Daniel Hartley heard his daughter before he saw her. A sharp, frightened cry came from Wrenford Hall’s orangery lounge. / Chapter 17 / 20

Chapter 17 - Clearing the PastThe following Monday morning brought a quiet task that Daniel had delayed for weeks: clearing out the estate office.

The room that had once served as the nerve center of Wrenford’s commercial operations—lined with dual computer monitors, printer banks, and stacks of catering schedules—was now just an empty, sunlit study overlooking the east gardens.

Daniel stood by the mahogany desk, boxing up the last remaining administrative files, when a soft knock sounded at the open door.

He looked up to see a middle-aged man in a weather-worn tweed jacket standing in the doorway. It was Arthur Higgins, who had served as the estate’s head gardener and groundskeeper for over thirty years—a man who had spent the last three years relegated to the background while corporate marquees and catering vans trampled his flower beds.

"Mr. Daniel," Higgins said respectfully, tipping his flat cap.

"Arthur. Come on in," Daniel welcomed him with a warm smile, setting the cardboard box down. "How are the east beds looking?"

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about, sir," Higgins said, stepping into the room and glancing around at the bare desks. Word had already spread across the estate that the commercial operations were permanently shuttered. "The delivery truck dropped off the spring daffodil and tulip bulbs this morning. With the west wing separated and the lawns back under our private control... well, I was wondering where you wanted me to plant them."

Daniel walked over to the tall sash window, looking out over the sprawling, dew-kissed lawns stretching toward the tree line. Without corporate tents or parked luxury cars blocking the view, the estate looked vast, peaceful, and entirely wild again.

"Plant them everywhere, Arthur," Daniel said, a genuine smile spreading across his face. "Fill the entire perimeter. Put them right up against the gravel path. We don't need to leave room for party tents anymore."