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Picture the Dead
Picture the Dead
Picture the Dead
Ebook247 pages3 hours

Picture the Dead

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this ebook

"A perfectly haunting combination."
—Jon Scieszka, bestselling author and Caldecott Honor winner

"I loved Picture the Dead. Eerie, romantic, moody, and immersive. A beautifully illustrated gothic delight!"
—Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cat

"A tour de force, a remarkable feat of visual and verbal storytelling, as playful as it is serious, as haunting as it is delightful."
—Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

Jennie feels the tingling presence of something unnatural in the house now that Will is dead.

Her heart aches without him, and she still doesn't know how he really died. It seems that everywhere she turns, someone is hiding yet another clue. As Jennie seeks the truth, she finds herself drawn ever deeper into a series of tricks and lies, secrets and betrayals, and begins to wonder if she had every really known Will at all.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherSourcebooks
Release dateFeb 1, 2012
ISBN9781402268359
Picture the Dead
Author

Adele Griffin

Adele Griffin (b. 1970) is a critically lauded author of children’s and young adult fiction. Born in Philadelphia, she began writing after college, when a job at a children’s publishing house introduced her to the world of young adult literature. She drew praise for her first novel, Rainy Season (1996), a heartfelt portrayal of a young American girl’s life in the Panama Canal Zone in the late 1970s. In books like Sons of Liberty (1997) and Amandine (2001), she continued to explore the sometimes harsh realities of family life, and become known for intuitive, honest, and realistic fiction. Over the past several years, Griffin has won a number of awards, including National Book Award nominations for Sons of Liberty (1997) and Where I Want to Be (2005). Her books are regularly cited on ALA Best and ALA Notable lists. A number of her novels, such as the four-book Witch Twins series, introduce an element of lighthearted fantasy. Griffin lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.      

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Rating: 3.691011179775281 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

89 ratings16 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Historical fiction meets creepy ghost/suspense story, Picture the Dead was an interesting book. It was a quick read, because it actually had pictures--the second author credited on the cover is actually the illustrator--pictures which gave clues to things that were about to happen or clarified things that already had. I enjoyed the story, but the pacing seemed a bit off--for a lot of it, it felt like not much was happening and then once it did, bam! it all happened at once. Still, though, it was a fun way to spend a few hours.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "A ghost will find his way home." I would not call this book a graphic novel. It is an illustrated novel and the illustrations are stunning. This is a Civil War-era historical novel and also an effectively creepy ghost story that depcits the creepy Spritiualism movement, a popular fad at the time. A rich, beautifully written story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown is a picture perfect dark mystery set during the American Civil War. In the opening pages, our narrator, Jennie, discovers that her cousin and fiance, Will, has joined her several month's dead twin brother, Toby, as a casualty of war. Will's brother, Quinn, the more gifted in wit and social graces but considerably less affable of Jennie's cousins, has returned, maimed and stricken with nightmares, but alive. Jennie is plunged into mourning for her lost love, but, unfortunately, that is not her only problem. Orphaned Jennie's place in her aunt and uncle's household becomes very fragile indeed once the promise of one day becoming lady of the house dies with Will on the battlefield. She is relegated to the role of little more than a servant but for the family's trip to a medium and photographer Heinrich Geist, which the family, like many desperate mourning families of that day, was eager to try any spiritualistic means to commune with the dead that were taken from them far too abruptly. Skeptical Jennie suspects that Geist is running a scam taylor-made to prey upon the families of the dead, but there's no mistaking it when something very unusual happens that has Jennie believing in ghosts and setting out on a journey to solve the mystery of her beloved's death.Picture the Dead is an absorbing and richly atmospheric piece of young adult historical fiction. Between chapters are excerpts from Jennie's scrapbooks, filled with handwritten letters and pictures that mimic Civil War-era photography. Each set of scrapbook pages sets the stage for the chapter to come and helps to unlock another small piece of the mystery. The pictures are a welcome addition to the atmosphere of the book. Griffin carefully strings the reader along revealing just enough that you feel as if you could solve the mystery but still end up surprised by the outcome.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Didn't like it at all!! This book was SO wordy! too much written here that wasn't needed!! I cannot imagine a child reading this. If you want a gothic ghost story there are many out there that are much better written then this. Very boring and very slow pacing. My recommendation is to skip this one, and I don't recommend it for children!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Picture the Dead is an unearthly romantic tale set in the civil war era. Jennie lives with her aunt and uncle and is engaged to their son, Will. After Will's death, his brother, Quinn, returns home injured. Quinn is moody and quiet and very reluctant to talk about the trials of war. However what he does tell Jennie disturbs her greatly. The Will that Quinn tells her about is not the Will she knows. Desperate to find the truth Jennie seeks the help of the supernatural. What she uncovers is far worse than she ever imagined. The story is told from Jennie's point of view. It also contains sections in the book that look like a scrapbook. The pictures in this book have scribbling underneath them expressing Jennie's feelings about that particular picture. This is an unique way to help convey the main character's feeling. Lisa Brown did a fantastic job. This really added to the book. I like that this book takes part during the civil war. The authors combine history with superstition and spins it into this mysterious tale of romance and intrigue. This was an enjoyable read from start to finish. I found myself caught up in the story line eager to uncover the truth with the heroine. Overall this was a really good read. It is haunting, creepy and eerie. Although there is quite a bit of drama, I think this book would be appropriate for kids twelve and up. It's fairly clean with only a little war time violence. However you might get chills while reading this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Picture The Dead by Adele Griffin and illustrated by Lisa Brown is an interesting mystery about a woman & her relationships during the Civil War time. She is an orphan, taken in by a cold Aunt and Uncle. Her twin brothers and her two male cousins are her only friends, and they are sent away to fight in the war. One comes back, and she will not rest until she finds out exactly what happened to the other two....even if it means consulting a medium. The author and illustrator did a beautiful job of capturing the feeling of the Civil War period. I enjoyed the book greatly.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Decent book, good for someone who likes the supernatural. Jennie is mourning her twin brother and cousin Will, who happened also to be her fiance, while she helps her other cousin Quinn recover from his Civil War injuries. She and Quinn had never been close, but after Will's death their relationship changes. All the while, Jennie has been living in her hated aunt and uncle's house as an unwanted freeloader, but she has no other place to go. But a feeling that Will has unfinished business and is trying to communicate with her has Jennie unsettled. She turns to a photographer who claims to be able to connect people with the deceased. Slowly, Jennie begins to unravel secrets about the brothers and the rest of the family.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found the story very entertaining and suspenceful. Can you beleive I had a parent challenge this book because without reading it they said that they did not like their son to be reading ghost, wizard, spirit, devil books. I am a person that does not believe in ghost and I still read the book. I find the story full of old words that have fallen out of use, good use of setting, and romantically involving. Do not let the cover or the website full you about the contents of this book because while it may talk about the spiritualist movement that was very popular in this time period, it does not go overboard with the topic.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Picture The Dead by Adele Griffin and illustrated by Lisa Brown was a great change of pace from the last book I read, The Queen of Palmyra. Picture The Dead completely absorbed me and I did not want to set it down. The book opens with a note of melancholy. The Civil War or rather, the War Between The States is raging in the South, Sherman's March has already occurred. The reader is transported to the upper middle class town of Brookline, Massachusetts. The main character, Jennie, has a love who is fighting in the war. That love is her cousin. Back then cousin love was totally all the rage. Why roam...Anyways, Jennie pretty much lives with her aunt Trunchbull, only her aunt is not Trunchbull, but she's kind of scary and mean! To cope with her grief, Jennie turns to spiritualism. Ya'll spiritualism swept America away during the Victorian era. People were swindled out of money because the spiritualists peddled communication with the dead. Can you honestly blame someone who is grieving for turning to such means? I know I can't.I don't want to give away too much of the plot, so let's go into style. The story is told in first person, which has to feel authentic for me to enjoy it. Jennie's voice never felt forced. You know how sometimes historical fiction doesn't feel right because the voice is too modern? Or how maybe the author overwhelms you with antiquated language? Well, I thought Jennie embodied Civil War Era America.My favorite thing about this book, however, was that it was an affirmation of femalehood. Throughout the book, we see Jennie trapped by her circumstances. She lives with her aunt and uncle because her parents are dead, therefore is prey to their whims. Her beloved is dead, so she is reduced to even lower circumstances than those she is already in. However, Jennie doesn't keep her head down. She boldly goes after the answers she needs. She doesn't let her circumstances get in the way of her wants. I love that. I love that despite her circumstances she remains headstrong. Yet, there is recognition of how a man does have it easier in this era.Here's a quote which goes with my statement:"If I'd been his brother instead of his siter, I'd have stepped firm into Toby's boots Rebs, training to become the Union scout he'd wanted to be.... But I'm not a man, and my destiny is passive--to wait, to hope, to grieve. I observe and collect, secreting what I find inside my scrapbook for no one but me to see." ARC pg. 8
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Picture the Dead is an interesting story about the impact the loss of a young Civil War soldier has on his family. Not the first to fall to the hands of the Confederacy Will leaves behind his fiance Jennie, a young girl with no family of her own. Having already grown up at the unrelenting hands of Will’s condescending mother and indifferent father she is once again thrust into second class citizen status upon news of his demise. Practically a servant Jennie endures the continually passive aggressive attitude of her aunt as each day more and more of her life — her engagement ring, her freedom from housework, etc — is taken away from her.Enhanced beautifully by illustrations created by Lisa Brown, Picture the Dead not only tells a story but shows it. Joining in on a trend I’ve seen more of recently, the addition of pages providing the reader with visual elements adding further depth and perspective to the written words, Picture the Dead embraces it well. Setting the tone for both characters and physical surroundings Brown provides the reader with excellent visuals. Her imagery was lovely in the ARC I was reading but I imagine that the final version is even more pleasing to the eye. The best part is that these additions don’t overwhelm the story nor are readers wading through useless information. I have only one complaint about their inclusion and that is that the font selected for Will’s letters was difficult to read. This was a minor issue, however, and one that should not keep anyone from reading the book.Another aspect of the story that wasn’t overdone or out of place was the inclusion of small paranormal elements. The infusion of ghosts made sense and was a believable addition to the story. Not wanting to spoil any of the twists and turns as it relates to these aspects of the story I’ll simply say that the way this element of the story played out was an interesting addition and created a richer tone to the mystery. While not a mystery story in the grandest sense, there were several twists and revalations throughout that were very well done. I was so caught up in the history and Jennie’s characterization that some crept up on me. I’m sure this was Griffin’s intent and she did not disappoint as I enjoyed being surprised by a few of the turns I encountered.Certainly age appropriate for the young adult crowd and I would even go as far as saying that the middle grade reader would enjoy this book as well. I don’t know that the attention of the youngest middle graders would be grabbed by it, the story would need to be a bit more amped up for them, but certainly if a teacher were wanting a fun book that gave some small into families affected by the Civil War this might be a good quick read that would exemplify a few points here and there.In the end, if you like historical perspective with some good imagery attached Picture the Dead is definitely worth a read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I thought this was an enjoyable, quick read. I liked the historical and mystery aspects of it. I think the illustrations gave it a certain charm and really made the book unique. Great mystery for teen readers.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Set during the American Civil War, Jennie Lovell is orphaned and living with her Aunt and Uncle -- who are anything but kind. She has lost her brother and now her fiance on the battlefields. With both the men gone Jennie feels lost. When she becomes friends with a spirit photographer she learns secrets that are almost too hard to bare.An interesting story about war, spirits and death. I've always found stories of the civil war captivating, especially hauntings or ghost stories. I found Jenny's journey very enjoyable. The book has a definite Gothic feel, rich with historical detail that will keep the reader captivated. Among the death and the grief there is a bit of a romance, but when the mystery is play out the relationship takes a surprising turn I wasn't expecting. Picture the Dead is a dark, mysterious, a deliciously creepy read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin, Illustrated by Lisa BrownGenre: YA Historical fictionISBN: 9781402237126Published May 1 2010Rating: 4When Jennie's fiancé dies in war and only his brother, Quinn, comes home, Jennie is heartbroken. She soon learns there is more to Will's death than she thought. She is haunted by his ghost, and by the mysteries left unanswered. Piece by piece she begins to uncover his secrets… and at the same time starts to fall in love with Quinn. But there is always more to a story when there are ghosts involved.Picture the Dead had a lot of thought put into it. The mysteries presented and the way they were unearthed were fabulous—there were questions and surprises and answers that I didn't expect all the way up to the last page.I liked Jennie, though I didn't like Quinn at all, even after she grew to love him. I had never met Will, since he was dead in the beginning of the story, but by the end of the book I felt I knew why Jennie had loved him.I will say that the ending didn't have nearly enough closure for me, and I am left feeling slightly confused, though satisfied by how all the events played out.The illustrations were very good, although I had a very hard time reading what was written on them. Hopefully in the finished copy of the book the words will be easier to read.Content/recommendation: clean, mild language. Ages 13+
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    We meet Jennie Lovell, a 16 year old girl who has suffered more than her fair share of tragedy in her short life. No parents, a brother who has passed on, and an Aunt and Uncle who ignore her very existence. Life for Jennie isn't easy and now, with her fiancé dead, she's a burden that might be put out into the street. What's a girl to do?Jennie is a completely fabulous female protagonist. As my readers, you all know by now how I feel about female protagonist. Love them, or hate them, there's not really an in between for me. Strong in spirit, intelligent, and unwilling to take no as an answer, Jennie makes the story. Although she is in a Civil War era setting, there is a fire in her that would make "today's woman" proud! Following her through this haunting story was pure magic.I can honestly say that being thrown straight into Jennie's tumultuous family relationship was a little hard to deal with at first. It seems at first as if there isn't much time to get to know her at all. However, reading on I realized that we do get to know Jennie quite well, just in bits and pieces throughout the book. I do believe this is the first book I've read where there is such a slow progression of character building, but in the long run I loved it! My absolute favorite part about this slow uncovering of her character were the scrapbook pages. Jennie keeps a scrapbook of mementos, and each chapter begins with a page. Lisa Brown did such a wonderful job on these, they will completely draw you in!Reading through this book was a bit of heaven for me, because I am extremely interested in the Civil War era. A time where men provided, and women were dainty. Will and Quinn were brothers in blood, but war tainted them into two entirely different men. That fascinates me to no end. The setting is what drew me to this book in the first place, and I wasn't disappointed at all. The era is written about perfectly, showing readers clearly the precarious position that women of the times were often in. Women were well taken care of, as long as their men were alive.The twists and turns in this book are amazing. It is the type of book that will leave you audibly gasping and resisting the temptation to turn ahead to see what happens. Picture the Dead stands out in my mind as one of the most interesting and unique books I've read this year! I can honestly say that I'll be purchasing a copy of this book for my very own quite soon. Its haunting storyline is still with me almost a week after reading it, and I feel the need to dive back in to this unique world.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the story of a young girl during the end of the Civil War. There is much history blended into this ghost story including depictions of what soldiers did in the war as well as how photography was used to communicate with the deceased. Interesting book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Picture the Dead was a good mix of two of my favorite genres, historical and paranormal fiction. The book is skillfully illustrated with drawings which depict the sepia toned photos of the Civil War Era. This book is the story of Jennie Lovell who has experienced much loss throughout her young life. Her twin brother, Tobias, and she were orphaned at a young age and taken in by their less than welcoming aunt and uncle. Luckily, their cousin Will was excited to have them join the family and quickly became a surrogate brother to the twins. When Jennie and Will are old they are engaged to be married before Will goes off to fight for the Union effort. When Will is killed during the war Jennie is heartbroken especially since her brother has been lost to her as well. However, a ghost will find its way home and soon Jennie is feeling as though Will is trying to contact her from beyond the grave. If you are looking for a solid historical novel with a paranormal twist I highly recommend you check out this book

Book preview

Picture the Dead - Adele Griffin

Copyright © 2012 by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown

Cover and internal illustrations by Lisa Brown

Cover and internal design © 2012 by Sourcebooks, Inc.

Cover design by FaceOut Studio

Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the authors.

Published by Sourcebooks Fire, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.

P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410

(630) 961-3900

Fax: (630) 961-2168

teenfire.sourcebooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is on file with the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

VP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Epilogue

Notes, Illustrations, and Acknowledgments

About the Author

About the Illustrator

A ghost will find his way home.

It’s dark outside, an elsewhere hour between midnight and dawn. I lie awake, frozen, waiting for a sound not yet audible. My eyes are open before I hear the wheels of the carriage at the bottom of the drive.

And now the dog is barking, and there’s faint light through my window. The hired man has emerged from his room above the stable, lantern swinging from his hand. I hear Uncle Henry’s lumbering tread, Aunt Clara’s petulant Henry? Who is it, Henry, at this hour?

I know that the servants are awake, too, though I can’t hear them. They have been trained to move in silence.

What if the carriage brings news of Quinn and William? Or even my cousins themselves? That would be too much luck, perhaps, but I’m not sure that I’m strong enough for less. Another loss would be unendurable. And we are never given more than we can bear, are we?

When I sit up, I am pinpricked in fear.

The corridor is freezing cold, and the banister is spiky, garlanded in fresh pine. With both sons at war and her only nephew buried this year, Aunt Clara nonetheless insisted on bedecking Pritchett House for the Christmas holiday. Uncle Henry always defers to his wife’s fancies. She’s a spoiled child, blown up into a monster.

Downstairs the front doors are flung open. I join the household gathered on the porch—all of us but the hired man, who stands below in the drive as the trap pulls up. The moment feels eternal. I twist at my ring, a diamond set between two red garnets, more costly than the sum of everything I own. When Will slid it onto my finger, he’d promised that I’d get accustomed to it. Not true, not yet.

Doctor Perkins, says Mavis, raising the lantern as the doctor jumps down from the buckboard. The housemaid’s chattering lips are as blue as her bare feet, and her braid swings so close I could reach out and yank it like a bell cord if she didn’t scare so easy.

The doctor signals for Uncle Henry to help him with another passenger.

Quinn. The name shatters through me.

Aunt Clara looks sharp in my direction. Had I spoken out loud? I must have. But I’m sure it’s Quinn. And as the figure emerges, I see that I’m right.

Quinn. Not Will.

He is grotesquely thin and hollowed out, his left eye wrapped in a belt of cloth that winds around his head. He is barely human.

I’ll need hot water and clean bandaging. Doctor Perkins is speaking as Mavis’s lantern pitches, throwing wild shadows. A step at a time, Henry.

On the sight of her favorite son, Aunt Clara whimpers. Her hands clasp together under a chin that wobbles like aspic. Oh, my darling boy, safe at home at last.

Quinn ignores her, an old and useful habit. He brushes past Aunt, the plank of one long arm hooked over Uncle Henry’s neck. But then he squares me in his eye, and in one look I know the worst.

Will is not coming back.

Blood rushes to my head; I might faint. I lean back against a pillar and take slow sips of air.

A few more steps, pants the doctor. Where is the closest bed?

Quinn’s bedroom is all the way up on the third floor, an inconvenient sickroom. He’d moved there last year, before he’d found a richer rebellion in joining the army and leaving home altogether.

Give him Jennie’s room, says Aunt Clara. Go on. It’s only one flight, off the landing. And Jennie can sleep up in Quinn’s room. It will work perfectly.

These suggestions part so quick from her lips that I know they’ve been squirreled in her head for a while. Even through her dread and worry, my aunt has been plotting against me.

A very bad sign.

Mavis has darted ahead. Before the others have a chance to tromp their boots through my bedroom, she has rushed in and collected my treasures. Father’s pocket watch, my brother’s and my christening cups, the lace collar I have been straining my eyes and fingers over these empty evenings. But most important is my scrapbook. I shudder to think of Aunt Clara’s fat fingers picking through its pages. Perched on top of my possessions, in an offering of solidarity, is a photograph of Mavis, plain as a platter in her Sunday best. I will add it to my book when I have more than a moment to myself.

The room is tiny and airless and fitted with a narrow bed, an iron nightstand, and one dreary dormer window. Quinn had called it his rookery, and he’d relished its perch high above the family. I don’t feel the same way.

I exchange my candle for Toby’s little silver cup, and I wedge myself into the windowsill, bumping my head on the eave. My temples pound, my lips are dry, my mouth tastes of ash. I stare out at the tar black sky.

Toby, I whisper. Is he with you?

In answer, silence. But I know I’m not alone. A ghost will find his way home. I learned this nine months ago when my brother died in a field hospital in Stevensburg, Virginia. I was in the parlor that day, using the last light to cut linen strips for the Boston Ladies’ Aid. Toby’s presence was a wave crashing over me, knocking the breath from my body. Three days later we received the letter.

Many people have asked me if it’s strange to be a twin. I’d say it is far more peculiar to be a single twin. I was Toby’s alter and his double, and we created shelters for each other in the physical world. In life he’d been shy, and his death before he’d seen a day of combat was a quiet end to an innocent young life.

And yet in death Toby isn’t ready to go, or to let me go. We used to predict our futures on scraps of paper in the downstairs coat cupboard. When I stare into the eyes of his photograph, which is safely tucked inside my scrapbook, I can hear his whisper in my head, confiding his dreams to spy for the Union and regaling me with stories of Nathan Hale and how wars are won through ciphers and invisible ink. A spy sees everyone, but is seen by no one, he loved to say. Remember that, Jennie.

Other times, like now, he keeps silent, but I sense him. He guards me in spirit just he as did in the physical world. He has brought me closer to the other side, and I know that I’m changed.

Please, a tiny sign, I whisper, my hands clasping the cup like a chalice, if Will is really dead and gone.

Who’s there? Mavis has rushed into the room with armloads of my clothing. Her gaze jumps around the darkest corners of the room.

Nobody. I was…praying, I fib, hiding the cup from sight, and then we’re both self-conscious. Mavis makes a business of hanging my dresses in the single cupboard and folding some of my personal items into its top drawer. As I pace the room, worrying the frayed sleeve of my dressing gown between my fingers, I catch sight of myself in the window’s dark reflection. My hair springs wild from my head, and there is a stunned look in my eyes, as if I am not quite available to receive the news that I’m dreading to hear.

Quinn is settled? I ask.

She smothers a yawn and nods. Doctor Perkins sent him to bed with a grain of morphine. Everyone says it’s rest he needs most, but oh, Miss Jennie, he’s got so thin, hasn’t he? Just the bones of his old self.

I think Will is gone forever.

Now, why would you say such a thing? Mavis genuflects, then points the same finger on me, accusing. "Like you know something."

I hadn’t meant to say such a thing. I hadn’t meant to speak at all.

But you’re awful cold, Miss. She catches my hand and squeezes, as though it’s she who frightened me, and not the other way around. I’ll build up a fire. She drops to kneel before the grate, steepling nubs of kindling. And I’ll fetch you the rest of your clothing come morning, she murmurs, "though you ought to be downstairs in the yellow room." She strikes the match and sits back on her heels as the flame catches.

Aunt Clara’d have given me the yellow room if I’d asked for it. The hour is late, and I’m drained, but Mavis is a delicate soul, led often to fears and tears. It’ll be pleasant roosting up here near you. Nobody to pester us.

She attempts a smile. Not Missus Sullivan, anyways. She sleeps like the dead, specially if she’d nipped into the cooking sherry. You’ll hear the mice, too. They get ornery when they’re hungry. She waves off the phosphorus and steps back to watch the fire crackle. I’m awful sorry, Miss. It pains me. This room’s not fit for the lady of the house.

I’m not the lady of this house.

Soon you will be, and everyone knows it. He’ll come back to you. By the New Year, I’ll predict. She’s predicting a miracle.

I look down, and my fingers find my ring, which twinkles in the firelight like an extravagant and sentimental hope.

My tears will come later, I’m sure. Right now, I don’t want to believe it. I want to wake up from it.

I wake with a pit in my stomach. I wish I could yank up my quilts and hide from the day, but the morning doesn’t know to mourn. The winter sun smiles over my view of the kitchen garden. Hannibal struts the fence, sounding his imperious crow. Aunt Clara’s clipped holly bushes are interspersed with hellebores, all blooming in obedient array.

I’ll bring Quinn some flowers. An innocent excuse to pay him a not-so-innocent visit, but I need to hear him say it out loud. Of the two brothers, Quinn was more often the subject of Toby’s and my whispered confidences. We were cowed by his coolly impeccable demeanor and hurt by his ice-pick wit. Will was easier—either warmly, sweetly happy or in a hot temper. Nothing in between, nothing to hide.

Even if Quinn thinks we’re low and unschooled, Toby once declared, I wish he’d do a better job of pretending he didn’t. As we got older, we avoided our cousin rather than shrivel under his scorn.

Quinn’s bedroom door is shut. I hesitate as my eyes land on a photograph hanging in the corridor. It had been commissioned of the brothers last spring, and in their summer suits they make quite a pair. Aunt enjoyed celebrating her handsome sons, both of whom she swore had the Emory chin, the Emory nose—if pressed, she would avow that Quinn and Will possessed the Emory everything, with Uncle Henry offering scant more than his surname.

I tap. And then again. Even when I creak open the door, Quinn doesn’t turn. He lies in bed like a prince on his tomb. His bandages are an unwieldy crown. But he’s awake. I jump to hear him speak my name.

Yes, I tell him. I’m here.

You hate me, don’t you? he says without looking at me.

I am startled that my cousin would care what I think. Don’t be ridiculous. I place the vase so he can see it. The morning light is stark. I can barely recognize my returned cousin. Mavis was right—he is a living skeleton.

Mrs. Sullivan says it might snow later today. But it appears that Mavis has already stocked enough firewood to keep you warm. I add another birch log to the fire, but the chill has seeped inside my

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