Eleanor woke early, the faint glow of dawn seeping through the heavy curtains of her bedroom. Her senses stirred before her body fully did, and she instinctively reached out with her aura, brushing against a familiar presence lingering just outside the door.
"Ophelia," she thought, instantly alert. "She must have come to report her investigation results. I can’t let her wait too long. Freya is still asleep... I’ll have to step out quietly."
Eleanor slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. After a quick wash, she changed out of her soft sleepwear into a simple, elegant loungewear set. She moved with practiced grace as she stepped outside her room, carefully closing the door behind her so Freya wouldn’t stir.
As she turned, she found Ophelia standing silently, almost like a shadow in the hallway.
"I suppose you’ve brought something interesting, since you couldn’t wait for me to become available to hear your report," Eleanor said softly.
Ophelia gave a quick nod, her eyes sharp and serious. "Yes, Ma’am. I’ve uncovered a very big secret."
Just as she began to speak, Eleanor raised a hand. "Let’s go to the study. I’d rather hear this in private."
"Of course." Ophelia followed her without question.
Inside the study, Eleanor took her seat at the head of the polished wooden desk and motioned for Ophelia to sit across from her. The room was silent except for the faint ticking of the clock on the far wall.
"Alright," Eleanor said, folding her hands. "You may begin."
Ophelia straightened her posture, her voice calm and measured. "I won’t get into the full process I used to gather this information... it would take too long. But what I’ve found about Kelly Wilson is a very deep story. I retrieved details from St. Margaret’s School, the London School of Economics, and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Accra, Ghana."
Eleanor raised an eyebrow in interest but didn’t interrupt.
"Kelly Wilson’s real name is Joan Kelly Osborne," Ophelia began. "Her father, Jack Osborne, was a Commander in the Royal Ulster Constabulary. One Sunday, the Osborne family... including Joan’s mother, Katherine Wilson, went to a local church service, which was attacked by the Irish Republican Army. Everyone of Osborne family died in that incident... except Joan. She had stayed home that day because she was sick."
Eleanor’s eyes narrowed slightly. "So, she was really an orphan."
Ophelia nodded. "Yes. After the attack, the Right Reverend Hannah Cranfield visited the church and learned about Joan’s situation. At the time, Joan was under the care of a local clergyman. Moved by her story, Hannah Cranfield brought her to England and enrolled her as a resident student at St. Margaret’s School, which was supported by the Church. Joan thrived there and eventually received a fully funded scholarship to the London School of Economics, where she began a degree in Financial Mathematics and Statistics."
Eleanor leaned forward slightly, intrigued.
"At LSE, Joan met one of her classmates... Anthony Hayward Chapman, and the two fell in love. During their final year, Anthony’s father, Baron Hayward John Chapman of Bethnal Green, who was a Minister in the House of Lords at the time, arranged a political marriage for his son. Anthony refused, informing his father about his relationship with Joan and rejecting the arranged marriage."
Ophelia paused and looked Eleanor in the eye. "That’s when Joan’s problems began. Baron Hayward sent his men to threaten her. He demanded she break things off with Anthony."
"Let me guess," Eleanor said. "She panicked and eloped." New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel-fire.ɴet
"Yes. Fearing for her life, Joan turned to the only person she trusted...Hannah Cranfield, who then became a powerful figure as the Bishop of Portsmouth. While staying at the Bishop’s residence, Joan discovered she was pregnant. In order to protect her and the baby, Bishop Cranfield sent her to Ghana, under a false identity, as part of a religious exchange delegation."
Ophelia continued, "My cousin in Ghana confirmed that the Diocesan Bishop of Accra personally handled her situation back then. Joan was issued a Ghanaian passport under the name Kelly Wilson, and within a week, she was quietly sent back to the United Kingdom."
Eleanor’s lips tightened. "So, she adopted her mother’s surname and took on a new identity. To erase all traces, the Church helped her obtain citizenship again within a year."
"Exactly," Ophelia confirmed. "She reinvented herself completely... became Kelly Wilson. And when her daughter was born, she named her June Osborne, returning to her father’s surname as a tribute."
She paused for emphasis, then added, "By the way, Jack Osborne was posthumously awarded both the Queen’s Gallantry Medal and the Queen’s Police Medal. As for the story about June being named after the first female Dean of a cathedral... that was likely a cover to hide her true origin."
Eleanor slowly leaned back in her chair, absorbing the information.
"But that’s not the most interesting part," Ophelia said, a small spark of excitement in her voice. "What I couldn’t wait to tell you is the story of June Osborne’s father."
Eleanor’s gaze sharpened.
"After Joan’s sudden disappearance, Anthony searched for her relentlessly. He even involved their LSE classmates in the search. But she had vanished completely. Anthony began to believe his father had something to do with her disappearance... possibly even her death."
Ophelia’s voice softened slightly. "Almost everyone believed the same. Baron Hayward had both the means and the influence to make someone disappear. After nearly a year without a trace, Anthony finally succumbed to pressure and married the minister’s daughter his father had chosen. But the marriage was unhappy, and after five years, his wife died of cancer. Anthony never remarried. He has no known children."
A long silence stretched between them.
Eleanor spoke finally, her tone careful. "Go on."
Ophelia said excitedly, "The current Co-Chairman of the opposition party... is Baron Anthony Hayward Chapman of Bethnal Green. The same party as Mayor Grant and Edward Langford. And right now, only we know that the supposedly childless Baron actually has a daughter. A daughter who can inherit his title and even political legacy."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Eleanor didn’t respond right away. Her thoughts raced, calculating the implications.
Finally, she exhaled slowly and said, "Great work, Ophelia. You’ve solved a major headache for me. And keep this information between us. I will use this information at the right time."
She stood, smoothing out the sleeves of her dress. "Take the rest of the day off. I already know what I’ll do next."