The Secret Book of Flora Lea

Peggy wakes after spending the night with Wren and considers her mother’s aversion to love and risk. When they arrived in London, Peggy looked into Flora’s history and learned about the disappearance. Meanwhile, Hazel is preparing to meet Peggy; she has left Barnaby at the station, hoping that Peggy might be Flora in disguise. Hazel, Hazel’s mother, and Kelty go to meet Peggy at her hotel. Peggy and Wren approach and introduce themselves. Hazel and her mother can both tell that Peggy isn’t Flora after all.

The five people gather in the garden. Hazel tries to find out where Peggy’s mother learned the Whisperwood story. Peggy becomes defensive of her work, and Hazel assures her she’s only looking for the truth. Peggy’s mother suddenly arrives, having followed them to London. She received the letter Hazel sent to Peggy’s publisher, then learned of their whereabouts from Wren’s mother. Peggy learns that her mother sold the priceless book and illustrations that Hazel stole. Hazel’s mother appeals to Peggy’s mother to help find her lost daughter. Peggy’s mother admits that she heard the story from her sister Maria, who heard it from a motherless girl she cared for in Newcastle. Hazel’s mother encourages Hazel to bring this new information to Dorothy Bellamy.