Garnet or Garnets Curse

asked, alarmed at how his story was paralleling my own.
    “ Garnet, don ’ t be silly, ” he said, patting my hand gently. “ Whoever sent that letter must have known that my grandfather was a superstitious man. Thank goodness my grandmother was not or someone else would have wound up with the family fortune.”
    “Are your grandparents still living?” I asked.
    “Oh no, they are all gone. For now, I am the last of the bloodline. I suppose it was grandfather’s fears that drove him crazy. When I was a little boy, I remember him talking to himself and wandering around the halls at night. Even though I was only nine years old when he died, I recall it clearly. Grandfather woke up the whole household that night screaming. His bedroom door was locked and my father had to knock it down. By the time they found him, he was as dead as a doornail. The doctor said his heart just stopped beating.”
    “Then there must have been a curse?” I asked, before I could catch myself.
    “Not hardly. He was 90 years old, ” he said. “Nevertheless, some of the servants high-tailed it out the very next day. For the longest time we had trouble finding servants, with all the rumors that Chateau-du-Loir was haunted.”
    He laughed and I joined him, which disturbed Maria in the back. She opened her eyes and looked around, but then closed them again.
    For a while, we rode in silence. Robert seemed to be enjoying the ride, but I was deep in thought. It was very odd that Robert was the 7th generation and even stranger that he mentioned a curse. Yet, I found the most frightening the similarity between the name Auro and Aurochs. I questioned in my mind, could Auro once have been spelled Aurochs?
    I turned to see if Maria was asleep and mustered up my nerve to ask Robert about the name. “Robert, the name Auro is a strange one. Do you know where your ancestors originated?”
    “I am not altogether sure. My grandfather said there was mention of the family all over Europe. It appeared the Auro’s were a wandering stock. In the old days, the name was spelled a number of different ways. One thing for sure, if my father had not had the good sense to make sound investments, the family fortune would have been long gone. Soon you will see the winery just over the bend.”
    “And why did they call them the golden ones?” I asked.
    “There are a number of theories, the most likely being the direct translation of the name itself, meaning gold or golden. My grandfather did some extensive research on the family, but when he died, no one ever bothered with it again. Why do you ask?”
    For a moment, his blue eyes tantalized me. At last I spoke, but my voice sounded distant, unlike my own. “I don’t know; I am just curious,” I lied.
    “Well, I like a curious woman, and I am very curious about you Garnet.” He picked up my hand and gently kissed it. His lips were soft as velvet and I felt a strange quivering sensation deep inside of me.
    If it had not been for Maria sleeping in the back, I am sure he would have kissed me on the lips. He cleared his throat and pointed to the road in front of him. “Here is where the property begins.”
    When my eyes left his face, I saw before me the vast orchards. On the distant hill, basking in the last of the evening sun was Chateau-du-Loir. “Magnificent,” I muttered.
    “Yes, it is,” he said proudly.
    Maria sat up straight in the seat. “It is like a golden castle on a hill.”
    Robert winked and whispered, “the golden ones.”
    Maria waking up and my sudden excitement flushed away my fears. I determined that a curse could not exist here nor on the golden ones that lived inside.
    The grand entry door opened as soon as we parked the carriage. Seconds later a dark-complected man ran out to greet us. Robert spoke to him in Spanish; the man nodded and began unloading our bags.
    “Is this all?” Robert asked, with a perplexed look on his face.
    “Yes,” I replied, feeling embarrassed by my lack of possessions. “I will have to ask your pardon for my lack of proper attire. There was just so little time and I never dreamed I would be gone this long.”
    “Fret not, my fair maiden. Prince Charming is here,” Robert teased. “As my guest of Chateau-du-Loir, you shall want for nothing.”
    “Mr. Shelley, that is a most gracious offer, but I could not possibly impose on you.”
    “It is my pleasure,” he said, taking my hand to lead me toward the door.
    “But I ...,” I started to