Chapter 25: When Summer left
When summer ended Colin returned to his studies in Cambridge. Though Lord Craven insisted, Mary refused to accompany her cousin. She had been spending all her time in the garden. She would wake at the break of dawn and return to the Manor for her meals. Other than that she stayed away.
Archibald Craven had grown wary of her separation from them. When the three of them sat together at meals she would not look up when she was being spoken too. She had pulled herself into her own world. One day he had asked his son why Dickon no longer came to the Manor. Colin had shrugged and said "Perhaps he has grown tired. Or perhaps he's found a better job." Mary would look up blankly from her tea and stare at Colin. He just smiled at her and took a bite from his sandwich.
The night before Colin was too leave, his father asked Colin if he would like Dickon to come have dinner with them. Colin had frowned and said that he would prefer to spend dinner just the three of them. Two nights after Colin left, Lord Craven asked Mary if she knew anything about her cousin's strange behavior. She just hugged him and cried into his collar.
"What's the matter, my dear?"
"I…I'm so sorry, Uncle. Everything is my fault."
"What is? What have you done?" she didn't answer him. And she didn't have to. Mary took his hands and kissed them "Please forgive me." What he had feared came true then. He had long expected it, true. But part of him hoped that this day would never come. That the twisted game life throws upon us would never fall upon them. "Get some rest, Mary. Tomorrow all will be bright." He kissed her forehead lovingly. And she left his study.
Mary spent her days tending to the garden. There was much to do since summer was soon to end. And it was much harder, since it was only her. She would work until her hands were sore, then she would wash them in the pond then lie underneath the apple tree. She would laugh and chase the animals. She tended each and every flower with all the love she could muster. She would not let the garden sink with the three of them.
Dickon spent the rest of his days working at the James'. Their head gardener had caught a terrible flue and he had recommended Dickon to them. Mrs. James knew of Dickon from stories she heard from the people of the village. She sent a houseboy to him three days after he had returned from London. When the head gardener came back and saw the great work Dickon had done in his absence he offered him the position of under gardener. Without any other option, Dickon agreed. He would arrive at the estate before the sun came up and left when the sun came down. Some days he would look to the sky and shut his eyes and see the Secret Garden. The flowers coiling around the trees and the stones of the wall, the animals running amok and the most beautiful woman in the world bent over the lilies wiping her face with her dirt smeared fingers. Then he would go back to his work and wonder if things were ever to improve.
Upon his return to Cambridge, Colin hurled himself at his studies. He would stay awake the entire night memorizing the bones in the body, the various diseases and they're symptoms, and diagrams of the human body. His free time was spent with his friends, strolling around the campus, playing sports and the like. On some nights he would allow himself some fun and would attend soirees. He would laugh with girls and drink until he was dizzy. Then he would return to his room and yell at no one in particular. He would curse his rotten luck that the only girl he knew he could ever love would never love him back. Then he would collapse on his bed and sink into a dreamless sleep.
Such were their days when the bright rays of summer were shut out by the heavy rains. They were not happy, nor were they sad. They were here and there. In between. They had once again been separated, perhaps for the better. Colin lay in his bed, the moon gliding its way past the heavy curtains. Dickon lay on the sweet grass of the moor, the rain sliding down his face as he stared past the droplets to see the only light in the dark night. Mary, sweet and contrary, was curled up in her blankets. Looking to the pearl which hung in the night. Their minds, in a dream like state, summoned a strange thought. A round and bright red robin, hopping about relating the events of the day. And though far apart, they all smiled.
Hello people:) So so very sorry for the short chapter. But the next one will be....sort of long. Stick around. More to come:)