The next day, Edgar woke up very late, almost at eleven o'clock. The maid offered him breakfast, but he refused, saying he wasn't hungry. It was a beautiful day, fresh but finally with a bright, sunny sky, so Edgar decided to take a walk. Overcome by laziness, he didn't even get dressedâhe just threw on his robe and went out.
The Scott family owned a vast garden with a woodland adjacent to their country house, an apartment in the city center, a large villa in Italy where grapes for wine were cultivated, and a factory in the outskirts of London. The garden where Edgar was walking was very beautiful, with many trees and flowers. Some of the tulips had been damaged by the rain from the previous night. Edgar brushed one and immediately thought of his mother.
"You've created a beautiful garden," he whispered with a sigh. He then began to pick up the damaged flowers, knowing that they would wilt anyway as their stems were ruined.
"That's very kind of you," he heard a voice behind him.
He turned around and saw a beautiful woman smiling at him. He immediately froze and felt embarrassed to be still in his pajamas. He adjusted his robe and nodded in greeting. He had no idea who the stranger was.
"Sorry," he whispered. "I didn't think anyone was here..."
"Indeed, there's no one," the woman smiled. "I'm a ghost."
At that moment, Edgar also smiled. He picked up the last tulip from the ground and handed the entire bouquet to the girl.
"What makes you think I want them?" she surprised him with this question.
"Because you're a lady..."
"It's not just ladies who love flowers," the stranger protested.
"Anyway, they're for you." The girl laughed.
"It's obvious they're not for me. You were picking them for someone else, and now, just because I'm here and she isn't, you want to please me by saying they're for me."
"No," Edgar wanted to say, but she interrupted him, annoyed.
"It's not nice to start with lies. Who were these flowers for?"
At that point, the smile that had illuminated Edgar's face so far faded.
"They were for my mother. She adored tulips."
"She adored?" the stranger asked, noticing the verb in the past tense.
Edgar didn't answer. He only lowered his head and looked at the flowers between his fingers.
"Oh, she passed away... recently," the woman said. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Please, forgive me..."
Edgar's eyes began to moisten. He lowered his head even further, turned quickly, and left the woman alone with the word "condolences" still stamped on her lips but never spoken aloud.