very bright red silk blouse partially covered by an open black blazer and a calf length black skirt. She wore opaque black tights with boots that buttoned up the front. She paraded almost dancing around the square purposely looking into the eyes of all she encountered. Each time see made eye contact with someone an eerie low voice would be heard by the person she was focused on and in their minds they heard a woman’s voice barely above a whisper say a very condescending tone, “your children did not see anything unusual at my home yesterday.” Then she left and no one spoke of any incident at the manor and the children never trespassed again.

The next morning there was a loud clamor in front of the Constables office about a dozen or so people were demanding for him to find their children. All the children in the village had disappeared. Just vanished—poof in the night! Mary a young mom with two toddlers who wept uncontrollably said, “I read my two darling boys their favorite bedtime story and tucked them in for the night,” Now my children are gone! Another man with a very loud booming voice said his children were playing in the yard just before dusk and when he went to call them in for dinner they were gone! He had looked for them for hours thinking they were hiding in the trees or bushes near their home. They were nowhere in sight.

The Constable hurriedly deputized a group of the men to search the village and the woods that were at the edge of town. Not a one child was found by the search party that day. A few of the men took lanterns and continue to search throughout the night for the missing children.

Amazingly later the next morning all the children were found in their beds as if nothing had happened. All of them not aware that anything was unusual. When asked where had they been their replies were all the same, “nowhere or here.” All had the most curious puzzled look upon their faces. They stared at their parents as if they had gone mad.

The following day the men who worked in the village received a mysterious raise in pay. Not just one business all three of the factories and warehouses in the town had given their employee raises. When the employees thanked the bosses for the increase in pay the bosses looked oddly, scratched their heads and walked off muttering in low tones.

“Lots of peculiar goings on in the village as of late,” said Constable Barnaby to his clerk. All the pretty flowers were wilted and the landscape was severely over grown at the manor. This happened so quickly the neighbors asked the Constable to check in on the lady and her staff. He found a large pile of letters in front of the door. All were postmarked fifteen years prior to the last time the Duke of Lavender had been seen. When the Constable forced in the front door there were large thick cobwebs all over. Some of the furniture was covered with very old dusty covers and there was not a mirror hanging on the walls or beds in the entire place. All he could do was scratch his balding head and mutter, “Oh My.”