Hello there!

First at all, I want to apologize with you all for haven't updated the story earlier. It wasn't Fay's fault but mine. From late November thru two weeks ago (more less), I had a terrible internet connection so I couldn't even load a webpage. Meanwhile, Fay kept working hard with the translation. Thank you so much again, Fay!

Hope you will enjoy this chapter.

QVC

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CHAPTER TEN: A place I can always return to – Part 2

The days had passed, turning to weeks, and now the summer warmth was imposing more and more its presence, giving way to the flowering of different species of plants on Pony's Hill. Having left spring behind, the children had different kind of season activities and Candy, together with Miss Pony and Sister Lane, had to take care of them so that they were not too exposed to the scorching rays of the sun, in order to avoid serious burns. They also saw to it that they drank enough liquids to avoid dehydration. In her daily work as a nurse in a hospital, Candy had witnessed those serious problems, and she personally took the responsibility to prevent any of the children of Pony's Home from being a victim of them. The director of the hospital, a relatively young doctor about forty years old, had kindly donated to the orphanage an ointment for burns and some doses of physiological saline, in case they would be necessary. He knew where Candy lived and he also knew the unselfish dedication of her foster mothers, and that was his way of contributing a little to the orphanage.

It was a warm afternoon and Candy had again a day off. After finishing her housework, she went to the hill as usual and climbed the thick branches of the large oak tree, until she almost reached to the top. Sitting on a sturdy branch, the soft and warm breeze that was blowing somehow refreshed her body and mind. Almost two months had passed since she had left Chicago and returned to Pony's Home. She had always found there the comfort she needed but like every day, it seemed that everything was determined to bring her some memory of him. Night after night, she kept thinking about Albert while looking at the portrait Dr. Martin had drawn, and during the day, the nature that surrounded her was only synonymous with a name... Albert.

What are you doing now...? Under which sky are you...? If only you knew how I long for your presence...But no...

She shook her head frantically...

I must try to get rid of these feelings that won't lead me anywhere...If only it were so easy for them to change as day and night change, but unfortunately for me, they seem to be rooted in my heart, penetrating deeply my soul as the scorching rays of the sun penetrate my skin... Albert...Where are you...?

And, as if her mind wanted to play with her, presently she heard a soft voice whispering near her.

"Hello, Candy."

Opening her eyes wide, Candy remained frozen on the branch. It couldn't be true...that was not possible...and as if she wanted to make sure that her mind had actually played a joke on her, she turned her face only to disillusion herself, but what she saw less than a meter away made her eyes shine with happiness and her heart almost burst inside her chest. She saw a sweet smile and a pair of blue eyes, deep blue as the morning sky, looking at her with...hope...? No, surely she misinterpreted his look and all this was a product of her own excitement.

"Albert!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, with a radiant smile and giving a small jump at the same time.

However, she jumped with so much emotion that she briefly lost her balance and made the reason for her sleeplessness hold her by the waist, thus avoiding what would be a strong fall. That made Candy blush painfully, so freeing herself from his grip, she settled back on the branch, safely now.

"You'll never stop being lackadaisical as you have always been, Candy," smiled Albert amused. "If you climb a tree you have to keep in mind that you are several meters above the ground and that there are certain things you can't do without holding yourself properly. You can't react in that way to greet someone without holding yourself but...let me tell you that I'm very pleased that you enjoyed so much seeing me," he said winking at her. And that was true; his heart skipped a beat with joy when he saw the excitement his presence caused her and his hands tingled slightly when he grabbed her by the waist. "Miss Pony told me you were here and when I saw you were not on the hill, I assumed you would be in your place of honor, on the top of a tree."

"I see you know me very well, Albert," she replied cheerfully and then added: "I bet you haven't climbed a tree since the last time you did that with me in Chicago."

"And I see you know me very well too," he joked. And then, slightly frowning, he added: "Or is my lack of freedom so obvious?"

Hearing those words, Candy felt some concern.

"I hope everything is fine with you. Please, don't work so much. I don't want you to fall ill."

Thank you, Candy, but don't worry. It's only that I have so many things to catch up with that I barely have any free time to eat and sleep. But then, I didn't come here to distress you. Since they were going to put this in the mail..." he said while he handed her an envelope, "I took the opportunity to take a short break and come to visit you. I apologize for not coming sooner."

Candy took the elegant envelope, carefully taking out its content. It was a beautiful card, decorated with a white lace ribbon, and when she started reading the letters printed on it, she couldn't help shedding tears of happiness.

"It's the invitation for Archie and Annie's engagement!" she exclaimed, with her voice slightly broken with emotion.

"That's right, Candy," responded Albert quietly. "Finally, after a long time, it was possible to fix the date for the engagement party. I don't know if Archie or Annie told you that there was a strong opposition for this to be carried out."

"Yes, Archie wrote to me and told me everything," she nodded. "I felt the anguish in his letter but I'm glad that everything has been resolved."

"You know, actually I didn't expect Aunt Elroy to oppose in that way. I don't care about the origins of people and that led me to argue with her because of the strong opinion the whole family has about it; however, despite that singular way of thinking, it always seemed that Aunt Elroy liked Annie very much and never showed any objection to her personally because of the social position of the Brightons. It's true that when she heard about the engagement she seemed to disagree but it was not until she returned from Florida with the Leagans that she had a completely different attitude." And he added, frowning: "I prefer not to imagine what the Leagans might have told her. Actually Sara never put a limit on Neal and Eliza and it's frightening how far their schemes can go. Sometimes I'm astonished at the way they influence Aunt Elroy, and this time their words even influenced Janis, Robert and the rest of the family to strongly oppose."

"I don't know, Albert. The good thing is that they have reconsidered and now Archie has everybody's support."

"That's true...but it was also thanks to my power of persuasion and my position of authority in the family," replied Albert with a smile of superiority while raising and lowering his eyebrows, at which Candy only smiled. Then, with a serious face and with his gaze fixed on the horizon, he added quietly: "My position brings with it many burdens and responsibilities but also has its benefits. I have the last word on any matter and nobody can oppose my decisions, even when they are about marriage. I confess I'm a little afraid when I see the power I have as the head of the Ardlays, but if I can use that power to do good and avoid injustice, I'm glad to have it. From the bottom of my heart, Archie and Annie have my blessing. I know they'll be very happy."

"I know that too, Albert. I've never met a couple who love each other as much as they do," she answered with a touch of nostalgia, remembering who Albert actually was. "You know, there are times that I find myself writing to Stear in my heart. I can't wait to share this feeling with him."

"And what about me?" asked Albert playfully.

That was a simple question he had already asked her several times as a joke, whenever he realized that Candy was beginning to build a wall between them. How much he longed for her to open up for him as she used to do before, thus sharing the deepest parts of her soul.

"Isn't that what we're doing?" she replied with a wink, at which Albert smiled, although deep inside him he knew that was a lie. That wall she had suddenly built was there.

Candy and Albert remained sitting silently next to each other, on a branch at the top of the tree, each one lost in thought. He was wondering what the reason for those sudden changes in her behavior was and what he should do to stop them. His heart was always excited when he thought that was due to the fact that she reciprocated his feelings and she didn't know how to handle the situation, or, on the contrary, he was frustrated thinking that she still had trouble seeing him simply as Albert and she saw him as Great Uncle William. In the first case, he was anxious to solve their legal situation and thus start discovering what she really felt; in the second one, he would simply have to try to visit her as much as he could to provoke the natural approach, so that she would realize that the man she knew was still there, under the name of William. On her part, she was dying to share with him her deepest feelings but she knew that in doing so she would let him see what she truly felt for him. She couldn't do it, since she didn't know the legal relationship that united them, and since he, although he seemed to be simply Albert, was actually William A. Ardlay, the head of the family. For the moment, there was only one person who really understood her dilemma.

.

Lying on her bed, Candy was thinking about what had happened that day. Even though her soul was yearning for him, she had never expected that he would visit her. She had thought that leaving Chicago she would leave behind her relationship with the Ardlays but she saw clearly that nothing would be as she had estimated it...All of Albert's actions told her that he was still the man she knew, nothing had changed in his behavior towards her, although she remembered who he actually was...The barrier of the legal bond that she unconsciously placed between them, when it was in the least felt, was quickly knocked down by him in his natural way.

That day, before getting into the car, Albert promised to visit her as often as possible, and she knew that with those visits her love for him would just keep growing. [42]

Candy fell asleep with a smile on her lips, while her mind repeated again and again Albert's words on the top of the tree: "I have the last word on any matter and nobody can oppose my decisions, even when they are about marriage."

It seemed that luck was on her side in that aspect...If he came to feel something for her there would be nobody who could oppose their union...The question was...What she meant to him.

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A couple of days later Candy received a message from Archie, in which he shared with her the details he had planned for the engagement, which made Candy smile. Several days later, after finishing her housework at Pony's Home, Candy went to the hill. She lay on the soft grass and using her arms as a pillow, she started looking at the afternoon sky. As her gaze was fixed on that, words started to sprout in her heart:

"Stear...

I have great news! The date of Archie and Annie's engagement party has been finally fixed!

Great Aunt Elroy and the Leagans (especially Eliza and Neal!) opposed plotting from the shadows and involved the whole family, but in the end the decision that weighed more was that one taken by the head of the family: Great Uncle William has actually given them his blessing, and he has done it wholeheartedly.

Apparently Great Uncle didn't expect at first such an opposition from Great Aunt; on the contrary, he hoped that everything would be easily resolved. He doesn't care about people's origins; that must be the reason why he simply can't have a good relationship with the rest of the Ardlays.

One of the reasons for that problem is probably because of me. I think that my adoption, carried out without asking for anyone's consent, is still a deep wound for Great Aunt and the rest. I'm very sorry for all this.

But you already know everything, don't you, Stear? So you also know that Archie said with a sigh: 'How I wish Stear was here...'

Of course! Surely you know too about Albert's true identity!

Since you started this long journey, so many things have happened. All the time I wondered what you would have thought and, without realizing, I started writing letters to you in my heart, as I'm doing right now...

When I talk to you I feel calmer and, inexplicably, it almost seems to me that I get a reply from you. Stear, has by any chance been invented a postal service in heaven?

Since the day I received the invitation for Archie and Annie's engagement party, I can't help feeling happy and I think you are the only one with whom I can share this feeling!

'And what about me?' Great Uncle William is always asking me, assuming the air of Albert (although I know right away they are the same person).

I'd like to share my feelings with him too, but there's nothing I can do about it; Stear, only you can really understand.

You have been watching both of them for much longer time than I have, and I wonder how happy you would have been...And who knows what an incredible invention you would have designed for this celebration...When I think about it, I just laugh. There is still time for the wedding, but Annie is happy to become your future sister-in-law!

[...]

Annie and Archie's engagement will take place in Lakewood. It was precisely Archie who secretly revealed it to me. That day they will make their entrance through your Water Portal, and they are determined to leave everybody speechless. Help us make sure that everything works out to perfection, will you?

I will surely look for you in the sunlight and, of course, I will look for Anthony too...

That day, please, bless Archie and Annie with a very gentle breeze.

A letter from your Candy" [43]

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Footnotes

[42] In the letters of the Epilogue in CCFS, Candy hints that Albert made her several surprise visits before the final revelation. I wanted that visit to be one of them supposing that Albert must have talked to her about the engagement and his point of view, since she mentions them in her letter to Stear.

[43] My translation of the letter Candy wrote to Stear in CCFS from the Italian edition. I have just taken everything related to Archie and Annie's engagement. In this letter in CCFS she also writes about the Candy Happy Maker music box. By then the music box still plays, since Candy is amazed that this invention has worked. She also talks to Stear about Patty but I haven't included that. Here is what I have omitted:

"You know, your father behaves exactly like you. He speaks in the same way, and even when he talks seriously he almost seems to be joking...I didn't know that he also liked to destroy anything and have fun reconstructing it. That's why Patty feels sad and relieved at the same time whenever she sees him.

Oh, Stear...I'm excited about the news of Annie's engagement, but on the other hand, I feel such a great pain when I think of Patty...But I'm sure that you are always there to watch over her!

Right now Patty aims to become a teacher and is completely enthusiastic about it. She has even started raising a turtle she has called Hughley the Second! Certainly she knows better than anyone how much you would hope to see her happy.

You want to know if I'm happy? Of course I am! After all, I've got the Candy Happy Maker box. You have been able to create an object with extraordinary effects; you are really an incredible inventor!"

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Personal notes

As I had mentioned before, I had looked at CCFS chronology first with Ms. Puddle and then with Luz, and we came to the conclusion that it's impossible to fit certain events into the story; Archie and Annie's engagement is one of them. We had many discussions about when this engagement might happen. Regardless of the date, Ms. Puddle has a theory that seems very interesting and correct to me. That's why I have decided to place their engagement in this part of the story. Later, when I write about it, I'll make a note to mention that. In the meantime, thank you for your patience. Among our discussions came the fact that the Leagans should be in Chicago to oppose the engagement and that's why I had them return briefly from Florida.

And for those who wonder what that engagement has got to do with Candy's own story, I found it interesting to mention it and leave a precedent. Here we can see clearly that despite strong opposition from Great Aunt Elroy, the Leagans and all the members of the Ardlays, in the end the person who has the last decisive word, no matter what the opinion of the others is, is the patriarch of the clan, Albert. (That makes me happy!) Even Mizuki made that clear to us in Archie's letter!

As always, my thanks to all of you who are following the story, to those who do it anonymously, and especially to all those who leave their beautiful comments.