Chapter 4: Secret Unearthed

The days that followed were a blur of research and cautious investigation.Katherine and Lucien worked side by side, pouring over the documents she had discovered in the chapel and cross-referencing them with records in the archives. The connection between Celeste, her child, and the Beaulieu estate grew clearer, though the answers they sought remained elusive.

The more they dug, the more Katherine felt the weight of the history she was unearthing. These were not just stories—they were lives, silenced and forgotten, their struggles buried beneath generations of indifference. Celeste's letters took on new meaning with each piece of evidence they uncovered, and Katherine began to feel a deep connection to the woman who had poured her pain and hope into those fragile pages.

Lucien, however, remained conflicted. Though he continued to help,Katherine noticed the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw tightened whenever they stumbled upon another revelation. It was as if he were caught between wanting to uncover the truth and fearing what it might mean for his family's legacy.

One afternoon, as Katherine worked through yet another box of records, she stumbled upon a faded map of the estate grounds. Unlike the modern layout she'd seen, this map included areas that no longer existed—old cabins, storage sheds, and what appeared to be a small cemetery tucked away in the farthest corner of the property.

She spread the map out on the desk, calling Lucien over.

"Have you seen this before?" she asked, pointing to the cemetery.

Lucien frowned, leaning closer to study the map. "No. That area's been overgrown for decades. No one goes there anymore."

"Then maybe we should,"Katherine suggested.

Lucien hesitated. "It's not safe. The ground there is unstable, and some of the structures are on the verge of collapse."

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't look," Aveline argued. "If this cemetery was connected to the estate, there might be more clues about Celeste and her child."

Lucien exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. "You're relentless, aren't you?"

Katherine smiled faintly. "I've been called worse."

The next morning, they ventured to the far corner of the estate grounds. The path was overgrown, the once-manicured gardens now a tangle of weeds and brambles.Katherine felt a shiver run down her spine as they approached the cemetery, the air thick with an eerie stillness.

The cemetery was small, its headstones weathered and covered in moss. Many of the inscriptions were too faded to read, but Katherine knelt by one of the stones, brushing away the dirt with her gloved hands.

"This one's from the early 1800s," she said, her voice hushed.

Lucien stood a few feet away, his gaze fixed on a particularly ornate headstone. "This must have been for someone important," he murmured, tracing the intricate carvings.

As they continued to explore,Katherine noticed a smaller, unmarked grave near the edge of the cemetery. Something about it felt significant, though she couldn't explain why.

"Lucien," she called softly, gesturing for him to come closer.

Together, they knelt by the grave, examining the earth around it.Katherine's fingers brushed against something hard—a small, rusted locket half-buried in the dirt. She carefully unearthed it, prying it open to reveal a tiny portrait of a woman. Though the details were faded,Katherine could tell it was Celeste.

"She was here,"Katherine whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "This must have been her grave."

Lucien was silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he reached out, placing a hand on Katherine's shoulder. "If this is her resting place, then she deserves to be remembered."

Back at the house,Katherine cleaned the locket, determined to preserve what little was left of Celeste's memory. As she worked, Lucien poured over the papers they'd collected, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"We're missing something," he said finally, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean? Katherine asked, looking up from the locket.

"Celeste's letters mention someone she trusted—someone who promised to help her. But there's no indication of who that person was or what happened to them."

Katherine nodded, her mind racing. "Maybe there's more in the chapel. If someone was helping her, they might have left something behind."

That night, Katherine couldn't sleep. She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts consumed by the discoveries they'd made. The image of Celeste's locket lingered in her mind, a symbol of a life that had been stolen away.

She thought about Lucien, too—his quiet strength, his haunted eyes, the way he seemed to carry the weight of his family's sins on his shoulders. Despite his initial reluctance, he had stood by her, sharing in her determination to uncover the truth.

For the first time,Katherine allowed herself to imagine what it might be like to let someone in—to trust, to hope, to love again. But even as the thought warmed her, she knew that the road ahead would be fraught with challenges.

The past was far from finished with them, and the secrets of the Beaulieu estate still held power. But Katherine was no longer afraid. She was ready to face whatever lay ahead, determined to honor Celeste's memory and bring the truth to light.

As she drifted off to sleep, one thought lingered in her mind: they were on the verge of something monumental, something that could change everything—for the estate, for Downtown, and for themselves.