The Twilight Garden

13

Porter has grown into a handsome man, though there is something terribly wrong with him now. As a child, he had been warm and inviting and curious—now, he is cold and calculating and jealous. After having the vision of our betrothal (which I am still not convinced actually happened), I have noticed his disdain of Leland, and I do not believe it is because he is a psychiatrist. I believe that Porter dislikes Leland because he and I have developed a close friendship through our sessions. I do not believe it is completely unheard of, a doctor and his patient growing close, but perhaps there is something more than friendship between us that I do not quite understand, but Porter sees. I do feel drawn to Leland—and being held in his arms earlier at the garden gate was comforting.

My mother is acting strange, as well. She invited Lady Keane's personal physician to dine with us tonight. She was almost too excited to have him here, it was concerning—and the questions he posed to Leland were disrespectful and too probing into our confidential sessions.

I am worried that Leland will be sent away. I do not think I will be able to continue delving into the mysteries that surround my family without him.

Josephine closed her journal and placed it in the middle drawer of her desk, locking it when she was finished.

'Josie, that man is planning something.' Octavia spoke. Josephine turned and saw the young girl standing near her door, her hands clasped in front of her, her head bowed. 'He is planning to finish what your father started. I'm scared that we won't ever experience peace. I'm scared that we won't see our families in Heaven.'

'Octavia, I promise to protect you and the other children that were murdered. I promise to restore peace to your souls, the best I can. Please, is there anything else you can tell me about Porter and what he is planning.'

The child rung her hands and refused to look up at Josephine. It took a few moments for her to respond, but when she did, there was a palpable fear in her voice:

'Anty can tell you. She is in the garden.' The was the final statement made by the apparition, and Josephine watched her fade into nothing... in the garden. Why did it seem that every turn of the path led her back to the garden? How was it that such a simple statement held so much weight and confusion?

A knock at the door broke her train of thought and she rose from her desk. 'Come in.' She straightened her dress before the knob turned, and tried not to let her face show her happiness as Leland slid through the small opening, closing the door softly behind him.

'There has been a development, Josephine.' He began, directing her to sit on the bed. As she lowered herself, slowly, showing concern, he pulled her desk chair out and sat, turned away from her. 'I'm not entirely sure how to explain what I've only just heard, but it is unsettling. I happened to catch a snippet of conversation between your mother and Porter, regarding your father's passing.'

He stopped, perhaps gathering his composure, perhaps giving her a moment to digest his words. She waved him on, silently begging him to continue.

'It was rather heated, and hushed—I assume Lady Keane and Dr Kaylock were not there, as the exchange of words was rather intimate. I'm....I'm not entirely sure how to explain what I heard.' His face betrayed his loss for words, but she remained silent, waiting for him to continue. 'They discussed your engagement with Porter, of course (that seemed to be the primary concern of your mother's), but there has been a level of dissent from your mother regarding the arrangement.. Your father had sought to break the engagement, from what I gathered, but Porter refused to allow that. He accused your mother of trying to do the same tonight. He believes that she confided in me and I chose to remain closed to their questions because of it. Porter stated that, should he find your mother attempting to dissolve the contract between your families, he will make sure that she meets the same end that your father did.'

Josephine stared in silence for a long while, unsure of how to respond to the information he had given her. She drew in a breath, opened her mouth, but stopped before any words were said—she repeated the movement a few times before standing from her bed to pace the length of her room in front of Leland.

'I....' She began, trying to find the words to express herself properly. 'I'm not quite sure what to say. Porter admitted to killing my father?''

'Not in so many words, but his threat to your mother seemed to carry some weight with her. She was rather accommodating after that. Your mother knows more about this entire situation than she lets on, and I do believe it is time for me to sit down with her and get a few answers.'

'Yes, of course. But, for Porter to accuse my mother of attempting the same thing my father had is outrageous. She has been nothing but supportive of Porter my entire life.'

'I believe that in the beginning, you father forced her to become involved in the research and rituals— once she was comfortable, your mother chose to continue with them. When your father had a change of heart, nearing the end of his life, he attempted to remove you from the situation, but was instead killed for his efforts. It wasn't until recently, when your episodes began to get worse, that your mother may have realised the effect of the whole thing on you.' Leland explained. 'In other words, Josephine, your mother was under the assumption that your marriage to Porter would be the best outcome for this situation, but has since renounced those thoughts.'

Josephine had no response, so without missing a breath, Leland continued:

'I fear that I am not wholly capable of taking all of this as truth, Josephine. Even with what I have recently bore witness to, there is still a strong disbelief in the supernatural apparent in my mind, and I cannot bring myself to consider an entirely non-scientific explanation.'

This last statement from Leland took Josephine by surprise—there was that disbelief again, raising questions in her mind of how to move forward. She questioned his motives, to be sure, but only for a moment.

'Should this be fiction, Leland, then you are dealing with a case of mass hysteria that spans the entire county, according to my father's research. He and my mother, and Porter's family, are not the only members of whatever terrifying cult has been kidnapping children. My father has mentioned, in his notes, dozens of prominent figures in this county—your employer, Dr Arthur Blair, included.'

It was Leland's turn to be shocked into silence. If he hadn't been sitting, he would likely have stumbled in his astonishment. He recalled his last conversation with his employer, and the man's response to his treatment seemed to make more sense with the information just received from Josephine. It was too much for him, and he bent over his knees, holding his head in his hands.

'This is insane.' He whispered, head still in his hands. He refused to look at Josephine, refused to move from his spot—his mentor, his employer, the man who had supported his every treatment in the past, seemed to be a factor in what could be the biggest scandal in the county? How could a man of such high esteem, such education, be privy to (and have his hands in) such horrible acts? No, he would confront Arthur directly, there was no purpose in assuming anything; he would call him in the morning and discuss Josephine's findings with him, and hopefully gain some insight into why his name appeared in the late Mr Bray's research.

He stood from the chair and made for the door, making sure to keep his eyes away from Josephine. 'It is late, I will see you in the morning for another session. Perhaps we can delve deeper into the purpose of these studies.'

He was gone before she gave her answer. Alone with her thoughts and worries, Josephine turned the lights off and crawled under her blanket, wishing for the darkness of a dreamless slumber.