As the carriage moved along, she closed her eyes and was eventually lulled to sleep. But her sleep was invaded by dreams of the handsome Captain, who had, in a short period of time, changed her life forever. If in fact, he was even real. She didn't know what was real anymore and what was not. After the day she had endured, she wished and hoped that it was all a terrible nightmare. But when she closed her eyes, she found that she was still in the carriage, while the calmness of the sea glided slowly by.

When was this pain going to end? Suddenly she missed her late husband immensely, although she wondered why. She'd loved him of course, and she knew that Anna loved him as well. In fact, she adored her father, and his passing was the hardest thing that either of them had ever gone through. It wasn't fair, the way he was taken away so suddenly. One minute he was there and they were one of the happiest families around and the next he was gone, leaving them alone.

But soon she realized that she had to start over, and starting over meant moving out of her mother and sister-in-law's house. It was a move that hadn't gone well at all, and yet it was the best thing she'd ever done. Gull Cottage was hers and hers alone, save for the ghost that still lingered.

She shivered remembering his handsome face, his stern glare and the sound of his voice, as he spent hours with her in the cottage, dictating the book that they wrote together. And it was that book that brought them together in another way as well. What a selfless gift to give to someone, dictating their life's story in order to publish a book so that she would have the money to live in Gull Cottage forever. It was what made her fall in love with him. But she knew that they could never be together and that pained her heart.

The carriage came to a jolting halt, and she opened her eyes, startled by the sudden movement. The face of the handsome captain vanished, replaced with a sea of blurriness.

"We're here ma'am." The driver called to her.

"What? Oh… Right."

She looked around, comforted by the familiar scene. They were, at last… home.

"Home."

As he reached into the carriage to help her out, she swayed a bit, still shaken by her visit to London and by the sudden end of her dream.

"Are you all right, Ma'am?"

She forced a smile. "I'm fine. I'm just tired."

"Right. Well, it was a long journey but we made it safely and that's what is most important."

Now her smile softened and because genuine. "You're right. And I thank you for getting me home safely.

The driver returned her smile. "It was my pleasure."