Read Online Garden Princess by Kristin Kladstrup - Free Book Online

there, Miss Adela!”
    “The front door was locked.”
    “Too bad for you! I had the best time of my life!”
    Adela frowned.
    Garth continued. “Here I was so worried about not getting along in fine society, but it wasn’t like that at all. She’s so wonderful, Miss Adela. I sat beside her during supper. She even let me hold her hand!”
    So she had been right about Garth and Marguerite. They had forgotten about her! Adela put her hand to her head; it was aching. “Was there food?” she asked.
    “Food? Well, I guess maybe there was — ham and beef and pies and cakes and such . . .” Garth laughed again. “Would you believe I was having such a good time I barely noticed?”
    “I haven’t eaten since our picnic yesterday.”
    “You should have come to the party.”
    “Well, I — I was worried.” Adela was too embarrassed to explain why. “I’m glad Marguerite is all right,” she said.
    “Who?”
    “Marguerite. When I couldn’t find her yesterday, I worried something had happened to her.” Adela forced out a small laugh. “I nearly convinced myself she’d been turned into —”
    “Marguerite . . .” Garth interrupted, scratching his head. “Oh,
her
!”
    “What do you mean . . .
her
? You said you sat with Marguerite at supper.”
    “No, I didn’t! I sat with Lady Hortensia.”
    “But what about Marguerite?”
    Garth shrugged. “How should I know?”
    “Wasn’t she with you at the party?”
    “No. I was with Lady Hortensia. I held her hand.”
    To Adela’s surprise, she saw that Garth was blushing. He ducked his head, then looked up. “I guess I can tell you, Miss Adela. I — I’m in love with her!”
    “With Marguerite,” Adela clarified.
    “No, Miss Adela!” Garth sounded shocked. “It’s Lady Hortensia I love!”
    “But you must have seen Marguerite!”
    Garth shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
    “If she wasn’t with you, then”— Adela felt as if her legs had turned to sand —“that means she’s missing!”
    “Is she, then?” said Garth without sounding as if he cared one way or the other.
    “Oh, Garth! This is going to sound ridiculous, but I — I saw something yesterday. At least I think I saw something. It was Lady Hortensia, and —”
    “Lady Hortensia!” Garth interrupted. “Oh, Miss Adela, did I tell you about her? How she let me hold her hand at supper?”
    “Marguerite was in the garden with her,” Adela continued. “I was there; they didn’t see me. And Hortensia — well, she did something to Marguerite. She . . .” How, Adela wondered, could this
not
sound ridiculous? “Well, I thought I saw her turn Marguerite into a daisy!”
    She waited for Garth’s reaction.
    Which was a grin. “She’s wonderful, isn’t she?” said Garth.
    “What?”
    “Lady Hortensia! She’s so beautiful and kind and —”
    “Did you hear what I said?”
    “What?”
    “I said that I think I saw Hortensia change Marguerite into a daisy — using
magic
or . . . or something like that.”
    Garth chuckled. “You must’ve been imagining things, Miss Adela.”
    “Maybe,” she agreed. “At least I hope I was. Only, I saw other things, too. There was a magpie, and it talked to me.”
    Garth’s chuckle erupted into full laughter. “A talking magpie!”
    “Well, I know it sounds idiotic! But I can’t help but wonder if . . . Garth, what if Hortensia is some kind of witch?”
    “A witch!”
    “I might have imagined what I saw — maybe I’m going crazy — but what if I’m not?”
    Garth shook his head. “Lady Hortensia is not a witch, Miss Adela. She’s kind and beautiful and . . .” He paused, as if searching for the perfect word. “Did I tell you that she let me hold her hand?”
    Only about a hundred times, thought Adela.
    “She put her hand on my elbow, and I thought I would die, Miss Adela, right then and there. Then I got to lead her into the banquet hall, and I got to sit next to her the whole time. She let me hold her hand all through