Winter Blooms

Prologue

Dusk kissed the sun asleep, veiling the field of grass in a bright orange blanket. The fleet of cars rushed past the dirty road way, making the small wildflowers near the road dance with the wind. Lily reached her hand out, playing with the wind. A small smile bloomed on her lips, watching for the first time, a place not grey but green and alive. She knew it wouldn't last long. Sesscott was a place like that.

Rain half the year and snow the other.

Even so, the smell of fresh air and dew was welcoming. She remembered that day, when the air was white, each wisp inhaled was like breathing fire. Coal and dust had clung to their clothes as they made their way back from the cemetery. 

Those were the days of dread and loss.

"That sounds absurd even for you," Catherine huffed from beside her, "Even Liz knows ghosts can't lift an entire recliner."

"You choose what you believe," Daniel shrugged from the front seat. Looking at his sisters through the rearview mirror, he tried his hardest to hide his smirk.

"Lily, tell him it's not true!" Catherine turned to Lily, crossing her arms and clearly not pleased with her brother's attempt at teasing Elizabeth, their youngest, gullible sister.

Lily let out a chuckle. The fleet of cars had already reached the front gates of the mansion. She remembered the last time she was here, around nineteen years ago. She was four back then. She only had a vague memory of playing with her grandparents here. How she used to sneak into the kitchen to watch her grandmother bake sweet pastries and try and steal some later.

After all those years, the sprawling mansion had lost its charm. The flowering vines that crept up to the roof had dried up. The faint smell of sugar and roses had been replaced by that of dried grass. The mansion looked unattended, and so it had been, ever since her Grandparents died and her mother inherited the Estate.

The accounts and the farming contracts nearby were managed by their local manager, but the mansion in itself was left to rot. It would still have been so, if not for their family doctor advising them of a change of scenery from the Everard Mansion back in London.

It was indeed a desperate measure. The halls of that mansion had started to look too lonely. Painting the warm memories of childhood a cold grey.

"See? Her silence holds testament to my truth," Daniel commented again with an evident strain in his voice, pulling her away from haunting memories.

"There are no ghosts in the entire Kelson Estates, Daniel," she chuckled, fixing her black gloves as the car came to a halt, "And even if there were any, I'm sure none would throw a recliner at anybody's head."

Daniel finally lost his struggle and laughed out loud when he heard Liz's relieved sigh, earning a smack on the back of his head from Catherine.

"So much for a mature elder brother," she said, watching him tenderly rub his head, complaining that he'd get no respect whatsoever.

They climbed out of their car, watching the sunlight hit the grey stone walls of the mansion. Lily turned back to see her father, Richard Everard, help a frail woman out of the car.

She sighed looking at the wilted form of her mother. Will they ever recover?

A hand firmly grasped her fingers as if they had read her mind and was almost anxious to assure her that they would. She held the hand just as tightly, making up her mind.

"This is it," she whispered, her voice as feeble as the dried creepers on the walls ahead of her.

This was it, for their mother. It was their final leap of faith to help their mother, who had refused all medications to forcefully bring her back to health.

If she didn't improve...

"This should be it," Daniel said in affirmation. He gently rubbed her hand with his thumb before letting go of her hand and moving to help their father.

He reached just in time to hear his mother say, "Would you look at that, honey. It sure is better than I thought."

"Oh! what a wonder, the tree still stands!" his mother exclaimed, "I planted it myself when I was half your age, Daniel." His features instantly softened when his mother reached out to him and patted his hair with a smile.

"Lots of work to do on the other plants though, a lot of work," she murmured particularly to no one while looking around the garden, "Call Bennie right away, will you?"

"You can work on it tomorrow, Anne. Now come, let's settle in first," Richard said, guiding the little woman to the grand entrance.

Inside Benjamin, their head butler was already waiting for them at the foyer, "Master, Lady, allow me to lead you to your bedrooms." He bowed slightly, asking them to follow.

"Oh, dear Bennie, I know very well where the bedrooms are," Annabeth laughed, yet followed after him.

"It is still my duty regardless, Lady Annabeth," he said with finality as he opened the master chamber. He let them in before making his way to the back kitchens.

The day was uneventful. All of them having worn out from the long journey, they settled simple dinner before heading to their chambers, as allocated by Bennie.

It was a surprisingly peaceful day for Bennie and he hoped it would last long