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    Madness
    Madness
    Madness
    Ebook155 pages2 hours

    Madness

    By Jen Selinsky

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    About this ebook

    "Madness" is novella about a woman by the name of Cynthia Wellsworth. The story takes place in eighteenth century England shortly after the American Revolution. All is well in Cynthia's world until she is visited by her former lover, Roland Hertford, who is presumed dead. Roland plots to make Cynthia and her vast fortune his own, but Cynthia has other plans. She, along with the help of her lover, James, conspire to rid themselves of Roland forever.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJen Selinsky
    Release dateFeb 2, 2017
    ISBN9781370666515
    Madness
    Author

    Jen Selinsky

    Jen Selinsky was born in Pittsburgh, PA. In 2003, she earned her bachelor's degree in English from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. In 2004, she earned her master's degree in library science from the same school. Jen has worked as a professional librarian for over twelve years. She has published more than 170 books, most of which contain poetry. Her work can be found on the following sites: Lulu, Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Barnes & Noble/Nook, Smashwords, and Pen It! Publications. She has also been featured in publications such as: The Courier Journal, Explorer Magazine, Liphar Magazine, and Indiana Libraries. Jen lives in Sellersburg, IN with her husband.

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      Book preview

      Madness - Jen Selinsky

      Madness

      Jen Selinsky

      This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

      Copyright © 2008 by Jen Selinsky

      All rights reserved by the author. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the copyright holder.

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Cover Art Copyright © 1996 by Jen Selinsky

      ISBN: 9781370666515

      Prologue:

      The story began in late eighteenth century England. It was right after the end of the American Revolution, only days later, in July 1776. The colonies which made up the United States saw the beginnings of their independence, and they began to break away from England’s old ideals and traditions. The Declaration of Independence was signed only weeks ago.

      Though it seemed like all restraints were settled between the two countries, not every person was satisfied. In fact, on both sides, many were still angry and strove for revenge, men of all ages found themselves pitted against each other. Englishmen experienced great anguish and had the colonies that made up America, only in their minds, at their mercy.

      The English were angered by the defeat of their vast empire, and the Americans felt that the justice they received had been too little too late. There was still a great amount of rivalry, but the war had already been won, and there was nothing more that could be done to resolve the issue.

      Boundaries had been established, and both sides knew not to overstep them. It was an important moment in world history. Some of the English, however, were still quite devastated. They had failed at their many attempts to try and improve mankind for the better. The anger and hurt inflicted on other countries caused revolution and hatred worldwide. That also caused devastation, which eventually led to complete madness…

      Chapter I - Just as Time Began

      It was a cool, clear and rainy day in England. The weather and temperature seemed rather normal for this time of year. The streets were empty, as everyone seemed to remain inside. All the life forms which hid inside from the rain seemed pampered or nonexistent.

      As located, in the town of Cheshire, was a street called Rosemary Lane, and three houses from the right stood a vast mansion. It was extremely long and wide. It contained three stories, not including the attic and the wine cellar.

      The home, being that it was very lovely and large, had to be the main attraction of the entire town. Beautiful brick and stone surrounded the outside. There were wooden doors, both painted and unpainted.

      Solid lining separated the glass in the windows. There was a lovely garden in the back of the yard, charming roses, daffodils and violets all seemed to grow there.

      The foliage around the rest of the area was nice as well. Sturdy trees of all kind took over some portions of the yard. Being that many people may have only seen them as ordinary trees, they actually made a pattern, and if it were possible to survey the area from above, the trees seemed to form a heart shape around the vast mansion.

      Though the resident(s) of the mansion never felt the need to keep a pet, they knew they had to keep some animals for transportation.

      Two horses and a carriage were kept in a stall; both were different as night and day. The white stallion was called Yin, and the black one was Yang. They were obviously named after the Taoist concepts of good and evil, and their colors matched that of the famous symbol. Despite the fact that both the horses and the carriage were beautiful, they were not seen very often by the townsfolk.

      Now, even with all these amenities, the mansion seemed rather lifeless and isolated. Some of the neighbors, close by, made the comment that, Hardly anyone is seen living there. I see a human figure outside every once in a while, but whoever it is seems rather antisocial.

      Of course, in fact, there was a person (perhaps just one) living there. A woman by the name of Cynthia Wellsworth owned the mansion. She lived alone and got along just fine. Neighbors were correct in assuming that she was not very social, but their opinions did not matter to her because she was very content. Cynthia worked hard to care for all she had. She did not have any steady servants, but she was very independent in making her own decisions.

      The young woman was also very beautiful. She had a full figure with fair, white skin and rosy cheeks. Her long brown hair, slightly curled, grew down to the middle of her back. She was a delightful vision. Cynthia’s eyes were as grey as smoke, and she thought that it was a characteristic she shared with the goddess Athena.

      Also, her astounding intelligence added to her beauty. If others in the town had known, they might not have understood it. They thought it was very uncommon that a woman waste her time with studies rather than preparing for marriage and motherhood, no matter how much money she had.

      Other women were envious of her freedom because they knew that they could never live such a life of luxury. Though, those who really knew much about her seemed very few and far between.

      Inside, the mansion was even more spectacular. There were fifty total rooms, and the walls were covered with splendid paintings of her ancestors and distant relatives. Needless to say, Cynthia seemed to have a great deal of wealth. Statues, sculptures, and fine antiques were placed all around, and each one of them seemed to have a different story to tell.

      There were also several religious icons from many different parts of the world, though Cynthia’s favorite things were the sculptures of golden cherubs, which were mainly found in her sitting room.

      Among some of the popular rooms of the house were sitting rooms, the painting room, the treasure room, reading rooms, the study rooms, and the vast library on the second floor. Cynthia’s bedroom was very large, but it seemed small compared to many of the other rooms in the mansion. It had a balcony which overlooked the lovely garden in the backyard.

      Cynthia seemed to spend most of her leisure time in her favorite reading room, located on the first floor. She read practically every book she could get her hands on, and she considered it as further study that she received after her formal education was complete.

      At night, she lit several candles so that she would not have to strain her eyes reading some of her favorite books. Cynthia spoke the Queen’s English, but she had studied several others languages as a child. She had a great fondness for Latin and Greek, as well as some of the romance languages, such as French and Spanish.

      Cynthia did not have the mansion built for herself; she inherited it from her deceased Uncle Ralph. He was a kind and generous man who never married and never stopped caring for his niece.

      Her mother died in childbirth, and her father, dismayed by the fact that his wife did not produce a son, sent Cynthia to live with her mother’s brother. Uncle Ralph was very fond of children, and he was happy, but surprised by the fact that his seemingly heartless brother-in-law sent this child to him so that she may have a good life.

      Though Ralph knew that Cynthia’s father had only given her to him so that he could be relieved of the burden of raising her, Ralph didn’t love her any less.

      Cynthia was only weeks old when she was sent away. Since she was a female, it meant that she would not be considered equal to her male counterparts, but she grew up knowing that something made her different. Uncle Ralph was not much of a conventional man; he allowed her to make her own decisions, and he never swayed her mind to think in the direction of marriage.

      Cynthia was sent overseas to France at the age of seven. She was educated at one of the top schools at the time. Though the schoolmasters were more than hesitant to accept her at first, dear Uncle Ralph persuaded them by opening up his purse strings. Cynthia knew that she was very fortunate to be educated at such a fine institution, especially since not many children the privilege, mainly female ones.

      Sadly, when Cynthia was fifteen, her uncle had died, and she inherited the entire mansion and its caretaking staff. By the time she was seventeen, she dismissed most of the staff and started taking responsibility for her possessions herself. That was three years ago.

      At the age of twenty, Cynthia had a free-spirited personality, but she was fully aware that most other woman in the world were not as fortunate as her. Though she was a trifle affectionate, her great mind seemed to override that.

      Cynthia fit the description given by her neighbor, in part, because she seldom showed her pale face outside, except to do chores. She seldom walked Rosemary Lane, or the other streets of Cheshire, because she feared for the safety of some of her beautiful garments. The only other time she wandered into town was to shop the market for food and other such essentials.

      Her liberal upbringing made Cynthia feel very proud that she was a woman who could think such free thoughts. She even made the statement that, Those who do not respect a person for themselves are just as ignorant as they think the other person is. That was one of her philosophies, and it helped her establish some meaning.

      It appeared to her that some of her distant relatives and others knew about her equal standing with her uncle because they showed slight resentment over it because of her allotted freedom. Another philosophy Cynthia had was that, When one has intelligence, not much other company is needed.

      Many thought of her as being mad, but none ever dared to approach her about it her because of her status. Despite some of his radical views, her Uncle Ralph was highly respected by most of his neighbors.

      Music was one of the keys to her happiness; she particularly favored works by Johann Sebastian Bach and the young, illustrious Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was only months older than she. Cynthia highly admired his work and longed to compose music just as he did. Her uncle had dabbled in music, which motivated her to follow even more in the young Mozart’s footsteps.

      Also present was Cynthia’s will to be strange. According to her main philosophy, it was perfectly all right to act in that manner. People may have heard music and singing at night. Cynthia would go alone to her vast ballroom at the hour of midnight and dance to Mozart; she had all her favorite works memorized. She also liked to stare at the moonlight and drift deep into thought.

      Sometimes, Cynthia went outside to wander nude in

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