“Thistlemarsh itself nourished her during this time, like the hand of her mother reaching out to her through time. The passageways house the stories from Lady Blakeney’s Tales, becoming the glens and snowcapped mountains in Mouse’s imagination. Mr. Hobb, the groundskeeper, indulged her as they attempted to imagine the purpose of the hidden rooms. Mouse was always ready for them to be Faerie spy nooks, where they could catalog the offenses of their human hosts. Though he did not stifle her speculation, Mr. Hobb thought they were only built to keep the servants out of sight of guests.” ImaginationChildhoodHouseholdSecret Passage Book:Thistlemarsh Source: Thistlemarsh
“The evening was remarkably fine for early spring. Thistlemarsh Hall lay against the lawn like a forlorn jewelry box, framed in unruly embroidered green velvet. Mouse’s father had designed the gardens as an intricate pattern of interweaving vines to complement the Elizabethan splendor of the architecture. The Hall’s towers sprang from each corner, carved with flowers and thistles. The mass of windows along each side meant that the sun could shine through the house at certainties of day, illuminating the inside.” FatherArchitectureHouseholdGardenerFacadeWindowsCottagecoreHall Book:Thistlemarsh Source: Thistlemarsh