Chapter 11

It was still raining when Sophie, Millicent and Andrew met in the kitchen the next morning for breakfast.

“I guess going out to spread John’s ashes is going to have to wait,” Sophie said.  “I heard on the radio that the storm is getting worse.  How long were you planning on staying?”

Millicent looked at Andrew. 

“We can stay as long as Millicent needs,” Andrew said.

Sophie put on water for tea.  “Have you given any thought to what you’re going to do with the manor?” she asked.

“Not yet,” Millicent said.

“Your brother always wanted you to consider this your home.”

“The will said the manor was mine,” Millicent said.  “It didn’t say I had to run it.  I can sell it or have someone else run it for me.”

“You’re thinking of selling it?” Sophie asked.  “John loved this place.  You know how hard he worked at making it a success.  How could you even think of selling?”

“I didn’t say I would, only that I could.”

“I thought this place meant something to you,” Sophie said.

“It does.”

“Then how can you even consider selling it?”

“Sophie,” Andrew said.  “This is going to be a difficult decision for her.  Give her some time.  And if she really does want to sell the manor we should support her in that decision.”

“I’m sure you’d like her to sell it,” Sophie said.

“What doesn’t that mean?” Millicent asked.

“It sounds like your decision is between the manor and what John wanted for you and Andrew in London,” Sophie replied.

“I never gave Millicent an ultimatum,” Andrew said angrily.

“But whatever she decides, you’re going back to London, right?” Sophie asked Andrew.

“Is that what you told Sophie?” Millicent asked.

“No,” Andrew insisted.  “I told you last night that you need to make your decision first, then we’ll work things out with us.”

“I don’t want to be without you Andrew,” Millicent said.  “It’s taken us too long to here.”

“You won’t lose me,” Andrew said.  “We will work it all out.”

“But what if stay?” Millicent asked.  “Will you stay with me?”

Andrew didn’t answer right away.  “I don’t know but we would work something out.”

“I think I need some time on my own,” Millicent said.  She left Andrew and Sophie in the kitchen.

“What is wrong with you?” Andrew yelled at Sophie.

“Me? You’re the one who just told her you wouldn’t stay.”

“I didn’t say that!”

“That’s what is sounded like to me and I’m sure that’s how it sounded to Millicent.”

“How can you do this to her?  She doesn’t need you pressuring her about this.  She doesn’t have to decide anything right now.”

“I need to know,” Sophie said.

“Why?”

“I just do.  You won’t understand.”

“Then explain it to me.”

“After Millicent’s car accident the only thing John thought he could do for her was bring her here.  And even after he did, it didn’t seem to help.  You remember how she was when you first came here?” Sophie asked.  “She’d spend hours just sitting in her room, reading books.  John tried everything he could to help her get back to the way she was before George.”

“What does all this have to do with the manor?”

“John always wanted to make sure Millicent was taken care of.  Leaving her this manor was his way of doing that.”

“So why didn’t you tell Millicent that?”

“John promised me not.  He felt he had failed her.  Even after she left and went to London he wanted this to be her home.  He wanted her to always know that she would have a home here.”

“I’ve got to find Millicent,”  Andrew said.  As he got up to leave Sophie grabbed his arm.

“You can’t tell her.”

Andrew broke away from her and left without responding.  He went to Millicent’s room but she wasn’t there.  He checked his room and when she wasn’t there he went back to the kitchen.

“Millicent’s gone,” he said.

 “Where would you have gone?

“I’ll check to see if the cars are still here,” Andrew said.  He went to the garage but John and Sophie’s cars were still there.  He looked in the driveway and saw his car still there as well.  He returned to the kitchen.

“I checked all the other rooms,” Sophie said.  There was a loud crack of thunder and Sophie looked out the window.  “She wouldn’t have gone out in this storm, would she?”

“I’m going to find out,” Andrew said.  “Stay here in case she comes back.”

Andrew got a raincoat from the front closet and headed out to the garden.  Within minutes he was totally drenched.  The wind thrashed the rain against his face and plastered his hair to his head.  His feet were soaked and squished with every step.

“Millicent!” he yelled once before realizing his voice was being drowned out by the wind.  There was a flash of lightning followed a few seconds later by another crash of thunder.  Millicent wasn’t in the garden so Andrew went through the gate to the cliffs.  The wind was growing stronger and coldness started to seep through Andrew along with the rain.  He stood looking down at the beach where he and Millicent had been the day before.  The waves were three times their normal size and crashed loudly on the shore.  Andrew could barely make out something on the beach.

The path to the beach was wet and slippery, and Andrew fell a few times.  It was until he was just yard way before he realized what he had seen was Millicent.

“Millicent!” he cried.  She was sitting with her eyes open staring at the see but she didn’t respond to him.  “Millicent!” Andrew yelled again, this time grabbing her shoulders.  She looked at him but she seemed distant and unaware.  She wasn’t wearing a coat and soaked to the skin. When Andrew grabbed her hands they were ice cold.  “We have to get you home.”

Andrew tried to pull Millicent to her feet but she wouldn’t stand.  He noticed her lips were a shade of blue and she was shivering.  He knew he had to hurry.  He picked her up over his shoulder and started up the path.  He was able to keep Millicent on his shoulder even as he slipped on the muddy trail.  He put her down when they reached the top.  Her eyes were closed but she was still breathing.

“Millicent,” he said, gently slapping her cheeks.  “Wake up.”  Her face was icy cold.  “Millicent.”

 She slowly opened her eyes slightly and moaned.  Andrew lifter her up again and walked as quickly as possible to the manor.

Sophie was them from the window and had the door open when Andrew arrived with Millicent in his arms, both drenched.

“Where was she?”

“Down on the beach.  I need some dry towels, quickly.”

“Put her in that first room,” Sophie said, pointing to the bedroom down the hall.  “I’ll get the towels.”

Andrew carried Millicent into the room and laid her on the bed.

“Millicent, wake up,” he said, peeling off her wet clothes.  “Millicent, you’re home.  Can you hear me?”

Sophie arrived with the towels.

 “I think you need to call a doctor,” Andrew said as he dried Millicent.  Sophie went to the phone in the front hall.  Andrew got Millicent dried as best he could and under the bed covers.  Then we went to the closet to get an extra blanket.  Millicent’s eyes were open when he returned.

“You’re going to be okay,” Andrew said.     

“Cold,” Millicent whispered, shivering.

“I know.  I’m going to try and warm you up.”

Millicent closed her eyes again.

“Doctor Treadwell said he’d be here as soon as possible.  He said it might take a while with the storm,” Sophie said.

Andrew started rubbing Millicent’s hands.

“What were you thinking?” Andrew asked Millicent after Sophie left.  Millicent didn’t respond but she was still shivering.  Andrew took off his wet cloths and got into bed with her, holding her tight, hoping his body heat would warm her.  Sophie returned with tea and more blankets.  She started rubbing Millicent’s feet as they listed to the storm outside.  It was an hour before the doctor arrived.

“For some reason she went out into the storm,” Andrew explained to the doctor.

“How long had she been out there?” Dr. Treadwell asked.

“We don’t know.”

“Why don’t you get dressed while I examine her,” Dr. Treadwell said.  Andrew rushed upstairs and put on dry cloths.  When he went back downstairs Sophie was waiting in the hall.

“This is my fault,” she said.  “I should have pressured her.”

“You’re not totally to blame.  I should have told her I’d move here if she decided to stay.  I would, you know.”

A few minutes later the doctor emerged.  “She really should be in the hospital,” he said, “but I’m not sure it’s safe to transport her in this storm.  It’s like a hurricane out there.”

“Will she be okay if she stays here?” Sophie asked.

“She’s suffering hypothermia.  I’m worried that her body temperature isn’t rising.  And her breathing is abnormal.  She could catch pneumonia.”

“What can we do?” Andrew asked.

“Try to keep her comfortable and warm.  I’m going to call Pottair Hospital in Penzance and see how long it would take to get an ambulance out here.”

As the doctor when to use the phone, Sophie and Andrew went back into the bedroom.  Millicent’s eyes were still closed.  She had stopped shaking but they could her the rasping of her breath.  Both sat down in silence until the doctor returned.

“It’s going to be a couple of hours.  This storm has created chaos.  The emergency room is swamped and the nurse heard the storm had washed out the 119.”

“There had to be another way there,” Andrew said.  “Can’t we driver her ourselves?”

“It took me an hour just to drive six kilometers,” Dr. Treadwell said.  “Visibility is terrible.  I don’t think we should risk it.”

“So what do we do?” Sophie asked.

“We’ll just have to wait.”

“Doctor, let’s go to the kitchen.  I’ll get you some hot tea,” Sophie suggested as she lead the doctor out of the bedroom.

Andrew sat on the bed and held Millicent’s hand as she opened her eyes.

“Andrew?”

“I’m right here,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.  “I just needed to get away.  I couldn’t think.  I didn’t know what to do.”  Millicent started to cry.

“It’s all right,” Andrew said.

“I don’t want to lose you but this is my home.”

“I know,” Andrew said.  “And if you want to stay here, I’ll stay with you.  You have to focus on getting better.”

“I’m so tired,” Millicent said, closing her eyes.  “Don’t leave me.  Please don’t . . .”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Andrew whispered back and kissed her cheek.