Chapter Two: Misselthwaite's Surprise Guest
The next more after Mary and Colin had finished with their school lessons, they headed down the corridors in the direction of their father's study.
"Father didn't say when she'd be arriving." Said Colin.
"I know, it's nearly noon already. Perhaps she'll arrive soon."
When they reached Lord Craven's study, there was no answer to Mary's knock. "Try again." Urged Colin. Knock. Knock.
"What, pray tell, are you doing?" they heard a voice come from behind them. Mary and Colin turned around in surprise only to face Mrs. Medlock. "Nothing. We were just." Mary began.
"If you are looking for your father, you will find him in the courtyard, greeting our guest." She said with her arms folded.
Without a word Mary and Colin turned and sprinted down the hallway. The sound of them running down the stairs echoed through the mansion's enormous corridors, which caused Lord Cravens hounds to bark, as the servants who had just taken them for their morning walk were bringing them into the house.
"Hurry young masters. She's almost arrived. Your father's waiting on you." Martha was holding open the front door, ushering them hurriedly through it. She grabbed Mary by the arm as she passed and pulled her aside. She began to straiten her bangs, which had been blown back from all of her running. "Got to look your best for our guest, Miss Mary." she said with a knowing grin.
"So you know? You know who the guest is? Tell me Martha!"
"No need for that m'lady, you can see for yourself in a few seconds", she pointed out the door to an arriving carriage that was being pulled by two solid black horses. Mary ran outside and stood next to her father and brother. Half of the manor's staff was also waiting outside to take the visitor's luggage, and to be of any other assistance.
The carriage came to a halt and one of the male members of the staff went to open the door for the mystery guest.
"Ah, Catherine." their father said as he walked up to the woman and kissed her hand. "You're looking wonderful." She was an older woman who looked to be in her seventies. She had silvery white hair that was tied up on top of her head underneath her black-feathered hat. She was a fairly thin, tall woman with distinctive features. She wore no glasses and lots of make- up.
"Archibald. How marvelous." She kissed their father on his cheek and then turned to face the young adults. "You must be Colin and Mary." she said with a smile. "Come here and give your grandmother a hug." She held out her arms and smiled broadly.
"Gr-Grandma?" Colin asked, while looking frantically at Mary.
"Father, this woman's our grandmother?" Mary asked looking disbelievingly at her father.
"Yes, children. Now give her a hug."
Colin and Mary's expressions then changed to delight as they stepped forward to hug their grandmother. Colin and Mary had so many questions, and they began asking them excitedly at once.
"But how, father, I thought both your parents were dead?" Colin asked.
"I didn't know I had a grandmother." said Mary.
"Calm yourselves, children. All will be explained inside over lunch.unless you'd rather go to the garden?" He shot a sideways grin towards his children.
"No! Of course not!" Mary and Colin exclaimed together. The four of them began walking inside talking in excited voices. Mary's smile abruptly faded and she stopped in her tracks. "Dickon." She whispered to herself before turning and running in the other direction. Dickon was sitting against the giant tree playing a flute in the company of the family of sheep, a fox, and the usual birds.
"Dickon, I..."
"I know, Mary. Martha's told me all about your Grandmother."
Mary narrowed her eyes and faked and expression of anger. "That traitor. She tells you all about it but didn't even tell me." Dickon stood and met Mary's glare. She stared back with her falsely angry eyes for a few seconds before they both burst into laughter. Their smiles then faded and they continued to stare into each other's eyes. Dickon then broke the silence.
"So, don't worry about the garden for the moment. Ben and I will take care of it."
"Right, Thanks." Mary looked down at her hands.
"So go on then. You've got a lot of catching up to do with your grandmother."
"That's right." , She said as though she had momentarily forgotten their guest. "Well, see you tomorrow then." She turned and walked away, turning back to smile in Dickon's direction once more. Dickon watched her for a moment before settling back against the tree and resuming his flute playing.
**
Back at the manor, Colin, Lord Craven, and Mary's grandmother were all sitting at the long table in the dining hall chatting, waiting for Mary to make her appearance.
"There you are, Mary." , her father said, rising from his seat. "Where did you get off to?"
"I had to make sure that Dickon was going to take care of the garden. And I had to tell him not to expect Colin and me today."
As she took her seat her grandmother looked curiously at her. "A garden? You children take care of the gardens yourself? Archibald, don't you have servants for that?"
Lord Craven opened his mouth to begin to explain but Colin interrupted. "Oh, this is a special garden, grandmother. It belonged to my mother."
"The garden belonged to Alana?", she said dreamily.
"Oh, so you met my mother?" Colin asked with a mouthful of bread.
"You mother was my daughter, Colin."
Colin stopped chewing, and shot Mary a look of amazement.
"Wait," said Colin, having finally managed to swallow his food. "You mean you're my mother's mother?"
"Yes, Colin. And your mother's mother." She said motioning towards Mary. "My you two look so much like your mothers. I bet you're as sweet as your mother's too."
"My mother was never very sweet to me." Mary huffed. "I'm not even sure she even knew she had a daughter."
"Mary!" Lord Craven snapped.
"Sorry. I just." Mary burst into tears and ran from the dining hall. Colin gave his father an apologetic look and ran after Mary. Mrs. Medlock who was carrying a tray of entrees stood motionless with a flabbergasted expression. "I'm sorry, Catherine. She's just..."
"No, it's alright. I know Amelia wasn't ready for a child. I offered to take Mary when she was born but she though I was insulting her and saying she couldn't raise her own child." Catherine paused and looked down at her plate. "I shall like to go and talk with her if you have no objections."
"Or course. Mrs. Medlock will show you where to find her." Catherine stood up and followed Mrs. Medlock out of the hall, and down the corridors to Mary's room. The door was ajar so Catherine took a few steps into the large room. Mary lay face down on her bed in tears. "Why didn't my mother want me? What did I do wrong?"
Colin was sitting on her bed next to her with an arm resting on her back. "You didn't do anything wrong, Mary. Your mother was a fool for not loving you."
"I happen to know that she did love you, Mary" Catherine was now completely in the room and looking concerned.
Mary sat up and wiped her eyes. "I'm so sorry for my behavior grandmother, I."
Catherine held up a hand to silence her. "It's quite alright, dear. I know your memories of your mother are painful. But like I said, I know that she loved you very much, Mary."
"She did? H-how do you know?" Mary was now leaning forward with anticipation as her grandmother sat on the bed.
"When you were born, I offered to take you into my care. I had known your mother was not ready for children. She felt she was too young, and that she had many more years of attending parties left before her time to be a mother would come. She was outraged when I offered to take you. She thought I didn't trust her to raise her own child. She also expressed great love for you, Mary. She didn't want her child to be taken from her. But she was very different from Colin's mother. She always had her head in the clouds, and loved to socialize. She didn't know how to take care of a small child. Many times she told me that she wished you were older so that she could take you to her parties and show you off. But she knew you were too young for that." She trailed off.
"You mean, my mother said that she loved me?" Mary now had new tears filling in here eyes. But these tears were different. These were tears of hope.
"Oh yes, Mary."
Mary wiped her eyes and smiled brightly at her grandmother.
"Come here." Catherine said pulling both her grandchildren into her embrace. "Oh, what's this?" She said looking over Mary shoulder and reaching for the ivory elephant that sat on her night table. "I gave this to your mother for one of her birthdays. In fact I also gave one to...."
"I have its twin, grandmother." Colin said eagerly. "It sits on my night table."
"Oh. Oh dear." Catherine's eyes began to fill with tears. "I would have loved nothing more than for the two of you to have them after your mothers died. I'm so sorry I haven't been in your lives before now. I promise I'll try my hardest to make it up to you."
Mary and Colin once again hugged their grandmother's neck. "Now. Lets go finish our lunch, before it gets cold. I'm starved after my long journey." The three of them then left Mary's bedroom and headed back down to the dining hall to join Lord Craven.
The next more after Mary and Colin had finished with their school lessons, they headed down the corridors in the direction of their father's study.
"Father didn't say when she'd be arriving." Said Colin.
"I know, it's nearly noon already. Perhaps she'll arrive soon."
When they reached Lord Craven's study, there was no answer to Mary's knock. "Try again." Urged Colin. Knock. Knock.
"What, pray tell, are you doing?" they heard a voice come from behind them. Mary and Colin turned around in surprise only to face Mrs. Medlock. "Nothing. We were just." Mary began.
"If you are looking for your father, you will find him in the courtyard, greeting our guest." She said with her arms folded.
Without a word Mary and Colin turned and sprinted down the hallway. The sound of them running down the stairs echoed through the mansion's enormous corridors, which caused Lord Cravens hounds to bark, as the servants who had just taken them for their morning walk were bringing them into the house.
"Hurry young masters. She's almost arrived. Your father's waiting on you." Martha was holding open the front door, ushering them hurriedly through it. She grabbed Mary by the arm as she passed and pulled her aside. She began to straiten her bangs, which had been blown back from all of her running. "Got to look your best for our guest, Miss Mary." she said with a knowing grin.
"So you know? You know who the guest is? Tell me Martha!"
"No need for that m'lady, you can see for yourself in a few seconds", she pointed out the door to an arriving carriage that was being pulled by two solid black horses. Mary ran outside and stood next to her father and brother. Half of the manor's staff was also waiting outside to take the visitor's luggage, and to be of any other assistance.
The carriage came to a halt and one of the male members of the staff went to open the door for the mystery guest.
"Ah, Catherine." their father said as he walked up to the woman and kissed her hand. "You're looking wonderful." She was an older woman who looked to be in her seventies. She had silvery white hair that was tied up on top of her head underneath her black-feathered hat. She was a fairly thin, tall woman with distinctive features. She wore no glasses and lots of make- up.
"Archibald. How marvelous." She kissed their father on his cheek and then turned to face the young adults. "You must be Colin and Mary." she said with a smile. "Come here and give your grandmother a hug." She held out her arms and smiled broadly.
"Gr-Grandma?" Colin asked, while looking frantically at Mary.
"Father, this woman's our grandmother?" Mary asked looking disbelievingly at her father.
"Yes, children. Now give her a hug."
Colin and Mary's expressions then changed to delight as they stepped forward to hug their grandmother. Colin and Mary had so many questions, and they began asking them excitedly at once.
"But how, father, I thought both your parents were dead?" Colin asked.
"I didn't know I had a grandmother." said Mary.
"Calm yourselves, children. All will be explained inside over lunch.unless you'd rather go to the garden?" He shot a sideways grin towards his children.
"No! Of course not!" Mary and Colin exclaimed together. The four of them began walking inside talking in excited voices. Mary's smile abruptly faded and she stopped in her tracks. "Dickon." She whispered to herself before turning and running in the other direction. Dickon was sitting against the giant tree playing a flute in the company of the family of sheep, a fox, and the usual birds.
"Dickon, I..."
"I know, Mary. Martha's told me all about your Grandmother."
Mary narrowed her eyes and faked and expression of anger. "That traitor. She tells you all about it but didn't even tell me." Dickon stood and met Mary's glare. She stared back with her falsely angry eyes for a few seconds before they both burst into laughter. Their smiles then faded and they continued to stare into each other's eyes. Dickon then broke the silence.
"So, don't worry about the garden for the moment. Ben and I will take care of it."
"Right, Thanks." Mary looked down at her hands.
"So go on then. You've got a lot of catching up to do with your grandmother."
"That's right." , She said as though she had momentarily forgotten their guest. "Well, see you tomorrow then." She turned and walked away, turning back to smile in Dickon's direction once more. Dickon watched her for a moment before settling back against the tree and resuming his flute playing.
**
Back at the manor, Colin, Lord Craven, and Mary's grandmother were all sitting at the long table in the dining hall chatting, waiting for Mary to make her appearance.
"There you are, Mary." , her father said, rising from his seat. "Where did you get off to?"
"I had to make sure that Dickon was going to take care of the garden. And I had to tell him not to expect Colin and me today."
As she took her seat her grandmother looked curiously at her. "A garden? You children take care of the gardens yourself? Archibald, don't you have servants for that?"
Lord Craven opened his mouth to begin to explain but Colin interrupted. "Oh, this is a special garden, grandmother. It belonged to my mother."
"The garden belonged to Alana?", she said dreamily.
"Oh, so you met my mother?" Colin asked with a mouthful of bread.
"You mother was my daughter, Colin."
Colin stopped chewing, and shot Mary a look of amazement.
"Wait," said Colin, having finally managed to swallow his food. "You mean you're my mother's mother?"
"Yes, Colin. And your mother's mother." She said motioning towards Mary. "My you two look so much like your mothers. I bet you're as sweet as your mother's too."
"My mother was never very sweet to me." Mary huffed. "I'm not even sure she even knew she had a daughter."
"Mary!" Lord Craven snapped.
"Sorry. I just." Mary burst into tears and ran from the dining hall. Colin gave his father an apologetic look and ran after Mary. Mrs. Medlock who was carrying a tray of entrees stood motionless with a flabbergasted expression. "I'm sorry, Catherine. She's just..."
"No, it's alright. I know Amelia wasn't ready for a child. I offered to take Mary when she was born but she though I was insulting her and saying she couldn't raise her own child." Catherine paused and looked down at her plate. "I shall like to go and talk with her if you have no objections."
"Or course. Mrs. Medlock will show you where to find her." Catherine stood up and followed Mrs. Medlock out of the hall, and down the corridors to Mary's room. The door was ajar so Catherine took a few steps into the large room. Mary lay face down on her bed in tears. "Why didn't my mother want me? What did I do wrong?"
Colin was sitting on her bed next to her with an arm resting on her back. "You didn't do anything wrong, Mary. Your mother was a fool for not loving you."
"I happen to know that she did love you, Mary" Catherine was now completely in the room and looking concerned.
Mary sat up and wiped her eyes. "I'm so sorry for my behavior grandmother, I."
Catherine held up a hand to silence her. "It's quite alright, dear. I know your memories of your mother are painful. But like I said, I know that she loved you very much, Mary."
"She did? H-how do you know?" Mary was now leaning forward with anticipation as her grandmother sat on the bed.
"When you were born, I offered to take you into my care. I had known your mother was not ready for children. She felt she was too young, and that she had many more years of attending parties left before her time to be a mother would come. She was outraged when I offered to take you. She thought I didn't trust her to raise her own child. She also expressed great love for you, Mary. She didn't want her child to be taken from her. But she was very different from Colin's mother. She always had her head in the clouds, and loved to socialize. She didn't know how to take care of a small child. Many times she told me that she wished you were older so that she could take you to her parties and show you off. But she knew you were too young for that." She trailed off.
"You mean, my mother said that she loved me?" Mary now had new tears filling in here eyes. But these tears were different. These were tears of hope.
"Oh yes, Mary."
Mary wiped her eyes and smiled brightly at her grandmother.
"Come here." Catherine said pulling both her grandchildren into her embrace. "Oh, what's this?" She said looking over Mary shoulder and reaching for the ivory elephant that sat on her night table. "I gave this to your mother for one of her birthdays. In fact I also gave one to...."
"I have its twin, grandmother." Colin said eagerly. "It sits on my night table."
"Oh. Oh dear." Catherine's eyes began to fill with tears. "I would have loved nothing more than for the two of you to have them after your mothers died. I'm so sorry I haven't been in your lives before now. I promise I'll try my hardest to make it up to you."
Mary and Colin once again hugged their grandmother's neck. "Now. Lets go finish our lunch, before it gets cold. I'm starved after my long journey." The three of them then left Mary's bedroom and headed back down to the dining hall to join Lord Craven.