The Watch at Blackwood Cliff
Trapped in an isolated coastal mansion during a gale, an architectural preservationist uses her quiet preparation and an old maritime beacon to expose her husband's coercive scheme.
Fictional story. Contains depictions of emotional abuse, coercive control, and psychological manipulation. All characters and events are entirely fictional.Chapter 1: The Storm Over Blackwood Cliff
The gale hit the oak shutters of Blackwood Manor so hard that the brass wall sconces rattled in their sockets. Out across Narragansett Bay, the dark Atlantic churning against the granite cliffs sent spray high into the rain-slicked darkness. Inside the grand library, the room smelled of cedar smoke, damp wool, and the cloying floral perfume of Genevieve Dupont’s expensive linen spray.
Elena Vance stood against the high mahogany bookshelves, her spine rigid against the polished wood. Her hands were raw, red marks running across her wrists where Julian had tied them with heavy hemp rigging rope to the iron arms of the reading desk an hour earlier. On the slate hearth, a fire crackled, casting long, jittery shadows across the high ceiling.