1806: Astrid Poole sits in her bridal clothes, overwhelmed with happiness. But before her marriage can be consummated, she is murdered, and the circle of gold torn from her finger. Her last words are a promise to Collin never to leave him…
Graphic designer Sonya MacTavish is stunned to learn that her late father had a twin he never knew about—and that her newly discovered uncle, Collin Poole, has left her almost everything he owned, including a majestic Victorian house on the Maine coast, which the will stipulates she must live in it for at least three years. Her engagement recently broken, she sets off to find out why the boys were separated at birth—and why it was all kept secret until a genealogy website brought it to light.
Trey, the young lawyer who greets her at the sprawling clifftop manor, notes Sonya’s unease—and acknowledges that yes, the place is haunted…but just a little. Sure enough, Sonya finds objects moved and music playing out of nowhere. She sees a painting by her father inexplicably hanging in her deceased uncle’s office, and a portrait of a woman named Astrid, whom the lawyer refers to as “the first lost bride.” It’s becoming clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle to be solved if there is any hope of breaking it…
Settings Boston, Massachusetts Poole’s Bay, Maine
Table of Contents Part One - Betrayal Prologue Chapters 1 - 10
Part Two - The Manor Chapters 11 - 20
Part Three - Spirits Chapters 21 - 30
Character List (view spoiler)[ Sonya MacTavish: Graphic artist. She’s 28-years old with long brown hair and green eyes. Oliver (Trey) Doyle, III: Attorney from Maine whose father represented Collin Poole. He’s 32-years old with black hair and blue eyes. Winter Regan MacTavish: Sonya’s mother and Drew’s widow. She works for Marshall Tibbetts’s law firm. Andrew (Drew) MacTavish: Sonya’s deceased father. He was an artist Cleo Fabares: Sonya’s best friend. She’s an illustrator for children’s books and a painter. Oliver (Deuce) Doyle, II: Attorney from Maine and Collin’s best friend. Corrine Doyle: Deuce’s wife, Trey’s mother. She’s an amateur photographer. Anna Doyle: Trey’s sister, married to Seth. They are pregnant with their first child. She’s a potter. She’s 28-years old. Seth: Anna’s husband. Oliver (Aces) Doyle, Sr.: Trey’s grandfather who founded the family law firm. Paula Doyle: Aces wife, Trey’s grandmother. Collin Arthur Poole, II: Drew’s twin brother, recently deceased. He died from a fall down the stairs in the mansion. Johanna Poole: Collin’s wife, a teacher, who died on their wedding day (1996) from a fall down the stairs. She was the seventh lost bride. Charles (Charlie) Poole: Married to Lillian, he was Drew and Collin’s biological father. He committed suicide shortly after Lillian died. Patricia and Michael’s son. Lillian (Clover) Crest Poole: Drew and Collin’s mother who died giving birth to them (1965). She was 19-years old and had long, straight blond hair and blue eyes. She was the sixth lost bride. Lawrence Poole: Charles’s twin brother. Gretta Poole: Patricia and Michael’s daughter. She adopted and raised Collin, never married. She now has Alzheimer’s. Patricia Poole: Married to Michael. Charles, Gretta and Lawrence’s mother, Drew and Collin’s grandmother. Michael Poole: Married to Patricia. Charles and Lawrence’s father, Drew and Collin’s grandmother. Owen Poole: Collin’s nephew, Sonya’s cousin. Clarice Poole: Owen’s sister. She handles the business side of the shipbuilding company. Connor Poole: Owen’s brother. He handles sales. Mike Poole: Owen’s brother. He handles designl Clay Poole: Owen’s brother, Cathy’s twin. He and Cathy live in Europe and handle the international side of the business. Cathy Poole: Owen’s sister, Clay’s twin. Hugh Poole: Owen’s youngest brother who works in finance in New York. Hal Coleson: Chief of police. John Dee: Man contracted to help manage the estate grounds. He’s married to Kevin. Diana Rowe: Owner of A Bookstore. Anita: Diana’s partner at A Bookstore. Lucy Cabot: Volunteer who fosters rescues at her home. Sadie: Deuce’s legal secretary. Michael: Ace’s legal assistant. Jill: Trey’s legal assistant. Bree Marshall: Head chef at the Lobster Cage. Lisbeth (Lissy) Anne Poole Whitmore: Owen Poole’s daughter, married to Edward (1916). She died on her wedding night of multiple black widow spider bites. She was the fifth lost bride. Edward Whitmore: Married to Lisbeth. John (Jack) Poole: Lisbeth’s brother who died of scarlet fever when he was 9-years old. He’s the ghost that plays with Yoda. Agatha Windward Poole: Married to Owen. She was the fourth lost bride. She was poisoned by Hester on her wedding day. Owen Poole: Married to Agatha (1892). He had a twin sister, Jane. Hugh Poole: Was married to Marianna (1864) until her death. Remarried to Carlotta. Marianne Poole: Married to Hugh, she died in childbirth, delivering twins Owen and Jane. She was the third lost bride. Astrid Granville Poole: First lost bride who was murdered on her wedding day. She was married to the first Collin Poole. Collin Poole, Sr.: Married to Astrid, Connor’s twin. Arnold and Letitia’s son. Connor Poole:Collin Sr.’s twin. Arnold and Letitia’s son. Arabelle Poole: Connor’s wife. Catherine Poole Cabot: Second of the lost brides. Connor and Arabelle were her parents. She was married to William and died on her wedding day (1828). She went out into the night and froze to death. William Cabot: Catherine’s husband. Arthur Poole: Founder of the family shipbuilding business. Collin and Connor’s father. Letitia Armond Poole: Arthur’s wife, an heiress. Molly O’Brian: Name of the ghost who likes to clean and organize. She came from Ireland. Hester Dobbs: She murdered Astrid, escaped from her cell before she was to be hanged and later leaped to her death from the manor sea wall after Collin committed suicide. Witchcraft tools were found with her belongings after her death. She created a curse where a bride every generation dies—on her wedding day, or within the year. Brandon Wise: Sonya’s ex-fiancé. Summer: Sonya’s aunt, Tracie’s mother, Winter’s sister. Laine Cohen: One of the owners of By Design, the firm Sonya worked for in Boston. Matt Berry: One of the owners of By Design, the firm Sonya worked for in Boston. Marshall Tibbetts: Winter’s boss and Sonya’s attorney. Tracie: Sonya’s cousin. Yoda: Sonya’s new puppy. He’s a Boston terrier and dachshund mix. Mookie: Trey’s dog, a retriever. Jones: Owen’s dog, a rescue. He’s missing an eye. Xena: Sonya’s plant. (hide spoiler)]
Spoiler Info (view spoiler)[ Lost bride #1 - Astrid Granville Poole (1806) Lost bride #2 - Catherine Poole Cabot (1828) Lost bride #3 - Marianne Poole (1864) Lost bride #4 - Agatha Windward Poole (1892) Lost bride #5 - Lisbeth (Lissy) Anne Poole Whitmore (1916) Lost bride #6 - Lillian (Clover) Crest Poole (1965) Lost bride #7 - Johanna Poole (1996)
At the end, Sonya woke at 3:00 am and started walking, first to the attic. A spirit woke Cleo who followed her and called Trey to join them. He was at Owen’s who came with him. Sonya ended up in the ballroom, drawn to a mirror that hadn’t been there. While they all could see the mirror, only Sonya and Owen could see beyond their images. They joined hands and walked through the mirror! (hide spoiler)]
Graphic designer Sonya MacTavish is stunned to learn that her late father had a twin he never knew about—and that her newly discovered uncle, Collin Poole, has left her almost everything he owned, including a majestic Victorian house on the Maine coast, which the will stipulates she must live in it for at least three years. Her engagement recently broken, she sets off to find out why the boys were separated at birth—and why it was all kept secret until a genealogy website brought it to light.
Trey, the young lawyer who greets her at the sprawling clifftop manor, notes Sonya’s unease—and acknowledges that yes, the place is haunted…but just a little. Sure enough, Sonya finds objects moved and music playing out of nowhere. She sees a painting by her father inexplicably hanging in her deceased uncle’s office, and a portrait of a woman named Astrid, whom the lawyer refers to as “the first lost bride.” It’s becoming clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle to be solved if there is any hope of breaking it…
Settings
Boston, Massachusetts
Poole’s Bay, Maine
Table of Contents
Part One - Betrayal
Prologue
Chapters 1 - 10
Part Two - The Manor
Chapters 11 - 20
Part Three - Spirits
Chapters 21 - 30
Character List
(view spoiler)[
Sonya MacTavish: Graphic artist. She’s 28-years old with long brown hair and green eyes.
Oliver (Trey) Doyle, III: Attorney from Maine whose father represented Collin Poole. He’s 32-years old with black hair and blue eyes.
Winter Regan MacTavish: Sonya’s mother and Drew’s widow. She works for Marshall Tibbetts’s law firm.
Andrew (Drew) MacTavish: Sonya’s deceased father. He was an artist
Cleo Fabares: Sonya’s best friend. She’s an illustrator for children’s books and a painter.
Oliver (Deuce) Doyle, II: Attorney from Maine and Collin’s best friend.
Corrine Doyle: Deuce’s wife, Trey’s mother. She’s an amateur photographer.
Anna Doyle: Trey’s sister, married to Seth. They are pregnant with their first child. She’s a potter. She’s 28-years old.
Seth: Anna’s husband.
Oliver (Aces) Doyle, Sr.: Trey’s grandfather who founded the family law firm.
Paula Doyle: Aces wife, Trey’s grandmother.
Collin Arthur Poole, II: Drew’s twin brother, recently deceased. He died from a fall down the stairs in the mansion.
Johanna Poole: Collin’s wife, a teacher, who died on their wedding day (1996) from a fall down the stairs. She was the seventh lost bride.
Charles (Charlie) Poole: Married to Lillian, he was Drew and Collin’s biological father. He committed suicide shortly after Lillian died. Patricia and Michael’s son.
Lillian (Clover) Crest Poole: Drew and Collin’s mother who died giving birth to them (1965). She was 19-years old and had long, straight blond hair and blue eyes. She was the sixth lost bride.
Lawrence Poole: Charles’s twin brother.
Gretta Poole: Patricia and Michael’s daughter. She adopted and raised Collin, never married. She now has Alzheimer’s.
Patricia Poole: Married to Michael. Charles, Gretta and Lawrence’s mother, Drew and Collin’s grandmother.
Michael Poole: Married to Patricia. Charles and Lawrence’s father, Drew and Collin’s grandmother.
Owen Poole: Collin’s nephew, Sonya’s cousin.
Clarice Poole: Owen’s sister. She handles the business side of the shipbuilding company.
Connor Poole: Owen’s brother. He handles sales.
Mike Poole: Owen’s brother. He handles designl
Clay Poole: Owen’s brother, Cathy’s twin. He and Cathy live in Europe and handle the international side of the business.
Cathy Poole: Owen’s sister, Clay’s twin.
Hugh Poole: Owen’s youngest brother who works in finance in New York.
Hal Coleson: Chief of police.
John Dee: Man contracted to help manage the estate grounds. He’s married to Kevin.
Diana Rowe: Owner of A Bookstore.
Anita: Diana’s partner at A Bookstore.
Lucy Cabot: Volunteer who fosters rescues at her home.
Sadie: Deuce’s legal secretary.
Michael: Ace’s legal assistant.
Jill: Trey’s legal assistant.
Bree Marshall: Head chef at the Lobster Cage.
Lisbeth (Lissy) Anne Poole Whitmore: Owen Poole’s daughter, married to Edward (1916). She died on her wedding night of multiple black widow spider bites. She was the fifth lost bride.
Edward Whitmore: Married to Lisbeth.
John (Jack) Poole: Lisbeth’s brother who died of scarlet fever when he was 9-years old. He’s the ghost that plays with Yoda.
Agatha Windward Poole: Married to Owen. She was the fourth lost bride. She was poisoned by Hester on her wedding day.
Owen Poole: Married to Agatha (1892). He had a twin sister, Jane.
Hugh Poole: Was married to Marianna (1864) until her death. Remarried to Carlotta.
Marianne Poole: Married to Hugh, she died in childbirth, delivering twins Owen and Jane. She was the third lost bride.
Astrid Granville Poole: First lost bride who was murdered on her wedding day. She was married to the first Collin Poole.
Collin Poole, Sr.: Married to Astrid, Connor’s twin. Arnold and Letitia’s son.
Connor Poole:Collin Sr.’s twin. Arnold and Letitia’s son.
Arabelle Poole: Connor’s wife.
Catherine Poole Cabot: Second of the lost brides. Connor and Arabelle were her parents. She was married to William and died on her wedding day (1828). She went out into the night and froze to death.
William Cabot: Catherine’s husband.
Arthur Poole: Founder of the family shipbuilding business. Collin and Connor’s father.
Letitia Armond Poole: Arthur’s wife, an heiress.
Molly O’Brian: Name of the ghost who likes to clean and organize. She came from Ireland.
Hester Dobbs: She murdered Astrid, escaped from her cell before she was to be hanged and later leaped to her death from the manor sea wall after Collin committed suicide. Witchcraft tools were found with her belongings after her death. She created a curse where a bride every generation dies—on her wedding day, or within the year.
Brandon Wise: Sonya’s ex-fiancé.
Summer: Sonya’s aunt, Tracie’s mother, Winter’s sister.
Laine Cohen: One of the owners of By Design, the firm Sonya worked for in Boston.
Matt Berry: One of the owners of By Design, the firm Sonya worked for in Boston.
Marshall Tibbetts: Winter’s boss and Sonya’s attorney.
Tracie: Sonya’s cousin.
Yoda: Sonya’s new puppy. He’s a Boston terrier and dachshund mix.
Mookie: Trey’s dog, a retriever.
Jones: Owen’s dog, a rescue. He’s missing an eye.
Xena: Sonya’s plant.
(hide spoiler)]
Spoiler Info
(view spoiler)[
Lost bride #1 - Astrid Granville Poole (1806)
Lost bride #2 - Catherine Poole Cabot (1828)
Lost bride #3 - Marianne Poole (1864)
Lost bride #4 - Agatha Windward Poole (1892)
Lost bride #5 - Lisbeth (Lissy) Anne Poole Whitmore (1916)
Lost bride #6 - Lillian (Clover) Crest Poole (1965)
Lost bride #7 - Johanna Poole (1996)
At the end, Sonya woke at 3:00 am and started walking, first to the attic. A spirit woke Cleo who followed her and called Trey to join them. He was at Owen’s who came with him. Sonya ended up in the ballroom, drawn to a mirror that hadn’t been there. While they all could see the mirror, only Sonya and Owen could see beyond their images. They joined hands and walked through the mirror! (hide spoiler)]