Welcome back to the third day of our book club readalong for OwlCrate's March book, A Forgery of Roses!
Just a reminder that this will be a SPOILER discussion for Chapters 14-20 of A Forgery of Roses, so make sure you read are finished this section before continuing.
Discussion questions are listed below, and anyone who participates in the comments will be entered to win a free OwlCrate box! Don't forget, you can also post about the readalong on Instagram with the hashtag #OCAForgeryOfRoses for another chance to win!
The story continues...
Chapter 14:
As they quietly walk to Will’s room Myra bids them stop in the courtyard where Will fell. She investigates the surroundings, taking notes as she goes. She notices a bin covering a patch of blood, but August says it’s likely just animal blood from the kitchens.
In Will’s room they find the doors to the balcony locking from the inside. Myra floats the idea that maybe it wasn’t an accident - maybe Will was pushed.
Chapter 15:
They search Will’s room for clues, not coming up with anything useful. Just then they hear footsteps and they go silent, August’s mother passing the room in the hallway. August quietly leads Myra down a servant’s passage and from above they hear a loud noise. When Myra asks what’s up there, August simply says the fifth floor. He insists no one has been up there in decades as it is believed to be haunted by his great-grandfather Bertram. There are stories that Bertram was an evil Prodigy, doing horrendous things to people. He was also said to be the one to enchant the roses on the ground in some way so that they bloom in winter. They hear more noises above, and Myra insists on investigating, and August relents, going with her.
Chapter 16:
On the fifth floor they find it absolutely covered in paintings, but find no one there. They find a room with portraits of the Harris family, and one particularly gruesome portrait of Governor Harris. These portraits are clearly new. The window in the room is wide open, but they can’t see any evidence of someone being there. They lapse into conversation as they examine the room, Myra revealing the disappearance of her parents and August disclosing why he became the forgotten son. He admits that he has panic attacks in front of crowds and his dream is to become a writer. Not something the Harris family appreciates.
Chapter 17:
They hear footsteps in the hall and quickly hide themselves in a wardrobe. As the footsteps enter the room and get closer to them they hear indistinct voices and the person retreats. They use the opportunity to leave the fifth floor through the servant’s passage, coming upon Ameline, a girl who works in the kitchen and used to be involved with Will. August had found them together and Will had made him promise not to tell their mother as Will was already engaged, it just hadn’t been announced yet.
This makes Myra start to wonder if it could have been one of the staff who killed Will but August thinks it’s doubtful. Myra brings up the knife wound Will had and the potential that maybe a member of the kitchen staff could have done it, giving August an idea. He jogs them to his father’s office. Inside is a large collection of blades and they inspect them to see if any would match the wound. They make the mistake of letting their guard down and as August shows Myra how to hold a broadsword, Mrs. Harris walks into the room.
Chapter 18:
Mrs. Harris thoroughly berates Myra when she reveals what they were doing, again forbidding her from leaving the cellar. Myra must work with what she has and that’s that. August, on the other hand, says nothing, and Myra leaves them. On the way back to the cellar she hears scratching and breathing, and against her better judgement goes to investigate. She find Mrs. Harris’ little dog Peony scratching at a door and opening it Myra finds a coat closet. She sees the coat Mrs. Harris was wearing when she confronted Myra in the cab and peeking out from a pocket, a note. Myra takes it and little Peony emerges from the closet with a bloodied and ripped cook’s uniform in her mouth. Myra quietly retreats back to the cellar, only to see the cook Nigel walking away in the corridor.
Chapter 19:
Myra completes another painting, again her magic failing to work. In a notebook she took from the fifth floor there are diagrams of Prodigies depicting the sevren and the fervora, explaing that fervora are only present in Prodigies and if a Prodigy uses their magic on another Prodigy the pain they experience in the healing will become permanent.
Myra joins the Harris' for breakfast. Governor Harris is unimpressed with the food and he brings the cook, Nigel, in to demand better. Myra thinks she sees something ominous flash in Nigel's eyes. As breakfast ends the butler announces that Felicity has arrived. Felicity being a marriage prospect for August.
Questions:
- What do you think the note that Myra took from Mrs. Harris' pocket contains?
- Why do you think the ripped and bloodied uniform was stashed in the back of the coat closet?
- Do you think the person who is doing the paintings on the fifth floor is also responsible for Will's death?
- Why do you think both Ameline and Nigel were wandering around the manor in the middle of the night?
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