© Jennifer R. Milward 2006

This story is a work of fiction. Lara Croft, her likeness, and the Tomb Raider games are all copyright of EIDOS Interactive. There is no challenge to these copyrights intended by this story, as it is a non-sanctioned, unofficial work of the author's own.

Epilogue

Two years later

A thick drizzle dotted the windows as I lay in bed, contemplating the wonderful softness of my cotton sheets and the feeling of peace glowing deep inside me. There was a knock on my bedroom door. Winston appeared with a breakfast tray. The smell of freshly-made toast and coffee wafted towards me, mingling with the scent of the orchids on my nightstand.

"Milady?"

"Thank you, Winston. You're most kind."

He dipped his head in his customary bow. The initial shock and subsequent fuss my reappearance had caused had long since worn off. I had almost collapsed from Winston's bear-hug as I got off the plane, before he remembered himself and decorously led the way to a waiting car. Hordes of photographers from all the major newspapers were left standing in the rain as I climbed inside, ignoring their bribes and demands for interviews.

He handed me the morning paper. "Will you require anything else, milady?"

"Thank you, Winston, but no. I have everything I need." I smiled, shaking out the paper and sipping my coffee.

Coffee! It had once been a daily craving, yet now it was simply a pleasant accompaniment to breakfast. I kept meaning to sample some Arabian and African teas, hoping to find the mint-flavoured one I had enjoyed in the desert. Returning home had come as a shock in more ways than one.

"Let's see… Lottery winners strike it lucky - again. The Prime Minister is asked to resign, nothing new there. A serial killer on the loose in Paris baffles police…"

I got up to dress, dabbing toast crumbs off my lips. Outside, the March skies were heavy with the promise of rain all day. The gardens were almost hidden behind a curtain of low mist; it dotted the new shoots and buds with tiny jewels. I donned jeans and a tee-shirt, and as an afterthought grabbed a light denim jacket to keep my shoulders warm. My manor has always been draughty, no matter how much the family spent on it.

I was just settling down to do some research in the library when Winston popped his head around the door.

"Milady, there's an urgent phone call for you. Would you like me to take it?"

"It's all right," I smiled. Winston had always been so protective towards me, despite my many escapades. I was grateful for the way he had handled the media barrage upon my return, but the furore had all but disappeared as my public status dropped from headliner to recluse. For the time being, recluse suited me just fine. I hadn't attended any seminars or made any public appearances for over twenty-six months. The acute sense of spiritual power I had tasted in the desert had faded soon after my return, but I missed and distrusted its loss in a way I couldn't explain. All of my senses seemed more attuned, more sensitive, than they had ever felt before. I didn't give a damn about what others might have thought about my experience in the desert, but that didn't mean I was discourteous enough to let my manservant shepherd phone calls for the rest of my life.

"Hello? Lady Croft speaking."

"Lara? Lara! Thank God. It's so good... So good to hear your voice."

My pulse quickened, and I felt venom rise within my throat.

"I'm sorry for not contacting you sooner, Lara. When I learned you were back in Engla-"

"Hello Werner," I clenched my teeth. "Long time, no see."

"Lara, please forgive me. I… Lara, I can only offer you my sincere apologies. I wanted to contact you sooner, but... I was a coward, I know. Please forgive me."

I swallowed the impulse to scream at him. Yes! You were a coward! You were only thinking of saving your own skin, which is all you really care about! You should have come to me months ago, begging on your knees, if you really felt so ashamed about Egypt!

Instead, I cleared my throat and made an effort to sound civil.

"I understand, Werner. Apology accepted."

"Oh, thank you, Lara. This means so much… I- I don't know what to say. Obviously, I'm so relieved you made it out alive. You… you really are the greatest student I ever taug-"

"Enough with the flattery, Von Croy. You've had two years to grovel. What do you really want?" I snapped. He went quiet, until I half-thought the line had been cut. But then he spoke again, and his voice held genuine remorse.

"I'm sorry. Forgive a foolish old man. I- I wanted to return something to you. Something you left behind. We found your backpack, while we were clearing the rubble. When you weren't there we assumed… That is, I assum-"

"You called me just to say that you have my old backpack?" I spluttered, incredulous.

"No, no, no. Lara, please. Come to Paris. I had it restored and everything. I want to return it to you. After all, it is my fault you lost it in the first place."

His wheedling tone restrained my urge to slam the handset back on the desk. There were undercurrents in his voice that made my new awareness prickle with foreboding. Clearly, there was more to his invitation than he was letting on. I forced myself to take several deep breaths.

"Okay. I'll be there. Just don't try to play around with me, Werner."

"Oh, thank you, Lara. Yes, I'll- I'll make all the arrangements for you. You know my address at the Chantell Building? Of course you do, forgive me. I'll be waiting for you. And maybe we can have a chat about this whole business, ja? There's... There's much I wish to discuss with you."

"Goodbye, Werner."

"Goodbye, Lara."

I put the phone down, a sinking feeling in my heart. The last thing I wanted was to reopen old wounds. But maybe – just maybe – seeing Werner in person would lay this particular grievance to rest.

Well, I thought, picking up the phone once more. At least I shan't be away for long.