The Girl in the Garden

Chapter 10

Ben walked back from the garden with Rani's guitar held over his shoulder. He thought about what the girl said and about the way Ms. Herrier responded when she interrupted the music lesson that morning. Why would someone respond so negatively to the idea of someone learning how to play music if it wasn't connected to something... secret.

When he got close enough to the manor that he could see the conservatory beyond it, he stopped and stared at the charred building in the distance. He wanted to go in there; he wanted to know what sort of musical key might be hiding there, but it seemed like every time he tried to do something he wasn't allowed to; someone else was watching him.

He wondered how he could go about getting in, assuming that he'd have to make his move at night when Ms. Herrier's prying eyes would be closed. He was so lost in thought he didn't realize Rani was approaching him; the layers of fabric that made up her outfit were alive even in the slightest of breeze.

"You seem fascinated by the conservatory," she said, startling Ben.

"Oh, uh... I don't know if I'd say fascinated."

Rani laughed, and the sound was like bells. "It's fine if you are. You're a kid, and everyone's told you not to go in there, that it's dangerous, so naturally that's all you want to do, right?"

Ben shrugged his shoulders. He already liked his teacher better than any other adult at Bramble Manor, but he wasn't sure if he could trust her. It sucked that the adults were clearly keeping secrets from him, but he also realized that some of his own secrets were too big to share with someone he just met. "Is it really all that dangerous in there?" He asked, trying to pick questions that showed he was curious without revealing that he was planning something bad.

Rani took her time formulating an answer. "Of course it is," she said as she gestured to the decrepit building. "Looks like it could fall over at any minute."

"So why does Mr. Willoughs live in there?"

"He's a complicated man. He misses his old work... I think he even resents Wish for—" She cut herself off and, as though she knew Ben would question her further on something she wasn't allowed to talk about, she said, "I think I know another reason why you're so interested in that building."

"Oh?"

She swept up closer to Ben's side, and the two of them stared at the conservatory together. "I believe that people pass all kinds of things along to their children. Not just physical traits but psychic things too."

Ben twisted his face and snorted out a quick chuckle. "Psychic?" He asked. "Sounds kind of... out there, don't you think?"

"I know, but hear me out." She chuckled, and again her laughter made him feel lighter. "Your mother, she loved the conservatory. I think she formed a connection with it. She practiced all her music in there."

Something felt like it fell into place in his mind, a thought that seemed important but not fully formed. He thought of Dylan's hand, the closet under the stairs at Wexley House, the chair from the day before. With those images in his head, he said, "Did—" the words caught in his throat. He swallowed hard and tried again, "Did my mother burn that building down?"

Rani smiled, and Ben was surprised at how much information she could express without words. She seemed happy that he was asking questions but disappointed that she couldn't answer them. "Kestra was right, you know. Aloysius Frederick is a great and powerful man. Anyone you meet here owes him quite a great deal. He's also particular about what he expects from us, which means..."

"Which means you can't answer my questions? I get it."

After the two of them stared at the conservatory together for another minute or two, Rani turned away and said over her shoulder, "I can't tell you much about the conservatory, but I do have a story that might help you."