Ophie's Ghosts

The next day, Ophie ignores the ghosts to focus on Mrs. Caruthers’s needs. The woman tasks Ophie with remaking her bed, but Ophie doesn’t have fresh linens. She remembers Cook telling her that she can find linens in the cedar chests in any of the bedrooms. When she opens one particular closet, she is overwhelmed by a terrible smell. Mrs. Caruthers snaps at her, and she closes the door, promising herself never to enter that space again.

The next day, Ophie notices that Henry has padlocked the closet in Mrs. Caruthers’s room. She is confused as to why, but she doesn’t ask questions. Over the following days, her work only grows more difficult. She has more and more responsibilities. Her least favorite is “read[ing] to Mrs. Caruthers every afternoon” (102). She doesn’t agree with the history books that Mrs. Caruthers has her read because they glorify the days before emancipation. When Mrs. Caruthers falls asleep, Ophie sneaks into the library and reads whatever she likes. She likes detective stories and the True Romances magazines best.

While Ophie is reading True Romances one day, the pretty woman who helped her with the tea resurfaces and introduces herself as Clara. Ophie feels as drawn to her as she did when they first met, but Mrs. Caruthers interrupts their exchange, accusing Ophie of talking to herself. Ophie explains that she was only talking to Clara, which angers Mrs. Caruthers. Confused by Mrs. Caruthers’s ire, Ophie lies and claims that she saw Clara’s name in her magazine. Mrs. Caruthers has a fit, screaming at Ophie until she is ill. Richard, Cook, and Henry come running. Ophie watches Clara fade away with “a blue shimmer” and realizes that Clara is a ghost (110).

The ghosts on the trolley start paying more attention to Ophie. They watch her carefully, waiting for the day when she’ll be able to help them.

The doctor puts Mrs. Caruthers on bed rest. Afterward, Ophie overhears Cook telling Mama that they will all lose their jobs if anything happens to Mrs. Caruthers. A panicked Mama expresses her concerns about finding a house for her and Ophie. She worries that if anything happens to the elderly Aunt Rose, the other relatives will kick them out.

Richard asks to speak with Ophie and questions her about what happened on the day of Mrs. Caruthers’s fit. Ophie considers telling him the truth, but instead, she tells him the same story about seeing Clara’s name in the magazine. Richard explains that Clara was an old friend and that Mrs. Caruthers was attached to her. He says that when Clara disappeared some time ago, his mother was deeply upset. He makes Ophie promise not to mention Clara again.

Over the following days, Ophie obsesses over what really happened to Clara. She wonders if Clara was killed and if someone at Daffodil Manor was responsible.

Mrs. Caruthers’s condition improves over the following days. She starts praising Ophie but still doesn’t get her name right. Meanwhile, Ophie continues mulling over Clara’s death and wishes that she could see her again. She uses any spare time to hunt the manor for the ghost, but without success. She sees many other ghosts and asks them about Clara, but no one seems to know where she is.

Then, one day, a confused Mrs. Caruthers tells Ophie to task Clara with fetching her tea. Ophie realizes that Clara was a maid, which she struggles to believe because Clara is a pretty white girl. Later, she tells Cook who Mrs. Caruthers asked for. A saddened Cook confirms that Clara was a maid sent to Daffodil Manor by Mrs. Caruthers’s cousins in Virginia; Clara disappeared around the time of the cousins’ last visit, about a year ago.

One night, Ophie asks Aunt Rose to tell her more about ghosts. Rose tells her why ghosts linger on and why they get trapped. She then explains why some places have more ghosts than others and goes on to say that people can be haunted just like places. The more questions Ophie asks, the more suspicious Rose becomes. She warns Ophie again about ghosts, insisting that she carry protections and leave the ghosts alone. Ophie promises, but secretly, she has no plans to take her aunt’s advice.

The ghosts of Daffodil Manor continue watching Ophie. All of them, including the ghost in the attic, are curious about what she will do and how she might help.

Ophie continues her hunt for Clara the next day at work. She asks various ghosts for help, but no one points her to Clara. Frustrated, she takes a moment to sit on the stairs and lets herself remember the night of Daddy’s death. Suddenly, the injured boy ghost appears. He tells Ophie that he was caught and killed when he tried to run away from the manor years ago. Ophie offers to help him leave Daffodil Manor, but he insists that he will stay forever. He introduces himself as Colin and then tells Ophie to check the attic for Clara.

Ophie creeps up to the attic and wanders through the piles of mementos, calling for Clara. Overwhelmed, she starts crying, and Clara finally appears and comforts her. They strike up a conversation, much to Ophie’s relief. Clara references her life in Virginia and reveals that she doesn’t remember how she died. Ophie promises to help her get some answers. In the meantime, they plan to read magazines together.