Pearl had, for the first time since leaving the city, a quiet day set before her where she could relax. Perhaps she could even take a walk outside and plan for her future garden. She had such little time to enjoy these moments, not when she had been waiting for Coral to return with the Adventurer’s. Her nerves had been set on edge the entire time she was waiting. Nor when she waited anxiously by Coral, sick with fever and that horrible leg wound. Coral’s leg had been an awful mess. Now the most that was asked of her was to cook food for them both, which wasn’t much at all. She would make sure to include plenty of vegetables, Coral would need her strength for the coming weeks. Whenever she checked in on Coral to make sure she was still warm and seated, from what she could see by the ever-growing list beneath Coral’s studious hand, there was a significant number of things they were set to do.
Pearl had been determined to get Coral to rest and to let her leg heal, so she had shut her away in the Winter Salon with a collection of books she had found about the manor, as well as parchment and charcoal for writing. There was a study somewhere; they had found it when they first went exploring through the manor. But she hadn’t been able to recall its whereabouts nor the titles on the spines, so she made do with what assortment of books she found scattered in the rooms. Moonflower Inn was a maze, and she didn’t want to get herself lost with ghosts lurking about in search of the collection of texts in a room she had only visited once. Coral would surely come looking for her, and that wasn’t conducive to her sister’s healing.
Elwin was due to visit that afternoon, and unwilling to go to Direwood on her own, it would be best for Pearl to wait for him to arrive and ask him to escort her. So, with a slight skip to her step, Pearl walked through the kitchen and purposely ignored the mess. That was a problem for later. She did, however, pick up a small slice of chocolate cake and wrapped it in some brown paper along with a slice of cheese and, luckily, a single piece of bread which she liberally applied the last of the butter to. She placed these in her skirt pockets, then pulled the ring of old keys out. It took a moment or two to find the correct key and let herself outside.
It was warmer today, at least, it was outside. The courtyard was covered in a carpet of orange leaves, and here too moonflowers had creeped in over the cobbled ground. She stepped down the few steps, her boots tapping lightly as she made her way towards the glasshouse.
It was a fanciful thing, the glasshouse, and it would likely be warmer in there too. Unbeknownst to Coral, Pearl had already collected and potted a few herbs she had found growing wild. Her luckiest find was rosemary, her absolute favourite. Not to discredit the other herbs and their flavours, but there was something about the combination of rosemary and garlic that Pearl would always long for. If it was Coral, she’d always want a splash of red wine in the mix. Learning to cook was harder than Pearl had anticipated. She was exploring how combinations of foods paired well with each other, and what didn’t. The herbs would add nicely to her dishes, and she hoped to incorporate some into her baking as well.
She should bake a fresh loaf of bread today too. If she made Coral soup, the bread could soak up the last of the nutritious liquid to ensure she got every drop to bolster her strength.
Pearl came to the double door of the greenhouse, ornate ironwork curling around the frame of the glass and coiling out like long flowering vines. She thought she had closed the door firmly last time. If she had learnt anything from her time in the manor, it was that when doors that had been previously closed were now opened, the ghosts were usually behind it. She stood there for a quiet moment, waiting for something to happen. Would the ghost children come outside of the manor’s walls to gain her attention? There had been very little movement or shadows that ought not to be there since she had returned. Pearl wanted to seek them out, to try to reason with them, but how did one win over the dead?
The door remained still, and taking this as a good sign that she wouldn’t be suddenly bombarded with spirits, she placed her hand on the door and swung it open. Inside was a few degrees warmer, and she stepped gladly inside. Pearl really missed the warmer autumn weather in the city. At the centre of the greenhouse, the roof rose up in a large dome, tall enough that she could grow a tree at the heart of the space. Three wings spread out from this section, six meters or so in each direction and rectangle in shape. Neither was as tall as the dome at the center, but the roof was still rounded at the top, with ornate lanterns hanging all along. If she were to light the greenhouse, it would take a long time, as Pearl would have to drag a tall ladder to each just to reach them.
There were plots of dirt dug into the ground along each of the walls along two of the wings that stood opposite each other, and the third straight across from the entrance was filled with terracotta pots discarded and left in pieces all over the ground. Pearl had used one of these pots to plant Rosemary she had dug up and placed it on the shelving that lined the third wing. She had collected three other herbs that had been growing wild. Mint, chives, horehound and one flower she couldn’t bring herself to discard. She wasn’t sure what it was called, but it was certainly pretty with its bright yellow petals. The horehound, with its oval shaped leaves covered in white, woolly hairs and small flowers would be beneficial to use if either of them fell sick with a cold, though Pearl couldn’t say that she was fond of the bitter taste. She did feel a little better knowing that she had something to use at their disposal rather than having to trek all the way to town to The Widow’s Poison for some medicine. All the plants were looking a little forlorn since she had neglected them over the past week.
Pearl turned in a slow circle as she took in the greenhouse space before her. There was plenty of room to grow things, and none of the glass had shattered in the time that it had been abandoned. She located an old watering can and used that to fetch water from the water pump that had been set up outside of the greenhouse. The pump was stiff, and she had to work hard to move the handle. It squeaked as she moved it, and a trickle of water splashed into the watering can. She filled it to the brim, and unused to lifting heavy things, her arms strained a little as she hoisted the watering can up and walked back inside. The icy water splashed over her skirts as she moved. There was no way that Pearl would be able to lift the can as high as the shelf, so she set each pot down on the ground before soaking them.
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“Drink up little plants,” Pearl told them sweetly, as though they were children. “You need to grow big and strong.”
She knelt down and peered at their leaves, searching for bugs or signs of disease. She picked away a dying leaf from the mint, but otherwise they seemed to be doing well considering they were drooping from thirst.
“You’ll be okay soon,” she said gently. “I’m sorry I was away for so long. My sister and I were having a problem with a monster. It’s gone now, thank goodness. Shall I clean up your home now that I have a moment to myself?”
Pearl reached out and picked up a pot that lay on its side nearby. She set it right, then began to collect the smaller fragments of broken terracotta that littered the floor. She hummed to herself as she worked to clear the area, stacking pots that she could use along the shelves and the cracked ones left in a tidy pile against a wall. Pearl paused as she stretched up on to the tips of her toes, her fingers pushing the smaller pots into place beside the others. The glass was hazy and was in severe need of cleaning, and in some sections, moonflowers were trailing up over one side of the greenhouse. She squinted through the glass; certain she had seen something move.
There was nothing to see other than blurry outlines of the encroaching trees, some of their leaves beginning to turn vibrant orange and red with the colder weather. At least she could rule out giant wolves, unless the Adventurer’s had decided to pay them a visit unexpectedly, which she doubted. Silas Seolfor had been quite beside himself with worry when he returned with Coral, and then oddly aloof as Coral’s fever broke. He and Elwin hadn’t gone in to see Coral, and then decidedly disappeared from all sight when she was awake.
If Pearl couldn’t see anyone moving, then that meant it was the ghosts. Or, more accurately, Emeric and Ayleth Rayner, as she preferred to think of them. At least, she hoped it was those two spirits. She was sure there were others in the manor, but none had really taken to showing themselves as the two children had. Pearl didn’t want to believe that the two children were out to hurt them. They had asked for help after all.
Pearl pushed the pots far back from the edge of the shelf, dusted her hands off and set off for the door. If there were ghosts about, she wanted to be elsewhere. Today was going to be a rest day, and she would not have that interrupted. Ensuring she closed the glass house door firmly, Pearl turned on her heels and walked in the direction towards the back of the manor. She had encircled the manor only once, and that had been somewhat difficult with the overgrown gardens that were little more than bushes and trees sprouting. If she were to have any garden at all, they would have to remove the saplings growing ever closer. There was so much work to be done.
Pearl pushed that thought from her mind as she walked, the sunshine warming her face and the trill of tiny birds put her in a better mood. She smiled at the tiny birds, little more than balls of feathers that would fit in the palm of her hands, with sticks for legs. If these small birds, gentle and flitting about amongst the foliage were able to thrive out here in the wilds, then so too could she. She stopped to watch them hop from branch to branch in the bushes, chirping and fluttering about. Pearl made sure to stay still so she didn’t startle them. She held out a hand, as though she were one of the girls in a fairytale she often read, encouraging the birds to reach out to her offer of friendship.
Of course, none came close. Pearl wasn’t surprised. She had nothing to tempt them. So, she took out her small collection of food, crumbled the bread without the butter and sprinkled it over the base of a nearby tree, then after a moment added the cheese for good measure. She didn’t know if the birds would like the cheese, but she thought she’d try anyway. Pearl helped herself to the cake as she watched the birds, settling down with her knees resting on the ground, cushioned by crinkling autumn leaves.
The birds were completely and utterly uninterested in the breadcrumbs. It didn’t matter. Pearl would offer them something else next time. If she dug up some worms from the garden bed, maybe that would be more to their liking.
All at once, the flock of tiny birds flew off, leaving Pearl kneeling alone in the grounds. She looked about to see where they had got to, hoping to follow them. There was nothing but trees and bushes. A remnant of some building far off in the distance. Everything was still, as though a hush had fallen over the area and not even the trees dared to stir it.
Slowly, Pearl got to her feet, still searching for signs of the birds. She spun in a circle, and only found the wall of one side of the manor not far behind her. Moonflowers grew thick along the side of the building, trailing up to the fourth floor. Pearl’s eyes drew upwards as she searched the foliage, thinking perhaps they had disappeared into the greenery there.
Her heart missed a beat. There, perched right over the edge of the roof, was the gargoyle. The only gargoyle. The very same gargoyle that she had seen on the other side of the roof. It leant far over the edge with its claws gripping the edge of the tiles, nose pointed down and its eyes locked on to hers in a stony glare.
Maybe she was wrong. Perhaps there were other gargoyles dotted over the roof that she hadn’t noticed before. Though she was sure there had only ever been one. She had been this way before and hadn’t seen it. Pearl’s heart gave a frightened leap as she stared up at the stone statue. It was the same design as the one seen on the other side of the house, with large bat wings held aloft, a snarling lion’s mouth, and a heavy-set brow over glaring eyes. Ram’s horns curled up and around the back of its head, with long pointed ears protruding from either side. A long tail was flicked up into the air, as though the gargoyle had been caught in mid-movement.
Pearl took a tentative step back, then another. She didn’t like this. She felt like the creature could see her, and it was merely more than a stone statue. The hair stood up on the back of her neck as she stared back at it. Just like the tiny birds, Pearl took off back towards the house as fast as her legs could take her back to safety. Back to Coral.