The Lost Bride Trilogy, #1
Inheritance
by Nora Roberts
Contents
Chapter Twenty
Overview
Sonya juggles work and plans for her mother’s visit while deepening her relationship with Trey over a quiet evening in. At 3 a.m., violent paranormal activity erupts: the grandfather clock tolls louder, piano music crashes, and a freezing presence brushes Sonya, leaving a fading ice burn.
Shaken but resolute, Sonya rejects retreat, resets the clock to defy the entity, and doubles down on finding the missing rings as the key to ending the haunting.
Summary
Sonya spends the day productively: Clover cues music, she advances a catering site, brainstorms bold ideas for the Ryder Sports campaign, and confirms weekend cooking plans via Bree’s texts for her mother’s visit. After Trey arrives with takeout, they share an easy, domestic evening discussing family wedding pressures and reviewing Sonya’s dynamic mood board and tag line ideas.
Choosing comfort over the media room, they watch The Marvels in the library with the dogs. Their intimacy deepens, and they go to bed feeling grounded in a new normal.
Just before 3 a.m., the grandfather clock’s pendulum starts, the clock strikes louder than before, and piano music drifts from the music room. When Sonya and Trey investigate, the music stops, then surges into chaotic chords as doors slam, lights fail, and an illusory storm pounds the house. The dogs bark and snarl; a freezing presence brushes Sonya’s arm.
Trey opens the front door to a calm night, proving the storm is an illusion. A pale, quickly fading ice burn marks Sonya’s arm, confirming physical contact with the hostile spirit. In the kitchen, Trey soothes and treats the mark; they assess the attack as a scare tactic that failed to drive Sonya out.
Resolute, Sonya refuses to leave her home and commits to finding the rings if that ends the haunting. Trey resets the clock hands to 7:10 to force the entity to work for its theatrics. Back in bed, still rattled but steady, Sonya takes comfort in Trey and the dogs, determined not to let the spirit win.
Who Appears
- Sonya MacTavishProtagonist; works on projects, plans for her mother’s visit, deepens bond with Trey, endures intensified 3 a.m. haunting and a brief ice burn, vows to find the rings.
- Trey GarrisonSupportive partner; brings dinner, reviews Sonya’s campaign ideas, confronts the haunting, treats Sonya’s ice burn, resets the clock, urges resolve.
- CloverBenevolent spirit; communicates via music cues like Crimson and Clover, subtly accompanying Sonya’s day.
- Hostile entity (woman in black)Antagonistic presence; escalates 3 a.m. phenomena—clock, piano, slamming doors, storm illusion—and briefly touches Sonya, causing a fading ice burn.
- YodaSonya’s dog; plays with Mookie, alerts and snarls during the haunting, then settles after the disturbance.
- MookieTrey’s dog; joins Yoda, barks warnings during the 3 a.m. attack, otherwise companionable.
- BreeFriend and culinary coach via text; provides Sonya with a simple dinner plan for her mother’s visit.
- Astrid Poole (possible presence)Believed to be the pianist at 3 a.m.; her recurring song suggests attempts to communicate.