Chapter 3

Mary had decided that it was time to find out what was going on. She had woken up early, and she knew Martha hadn't come yet, so she waited until she heard Martha stirring the fire before she crept out of her room and shut the door from the sitting room into the hallway. Martha spun around when she heard the click of the door.

She curtsied quickly. "I apologize if I woke you, Lady Mary. If you wish I can send someone up to help you dress."

"Martha, what's wrong? I haven't needed someone to help me dress since you taught me how. I was gone to a boarding school to learn to be a lady, not to be an imbecile. Why won't you talk to me?" The last was said a little desperately.

Martha looked startled. "You are a lady, Lady Mary. I'm a servant from the moor. You are the lady of the house, and Colin said you were to be treated as such."

Mary set her mouth stubbornly. "Well, then as the lady of the house I ask you to talk to me like you used to, and be my friend again." She dropped the airs she had learned at school. "I need a friend right now Martha. Everything is so strange since I've been here, and so many things have changed since I've been gone. Please?"

Martha relaxed. "Thank goodness for that. I hated having to follow that rule, but Colin said we needed to."

"Martha, what happened to your Yorkshire?" Mary asked.

"Oh." She grimaced. "Mrs. Medlock insisted that I learn to speak like a proper English girl so that when we have guests over, it won't be as shocking. I'm too good of a housemaid now."

"So tell me all that has happened since I've been gone."

Martha settled down and gossiped with her over all of the little happenings that had occurred for at least thirty minutes and Mary was happy that she had at least one friend. Now to talk to Colin…

After she had eaten breakfast and changed, Mary went downstairs to find Colin. She needed to explain to him that she wanted to be treated as Mary, not the lady of the house unless there were people they needed to impress. She also needed to find Mrs. Medlock so they could discuss the…the…the funeral.

On the way downstairs, she passed the door to Colin's old room. She smiled as she remembered him as he had been then, weak and fretful, convinced he was going to die. IT was such a different picture from the strong, intelligent athlete who was in charge of Misselthwaite.

She found him in his old work room, now his office it appeared. The floor was covered in some kind of pale wood, and bookshelves covered two of the walls. The other walls were painted a deep, rich red. Colin had his sleeves rolled up as he worked at his large desk. His hair was ruffled as he stared intently at one of the papers in front of him.

"Colin, may I come in?" Mary asked quietly.

He looked up. "Of course you can. I hope you have found your rooms suitable. Did you need something?"

"Actually, I did need one thing. I need you to be my cousin again, and not the lord around me. I would also like it if the servants could treat me the way they used to, and only be formal in front of me when there is company, but that I can work on if need be."

Colin gaped at her for a moment before remembering himself. "Of course, of course. I just thought…well you were at school for so long that I wasn't sure if…never mind. It's good to have you back Mary."

"I'm beginning to feel that it is good to be back. Now that I've gotten Martha and you to understand, I can work on the other servants. School didn't change me, Colin. It just meant that I have more knowledge now about how to act around the right people then I did before." She finished quietly.

"I should have remembered how stubborn you were. Have you seen the garden yet?" He asked.

"No," she replied. "Not yet. I-how does it look?" She asked in a rush.

Colin looked startled at her question. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, is it a gardener's garden now? Or does it still have its curtains and fountains of roses, and its barely maintained path and its carpets of snowdrops? I guess, I guess that I mean, if it has changed too much I might just want to keep the memories I have of it, but I want to know first."

Colin looked carefully at his cousin. She was radiant in her pale pink morning gown, but she was nervous. She had been gone much longer than he had, and she had always held onto the garden tighter. "It is not the same." He waited as she drew in a quick breath. "It still has its curtains and fountains, its carpets of flowers, and its barely maintained paths. But since none of the original three caretakers has touched it in over two years it has changed some to reflect Phil's caretaking. It is a wild garden with a gardener's touch." He waited again while Mary visibly relaxed.

"Well, I guess I had better find Mrs. Medlock. I need to find out what exactly my new duties entail." She grimaced.

Colin chuckled. "I'll talk to the servants then, as soon as I finish this paperwork."

I apologize a million times over for how long it has taken me to update. The combination of school, rehearsals for the musical, and a touch of writer's block made it impossible to update. I hope this answers some of your questions and I'll try to be better in the future.

~Flyer