The Forgotten Garden Part 49

Suddenly, she knew. The word came to her, ancient and familiar. Maze. She was in a maze.

Awareness, instant and fully formed: at its end was a most glorious place. Somewhere she needed to be. Somewhere safe where she could rest.

She reached a fork.

Turned.

She knew the way. She remembered. She had been here before.

Faster now, she went faster. Need pus.h.i.+ng in her chest, certainty. She must reach the end.

Light ahead. She was almost there.

Just a little further.

Then suddenly, out of the shadows and into the light came a figure. The Auth.o.r.ess, holding out her hand. Silvery voice. "I've been waiting for you."

The Auth.o.r.ess stepped aside and Nell saw that she had reached the gate.

The end of the maze.

"Where am I?"

"You're home."

With a deep breath, Nell followed the Auth.o.r.ess across the threshold and into the most beautiful garden she had ever seen.

And at last, the wicked Queen's spell was broken, and the young woman, whom circ.u.mstance and cruelty had trapped in the body of a bird, was released from her cage. The cage door opened and the cuckoo bird fell, fell, fell, until finally her stunted wings opened, and she found that she could fly. With the cool sea breeze of her homeland buffeting the undersides of her wings, she soared over the cliff edge and across the ocean. Towards a new land of hope, and freedom, and life. Towards her other half. Home.

-From "The Cuckoo's Flight" by Eliza Makepeace

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

FOR helping to bring helping to bring The Forgotten Garden The Forgotten Garden into the world, I'd like to thank: into the world, I'd like to thank: My Nana Connelly, whose story first inspired me; Selwa Anthony for her wisdom and care; Kim Wilkins, Julia Morton and Diane Morton, for reading early drafts; Kate Eady for hunting down pesky historical facts; Danny Kretschmer for providing photos on a deadline; and Julia's workmates for answering questions of vernacular. For research a.s.sistance-archaeological, entomological and medical-I'm grateful to Dr. Walter Wood, Dr. Natalie Franklin, Katharine Parkes and, especially, Dr. Sally Wilde; and, for help with specific details, many thanks to Nicole Ruckels, Elaine Wilkins and Joyce Morton.

I am fortunate to be published worldwide by extraordinary people and I'm thankful to everyone whose efforts have helped to turn my stories into books. For their sensitive and tireless editorial support on The Forgotten Garden, The Forgotten Garden, I'd like to make special mention of Catherine Milne, Clara Finlay and the wonderful Annette Barlow at Allen & Unwin, Australia; and Maria Rejt and Liz Cowen at Pan Macmillan UK. I'm much obliged to Julia Stiles and Lesley Levene for their fine attention to detail. I'd like to make special mention of Catherine Milne, Clara Finlay and the wonderful Annette Barlow at Allen & Unwin, Australia; and Maria Rejt and Liz Cowen at Pan Macmillan UK. I'm much obliged to Julia Stiles and Lesley Levene for their fine attention to detail.

I would also like to pay tribute here to authors who write for children. To discover early that behind the black marks on white pages lurk worlds of incomparable terror, joy and excitement is one of life's great gifts. I am enormously grateful to those authors whose works fired my childhood imagination, and inspired in me a love of books and reading that has been a constant companion. The Forgotten Garden The Forgotten Garden is, in part, an ode to them. is, in part, an ode to them.

Finally, as always, I owe a huge debt of grat.i.tude to my husband, Davin Patterson, and my two sons, Oliver and Louis, to whom this story belongs.

Also by Kate Morton

The House at Riverton