Return to Misselthwaite Manor
Written By LadyByTheLake55
Based of the Classic: The Secret Garden
Written by Frances Hodgson Burnett
It had been 13 years since Lord Collin and Lady Mary had seen each other. The last time they had seen each other was before they were sent to separate boarding schools.
Lady Mary was sent to Switzerland where it was safe from the winds of World War I because Switzerland decided to remain neutral during World War I.
World War I finally ended in 1923, and Lord Collin was sent to escort Lady Mary home to Misselthwaite Manor from where he was staying at Oxford University.
He had no idea what Lady Mary looked like since it had been 13 years since the last time they had seen each other.
Mrs. Medlock wrote Lord Collin and told him to go at once to La Francois Boarding School for young ladies.
Lord Collin as he rode in the chauffeur driven limousine looked at the window and asked himself, "I wonder what my dear Mary looks like."
James the chauffeur said, "Lord Collin we are coming in Geneva, do you have an address for where we are suppose to go?"
"Yes Mrs. Medlock said, 121 La Francois Blvd in Geneva, Switzerland."
James continued to drive until they came to a white marble house with a fence around it. Lord Collin got out and went over to the intercom and said, "bonjour je suis ici pour voir Mademoiselle Mary Lennox."
The woman on the other side of the intercom said, "Venir en Monsieur Craven, nous avoir été pour vous." The gate opens up, and James drives through the gate up to the front door.
He gets out and opens the door for Lord Collin to get out and walk up to the front door of the boarding school.
Lord Collin walks up to the door and is greeted by a tall, middle age woman who says, "Allô Monsieur Craven, Je suis Madame Dubois."
"Allô Madame Dubois mon prenom est Lord Collin Craven et Je avoir venir pour aller Mademoiselle Mary Lennox. Elle est mon cousine."
"Si'l Vous Plait avoir une fond et je volonté appeler la en bas pour vous." Madame Dubois said.
Lord Collin takes a seat and Madame Dubois calls Mary from the stairs of the foyer in the boarding school.
"Lady Mary la est une homme pour voir vous." Madame Dubois called up to Mary.
Mary walks out of her compartments where she has stayed the last 13 years and said, "Who is it Madame?"
"Lady Mary comes downstairs and you will see?" Madame Dubois said.
Lady Mary walks down the stairs and into the visitors room and says, "Je suis Mademoiselle Mary, vous desirer pour voir me."
Collin turns around and says, "Mary, it is me your cousin, Collin."
Mary turns around and says, "Oh Collin it is really you after all these years?"
"Yes my dear Mary it is me. I have come to escort you back to England and Misselthwaite Manor." Collin says looks at Mary and smiles and he says, "You have grown up to be quite pretty. You resemble my dear late mother, Lily."
"Thank you Collin, but I will never be as pretty as my late mother and aunt were. I am just an old fashion young woman." Mary says.
"Mary to me you are the most beautiful woman in the world. Do you remember what I said to you in the garden in summer of 1910?" Collin asks
"Yes Collin, you said you would marry me so we would always be together." Mary said.
"I meant what I said that day even though we were but ten years old." Collin said.
Mary blushes and Madame Dubois said, "Mademoiselle have you got your luggage packed?"
"Yes Madame Dubois, I have my luggage packed. I don't have much." Mary said.
"I will send James upstairs to your compartment to get your luggage and place in the trunk of the limousine." Collin says.
"James goes upstairs and get Lady Mary luggage and take it out into the car and place it in the truck of the car." Collin says.
"Yes Lord Collin." James replies and starts to climb the staircase to go Lady Mary's compartment at La Francois Academy.
Madame Dubois says, "Mademoiselle Mary you have a safe journey back to England."
"Thank you for everything Madame Dubois I will never forget you." Mary says as Collin helps her on with her cape and fur trimmed hat.
"Au Revoir Mademoiselle Mary et Monsieur Collin faire avoir une sauf journee en bas pour England." Madame Dubois said.
Madame Dubois sees Lord Collin and Lady Mary safely into their limousine and watches it drive down the drive way and off the Academy property.
While Mary and Collin were sitting the limousine and as Mary was looking at the scenery Collin looked at Mary and said, "Mary I have something I would like to ask you?"
Mary turns around and looks at Collin and says, "Yes Collin, what is that you want to ask me?"
"Mary you know I have loved you ever since we were children. I never wanted us to be part from each other and now that we are back together I want to ask you this "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and Grand Mistress of Misselthwaite Manor when the time comes?"
Mary looks at Collin and says, "Yes oh yes Collin, I will do you the honor of becoming your wife and Grand Mistress of Misselthwaite Manor when the time comes."
Collin takes out a box inside of it is a diamond ring that once belonged to his late mother, Lady Lily, and Collin says, "This ring once belonged to my late mother. My father gave it to my late mother when they became engaged in 1899. I know that my mother would want you to have it since you are her niece." Collin said slipping it on her left ring finger.
"Oh Collin it's beautiful." Mary said looking at the ring.
"It is you who are beautiful and you have made me the happiest man in the world. This time nothing will ever separate us." Collin said.
"The last 13 years of my life I have wondered where you were and no one would tell me. I even asked Mrs. Medlock but all she would not tell me where you were." Collin said.
"All father would say is that you are in safe place away from the winds of the World War I." Collin said.
"Yes Collin, Uncle Archibald sent me to Switzerland." Mary said, "My life was terribly lonely there."
"Your life will never be lonely again, my dear Mary." Collin said.
"Do you know why we are being called back to Misselthwaite manor Collin?" Mary asks
"All I was told that it is an emergency." Collin said.
"Do you think it could be Uncle Archie?" Mary asks
"Yes there is every good possibility that it is father?" Collin said.
"I know Uncle Archie is getting up there in age." Mary said.
"Yes father will be 70 years old this year." Collin said.
"Has it been that long?" Mary said
"Yes he was in his early thirties when he met and married my late mother and she had just turned 20 years old when they married and would have turned 21 if she had not died in giving birth to me." Collin said.
"Collin you must not blame yourself for Aunt Lily's death." Mary said, "She would not want that."
Collin looks at Mary and says, "No wonder why I love you so much."
Mary just smiles and turns to look out of the limousine window.
Lord Collin and Lady Mary continued to ride in the limousine back to England. Lord Collin had done what he wanted to do all along and ask Lady Mary to become his wife. He knew he had made a good choice in asking Lady Mary to become his wife. He had loved her for so long and hated the long separation of 13 years when they were separated.
Lord Collin had not done as well as his father; Lord Craven had done at Eton or Oxford University. He preferred to socialize with the rest of his university friends and go out on the town. He never drank though, the fact was his heart was somewhere else and every thought he had was on Lady Mary.
It grieved him when no one would tell him where Lady Mary was, so when no one would he enlisted in The British Army under King George the V of England, who was on the British throne at the time. He was sent to France to help the Allie Powers liberate France. When the War finally came to an England he was promoted to the rank as a Sergeant Major Second Class. He returned to England and tried to study at Oxford and this time he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Political Science/ Government. Although he graduated his heart was still with the one young woman he would ever love and that was Lady Mary Craven.
Mary sat quietly in the limousine and Collin asks Mary, "Tell me about La Francois Academy My Dear Mary."
"Oh dear where does one start. It is very strict and it had the high fence that you saw for yourself. The girls were only allowed to go out if there was a group of six girls and a chaperon to go with us. We could go into the city and shop for new clothes. Uncle Archie always made sure I had money in the bank at the Academy. He made sure I was comfortable. There were girls from all over." Mary said.
"The Academy has a beautiful garden outside back of it, I would make use of it on the nice warm days of Spring and Summer. I learned to play the piano, harp, and mandolin while I was at the Academy, so I would frequently go to the Music Room and play the piano or harp and sing French love songs." Mary replied.
"What was Oxford University like Collin."? Mary asks
"Heavens it was boring the first time around and even more boring the second time around but I made it out with a bachelor's degree in Political Science/Government. This way I will be given a seat in the House of Lords in London so I can represent the district of York." Collin said.
"Mrs. Medlock wrote and told me you had enlisted in King George the V's Army. That was very dangerous but noble of you." Mary said.
"It wasn't so bad when the French, Americans, joined Forces with the Russians and British to liberate France." Collin said, " I was promoted to a Sergeant Major Second Class."
"I spent three years in the King George's service and the paid wasn't bad. I didn't want to live off the trust fund that father set up for both you and me." Collin said.
"Well Collin I didn't come out with a degree. Finishing School is just that it teaches young ladies of nobility how to act, how to dress, and teaches us the academics plus the social graces we will need." Mary said.
"I am surprised you haven't met a gentleman up there all that time in Switzerland." Collin said.
"We were not allowed to go to any places with a gentleman with a chaperon. We did have dances at La Francois to use our social graces but not one Swiss gentleman asked me to dance. They preferred the blond hair, peaches and cream complexion and blue young ladies to dance." Mary said.
"It must have hurt you when they did not ask you to dance." Collin said.
"I would not allow them to see me cry, so I excused myself and went up to my compartments and cried myself a sleep." Mary said.
"There is no need for you ever to cry unless it is tears of happiness and joy now My Mary." Collin said.
"I am sure we will both cry tears of happiness and joy together." Mary said smiling at Collin.
The drive from Switzerland to England into Yorkshire was finally coming to the end of its journey and very soon Lord Collin and Lady Mary would be back in England at Misselthwaite Manor. It had been a long journey for both of them they would be glad to get out of the limousine and back into the warmth of Misselthwaite Manor.
Both Lord Collin and Lady Mary were eager to find out why they have been called back to Misselthwaite Manor and soon they would find out and it wouldn't be good news rather it would be sad news.
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