Chapter 1: Alone In the Mansion

Alice Kirkland sat in the lavish carriage with a sour look on her face and hands folded tightly on her lap. She was an orphan now, on her way to live with her rich uncle in England.

Alice's black clothes made her look paler, thinner and more sickly than she actually was. Her sharp green eyes and golden blond hair was a great contrast against her clothing but she didn't care how she looked. Why would she? Her parents never did. They were dead now, though. They died from the terrible cholera epidemic that had spread throughout her home country, India.

Her father was an official of the British Government ruling in India. He had always been too busy to notice and care for her daughter. And her mother never wanted to have a child in the first place only cared about luxurious parties and events with her friends. They left Alice all alone with her Indian nurse for company. Her Indian nurse always obeyed her and gave everything she wanted making her a selfish, spoiled little girl whose peevishness got her own way with everything she wanted.

Now, though, the tall, stout, beak-nosed woman beside her had no intention of giving the child everything she wanted. As the housekeeper to the Mr. Allistor Kirkland, the brother of Alice's father and only relative, Mrs. Williams was not bothered at all by the girl's selfish aura and her refusal to talk.

Mrs. Williams was simply following her master's order—to go to London and meet the girl. As the old woman looked at Alice, she felt a spark of pity for the child who had been orphaned at such a young age, and she decided she had better prepare her for what to expect in the mansion.

"Did your mother or father ever speak to you about manor or your uncle?" asked Mrs. Williams.

"No. My parents never spoke to me such things. They never had the time." The kid stuck her nose in the air and turned away.

"You'd better listen well, lass. The Kirkland Manor's a big disconsolate on the edge of the moor. Since you've grew up in India, you probably don't know much about the moor, but it's a bare wasteland where not much grows and where sheep and ponies run wild. The Kirkland family built the manor hundreds of years ago. It's got a hundred rooms but most of them are locked up. Outside, there are parks and gardens here and there…" Mrs. Williams hesitated before continuing, "And nothing else."

Alice had been listening even though she didn't want to show any interest in the topic so she wasn't prepared for Mrs. Williams' sudden ending of "nothing else".

But the old woman did continue, "as for your uncle, I'm certain he's not going to trouble himself about anyone, not even-"

Alice looked at the person beside her as she abruptly stopped whatever she was saying. Mrs. Williams took a breath and went on as if nothing happened, "your uncle's a fairly young man who was born with a crooked back. He always agonized about his back and hated his life and his home until he got married. Mrs. Kirkland was a pretty young thing who truly loved the master and didn't care a bit for his money. He was so much in love with her that he would have given her anything in the world she wanted. Then when she dies, it made Mr. Kirkland hate his life even more than before. He does not care for anyone and won't see anyone. He's been spending the last ten years travelling all over the world but even when he's home, he locks himself up in his wing of the house and won't let anyone in except his servant."

Alice had never felt sorry for anyone in her life, but she suddenly felt very sorry for her uncle Kirkland. The rain began beating down on the carriage windows. Alice stared out, thinking, "what a dreary day and a dreary story about a dreary house on a dreary moor!"

Still, Mrs. Williams' voice droned on, "You would better not expect anyone at the manor to talk to you or play with you or look after you. There are many gardens to play in, but inside the house you'll be told which rooms you can go into and which ones you can't. Mr. Kirkland won't permit you to wander or go poking about the house."

"I do not care to poke about his house at all," snapped Alice. Her sympathy for her uncle disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.

Alice turned her eyes back to the rain outside as it beat at the window. The noise of the carriage rumbling over the rough, rocky road was broken only by the wild, rushing sound of the wind howling around them. However, inside the carriage, silence was only heard.

The carriage navigated the darkness and rain for hours until a light appeared ahead in the distance and Mrs. Williams breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's the Kirkland Manor up ahead."

Trees on both sides of the road formed an archway leading up to a massive stone house. When the carriage stopped in the courtyard, a footman helped Mrs. Williams and Alice down and the girl followed the housekeeper to a huge door.

Once inside, Alice found herself in an enormous hall. Family portraits hung on the walls, and suits of armor stood on the stone floor.

An old man servant approached Mrs. Williams and said politely, "the master says you are to take the child to her room. He is leaving in the morning and doesn't want to see her."

Mrs. Williams nodded then lead Mary up a wide staircase, down one long corridor, then another, until she topped at the door.

"This is your room," she said as she opened the door and led Alice in. "This, and the one next to it, your nursery, are the only ones you're allowed to stay in and don't you dare forget that."

[PLEASE READ AUTHOR'S NOTE]

Hey guys! Welcome to my new story :D This time, it has a full plot and will probably have 18 chapters. I'm not sure yet.

Anyway, this is obviously based from a famous Children's Classic- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Bernett

I clearly do not own the plot. All I did was render it a little to match the characters better.

For clarifications, Alice Kirkland is Fem!England. Mrs. Williams and Allistor Kirkland are not related to Canada and Scotland. I used Canada's last name to give off a sense of familiarity to the readers but she is not Canada. Allistor Kirkland is not Scotland, I just name the character after him. I'm afraid that you will have to wait for a few chapters before I can completely state my reason for this one. It'll be weird, for me, to put Scotland as England's uncle.

So yeah... that's it :)

I really hope you enjoyed it.

As for my other story, I'll update it soon. Promise. I have the idea already and I am still yet to finish writing it.

Thanks~! Reviews are greatly appreciated! :D