Ancora
A Heybourne Story
By M Routh
Georgiana was worried. In fact, she was very worried. She bit on her lower lip and then
her upper lip. Samuel leant over and rested his hands on the fingers drumming on the
table top.
'Georgiana,' he said, 'Stop. Stop worrying.'
'How can I not worry, Samuel?' she asked, her big eyes clearly reflecting her distress.
'I'll make sure nothing happens. Okay?'
'I don't know, Samuel. I just feel something bad will happen.'
'Nothing bad will happen, Georgiana. Just relax.'
Just then their two-year-old Arthur toddled into the room followed by his nanny.
'Mamma. Mamma,' he said.
Georgiana picked him up and cradled him. Samuel also got up. 'I have to leave,
Georgiana. I'm running late for work.'
She nodded her head. 'Okay.'
'We'll talk tonight,' he said, kissing wife and baby, before picking up his bag and heading
out the door.
Alexander Colbourne sat down in the comfortable seat in the business section. Two
years later, he still felt a little strange whenever he had to come to the airport. There
was no avoiding it, this time, though. He had to go to London. The only way the client
would deal with Colbourne Inc. was if he was present. He settled himself into the seat,
buckling in, waiting for the flight to take off. The pretty flight attendant leaned over him
and asked him if he wanted a drink, a flirtatious smile on her lips. He shook his head,
leaning back tiredly. He'd fallen asleep, by the time the flight took off. About an hour
later, he woke up.
High above the clouds, the moon was shining, glinting off the gold band around the third
finger of his right hand. The plane was flying towards the purple blanket of the night sky
ahead of him, the lights dimmed as passengers slept on the long haul to London.
He looked at it, twisting it on his finger. He'd never taken it off. She'd put it there, and to
all intents and purposes, there it was staying. His mind strayed to this morning's scene
at home.
He'd come down for breakfast, and both Leo and Augusta were at the table.
His relationship with his daughter had become an estranged one. Somehow, they still
blamed him for all that happened. For the first time, he hadn't cared. He just didn't care
any more. He was tired, more than tired, exhausted, emotionally exhausted.
'Uncle,' Augusta was as gentle as ever. 'Come and sit,' she said gently. She served him
breakfast, and as he began to eat, he realized Leo was staring at him. He looked up.
'Father,' Leo said. 'I think its time you thought about your marriage again.'
'Leo, I told you before. I am not going back on my decision.'
'You should forget what happened, Father,' she went on relentlessly, completely
ignoring Augusta's head shake at her. She ignored her. 'Miss Heywood was the right
woman for you. She was nice and she loved us, and you,' she pointed a finger at her
father, 'made her go away.'
'ENOUGH!' He shouted. He breathed in deeply to calm himself down. 'Enough, Leo. I
don't want to discuss this anymore.' With a disgusted look at his daughter, he got up
and walked away.
Behind him, he heard Augusta say, 'Really, Leo. Do you have to do this when he is
eating?'
He didn't wait to hear the response. He just walked away.
And now here he was. There was a lump in his throat as her face came unbidden into
this mind. He pushed it away, got up and pulled down his laptop from the overhead bin.
He tried to focus on the upcoming trip, but his mind kept straying.
In the aftermath of all that had happened, he had walked away from her. He had to. To
this day, he did not know how he could forgive himself for botching it as he had done.
He'd asked her to marry him. She had agreed. They had taken their time to get there.
They had had their ups and downs. But he should have realized one thing. Charlotte
Heywood was a proud woman. She would not have accepted anything less than the
whole truth. Except this time, it had been the truth about herself that had torn them
apart.
It was on their wedding day that disaster had struck.
They had danced their first dance, arms around each other, kissing every once in a
while. They had been so in love. The champagne was flowing, the guests were high on
happiness, and good food.
Charlotte looked like a dream come true, her wavy brown hair pinned up with little blue
cornflower pins, her white dress floating around her, her eyes sparkling with joy.
Then, his mother had walked in.
For a moment, both Samuel and Alexander had been stunned. They watched her as
she looked at Charlotte, a hard glint in her eyes. Mrs Colbourne was a tall woman, and
as she neared Charlotte, her lips thinned.
Alexander moved forward. 'Mama,' he said coldly. 'What are you doing here?'
'Why? Should I not have come for my son's wedding?'
'I did not expect you,' he replied stiffly. 'You haven't been around in a long time, Mama.
Why now?'
'I had to come and see for myself,' she hissed at him. 'When I saw her name, I knew.
You father, the bastard, was no saint, I hate to tell you. He abandoned us, for her family.
You marrying the daughter of the woman who wrecked our family. This has to be a cruel
joke, Alexander.'
Alexander felt as if a hammer had landed on his head. For a moment, he went dizzy, his
breath caught in his lungs, until he could barely see past the dimness in his eyes.
'No,' he whispered, dumbly. 'That cannot be. There must be a mistake.'
She scoffed. 'No mistake, Alexander. You would think I would remember the names of
his children, Alexander,' she said sarcastically. 'Of course, I do. I remember her
especially. Brown hair, wide eyes, pretty little thing she was then, too.'
Alexander closed his eyes. For years, he had hated the woman who had torn apart their
family. For years, he'd sworn revenge, knowing full well that he would probably never do
anything about it. Turning, he stumbled out of the hall, onto the terrace, taking in large
gulps of air.
'Alexander?' her soft voice reached his ears, as her hand rested on his.
He shook it off, and turned away.
'Alexander?' she was alarmed. 'What is it?'
'Why didn't you tell me who your mother was?' he gritted out, his back to her.
Neither noticed Samuel step out onto the terrace, standing in the shadows watching
them.
'My mother?' Charlotte was clearly puzzled at his cryptic responses.
'Your mother was Susan Thornton, wasnt't she?' he turned to her, his eyes blazing.
'Y-yes, but whatever is the matter? Why are you asking about my mother? You know
she died when I was a child,' she said softly.
'She didn't die, Charlotte. She ran away. With my father,' he snarled.
'You lie,' she said softly, vehemently.
'I never lie,' he leaned forward, towering over her petite form.
'My mother is dead,' she cried, her eyes swimming in tears, tears of anger.
Alexander chest heaved. All the emotions he'd bottled up for years, struggling to erupt
of his chest.
'I cannot do this,' he said softly.
'What?' She was stunned, unbelieving.
'I cannot live with the daughter of the woman I've hated for most of my life,' he said
softly.
She shook her head, unbelieving. Swallowing her tears, she asked him one last
question, 'how is it my fault?'
'I don't know,' he answered, stupidly - as he realized in hind sight. 'But right now, I need
space.'
And that was it.
What difference had it made whose daughter she was?
He loved her.
She loved him.
That was unquestionable.
But by the time he'd cooled down, and reason had taken over, it was too late. He'd gone
to her place the next day, but she hadn't been at home, and her father had not allowed
him inside. He'd made it very clear that he was not welcome any more. He couldn't
blame them. From the distance of time, he realized that he had every right to keep him
away from Charlotte. All he'd ever given her were tears and heartbreak and pain.
His jaws clenched as he remembered that last time he had tried to reach her. He'd gone
to the house and it had been locked. The neighbour told him they'd left, for parts
unknown. Her phone number had changed. Her emails had blocked him.
There was no way to reach her.
He'd tried looking for her in Atlanta, but to no avail. He couldn't bring himself to ask
Georgiana or Samuel about her. He'd wanted to, very badly, but he just couldn't do it.
Besides, Georgiana had given him the cold shoulder from that day on.
He also hadn't noticed the strain in Samuel and Georgiana's relationship until one day
Samuel came to him.
'Alexander,' he said, 'I've never questioned you and your decisions. But now, it's
affecting my life. Georgiana doesn't want to live here any more, in a house where her
friend was so humiliated. She wants to move away.'
This was a blow that he wasn't expecting. The ripples were far wider spread than any
that he had thought. They had affected his brother's life. He nodded his head, stunned
at the realization that his brother wanted to keep his wife happy at any cost. At least
some good should come out of this whole disaster! he thought.
He had arranged for Samuel to move to London to start managing the growing London
office. This way, at least he wouldn't lose his brother and his wife as well. Three months
later, Samuel, Georgiana and Mrs Wheatley left for London. That was the last time he'd
seen them. Samuel had done well for Colbourne Inc. and he deserved to have a
successful and more importantly, a happy life. This was the first time he would see them
in person, in two years! He talked to them of course, and seen little Arthur over Skype.
Something to look forward to, he thought with a grim smile.
They were all waiting for him at the airport, even though it was still early. They hugged
each other, even Georgiana gave him a brief hug. He was happy with that. Mrs
Wheatley was in tears and didn't hide it. It felt good to have someone so happy to see
you.
Their home was beautiful, and he was glad to get out of his travel clothes, shower and
change into some casual wear in the comfortable guest room.
He laid out the gifts that Leo and Augusta had picked out for little Arthur, and then
decided to take a nap.
By the time he headed downstairs to the family room, it was late afternoon, and he
could feel the familiar pangs of hunger.
A fire had been lit in the fireplace releasing the sweet smell of pine into the air. The
other Colbournes had gathered there, watching little Arthur play with his toys at their
feet.
He handed over the gifts for Arthur, and then relaxed on a comfortable settee.
'Something to drink, Xander?' Samuel surprised him. He raised his own glass of Scotch
towards Alexander.
'A glass of red wine, please,' he said.
'I'll have one as well, Samuel,' Georgiana smiled up at him.
Mrs Wheatley bustled in with a tray of sandwiches. 'I thought you might be hungry,
Xander,' she said.
'I am,' he declared, picking up a thinly sliced chicken sandwich, and taking a bite of it.
Samuel poured out two glasses of wine, and handed them over.
Alexander swirled his glass and lifted it to his nose, breathing out to let his warm breath
release the aroma of the wine. He inhaled the bouquet ,and just at that moment, a
vision of Charlotte at the The Fisherman's Net flashed into this head. Their first date.
She'd gotten high on a virgin colada! An unbidden smile came to his lips, and the three
people who so dearly loved him, smiled back at him. He lifted the glass, and took a sip.
Something shivered through him. A faint, familiar feeling. No. It was not possible. She
couldn't be here, he thought, something like panic racing through his veins.
She was back in the United States. But his heart was racing, telling him otherwise.
Charlotte finished packing the boxes with the food making sure that there was little
Arthur's favourite sausage rolls. He loved the same things as his uncle did. Her heart
fluttered a little bit at that thought. As much as she had wanted to forget about him, she
hadn't been able to.
It was Samuel who had arranged for her to come to London. They had both seen how
shell-shocked she had been. She had turned inside herself ,and for the first time, had
not bothered to hide the enormous hurt that life had dealt her. Being here with them,
had allowed her slowly to get back to some semblance of normalcy. She's gotten a job
and now lived in her own tiny apartment. Being around her best friend and her husband
had helped her a lot. Although, it still hurt to look at Samuel some time. His face was too
familiar and dear. Their friendship had only grown stronger by the day.
Georgiana , though, had been tempted to call Alexander a few times and give him a
piece of her mind, except, Charlotte had begged her not to call him.
Checking her appearance in the mirror, she raised her left hand to tuck her hair in
behind her ear. The glittering diamonds on her third finger hit her eyes. She'd never
taken it off. Always warding off questions with a nonchalant, noncommittal answer. It
was the one of the few things that she had kept. She couldn't take it off. Like the
pendant and chain that she still wore every night, but right now lay in a little box on her
dresser. He had given it to her on the anniversary of the first month of dating.
Driving to her friend's house, she had felt a little uncomfortable, an impending sense of
something that was going to happen. Both Georgiana and Samuel had been very
strange lately. Something was wrong. It made her uneasy.
She parked the car on their driveway and walked up to the door. With her hand on the
knob, she paused. Why was there this familiar feeling - like a warm breath of air? She
knew it couldn't be. Georgiana would have told her.
Alexander was on the other side of the door.
She knew it. Her heart knew it. But it couldn't be, he was back in the States.
She put her finger on the doorbell and pushed.
The doorbell rang.
Georgiana got up to answer the door.
Alexander's ears tuned in. Georgiana was speaking in hushed tones. Samuel was
staring at his glass. Mrs Wheatley was busy with Arthur - extremely busy. He looked
around at them, and time slowed down. He got up and moved to the door.
Georgiana was just shutting it.
'Georgiana,' he said. She spun around, a horrified look on her face. 'Who was it?'
'Nobody, Xander.'
For a moment, he stood still and then rushed to the door, flinging it open and running
outside. She was just unlocking her car.
'CHARLOTTE!' he yelled.
She stopped. She turned around.
He was running towards her, she heard him say her name again, 'CHARLOTTE!'. It
grew dark around her as she started to sway.
He reached out his hand and caught her arm, holding her, not letting her fall. He put the
her arm around his neck, and the other under her feet, lifting her up easily as he had
done so many times before.
Georgiana rushed up to him. 'Xander, is she okay?'
He looked down into that beloved face and nodded. 'She's fainted,' he said, carrying her
into the house, Georgiana running alongside to keep up with his long strides.
Mrs Wheatley and Samuel rushed over to them as they entered. He carried her to one
of the large sofas and gently laid her on it. As he moved to stand up, he felt the familiar
tug on his collar. Her hands clung tightly to the neckline of his tee. He put his hand on
hers to release it, gently putting her hand down. He sat on the sofa next to her and
started to rub her hand, when he felt something on her fingers. Her ring! She still wore
it, on the same finger that he had put it on. He held the hand gently, gazing at the ring,
unaware of the tear that slipped out of his eyes onto her fingers. He felt a hand on his
shoulder. Georgiana.
'Xander,' she said gently, holding out a glass of water to him. He took the water and
sprinkled some on her face.
Her eyes fluttered open. Big beautiful brown eyes. 'Alexander?' she said.
He nodded, smiling through his tears. She struggled to sit up and he held the glass to
her lips. She drank a little of the water, then pushed the glass away. He set the glass
down on the table, not letting go of her other hand. She tugged on it, and he just
tightened his fingers. Her eyes flew to his face.
Let me go.
Never again.
Why now?
Because too much time has passed.
You don't love me.
You don't believe that.
Doesn't matter what I believe.
I'm sorry. I missed you.
I don't believe that.
She launched herself into his arms, almost at the same time as he started to pull her
into them.
She sobbed into his shoulders, he buried his face in her hair, whispering, 'I'm sorry, so
sorry,' over and over again, before he pulled back and finally kissed her.
A discreet knock on the door finally brought them back to earth. Dusk had darkened the
room, with only the fireplace giving off a warm glow.
Samuel, Mrs Wheatley and Georgiana entered the room, all smiles. They switched on
the lights and looked at the two of them. He with his arm around her, smiling down at
her, she with her head on his shoulders, fingers entwined in his, smiling up at him.
Georgiana clutched Samuel's arm in excitement. He looked down at her, and hugged
her, too.
'So, Alexander,' said Mrs Wheatley, 'Do tell! Are you finally going to marry Charlotte?'
He kissed his Charlotte's forehead and said, 'Yes, Mrs Wheatley. I am.' He slipped down
from the sofa onto his knee, holding both her hands in his.
'Charlotte Heywood Colbourne, will you marry me again?'
She nodded.
Mrs Wheatley rolled her eyes, made a 'hmpf' sound, and then smiled broadly.
Georgiana wasn't worried any more. Neither was Samuel Colbourne.