Hide My Secrets in the Garden. They Lived in Lies, Flowers Became Louder than Words

«Hide My Secrets in the Garden. They Lived in Lies, Flowers Became Louder than Words» — a historical novel by Sarah Blades about family secrets, memory, loss, and a promise made during World War II. The past of the English estate of Havenport is intertwined with an abandoned garden and the fates of its owners. The desire to restore the garden to its former glory is connected to the personal history of the elderly mistress. Love for loved ones here is inseparable from pain, and the search for truth requires attention not only to words but also to floral patterns.

Architect Julia arrives in Havenport to restore the historic garden, but gradually becomes involved in exploring the family past. Her work is linked to a promise that the mistress of the estate made many decades ago. Another storyline unfolds in 1940: Irene dreams of becoming an artist and leaving her family home. Her acquaintance with Royal Air Force officer James Atherton gives her hope for an independent life and love, but the war threatens these plans.