Hello, here we meet again. It's been a little while, but I am finally off for the summer!
Here is a new chapter for you to enjoy. It does contain some potential spoilers from the finale of Series 3.
So if you Americans want to avoid this till the finale airs, that's all good.
Anyway, enjoy!
December 1924
"I've arranged for our luggage to be sent to the hotel ahead of us," Antoine told Florian as they walked down the train platform, "So we have the entire day to do what we like. Visit some parks, see the government buildings, whatever you want."
Florian nodded but his eyes were fixed ahead of him as he guided his friend to the taxi ramp outside the station.
"How do you know your way about so easily?" Antoine asked, surprised by the effortless way Florian hailed a car.
"I don't know..." he said and opened the taxi door, stepping aside so Antoine could enter first, "I honestly don't know."
Inside the car, Florian politely rattled off an address he knew by heart, "88 Burdon Road, please."
"Burdon Road?" Antoine asked, blinking, "I know that...How do I know that?" he voice dropped and he anxiously turned his head, but Florian did not notice.
As the car rattled along the busy London streets, Florian smiled at how grey and wet everything was. He watched ladies and gentlemen stroll along, clinging to their umbrellas and tightening their winter coats. He felt as much an outsider as it was possible to feel, but there was something else, a strange familiarity he could not describe. There were things he almost recognized, as though he'd seen them once in a dream.
The taxi took a sharp turn and sputtered to a stop when they finally arrived at the address.
"Here you are, 88 Burdon Road," the taxi driver said curtly.
Florian stared out the window, but could not bring himself to move.
"Are you going to get out or not?" Antoine nudged Florian's arm but, when he did not reply, sighed and sat back in his seat, "This was a bad idea. Driver, take us to - "
"No!" Florian interrupted, wrenching his door open and stepping out onto the street.
Antoine's shoulders slumped, but he remained in the car as Florian walked up to the gate.
It was just as he remembered. A large, brick house with many windows and a tall front door. There were rosebushes in the garden - long dead from the winter frost - and ivy growing along the large iron gate. His heart fluttered and he smiled, closing his eyes as the rain stopped and the sun peaked out from behind a cloud.
The moment was perfect, utterly perfect.
"Give me back my ball!" a child's voice shrieked.
Florian opened his eyes and saw the front door thrown open by a young boy with bright golden hair. He raced down the steps to the lawn just as a girl, perhaps two or three years his senior, chased after him.
"Earnest, give it back!" she shouted, her voice a mix of laughter and screaming.
Her bright red hair was tossed about as she ran behind the little boy. He might have been younger, but he was definitely faster.
"You can't catch me! You can't catch me!" the boy, Earnest, teased and held up the coveted ball as he dashed around the garden, trampling over the flowerbeds.
"You two, stop it now!" another girl commanded as she exited the house.
She was only fourteen or fifteen years old, but her bearing suggested she carried the responsibility of a mother.
"But Meryl!" the boy whined as he begrudgingly walked to the steps.
"You are quite too old to be squealing and carrying on like a bunch of wild animals," she explained, her hands on her hips, "And what would your aunt say if she saw the way you treat her lovely garden?"
"Can we go to the park then?" The girl asked, clasping her hands in a fervent plea.
The older one, Meryl, sighed and nodded, "Very well, but I want you back in time for tea. And make sure you don't lose your mittens again, it is terribly cold out."
"Yes!" Earnest squealed as he and the younger sister started for the fence.
It was only then they saw Florian.
The two little ones clutched hands as they crept back to Meryl, who descended the steps to join them and stared uneasily at the man beyond gate.
"Can I help you?" Meryl asked.
She smiled politely enough, but Florian could sense her suspicion.
"Forgive me," he muttered, taking off his cap, "I was just looking for someone who used to live here. Josephine Mardle?"
"That's Aunt Josie's name," Earnest half-whispered half-shouted to Meryl.
"I know that," she sternly replied under her breath before speaking to Florian directly, "Yes, we know her very well. In fact, she still lives here."
Florian's eyes lit up but Meryl took a cautious step closer to the house, "But she's not home. And won't be for some time."
His heart sank, "Oh...It's just..." he sighed looked to the ground, "Well I've come a long way," he glanced up at Meryl but then looked down again, "But forgive me, I, er...I am sorry, this must seem very strange to you."
Meryl's cold smile melted into a sympathetic one.
"You're not from around here, are you?" she asked, watching him carefully.
He shook his head, "I am from Belgium, actually."
"Oh!" she laughed in surprise, "Well that is definitely not from around here,"
Florian chuckled, then gave a sad smile, "Forgive me, miss. I shall not take up anymore of your time."
He turned from the house and began towards the taxi in defeat.
"She works with our father at Selfridge's," Meryl called out suddenly, "On Oxford Street?"
Her words brought a hope to Florian's heart, one he scarcely thought he'd feel again.
"It is not very far," she went on, "They are holding a big event today, or at least that's what she tells us. If you want to see her, she'll be there."
He looked back to her and nodded, "Thank you!" he shouted, donning his cap and hurrying to the taxi, "Thank you very much!"
He opened the car door and beamed over at Antoine, "We have to go to Oxford Street."
"Why?" Antoine moaned as Florian climbed inside, "I don't understand why we're racing all over London. Why can't we just go to the hotel?"
Florian glanced out the window, smiling brighter than he had in a long time. The children waved goodbye as the taxi drove on towards the main road.
"What are you trying to find?" Antoine asked, concerned by his friend's cheerful silence, "It doesn't make any sense. Why won't you tell me?"
Florian reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the letter. He unfolded the single page, running his fingers over the name he'd grown to treasure.
Josephine Mardle
Antoine eyes scanned over the letter over Florian's shoulder, his eyes widening, "No...oh god...is this why we've come to England?" Antoine gripped his arm, "Listen to me, you can't do this."
"I have to," Florian stated desperately as he pulled his arm away.
The taxi rambled on through the wet streets, every second bringing them closer to Oxford Street.
Thank you for reading! There will be many more chapters so keep an eye out.
Also, please review if you wish! I adore hearing from you all!