Sorry for the shortness of this chapter and its lateness, hoping to get more written in the next couple of days. Thanks as always for the reviews and follows. I know we writers always bang on about reviews but they mean so much to us, the good and the bad. As ever all mistakes are mine and i'm sorry for the mistakes in the last chapter, I looked back through it, I guess in my haste to get it published I missed some, so sorry if it ruined your enjoyment of it.


12 Months Later

Sybil scrambled out of the taxi, turning back to haul her overstuffed backpack with her. 'Who knew you could collect so much stuff traveling' she thought to herself. She paid the driver and dragged her luggage up the stone steps that led to Mary and Matthew's home. After several minutes of ringing the doorbell, she started to regret her plan to appear unannounced in the hope that her sudden appearance would stem any ill feeling on Mary's part. True to what she had written to Tom, she had made no contact with home apart from a postcard every few weeks so they wouldn't worry too much. It was strange to think they knew little of what had happened to her in the last year and she had no clue of the events in their lives. At the time it had seemed refreshing, freeing, now she wasn't so sure. What would she be walking back into?

There was still no answer definitely not at home. This wasn't good, she couldn't get in and she had nowhere else to go. She looked forlornly at her heavy backpack. She really didn't want to drag that around london. She needed a new plan.

"They are not home love" said a voice over her shoulder, she turned to see Mrs McTeer Mary and Matthew's next door neighbour, poking her head out of her door.

"Oh do you know when they will be back?"

"Seemed dressed for a party to me, told the taxi the Carrington Hotel, not that I was eavesdropping or anything" she added with a wink.

"Damn, Mary didn't know I was coming, What do I do now?" resisting the urge to kick her bag, blaine of her life.

"Sybil isn't? Mary's sister?" Mrs McTeer questioned, to which Sybil nodded.

"I guess they will be sometime, why don't you leave your bag with me and go down to the hotel, I'm sure Mary wants to see you."

"You wouldn't mind? I don't want to put you out.

"Not in the slightest, just pick it up when you're back later"

"Thanks so much that's a great help."

Sybil deposited her back in the hallway of Mrs Mcteer's and thanked her profusely before heading off to find a taxi to take her to the Carrington.

She had guessed they were going to some kind of function, but she hadn't expected a wedding reception, or more to the point she hadn't thought that far ahead, but as she walking into the Carrington, she could see from the decorations that that was what was taking place.

Her heartbeat in her chest it couldn't be could it? No Mary would be going to Tom's wedding, though him and Matthew were close. It would just be her luck to come home the day he got married. She had gone away to forget about him, trouble was how did you forget about someone when they were the first thing you thought of every morning and the last thing on your mind every night. And then there were all the times in between. What was the saying 'distance makes the heart grow fonder.' Sybil knew that only too well.

Sybil willed herself forward into the hall, where what was likely to be the wedding breakfast was taking place, it was now or never. She slowly walked in, hoping to go unnoticed, so she could make a quick exit if needed. As she surveyed the room she picked out, Mary and Matthew sitting at a round table near the centre of the room. At the far end was a long table, the top table she guessed. It was here that her worst fears were realised. For there was Ed looking every bit the blushing bride, deep in conversation with the man sitting next to her, who leaned in and kissed her cheek. The man in question was Tom, dressed in a morning suit, they looked every bit the happy couple. Sybil didn't wait to see more she turned and fled.


Runs quickly away before things are thrown at her ;-)