Madeline Usher's Tale

Chapter Seven

“I had learned, too, the very remarkable fact, that the stem of the Usher race, all time-honored as it was, had put forth , at no period, any enduring branch; in other words, that the entire family lay in the direct line of descent, and had always, with very trifling and very temporary in variation, so lain.”

                                                                          Chapter Seven

 I managed to get out of the house one day for a few hours. For the last several months I had journeyed to the back of Usher Manor to attend to the ruinous garden. I don’t know what possessed me to suddenly take an interest in the garden. The garden had been dead long before I had even moved into the manor. But a few times a month, I would go out and find something to do with it, usually taking Letty with me who couldn’t understand my desire to dig around in the dirt. After a while, Richard would join us, but I suspected that Roderick found out about my revival of the garden and had sent Richard to spy on Letty and I. I think Roderick was still reeling from my attempt to escape and was determined to keep eyes on me in case I planned to run away again.

            “Lady Madeline, the roses are starting to bloom,” Letty said.

            “Yes,” I confirm, digging my hands into the ground to bury some seeds of azaleas.

            Letty crossed her legs on the ground. “I honestly didn’t think you’d be able to get this garden living again,” she laughed.

            Richard walked around the patch of garden that I had been working on for the last couple months, examining the leaves and ground. “It’s looking very beautiful, Lady Madeline. My old master never did anything to make this look appealing.”

            I blinked at the mention of my grandfather, but kept silent as I continued to dig.

            After about twenty minutes, I told Richard and Letty to go stand in the shade while I finished up. As I brushed the dirt from my hands, I heard a carriage in the distance.

            “Who could that be?” I asked out loud. Letty and Richard followed me from behind as I made my way back to the front of Usher Manor.

            I stood at the front of manor while I waited for the carriage to arrive. When it stopped, I saw a familiar face.

            “Uncle Henry?”

            Henry took his hat off as he approached me. “Madeline.” He said my name with no hint of pleasure. He sounded almost business-like.

            I stuffed my dirty hands into my pockets, suddenly aware of how dirty I must have looked to him. “What are you doing here?”

            He stared up above me to examine the manor. I knew he was dismayed at the disrepair. He finally looked back at me. “I’ve come to talk to you.”

            “To me? Not Roderick?”

            “I’d like to have nothing to do with your brother if that’s not a problem.”

            I turned to look at Richard. “Make sure Roderick hasn’t heard my Uncle’s arrival. If he has, tell him I want to speak with Henry alone.” Richard gave me a slight bow before departing. “Letty, leave us.” Letty gave me a curtsey and she, too, is gone. It’s just me and Uncle Henry. “Do come in,” I said.

            Henry followed me to the parlor. While we walked, I attempted to stuff my stray strands of hair back where they came from in an attempt to look more presentable.