Chapter 9: Forgetful
Gotham England, winter 1872
Bruce,
Bruce checked the mirror straitening his collar. He should have Alfred give the staff the rest of the week off; he wouldn't need them while he was in London and Alfred kept his home in such impeccable order, he couldn't imagine there was anything that demanded their immediate attention. He wished Alfred would take a vacation as well, but the old butler would be able to think of a thousand reasons why that was impossible so he wasn't even going to try.
As he reached for his cuff links, Bruce's eye caught sight of something on the end of his dresser top. "How had that gotten there?" Bruce reached down and picked up his mother's engagement ring. He hadn't looked at that ring in over five years. Actually, he had forgotten about it completely. So what was it doing on his dresser? He had a vague memory of a conversation with Alfred about putting it in the family safe at the bank in London. He might as well put it in the safe, it wasn't like he was planning on using it, and it certainly didn't belong drifting around the house where it could be lost or damaged. After Andrea, he had tried to find someone else but none could match her. Given time, he came to agree with her decision to end things. Andrea was now happily engaged to some obscure lord. Bruce was happy for her, but had decided not to pursue a relationship with another woman. Despite Alfred's insistence that he needed a wife, Bruce disagreed. He was better off alone. He shoved the ring in his pocket, deciding that before he left London it would be where it belonged.