Forever And Ever And Ever
Chapter Nine: Return
Mary did not cry as she made her way back to the house. Instead she took deep breaths of the moor air, and if the cold of it occasionally caused her eyes to water, it was the cold and nothing else. By the time she closed the side door to Misselthwaite Manor behind her, she was completely composed. She had let go.
Colin was waiting for her in the dining room, and he smiled at her as she sat down. The other night was forgiven, then.
Forgiven, but not forgotten. All through breakfast, Colin was kind and considerate to her, treating her almost as a stranger. He talked openly with her and made her laugh with a story about Pitcher and Ben Weatherstaff, whom they had met in the village the day before, but there was a newfound sort of politeness, of distance, in the way he spoke to her. Still, it was nice in a way. Mary almost did not need 'Lizabeth Ellen's sympathetic looks across the bread-basket. Almost.
Mary did not return to the gardens that day, but instead elected to spend it with Colin, exploring the house. She found the portrait of the little girl in green with the parrot, as well as the ivory elephants she remembered, although the mice were long gone; she had a feeling that 'Lizabeth Ellen may have had something to do with that.
Colin once suggested that they go out and see the garden, but Mary deferred. "It's terribly cold out, and I believe it will rain soon. Let's wait until summer, then the garden really will seem like Magic."
Colin agreed readily enough and was soon distracted by a portrait of his father as a very young child. His shoulders were not yet crooked.
That night, 'Lizabeth Ellen helped Mary pack her trunk. Mary and Colin would leave at dawn, stop for Dr. Craven in the village – he was returning to his practice near London and would be their escort, much to the cousins' dismay – and arrive in London late at night. It was with great regret that Mary left the little maid who had helped her so much.
"Tha's been very brave," 'Lizabeth Ellen said before she left Mary for the night. "Tha'll find thy love, Miss, the one tha'll be with forever and ever and ever."
The words hurt terribly, but Mary buried them deep inside and told herself that Dickon was not for her. She could not believe that she could ever love anyone else, but he was not for her. She would hurt him, hurt him whether by her own inconsideration and contrariness or by the reactions of the local people to the unlikely match. She would have to forget Dickon, or at least forget her love for him, and maybe someday, forever would come.
THE END
A/N: Yes, that's really the end, I'm sorry if you expected a happy ending…but it does say "Angst"! I'll probably write a sequel, so if you'd be interested in reading it, please tell me in a review. I promise the sequel will have a happier ending, and probably be much longer. And if you've been reading this but haven't yet reviewed, please please please do, even if just to tell me you've been reading. And lastly, THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed this, you've really encouraged me and made this really worthwhile.
