The Moonflower

The New Au Pair

  The gardener did not even introduce herself to the new au pair. She barely even acknowledged her at all, simply treating her as if she'd always been there. The others in the room just assumed they'd already met. Which, if she was honest, was exactly how the au pair felt when she first saw the young woman.

  The au pair assumed that the gardener was still recovering from the death of the last au pair, Rebecca Jessen. After all, she was the one who found little Flora by the lake, staring at the bloated body of her former friend. Or maybe she was just rude, the au pair thought, picking at her lunch. Maybe she just had a hard exterior that could be broken with kindness, she thought with a smile, I can do that. I'm good at being kind.  The au pair glanced up from her food to see the gardener had sat right diagonal to her. Dani looked at the gardener, but the gardener did not look at Dani.

After Owen's delicious lunch had ended, the gardener stood from the table, "I don't want neither of you messin in my garden, ya hear?"
Miles gave a small smirk, said, "oh Jamie", and with a shake of his head, he left. "I'm sorry for Miles, he's not himself today." Flora replied. "We promise not to mess in your garden"

Flora skipped out of the kitchen, stopping only to tell Owen that lunch was "perfectly splendid". Jamie gave a small giggle and said, "It's hard not to be angry with those two."

"Did the do something to your garden?" Dani asked timidly, though she would never admit it.

"Just last week I found Miles digging in the rose garden" Jamie shrugged, leaving the kitchen.

Curious, thought the au pair. Dani brought her plate to the sink and thanked Owen for the meal, thinking of the gardener. The au pair found herself thinking of the mysterious gardener often that afternoon. Those thoughts only ceased when she was approached by Miles, a few hours after lunch.

"Oh hi Miles! What've you got there?" Dani asked, gesturing towards the bundle behind the boy's back. "Oh!" A smile grew across his face as he presented the bouquet of pristine red roses to the au pair. "I got these for you! I just wanted to share how happy I am that you are here, it is really quite perfectly splendid".

"Why, Miles! These are beautiful! Where on earth did you get th-" Dani did not get to finish her sentence, due to the fact that Miles had run off. But in her heart, she knew exactly where these roses came from, and who would be most upset about them.

The au pair gathered herself and proceeded across the grounds to the greenhouse. Her hands shook with nerves as she twisted the knob on the door, leading her to the gardener.

"Oi, Owen if that's you lookin for more herbs I told ya I'm not gonna give you any more!" The gardener exclaimed looking up from her work. "Oh, it's just you. What can I do for ya?"

It was in that moment, the gardener realized exactly why the new au pair had come to visit her in the greenhouse.

"That little-" Jamie snarled, starting for the door.

"I'm sure he didn't mean to!" Dani began, but realized it was fruitless. The gardener was already set in her feelings.

  Dani followed the gardener into a beautiful flower garden, where the damaged roses lived. Jamie knelt on the ground looking at her poor roses, while the au pair stood behind, hand resting on her cheek, with a worried look on her face. The gardener picked up a petal, rubbing it in the palm of her hand, "I can't believe he's done this. It was perfect, and now..."

  "I'll talk with him. He'll never do this again" Dani said softly. Jamie stood up and looking into the au pair's eyes she said, "Well let me see it"

  Dani handed the bouquet to the gardener, with a worried look on her face. The gardener rearranged the roses a bit, plucking off a few leaves that were in the way. Jamie knelt down again and picked a few more roses, carefully placing them in the bouquet. "Here. He didn't do such a bad job arranging them, just a few bald spots" she said, handing the flowers to Dani. "It's all right poppins! If you're gonna have a bouquet, it should look nice!"

  "Are you sure?" Dani asked, taking the flowers.

  "I've got no place for them now, and anyways, take them as my welcome to Bly gift" Jamie replied with a smile. As the gardener walked away, the au pair blushed, hugging the roses to her chest.

~

Dani found Miles and Flora in the teaching room, Miles reading, Flora drawing. "I have a little project for us! If you could kindly follow me outside, we will be helping clean up Miles' little mess in the garden" the au pair said, smiling. The children looked at each other and groaned, "Miss Clayton, do we really have to? That's what Miss Jamie is for" Flora inquired.

"Well, yes you are right Flora, but I think Miss Jamie deserves a break" Dani replied, thinking of the roses in her room in Bly Manor. "Come along now!"

~~~

Jamie watched as the au pair corralled the two Wingrave children in her statue garden. Flora was wearing Jamie's gardening gloves, which were entirely too big for her delicate hands. Miles had a wheelbarrow filled with weeds that he was tossing the broken rose bush buds in.

"Can I offer you ladies a lemonade?" Owen asked, sitting on the empty chair by Jamie.

Jamie, Hannah, and Owen sat in the garden, sipping lemonade, and watching Dani and the children gardening. "So" Jamie began. "Thoughts on the new au pair?"

Hannah, smiling, scoffed, "We don't gossip Jamie"

"I think she's just too pretty. Do you think she's pretty Owen?" Jamie said cheekily. Owen just sipped his lemonade, he only had eyes for Hannah.

Dani looked over at the threesome and waved. Jamie held up her glass and smiled, and Owen and Hannah waved back.

~~

As the au pair laid down in her bed, later that night, she thought only about the gardener. 'She gave me roses!' She thought happily. Dani was feeling butterflies in her stomach, flapping and flittering around her organs, weaving in and out of her ribs.

~~

The gardener was sitting in her favorite chair with a mug of hot tea. She stared out her window, tucking her feet under her body.  The only thing on her mind was the au pair. 'She really is too pretty' Jamie thought with a smile.

~~

Dani dreamt only of the gardener, and the gardener of Dani. Next time, when Dani looked at Jamie, she would look back.