Mysteries of Thorn Manor

Contents Cover Title Page Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author Copyright Guide Cover Start of Content Title Page Dedication Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author Copyright V VI 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 
 
 A companion to the New York Times bestselling Sorcery of Thorns
 Margaret Rogerson
 Mysteries of Thorn Manor
 
 
 
 
 
 Also by Margaret Rogerson
 An Enchantment of Ravens
 Sorcery of Thorns
 Vespertine
 
 
 MARGARET K. McELDERRY BOOKS
 An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
 www.SimonandSchuster.com
 This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
 Text © 2023 by Margaret Rogerson
 Jacket illustration © 2023 by Charlie Bowater
 Jacket design by Sonia Chaghatzbanian © 2023 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
 All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
 MARGARET K. McELDERRY BOOKS is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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 Interior design by Irene Metaxatos
 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
 Names: Rogerson, Margaret, author.
 Title: The mysteries of Thorn Manor / Margaret Rogerson.
 Description: First edition. | New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2023. | Audience: Ages 14 up. | Audience: Grades 10–12. | Summary: Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas must unravel the magical trap keeping them inside Thorn Manor in time for their Midwinter Ball.
 Identifiers: LCCN 2022030707 (print) | LCCN 2022030708 (ebook) | ISBN 9781665935616 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781665935623 (ebook)
 Subjects: CYAC: Magic—Fiction. | Blessing and cursing—Fiction. | Interpersonal relations—Fiction. | Fantasy. | LCGFT: Fantasy fiction. | Novels.
 Classification: LCC PZ7.1.R6635 My 2023 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.R6635 (ebook) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022030707
 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022030708
 
 
 To those who believe in fairy-tale endings
 
 
 ONE 
 “I DIDN’T DO THIS!” Nathaniel insisted, leaning out the manor’s front door, gazing helplessly at the vines thrashing up along the thorn hedge, the animated topiaries prowling through the garden, and the threatening magical gale that howled around Thorn Manor, carrying past leaves and branches and loose cobblestones in a whirling cyclone. “I swear upon Baltasar’s unholy grave, I didn’t do a thing.”
 Elisabeth gave him a skeptical look. “Most of the time when you say that, it turns out that actually—”
 “Yes, yes, I know.”
 “Like when it started raining teacups on Laurel Avenue—”
 “I thought we agreed not to talk about that.”
 “And the time a lightning strike blew off one of the Magisterium’s towers—”
 “Point taken. But I didn’t have another nightmare last night, did I? You certainly would have noticed.”
 She felt herself turn pink. “No. You didn’t.”
 He grinned at her, looking unfairly handsome in just his nightshirt, with his sleeves billowing and his dark hair whipped in every direction by the wind. “Anyway, all of this must have something to do with the manor’s wards. Look at the street past the gates, it’s completely normal.”
 She squinted through the streaks of swirling debris, and saw that he was right. The rest of Hemlock Park appeared to be enjoying a sunny, peaceful February morning. That failed to ease her mind. Especially because, standing just past the cyclone, a crowd had gathered; and at the very front stood a group of—
 “Reporters,” Nathaniel said darkly.
 “Elisabeth Scrivener!” they called out in excitement, noticing that the front door had opened. “Magister Thorn! Would you care to comment on the situation? Have you lost control of your magic? Is it true that your demon is back?”
 Nathaniel only frowned. Then another reporter shouted, “Is this likely to impact your preparations for the Midwinter Ball next w—”
 Elisabeth didn’t hear the rest, because Nathaniel had hastily drawn her inside and slammed the door behind them.
 
 “You know, I find that I don’t mind it a great deal after all,” he said later that day, cheerfully watching a shrub sail past the foyer’s window. “In fact, I believe the view is growing on me.”
 “You can’t leave it this way forever,” Elisabeth pointed out. “It’s trapping us inside, too. We’ll starve. Also, that looks like it came off the roof.”
 Nathaniel used his cane to slide the curtain open a little wider, watching with interest as a giant chunk of masonry went spinning