Chapter 9 Summary: Evangeline's Suspicious Garden Meeting
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Evangeline remains forbidden from leaving Wolf Hall, but a scandal sheet from Kristof Knightlinger is delivered with her breakfast. The article reports Prince Apollo's midnight departure with one guard, speculating about his reasons. Evangeline feels hurt but curious. As she dresses, she asks her maid Martine about Apollo's absence, but Martine only knows what the scandal sheet says.
She steps out to find two new guards, Hansel and Victor, who are friendly and replace her previous guards. They give her a note from her tutor, who invites her to meet at the Well of Wishes in the Wishing Garden. The note includes a map and a postscript suggesting she make a wish if the tutor is late.
Evangeline walks through the gardens in thick fog. Hearing her guards call after her, she deliberately loses them by stepping off the path. She crosses a bridge to the Wishing Garden, a wild, overgrown space. She examines the well's instructions but is suddenly pushed from behind. She tries to grasp the well but falls forward into it.
Key Events
- Evangeline reads a scandal sheet reporting Apollo's secret midnight departure.
- She meets her new guards, Hansel and Victor, who appear kind.
- The tutor's note arrives, asking Evangeline to meet at the Well of Wishes.
- Evangeline intentionally loses her guards in the fog.
- She enters the Wishing Garden and reads the instructions on the well.
- An unseen person shoves her, causing her to fall into the well.
Character Development
Evangeline shows conflicting emotions about Apollo: she is frustrated and hurt by his inconsistent kindness, but still curious about his whereabouts. Her decision to lose her guards reveals growing assertiveness and a desire to act independently, even at risk. The new guards' friendliness momentarily softens her guarded heart, though she quickly becomes suspicious again.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Fog as concealment: The dense fog allows Evangeline to evade her guards, echoing the secrets and mysteries surrounding her past and Apollo's actions.
- The Well of Wishes: A place meant for hope and desire becomes a site of sudden violence, subverting the idea that wishes lead to positive outcomes.
- The doorknob story: Evangeline recalls a tale about a doorknob that senses hearts, hinting at themes of deception and the risk of trusting appearances.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter deepens the central mystery of Apollo's behavior and Evangeline's missing memories. The attack at the well raises the stakes, showing that someone wants to harm or silence Evangeline. It also introduces the tutor as a potentially pivotal character and sets up a cliffhanger that propels the plot forward.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Evangeline intentionally lose her guards?
Evangeline believes the tutor may have planned the fog so they could speak privately. She hopes the tutor will reveal information about her past that cannot be overheard.
2. What do we learn about the tutor from the note?
The tutor provides a careful map and an odd instruction to wish if she is late. The note's tone and the hidden plea ("Please come!") suggest the tutor has an urgent, secret reason to meet Evangeline alone.
3. How does the chapter end, and what does it imply?
The chapter ends with Evangeline being pushed into the well. This implies she was lured into a trap, likely by someone who anticipated her actions. The identity of the attacker is unknown, raising questions about who at Wolf Hall wishes her harm.