Chapter 10

Not much was said on the five hour drive to Land’s End.  Millicent felt numb as she stared out the window at the passing scenery.  Everything was a blur.  She remembered the seconds before her accident and wondered if it had been the same for John.  Then she realized that she no longer had any family, she was all alone in the world.

When they arrived at Wainwright Manor Sophie came outside to greet them.  She and Millicent hugged and both began to cry.  Andrew stood by watching, wishing there was something he could do to ease their pain.  With their arms around each other Sophie and Millicent walked into the manor.  Andrew followed with their bags.

“All the guests have left,” Sophie said, “and I sent the staff home.  I wasn’t sure what else to do.”

Andrew left the bags in the lobby and the three went into the kitchen where Sophie had tea waiting for them. 

“His solicitor is coming by this afternoon to go over the will,” Sophie said.        

“I’m pretty sure John has a life insurance policy,” Millicent said.

“He did.  And he told me once that he wanted to be cremated.”

“He told me that too,” Millicent said.  “He wanted his ashes spread out over the ocean.”

“Is there going to be a memorial service?” Andrew asked.

“I think it would be nice, don’t you?” Sophie asked Millicent who nodded.

“How about Wednesday afternoon?” Andrew asked.  “The two of you can decide who you want to invite and I’ll make the arrangements.  If the weather is nice we can have it outside next to the garden.”

Andrew and Millicent finished their teas and took their bags up to the third floor.  John had kept Millicent’s room the same as when she left, so the manor still felt like home.  Andrew took the same room down the hall that he had stayed in the last time he was there.  His room looked exactly the same.  Andrew pulled out his phone and started making funeral arrangements.

* * *

Later that afternoon Millicent, Sophie and Andrew sat around the dining room table as John’s solicitor Cedric Barnaby went over the will.

“I believe the financial situation with Wainwright Manor is in good standings,” Mr. Barnaby started.  “It looks like John had been able to make a decent profit over the last few years so he hadn’t incurred any debt.  So, let’s start with the life insurance.  He has a £250,000 policy in which Sophie was the beneficiary.”

“I had no idea,” Sophie said.  “I thought he would have made Millicent the beneficiary.”

Millicent smiled at Sophie.  “It’s all right.  There may not have been a wedding but he always considered you his wife.”

“Actually, after being together for four years and cohabitating for three of those years, by English law, you had a common law marriage,” Mr. Barnaby said.  “Therefore, Sophie is entitled to the insurance money as his common law wife.  As for Wainwright Manor, according to John’s wishes, it is now in the hand of his sister Millicent.”

“I know he wanted you to have this place,” Sophie told Millicent.  “He always wanted you to think of this as your home.”

Mr. Barnaby went over a few more details before leaving.  Sophie walked him to the door so Millicent and Andrew were alone.

“What are you thinking?” Andrew said.

“I don’t know,” Millicent replied.  “I guess I should be surprised that John left me the manor.  I just never thought about it before.  Andrew, I’m so tired.  I didn’t think it was going to be this hard.”  Millicent put her face in her hands and began to cry.

“I know,” Andrew said, walking over to her.  “Why don’t you go upstairs and try to get some rest?”

Millicent wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and took a deep breathe.

Andrew gave her a hug.  “I’ll come up and check on your in a hour or so.”

* * *

Andrew found Sophie in the kitchen.          

“How are you doing?” he asked as he poured himself some tea.

“Sometimes I think I’m okay and other times I don’t really know how I’m going to get through the day without John.  How’s Millicent?”

“I sent her upstairs.  She needs to get some sleep.”

“It was really nice of you to come with her,” Sophie said.

“I’m glad to be of some help.”

“Millicent told me she’d bumped into you at the bookstore.”

“Really?” Andrew asked surprised.  “Did she tell John?”

“No,” Sophie said.  “I image it was hard for you to get away from all your obligations in London.”

“If you are alluding to Flora, we are no longer together.  I guess Millicent didn’t tell you that.”

“I was rather surprised you were at her flat last night when she called.”

“Millicent went with me to a work party.”

“Did you have fun?” Sophie asked.

“Yes, we had a great time.”

“Good,” Sophie said.  “It will be nice to have her back home.  I really did miss her.”

“What makes you think Millicent will move back here?” Andrew asked.

“This is her home.  I think she would be happy living here,” Sophie said.  “And it’s a wonderful opportunity for her.  I know that’s want John would have wanted.”

“But what if she’s happy with her life in London?”

“She could be just as happy here.  She’d have no financial worries.  She’d be her own boss.  It would be a great arrangement for her.”

* * *

An hour later Andrew went to check on Millicent. She was asleep so Andrew went into his room, pulled  a book out of his bag, laid down on the bed and started to read.  But soon his eyelids felt heavy and he drifted off to sleep.  He wasn’t’ sure how much time had passed when he awoke.  He could see the sun starting to set outside his window.   He walked down the hall to Millicent’s room and noticed she wasn’t there.  He went downstairs to look for her.  When he couldn’t find her he went out into the garden.  When he saw the garden was empty Andrew followed the path to the cliffs.  He looked down on the beach and saw Millicent sitting on the sand watching the sun set.  A few minutes later he was by her side.

“I wondered where you’ve been of to,” he said.

“I’d forgotten how much I’ve missed this,” Millicent said.  “Sitting here, watching the waves and the sunsets.”

“There’s definitely nothing like this in London.”

“Shall we walk?”  Millicent asked.

Andrew helped her to her feet and the two began walking down the beach.

“You know I never thought I’d be back here again,” Andrew said, taking Millicent’s hand.

“I’m glad you are,” Millicent said.

“Being here, I feel as if I’ve been given a second chance,” Andrew said.

“What do you mean?”

“The last time I was here I had an opportunity to tell you how I felt about you but I let stupidity get the better of me,” Andrew said.  “And how here I am, in the same place, standing next to you and this time I’m not going to screw it up.”

They stopped walking and faced each other.

“I know the timing isn’t the best but I love you Millicent,” Andrew said.  “I’ve wanted to tell you that night I left but things got out of hand so quickly and you were so angry.”

“I know,” Millicent said.  “I shouldn’t have stormed off the way I did.”

“I’d hate to think where I’d been now if we hadn’t run into each other at the bookstore,” Andrew said.

“Then don’t.  I love you, too,” Millicent said.   “I never thought I’d let myself feel this way but I do.  I’ve been fighting it since the day I met you.  If I didn’t expect you to love me I couldn’t get hurt.  But I’m tired of fighting it.  I’ve wasted so much time.”

“I know,” Andrew said.  His hand went to her face and gently traced her scar down her cheek to her chin.  Millicent closed her eyes and dropped her head.  Andrew lifted her chin and gently kiss her for the first time.

“I can’t believe I waited so long to do that,” Andrew said, kissing her again.  When they drew apart Andrew looked out over the ocean.  “We missed the sunset.”

Andrew and Millicent walked slowly back to the manor, arm in arm.  It was dark by the time they got there and there was no sign of Sophie.

“Are you hungry?” Andrew asked.

“Not really.”

“Me neither.  Shall we go upstairs instead?”

Millicent kissed him.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

* * *

            

“How long have you been awake?” Andrew asked.

“A couple of hours.  I’ve been thinking about the memorial service.  I guess there’s no such thing as the perfect time for something to happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just feel so much pain and sadness because of John but at the same time I’m so happy to have you.  It’s like an emotional roller coaster.”

“Let’s just get through today.  They we can start thinking about us.”

“What time will people start arriving?” Millicent asked.

“I told everyone one o’clock.”

“Can we stay here in my room, in bed, until the last possible moment?”

Andrew kissed her and said, “Absolutely.”

* * *

It was a few minutes after one o’clock when Millicent and Andrew went downstairs and outside.  It turned out to be a warm, beautiful day.  The sun was shining and there were only a few puffy white clouds in the sky.  Rows of chairs had been set up by the garden face the sea.  A podium was facing the chairs which were quickly filling up with John’s friends.  Andrew and Millicent made their way through the crowd.  Everyone wanted to give their condolences.  They sat down in the two empty chairs in the front row next to Sophie.  The vicar of the church John and Sophie attended introduced himself to Millicent before walking to the podium.

Andrew held Millicent’s had as the vicar described John as a loving brother and kind and generous man.  Millicent sat silently as tears streamed down her cheeks staring out over the water.  Several of John’s friends got up to talk about him, little stories, and said how much they would miss him.  Soon the warm, sunny day began to turn dark and cold.  The wind picked up as the vicar finished and everyone made their way inside the manor just as it started to rain.

Millicent took a seat in the parlor as people stopped by to tell her how sorry they were for her loss.  Millicent smiled weakly and said thank you to everyone but the only thing she really noticed was Andrew sitting next to her and his arm over her shoulder.

After what Andrew felt had been a reasonable amount of time, he suggested that Millicent go up to her room to rest.  Millicent let Andrew guide her up the stairs to her room, not remembering if she had said goodbye to anyone.  The euphoria she had felt walking up next to Andrew that morning had been replaced by numbness and grief.  Her brother was gone.  She would never see him again.  The finality of it hit her hard.  She wordlessly let Andrew put her to bed.

When she awoke the room was darker and Millicent could hear the rain hitting the window.  She turned over and saw Andrew sitting in a chair with a dim light on, reading a book.  When he saw she was awake he went over to her.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

Millicent sat up in bed.  “I don’t know.  Better, I guess.  What time is it?”

Andrew looked at his watch.  “Almost seven.”

“Were you sitting there the entire time I slept?”

“Pretty much.  I wanted to be here when you woke up.”

“I’d be totally lost without you,” Millicent said, leaning over to kiss him.

The two went downstairs to get something to eat.  They found Sophie sitting at the table, drinking coffee and staring at a small cardboard box.

“What is that?” Millicent asked.

“John’s remains,” Sophie said, not taking her eyes off the box.  “I picked them up this afternoon after everyone left.  If it clears up tomorrow I have a friend in town with a boat who can take us out.”

“Okay,” Millicent whispered.  It made John’s death seem so final to her.  She turned to Andrew and said, “I’m not really that hungry.  I think I’ll go back upstairs.”

“Why don’t I bring a tray up to you?”

After Millicent left Andrew began to make a pot of tea and put together a tray with food that people had brought for the gathering after the service.

“Has Millicent said anything to you about the manor?”

“No.”

“I think it would really, really good for her to come back and run the place.”

“Well decision is up to her.”

“I know but if you thought it was a good idea, she’d listen to you.”

“Sophie, it isn’t my place to say anything.”

“She’d appreciate your opinion, I know she would,” Sophie said.  “We need to think of what’s best for her.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Andrew asked.

“She shouldn’t pass up this opportunity because of you.”

“Oh, come on Sophie.  Say what you really mean,” Andrew said.  “I hurt her once and you’re afraid I’d hurt her again.”

“You did hurt her.”

“I know.  And it isn’t going to happen again.  I love her and she knows it.”

“Okay, but I don’t want her to pass this up because she thinks she’ll lose you.”

“She’s not going to lose me,” Andrew insisted, “regardless of what she decides.”

“With you in London and her in Land’s End?” Sophie asked.  “Andrew, you know long distance relationship never work.”

“You’re assuming I’d stay in London.”

“Wouldn’t you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Staying here and running Wainwright Manor is what John wanted for Millicent.  He wouldn’t have left her the manor if it wasn’t.”

“But it’s still her decision,” Andrew said, picking up the tray and leaving.

* * *

When Andrew got back to Millicent’s room he set the tray down on the table and went to her side at the window  where she was watching the rain.  He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes.  I was just surprised by John’s ashes being her so quickly.  Everything seems so final.  It’s only been four days and I feel like after we spread his ashes tomorrow we’re supposed to go back to living our lives as if nothing happened.  But they aren’t the same lives they were four days ago, are they?”

Andrew pulled her tight.

“I feel like everything is changing too fast,” Millicent said.  “It’s too much.”

“Sophie thinks you should move back here and run the manor,” Andrew said. 

“What do you think?”

“I can’t tell you what to do, it has to be your decision.”

“What if I do decide to come back?” Millicent asked.  “What will happen to us?”

“We can figure that out once you’ve made your decision.”