Alphabet Soup

by Crinklybrownleaves

This is an A to Z of tiny stories and drabbles, all too short to stand alone. Involving lots of Dr Blake characters, but most will have Lucien and / or Jean in (well, what else would you expect from me!). All different times and moods, the only thing that holds them together is that there is one for each letter of the alphabet.

22. Valuable

"It's very precious to me."

"I'll take extra care of it."

S4E2

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He knew what he wanted to do. His father had died only hours beforehand, but it was his mother he was thinking about. Her studio remained locked, he couldn't face that, but he wanted to know her again, to see something of hers that could bring her back to him.

He felt no such longing for his father. He had died peacefully, finally slipping away while Lucien dozed in the chair beside him. Lucien felt no great regret for that; his father had always wanted to be alone, it seemed, and Lucien was little comfort to him. They had nothing left to say to each other.

But he hated that he had never said goodbye to his mother. One day she was there, forceful and vibrant, the next she was gone, and his life would never be the same. As a boy he had cried for her, but now he missed her more, if anything. He was alone, all his family gone.

So he slowly opened his mother's jewellery box, and amongst the pearl necklaces and the brooches, he saw a small ring box. Inside was his mother's engagement ring, and it brought back a flood of memories; his mother dressed up to go to a concert, to a party, or out to the club with his father. She didn't wear the ring everyday, so in his mind it was forever associated with something special.

He supposed it was valuable, in the monetary sense. But its value to him couldn't be measured in pounds and shillings. That value lay in the person who wore it.

Now it was his, he supposed, but he had no one to give it to. Mei Lin was missing, almost certainly dead, and Li with her. Most likely it would never be worn again, and when he died it would be sold, and his mother forgotten with it.

"The undertaker rang, Doctor. I said you would ring him back." Jean's voice intruded on his thoughts and he sighed. He would have to give her notice, he thought, but not today. Her eyes were red rimmed and he suspected she had been crying. Ironic that his father's housekeeper mourned him more than his son did.

Lucien made the effort. "Thank you, Jean." She came closer and looked curiously at the jewellery box.

"My mother's," he answered the question she hadn't asked. "This was her engagement ring." He showed her the white gold ring set with several diamonds.

"Your father missed her terribly," Jean replied. "You both must have." There was a moment of understanding between them.

Then Lucien returned the ring to the jewellery box and got up to go and make his phone call. Perhaps he'd wait a while before giving Jean notice, he should let her take the time to find something new. He owed her that much, or at least his father did.