Shadows Over the Beaumont House**Chapter I – Return to the Valley**

Gabrielle Beaumont sat behind the wheel of her car, watching the road wind through hills covered in early spring green. The air smelled of wet earth and young flowers, and the morning sun, like a shy guest, penetrated the fog hovering over the valley. Each turn brought her closer to a place that had seemed a safe haven just a few years ago, but now seemed almost alien.

In the distance loomed the iron gate of the Beaumont estate, adorned with wrought iron in the shape of intertwined lilies and leaves. Gabrielle stopped the car and took a deep breath. The past seemed to greet her with a whisper of wind, as if the house itself were watching its former daughters and sons, assessing each step of their return.

As she crossed the threshold, images of her childhood filled her eyes: siblings running through the halls, an old dog A tail wagging at the kitchen door, the smell of freshly baked bread and the warmth of the fireplace in the living room. Everything was the same, yet different. The silence that now reigned seemed to thicken with every step.

— *Gabrielle…*

The voice came from the end of the hall. Antoine, her older brother, stood in the living room doorway. Gray hair dusted his dark temples, and his gaze, though filled with concern, carried the weight of years of responsibility. He was now the head of the family, the guardian of ancient traditions and secrets that Gabrielle was beginning to feel like a weight in the air.

“Welcome home,” he said quietly. “I didn’t know when this day would come.”

Gabrielle smiled slightly, though her heart beat faster than it should have to greet the family gate. “I’ve returned… after years. And perhaps for something more than memories.”

Antoine nodded, as if he understood more than he spoke. They paused in silence, hearing the rustle of the wind passing through the trees in the garden. Roses. The house, as old as time, seemed to have a rhythm of its own, as if it remembered every step of those who had once walked in it.

Gabrielle entered the living room, whose high ceiling was adorned with dark wood beams and whose walls were adorned with portraits of ancestors. Each face stared at her with a clear warning, and Gabrielle felt that returning meant more than just a physical appearance. This was a journey into history that could not be postponed.

"Do you remember Éloi's room?" Antoine asked suddenly, leading her toward a long hallway whose walls were lined with shelves full of old books and manuscripts. "The one where he spent entire nights… before he disappeared."

Gabrielle nodded. She remembered Éloi's room—the smell of old parchments, the heavy curtains that let in only a hazy morning light, and the silence broken only by the ticking of the clock on the dresser. It was there, years ago, that Éloi had conducted his mysterious research. which now seemed to be returning from the shadows.

“I want to know what really happened,” Gabrielle said, her voice a mixture of determination and anxiety. “And if there are documents, if there is even a single trace… we have to find it.”

Antoine looked at her for a long moment, then smiled sadly. “I knew you would return. And that you wouldn’t let the truth remain buried. But you have to be prepared… not all secrets will be easy to bear.”

Gabrielle felt a shiver run down her spine. She felt that every step in this house would reveal something she didn’t necessarily want to see. And yet, she knew there was no turning back.

In the silence that followed these words, the house seemed to listen, as if deciding what Gabrielle might discover. Outside, the wind rustled the branches of the trees, and in the garden, roses were beginning to bud, heralding spring. Yet, a mystery still hung in the air, as if the Beaumonts’ past was waiting to be revealed.

Gabrielle She knew one thing: nothing in this house was what it seemed.

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