Chapter 11: Violet

Summary

• Violet woke up early on a Saturday, unable to shake her thoughts about the word "Weyward" she found etched behind her furniture.
• Contemplating her mother's past and the gold pendant she wears, Violet wonders if her mother's initial was 'W' for her maiden name, Weyward, rather than her first name.
• Housekeeper Mrs. Kirkby brings Violet's breakfast, and Violet seizes the opportunity to casually ask Mrs. Kirkby about her mother's last name.
• When questioned, Mrs. Kirkby, seemingly uncomfortable and evasive, claims she can't recall Violet's mother's maiden name and warns Violet not to dig into the past.
• Violet dresses quickly and plans to search her father's study while he is out fetching her cousin Frederick from the train station.
• While heading to the study, Violet thanks her brother Graham for a recent gift and enlists his help as a lookout for their father's return.
• Violet offers Graham her share of pudding for a week in exchange for warning her about their father's return.
• Inside the study, Violet contemplates her father's trophies, her family's history, and searches for something that belonged to her mother.
• She discovers a black feather and a moth-eaten handkerchief with the monogram E.W. in her father's desk, possibly indications of her mother's presence in the past.
• Violet senses a connection and start to hear the world with a newfound clarity upon touching her mother's belongings, especially recalling a lullaby and beating heart from her childhood.
• Graham's signal alerts Violet to her father's early return, prompting her to replace the handkerchief but keep the feather.
• Violet's perception of her surroundings is heightened as she rediscovers her senses and feels aligned with herself again.
• Meeting cousin Frederick, Violet experiences a light-headedness and is immediately taken by his green eyes and pleasant demeanor.
• During dinner, Violet is fascinated by Frederick's worldly experience, his family's proximity to nature in Richmond, and his aspirations to write or possibly become a doctor after the war.
• There's an exchange during dinner about Frederick's potential career as a doctor which is both curious to Violet and slightly awkward.
• Violet's father emphasizes the importance of punctuality and appearance in preparation for Frederick's visit. Violet's impression of her cousin grows as the dinner progresses.