When the Curtain Rises Read Online Free

the grandfather clock beside her began to strike the hour, she forced her eyes away from the picture and continued up the stairs.
    The long hallway at the top of the first flight of stairs was dimly lit by two small windows, one at either end. Chloe made her way to the nearest door, which opened into a bright room with pale yellow walls.
    It was clear from the child-size furnishings and the many toys that filled the generous space that the room had once been a nursery. There was a table with three chairs in the far corner of the room, set with tiny china cups and saucers. A large open chest overflowing with porcelain dolls and ancient teddy bears sat in another corner of the room. A magnificent rocking horse in the center of the nursery caught Chloe’s attention. She ran her fingers over the polished wooden head, the smooth leather saddle. The horse was so lifelike that Chloe half-expected to hear it give a soft whinny.
    Chloe examined a few more of the antique toys, and then she turned her attention to the bookshelves that lined two walls of the room. She was immersed in an old mystery when Abigail came up to tell her that lunch was ready.
    Chloe checked her watch in surprise. She’d been reading for hours. “Wow. I totally lost track of the time,” she said as she rose and followed Abigail down the hall to the stairs. When she reached the landing, Chloe paused for another quick look at the painting next to the grandfather clock. “That’s odd,” she said, leaning in to study the picture more closely.
    Abigail looked back over her shoulder. “What’s that?”
    â€œThis painting. It’s different. I’m almost positive that the sun is higher in the sky now, and I think the ponies have moved slightly too. And the performers are in different places.” Chloe blinked and squinted at the picture again. “My eyes must be playing tricks on me.”
    â€œOr the house is,” Abigail said knowingly.
    Chloe looked up from the painting. “What?”
    But the housekeeper just shook her head and carried on down the stairs.
    Kitty was eager to hear about Chloe’s explorations. Between mouthfuls of soup, Chloe described all the old books and toys she’d found in the nursery.
    â€œWe spent a good deal of our childhood playing in that room with our brother Henry, your grandfather,” Kitty said.
    â€œFound the secret passageway yet?” Bess asked.
    â€œSecret passageway?”
    â€œDon’t give her any hints, Bess,” Kitty chided. “Let her discover the house’s secrets on her own. It’s much more fun that way. Speaking of secrets, I found Dante’s memoir.” She stood up to get a book from the sideboard and placed it on the table next to Chloe’s bowl.
    Chloe wiped her hands carefully on her napkin before picking up the antique volume and opening it to the first page. “ The Memoirs of Dante Magnus ,” she read aloud. The words were handwritten in an elegant old-fashioned script. “Thank you,” said Chloe. “I’ll be very careful with it, I promise.”
    â€œTake it out into the back garden,” Kitty suggested. “It’s quiet and shady there.”
    â€œJust don’t get lost in that jungle,” Bess warned. “We don’t want to have to send a search party after you.”
    â€œI’ll be careful,” Chloe repeated, not sure how seriously to take her great-aunt.

C hapter T hree

    C hloe stepped outside with Dante’s book tucked under her arm and immediately found herself beneath a dense floral canopy. Roses, camellias and other bushes that she couldn’t identify competed for sun in the space closest to the house. Rhododendrons and huge ferns grew in the shadow of the high stone walls that enclosed the yard on two sides. The back of the garden was hidden from sight behind a thick screen of overgrown trees and shrubs.
    She forced her way along a worn stone path