The bottom drawer of the cedar wardrobe did not slide open; it resisted, stuck on a warped seam of wood that had expanded with the late autumn dampness.
Elena pulled again, her breath catching in her throat as the heavy timber finally gave way with a sharp, hollow c***k. A small cloud of dried lavender and ancient dust rose into the dim light of the dressing room, settling over the hem of her simple linen nightgown.
She had come looking for a thicker wool shawl to combat the frost creeping across the windowpanes, but as the drawer pulled completely free of its tracks, she realized she had unearthed something far more dangerous than a winter draft.
Tucked into the very back of the recessed frame, beneath a forgotten layer of faded velvet lining, lay a small box of tarnished silver.
Ele
