Over time, Miranda learns that Nicholas and his wife Johanna are estranged from each other and from their daughter. She also hears from the servants that the Van Ryn bloodline is cursed as only they can hear the harpsichord played by the ghost of Nicholas's great-grandmother Azilde whenever misfortune befalls the family.
As Miranda gains insight, she discovers that Nicholas and his wife Johanna have grown distant from each other and their daughter. Moreover, the servants reveal to her that the Van Ryn family is beset as only they can hear the harpsichord played by Azilde's ghost whenever misfortune happens to them.