Emilia's eyes were fixed on the portrait of the Shadow Lady, her mind racing with questions. Who was this woman, and what was her connection to Ashwood Manor?
Thomas seemed to sense her unease, his eyes softening slightly. "The Shadow Lady is a part of the manor's history," he said, his voice low. "A part that's been hidden for years."
Emilia's curiosity got the better of her, and she reached out to touch the portrait. As her fingers made contact with the canvas, she felt a sudden chill run down her spine.
The room seemed to darken, the shadows deepening and twisting around her. Emilia felt a presence behind her, and she spun around, but there was no one there.
Thomas's eyes locked onto hers, a warning in their depths. "Don't touch the portrait," he said, his voice urgent. "You don't know what you're dealing with."
Emilia's heart was racing, but she couldn't help feeling drawn to the Shadow Lady. There was something about the woman's twisted grin that seemed to speak to her, to call to her.
"What do you know about the Shadow Lady?" Emilia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Thomas hesitated, then seemed to make a decision. "I'll show you," he said, leading Emilia out of the gallery and down to the manor's hidden archives.
The room was dimly lit, the air thick with dust. Thomas led Emilia to a shelf filled with old journals and diaries, and he pulled out a worn leather book.
"This is Malcolm's diary," Thomas said, his voice low. "Ashwood Manor's former owner. He wrote about the Shadow Lady, about her presence in the manor."
Emilia's eyes widened as she opened the diary, her eyes scanning the pages. The entries spoke of Malcolm's obsession with the Shadow Lady, of his attempts to communicate with her.
But it was the final entry that made Emilia's blood run cold:
"I've made a pact with her," Malcolm wrote. "A pact that will grant me power and wealth beyond my wildest dreams. But at what cost?"
Emilia's eyes locked onto Thomas's, a question in their depths. "What did he mean?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Thomas's eyes seemed to bore into her soul. "The Shadow Lady is not just a ghost," he said, his voice low. "She's a presence that feeds on fear and darkness. And Malcolm's pact with her has cursed this manor forever."