The Lady and the Bronze Mask. Reading the account.

Commissioned illustration of a scene from a story being written by Robert Thornsberry, aka Alveric2 Here, Damiel Warwick reads Amelia's account of the fateful archaeological expedition in East Africa that left her father the professor dead and she herself condemned to the wearing of an accursed bronze mask...

Chapter 1:   The Lady and the Bronze Mask: Part OneThe Lady and the Bronze mask
I first met Miss Lee some years ago.  She was quite young then, perhaps ten years of age.  Her father, Professor Ambrose Lee, was preparing for his second expedition to the upper Nile, for which I had signed on in my usual role of scout and hunter.  In that brief encounter, Amelia impressed me as being a serious and intelligent child, very knowledgeable in her father’s field.  It was no surprise to me when she grew up and began accompanying him on his exploits.  This was after I had amicably parted company with the Professor in order to serve as a civilian guide during the campaign against German East Africa.  After the end of the war, I was quite surprised and distressed to learn that tragedy had struck during their final trip, a terrible accident had brought about Professor Lee’s death and destroyed both his daughter’s face and her ability to speak.  
I was far away and felt I could only send a letter o