Holy cow, I haven't updated in like a month, almost!!!!!!!! My mind has not been working, and my other stories have suffered the same fate, so don't feel left behind. I hope you all like this chapter, so ENJOY!

Mary walked slowly through the gardens, heading towards her secret garden. Angela and Henry had been living with Mary for about a week and a half now, and it was very miserable.

Henry still couldn't find ANY extra money for the debts, and he was now currently going to send a letter to Mr. Carver asking him if Henry could divert some money from investments to the debt, so Henry had been busy with that.

Angela, on the other hand, was the most annoying person Mary had ever met. Even Colin looked sweet when he was at his worst. She constantly complained about EVERYTHING: Her clothes, her room, the food, the servants, the weather, the smells, everything. Several times Mary was tempted to smack Angela with a chair, but Mary always escaped to the secret garden when she felt like that, and she always came out calmer, or at least not wanting to hit Angela at that moment.

As Mary continued to walk, she inhaled the sweet smells of flowers, filling her very soul with thoughts of nature. Mary was always calm when she came out here. Finally, Mary came to the secret door. First she looked around to make certain that she was alone, then opened the door and entered.

The garden was empty of people, but filled with nature. All the flowers had bloomed, making the place magical. Mary walked over to the swing and sat down, happy.

Mary also had another reason to be happy then. Colin was changing. Ever since Henry and Angela had moved in, he had started to be less needy, had actually gotten out of bed a couple times, although he still never left his room, and he actually was nice to Mary.

They both had long talks in the evenings, mostly about books and the garden, but sometimes they talked about themselves, and how they should start spending more time together as a couple. Mary was VERY pleased with this new revelation, so she now enjoyed her evenings with Colin. She felt like she and Colin were finally going back to the loving couple they used to be.

After a while of sitting out in the garden, Mary got up to leave, but as she was about to head off, her eye caught something in the dirt, under a group of daisies. Mary leaned down and picked the object up, and her heart skipped a beat.

It was the necklace that Colin had given her a long time ago, before all this madness. It was the one she had lost but Colin had said that their love would never be lost, and now here Mary found it again.

Mary smiled. This had to be a sign that things between herself and Colin were about to get better, and that things would eventually go back to normal.

Mary brushed the dirt off, then hooked the chain around her neck. Wait till Colin heard about this.

Mary headed towards Colin's room, taking the back way through the kitchen, when Martha all of the sudden stopped her.

"Why miss Mary, where did you find that piece of jewelry?"

"Oh this, Colin gave it to me after we were married. I thought I had lost it in the garden, but Colin said that even if the necklace was lost, our love would never be, so I forgot about it, but today I saw it under some flowers in the garden, so I am off to show Colin."

Mary tried to push past Martha, but Martha held her back.

"Miss Mary, I don't know why Colin told you all that, but I have seen that necklace in the procession of someone else, and it was meant for you."

Mary gave Martha an odd look. "Who?"

Martha sighed then took a deep breath, and said. "Dickon."

Mary was certain her heart stopped at that very second.

Dickon had gotten it for her, but how? Colin had given it to her, so how could Colin have gotten it from Dickon?

Martha spoke again. 'Dickon had gotten it for you for your birthday, but then he went off to war, and left in Colin's care, telling him to take care of it until Dickon returned, but he never did, so Colin must have decided to give it to you as a gift from himself instead."

Mary looked at the necklace. So Colin had stolen the necklace form Dickon. How could he? That was the most disgraceful thing Colin had ever done, and Mary had actually be happy about it.

Tears started to fill Mary's eyes, so she turned and ran out to the garden, not caring about anything, not thinking. She just knew that she had to get away to a place that never changed, that never hated her, that she could trust.

But when Mary got to the door, she saw that it was slightly open, so Mary thought someone must be in there, but as Mary opened it so she could go inside, she saw no one in there, but she did see something else.

Destruction.

The beautiful garden that Mary had left just a little bit ago was now in ruins. Flowers were pulled out, and then crushed. Trees had some of their branches cut off, and their bark lying around. The grass had even been dug up with a shovel.

Mary looked at everything, and wondered who could have done this. Who would ruin such a wonderful place?

As Mary looked around, memories flashed through her mind. When she had first found the garden, when she had first met Dickon and Colin, when she and Dickon had worked on the garden together, when Colin had taken his first steps in the garden, her wedding here. Everything went through her head, and she felt as though all those memories had been ripped apart by whoever had ripped apart the garden.

Mary couldn't think, so she did the only thing she could do, turn around and head back to the house, to get some questions that badly needed answers.

Aw man, poor Mary, everything was going so well until I had to ruin it for her. Well, don't you readers worry, everything will work out in the end, which I actually think is getting close. It may be a few chapters away still, but it is time to get things wrapped up, so until next chapter, BYE! Li Li