The Forgotten Garden

In 2005 London, Cassandra goes to a restaurant to meet Ruby and her friend Grey. As she sits waiting, Cassandra thumbs through Nell’s notebook. She reviews what Nell discovered about the Walker family history during her 1975 trip. Cassandra also finds a newspaper clipping describing the train accident that killed Nell’s parents. When Ruby and Grey arrive, Cassandra tells them about her connection to Nathaniel Walker. Ruby is excited to learn about Cassandra’s impressive family. She says that Cassandra must be excited to visit Cornwall and put together the last pieces of Nell’s puzzle. Cassandra admits:

 I do feel quite excited. It’s started to haunt me, I think. I keep seeing that little girl, little Nell, plucked from her family, sitting alone on the wharf. I can’t get her out of my head. I’d love to know what really happened, how she wound up on the other side of the world all alone (174).

Ruby observes that Cassandra’s interest is perfectly understandable because she lost a child and now hopes to find one. Ruby’s comment causes Cassandra to have a brief and unpleasant flashback to the loss of her own 2-year-old son, Oliver.