If I had really been sneaking around, you wouldn't have heard me, Violet thought to herself. Then she sobered as Ashley went on. Well, that was stupid, Violet, asking someone about their mother when their mother is dead. Great conversational move.

"I'm...I'm sorry, I didn't know. About your mother, I mean." Violet found herself going on--she didn't usually talk a lot about her private life to everyone, but she felt she ought to offer something personal since Ashley was being so open. "My mother is...well, I don't even know if she's still alive or not. I haven't seen her since I was about five or six. It's kind of hard, not having one. But I did have Miss Howard--she was my governess. She never taught me any cool songs, though--mostly history and potions and runes and stuff."