'The Forgotten Room' begins a few months after the original concludes, continuing the stories of Mary, Colin, Dickon and the rest of the beloved characters from 'The Secret Garden.' This is the story of what happens next to the people of Misselthwaite Manor.
Excerpt
“What are tha’ still doin’ in tha’ bed?” Martha gently scolded. “Get tha’ self untangled there, an’ eat. Tha’ has to look tha’ best for Lord Craven.”
“What on earth are you taking about, Martha?” Mary, not as contrary as before her arrival to Misselthwaite Manor, still had her moments, especially when tired.
Martha, kneeling before the hearth, sat back on her heels. “Lord Craven has called for tha’ t’day,” she replied, excitement in her voice. “He wishes to see tha’.”
Mary paused while extracting herself from the tangled bedclothes. A summons? It must be important. Sitting down at the small table where she took her meals, she slowly stirred some honey into her porridge and tucked a warm spoonful into her mouth. She barely tasted it, her mind too occupied with worrying over her uncle’s summons. Had she done something wrong? Was he going away for good? Perhaps he would send her away.
As she ate, she worried herself into quite an awful state of mind.
Quietly Martha went about her duties, all the while watching Mary’s brow furrow deeper and deeper. Finally, Martha could stand it no longer.
“Come now, Miss Mary,” she said, pulling one of Mary’s best dresses from the wardrobe. “Tha’s no reason to fret so.”
“Who says I’m fretting?” Mary replied, finally giving up on the porridge that had been stirred more than eaten.
“Th’ lines on that young brow says so, an’ I says you’ve done nothin’ wrong, so git over here so’s I can fix thee up proper.”
With a sniff, Mary obeyed. Dressed, washed, and groomed beyond the limits of her patience, Mary quietly entered her Uncle’s study.
A fire blazed in the hearth. Lord Craven stood seeming to study it, leaning slightly on his ever-present cane. The room seemed stuffy and closed in, although a bit of friendly sunlight peeked through an un-curtained window at the far end of the chamber. Her arrival seemed to go unnoticed.
Patiently, she waited to be announced or noticed. After a few moments of silently watching her uncle’s back as he remained lost in thought, she shuffled her feet and politely announced herself.
“You called for me, Uncle Craven?”
Archibald Craven turned around. A quiet smile eased across his face, lifting creases of concentration from his brow.
“My dear Mary, come sit with me.” He positioned himself in his favorite chair, motioning her into its opposite. Mary sat perfectly erect on the very edge of the large chair and crossed her ankles, so she would not swing them in her nervousness.
Her Uncle rubbed his forehead in thought. His handsome face, worn from years of sorrow and illness, was softly warmed by the fire’s light.
“You’ve been with us a year now, Mary. Are you happy here?”
His question took Mary by surprise. In the whole of her lifetime, no one had ever cared if she were happy or not and certainly never asked if she were. Her stunned silence worried him.
“To all outward appearances you seem to be content, but if you desire to be elsewhere, perhaps at a school amongst your peers, then it is my duty to send you.”
Mary held her breath. Was this his way of saying he wanted her to leave? Perhaps he thought Misselthwaite Manor was not the proper place for a young girl after all. Perhaps he wanted Colin all to himself. Did she unknowingly commit some wrong to offend her uncle?
“No, Uncle Craven, I don’t want to go!” In her haste, the words rushed out before she had a moment to think. Mary composed herself and hurried to dignify her answer.
“What I mean to say is that I am content here, and if I am not too much of a burden, I would like to remain, if you will permit me.” Mary waited, her heart nervously fluttering in her chest.
Archibald Craven leaned forward, looking steadily into Mary’s eyes.
“Do not ever think yourself a burden, my dear Mary.” With a quiet smile, he sat back in his chair. “It relieves me greatly to know you wish to remain with us; however, as your uncle and guardian I have been neglectful of your education. I have occupied myself far too much with my own matters and have woefully forgotten yours and Colin’s. I feel it is past time I found you both a governess.”
Relieved she was not going away, a small feeling of pleasure grew within Mary’s chest, almost daring to become delight before it was pushed aside by an unwelcome thought.
“I have never had a governess who liked me, Uncle.”
Lord Craven was thoughtful for a moment before replying.
“Perhaps they were not right for you. Did you like them? I think, perhaps not. You have changed, that grows within yourself, since your arrival here. You and your life are different, now. Do you think you are ready for a governess again?”
“Oh yes, Uncle, I am ready. I will try very hard to learn my lessons. Perhaps she will even like gardening.” In a rare moment of exhilaration, Mary clasped her hands together and grinned, something Mary had never done before coming to Misselthwaite.
“Perhaps,” Mr. Craven said, delighted by Mary’s pleasure. “I will place an advertisement directly.”
“Thank you, Uncle Craven. Oh, thank you!” Mary jumped from her seat and ran from the room to spread the good news, forgetting to be properly dismissed.
Professional Reviews
I Loved It
Stacie Morrell does an excellent job in writing The Forgotten Door, a sequel to The Secret Garden. She has captured the innocence and essence of The Secret Garden and simply filled in the next chapter.
Her portrayal of the characters of Mary, Colin, Dikon and Mr. Craven follow the guides the original set forth. Mary has grown into a sweet, kind young lady who does have lapses back to her unpleasantness of her childhood. She still has no use for Colin when he gets on his high horse as the future Lord of the manor. Dikon keeps his unobtrusive way as he mingles with the animals and plants in the garden. Mr. Craven is turning into a wonderful man who is trying so hard to learn how to love his son and ward.
Into this mix, a governess is thrown. Neither Mary nor Colin have been attending school and are woefully behind in their studies. Miss Edmonds arrives and meets the dreams Mary and Colin had for a governess. She is pretty, has kind blue eyes, knows about the magic of nature, and is a firm but kind governess.
Mary, while playing hide and seek one rainy day, finds a tapestry which garners her attention. Behind the tapestry is an even better surprise. It is the room of a young girl about Mary’s age who seems to have been forgotten. Untangling the mystery of the room and the secret passage Colin finds and learning love at the hands of Miss Edmonds makes for a wonderful book.
This is an easy read and one which even junior high students, especially girls, would find delightful. For a sequel, this book stands out as a success. I loved it and would read it again and again.
