Surrendering to Her Enigmatic Eyes – Extended Epilogue

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Caroline stared out the carriage window, over the rolling green hills. It was spring; wild daffodils were blooming with abandon, looking like a sea of golden yellow, drifting in the breeze. For some reason, she felt suddenly teary.

“Mama!” A little girl climbed onto her lap, pressing her nose against the window. “Go play?”

Caroline laughed, squeezing the little girl, then leant over, placing a kiss on her pudgy cheek. “Not now, Amelia. You must be a very good girl, and sit quietly for the rest of the journey. Do you think that you can do that?”

The little girl nodded, self-importantly. Caroline’s heart softened, filling with love. Amelia was such a rambunctious little thing. She was only fifteen months old, barely talking. She gazed at her daughter’s dark hair, curling down her back. It was the exact shade of her father’s hair. But the little girl’s wide, greenish blue eyes were exactly like her own.

“Come and sit with me, Amelia,” said the man, sitting opposite them, in the carriage. “Would you like to hear the story of the Suffolk fairies again?”

The little girl’s eyes lit up. She gazed at her father, slowly nodding her head. “Yes, Papa. Fairies!” She slid off her mother’s lap, climbing up onto her father.

Caroline watched as Matthew swept the little girl up onto his own lap, whispering softly to her. Her eyes widened as she listened intently to the story. Suddenly, she leant back into his chest, gently sucking her thumb. Within a few minutes she had fallen asleep, her dark hair falling across her face.

“Lay her down,” whispered Caroline. “Use my cloak as a blanket.”

Matthew nodded, laying the girl on the seat next to him, and tucking the cloak around her. She barely stirred.

“She is so tired,” he said, gazing at Caroline. “But I feared that she would never sleep. She has been over excited…”

Caroline smiled. “She has not been on a long carriage ride before. It is understandable, doing something so out of the ordinary. But I am afraid that it has all caught up with her now.”

Matthew nodded. Gently, he reached across, taking Caroline’s hand in his. He stared down at it intently, turning it over in his own.

“How are you feeling, my love?” he asked gently. “We have barely had a chance to talk, with Miss Amelia’s antics. You look tired, as well.”

Caroline sighed, squeezing his hand. “I am coping, Matthew.” Her eyes glimmered with sudden tears. “I think that I have been so busy preparing for this trip that I have not let myself think much about it at all. I am always fully occupied, trying to remember what Amelia needs. To make sure that we have not forgotten anything important…”

He smiled gently. “At least we did not forget Mr. Bunny Rabbit. She would not have settled so well if the toy had been accidently left behind.”

Caroline’s face split into a grin. “We would not have been able to travel two miles down the road if we had forgotten! There would have been a caterwauling. Who would have thought that she would grow so attached to such a strange little toy?”

Matthew’s smile broadened. “Of all the toys she has, she picked the oddest, did she not?” He gazed over at his sleeping daughter. “I still think it is because Aunt Clementine gave it to her. She does love her so.”

Caroline nodded. Amelia’s fierce attachment to Aunt Clementine had taken everyone by surprise, including the old lady herself. But the little girl’s favouritism towards her great aunt was obvious. Everyone remarked on it. As soon as she saw the old lady she would run to her, climbing into her lap. Aunt Clementine pretended to be unaffected, but Caroline knew that the highlight of her day was spending time with her great niece.

She sighed. They had left Aunt Clementine behind, in London. The old lady had claimed that her rheumatism had flared up again, and she could not endure long carriage rides anymore. She had hinted that she might never travel again. Caroline felt a stab of unease. She couldn’t live forever, could she?

“I shall not do it again,” the old lady had pronounced. “I shall not see it again. But do not worry about me, child. As long as I can still play cards, I shall be perfectly content.”

Caroline sighed again, staring at her husband. Matthew. They had been married for just over two years, now. And within the first month, she knew that she was expecting Amelia. They had barely had time to adjust to life as a newly married couple before their lives had changed once again, with the first addition to their family.

It had been busy, but wonderful. They had made their home in London. She had found a buyer for her London townhouse, and they had searched for their own home with the proceeds of the sale; somewhere that they could start over, together. A home that was entirely their own. Eventually, they had found a two storey grey stone house in a good area that they could comfortably afford.

She stared at her husband, noting the dark circles under his eyes. He worked too hard; this was the first time that he’d had time off in over a month. But he was studying avidly for his doctor’s degree and working at a local hospital as well. He was so very busy that they barely saw each other. She had tried to tell him that he didn’t need to work so hard, that they could survive comfortably on the income her father had left her, but he would have none of that. It was a point of pride to him that he looked after her and their daughter.

“I am glad,” he said suddenly, gazing at her. “I am glad that I have accompanied you, on this trip. I have missed you, my love.” His dark eyes glistened. “It seems forever since we sat down and talked to each other properly, without Miss Amelia always interrupting.”

Caroline smiled wryly. “It is the way of it, is it not? A child comes, and suddenly everything revolves around them…”

He nodded, but he frowned. “I love her more than life, as you know, but could we not take advantage of being away? Perhaps there would be someone that we can leave her with, so that we can spend some time alone. Just the two of us.”

Caroline’s heart started beating faster. “Alone? Just the two of us? Why, that would be wonderful, Matthew…”

He nodded determinedly. “Well, I shall fix it, then.” He kept gazing at her. “You should not have dismissed Mrs. Durrell, my love. You have been run off your feet, looking after the little one yourself…”

Caroline blinked rapidly. “She was too strict with Amelia, Matthew. We both know it. It is just for a little while, until I can find a new nanny. Someone who shares our values about how we would like to raise our child.”

He nodded but looked unconvinced. “I fear that any nanny will not live up to your high standards, my love.” His face softened. “Anyway, let’s not think of it, for now. Let us think about our trip away, and the time we shall spend together.”

Caroline nodded, gazing out the window again. The field of golden daffodils had gone, and now she saw trees lining the road, heavy with blossoms. She knew that soon those blossoms would change, and green leaves would sprout. In a few months, this road would be awash with them.

Her heart gripped suddenly, and she leant closer to the window.

It had been so long since she had last travelled down this road. So long, that she thought that she might never see it again.

The road to Honeyfield Manor. The road to her old home. She had not laid eyes on it in over two years now.

Her heart gripped again. What would it be like? What would it be like, to go into her old home, knowing that it was no longer hers, and never would be again?

***

Caroline stepped down from the carriage, gazing slowly around. Behind her, Matthew descended, carrying Amelia. The little girl was slowly waking up, rubbing her eyes grumpily. Her father pressed her against him, whispering to her gently.

Caroline walked slowly towards the house. It was exactly the same as she remembered. The grand doorway. Her eyes swept to the left, gazing beyond the house, towards the gardens, where she had taken her daily walks. The lawns were still as verdantly green as she remembered, and the white statues still stood mutely, gazing out at the world. If she strained her eyes, she could just see Finch’s folly in the distance.

Her heart seized suddenly, as memories assaulted her. The folly, where Matthew had come to her, after he had recovered from the coach accident, to tell her he was leaving. She remembered how devastated she had been at the thought of him going, but she hadn’t understood why. She hadn’t understood how she chould feel so strongly for a stranger. How she could feel so strongly for a man that she hardly knew. Even if he was tall, dark and handsome.

Her gaze drifted over towards the edge of the woodlands. Her heart tightened again. So much had happened in there, as well. Her terrible fall in the storm. And then Ambrose Fletcher, leading her deeper into the woods, intending to…

She shuddered, her skin crawling, thinking of the man, and what he could have done to her. What he had been intending to do to her. What he would have done, if Matthew hadn’t arrived just in the nick of time.

“Caroline?” Matthew’s voice was concerned. “Are you quite alright, my love?”

She turned around, her eyes resting on him. They had never talked about what Ambrose Fletcher had been planning to do to her, but he had known. He had seen her desperately running from the man, in such a wild state that she barely knew who she was anymore. She had been terrified; simply terrified. And she hadn’t been able to talk about that part of it since.

She took a deep breath. “I am fine. Just thinking, of things that have passed…”

He gazed at her. “He is safely gone, my love. He will never harm you again. You do know that, don’t you? I would never let him get within two feet of you. But he is safely behind bars, still. You know that he will serve many years for fraud.”

She sighed, nodding. “I know.”

At that moment, the front door opened. Her heart leapt at the familiar figure, walking towards them.

She let out a little cry, running towards the man.

“Jennings,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I cannot tell you how good it is to see you, old friend, once again.”

***

Caroline glowed as Jennings led them into the house. The old butler looked pleased as punch. He gazed at the little girl in Matthew’s arms, and tears filled his eyes.

“Why, she looks just like you, my lady,” he said, with surprise. “Almost exactly the same! The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Caroline laughed. “She is stronger willed than me, Jennings! And she has her father’s hair, of course. But yes, I can see myself in Amelia, too.”

The little girl was staring curiously at the old butler. “Play?” she asked suddenly.

They all laughed. Jennings kept walking, leading them down the hallway, talking over his shoulder. “Did you have a comfortable journey from London?”

“Tolerable,” replied Caroline. “Little miss was bouncing around the carriage for most of it!” She paused, biting her lip. “Oh, I am so glad to see you, Jennings! It seems an age.”

The butler nodded. “Yes, my lady. It has been a good long while.”

She blinked back tears again. Both she and Matthew had tried to persuade the butler to accompany them to London, but he would not have a bar of it. He had said that he would prefer to stay at Honeyfield, if he was able to. He had said that London would be too busy for him, and that it was hard to teach an old dog new tricks. They had given up in the end, knowing that he would never be happy away from the manor. It was his domain, just as it always had been.

She gazed around as they walked down the familiar hallways, towards the parlour. And suddenly, the bad memories that had assailed her as she had stared off towards the woodlands dissipated, like sudden mist into the air.

This was once her home. She had walked down these hallways as a child, and as a young woman. It felt good to be back here. It would never be her home again, but she was grateful for everything that had happened here.

She glanced at Matthew, still carrying the child in his arms. Without Honeyfield Manor, she would never have met him. Without the man who had decided to impersonate Cornelius Pembroke, she would never have met him, either. Everything had played out exactly as it should.

They were outside the parlour door, now. Jennings opened it. Caroline stepped forward, knowing that she was about to find out how Honeyfield Manor had woven its magic over the new inhabitants that walked down its hallways.

***

She stared around the room. It wasn’t changed; not in the least. The same furniture stood where it always had. Some of it had been carefully chosen by her father, and her grandfather, and probably her great grandfather as well. A wealth of personal history that she had given up, along with everything else.

Her eyes swept to the fireplace, where a tall man stood, leaning against it. He had a shock of wild red hair, still. He was gazing down at a woman who was sitting on the floor, his blue eyes soft with love. Next to the woman, shaking a rattle, sat a baby, with hair as fiery as his own.

The woman looked up, her eyes wide. “Caro! Oh, my dear, you have arrived at long last!”

Caroline smiled. The woman leapt up, off the floor, running towards her. Suddenly, she was enveloped in a warm embrace. She laughed, stepping back, gazing with love into the familiar face.

“Rose,” she said, her eyes trailing over her face. “It is so good to see you!”

Rose nodded, blinking rapidly. Caroline could see tears swimming in her eyes. “It is so good to see you, my dear friend.” She looked behind Caroline, to Matthew, who was standing there with Amelia in his arms. “Oh, dear Matthew, look how much she has grown! She was only a newborn babe, still in swaddling clothes, when I last saw her…”

Amelia wriggled out of her father’s arm, staring around the room. Matthew let her walk slowly towards the woman, who had bent down, beckoning her with outstretched arms.

“You do not recognise me, do you?” Rose whispered, her brown eyes bright. “Amelia, come to your Auntie Rose.”

Cornelius grinned as he picked up the red haired baby, walking towards them.

Caroline gasped. “Can I hold him?”

“Of course,” said Cornelius, gently placing the baby in her arms. “But be careful. He has a tendency to be sick, quite suddenly, all down your back, if you pat him too hard.”

Caroline stared into the baby’s face. This was the first time she had met her friend’s first child. He was a beautiful boy, with his father’s pale milky Irish skin and wavy red hair. But his eyes came from his mother. They were large, and velvet brown, reminding of her of a deer.

“Hello,” she whispered. “Hello, little Henry. It is so very nice to meet you.”

The baby stared at her, reaching one chubby hand up to her face. He studied her intently, then broke into a wide smile. Caroline could see two teeth, and gums that were swollen and red, promising more to come.

Cornelius had gone to stand next to his wife, greeting Amelia. His hand rested on the small of Rose’s back, rubbing her gently.

Caroline smiled, bouncing the baby. Her heart was so overflowing with love that she could barely contain it.

It had been a whirlwind courtship between the new owner of Honeyfield Manor, and her best friend. Matthew claimed he had known from the start that Cornelius was smitten with Rose, and it seemed that he was correct. Caroline had not been sure whether Rose returned his affection, though. That was until she had seen the way Cornelius and Rose had danced together on her wedding day.

Within six months, after Cornelius had taken possession of the estate, they had married.

“Yes, Henry,” she said, bouncing the baby higher. “You will love growing up at Honeyfield. When you are old enough, I will show you all the secret tunnels where you can hide from your parents…”

They all laughed. Matthew came over to her, greeting the baby, who blew bubbles as he stared into yet another new face.

She glanced up at her husband. He was occupied with the baby, making faces at him, which caused Barnaby to break into a belly laugh. She smiled to herself. She had some more news to tell him, when they could finally get some time alone together.

“Here, take him,” she said, giving the baby to him.

Matthew walked off with the baby, towards the window. She rested her hand on her belly gently, thinking of the new life to come. Then her eyes drifted back to her friend, still talking to Amelia, and the man standing behind her.

Caroline’s face softened. There was a new lady of the manor, now. And she was so very happy, to have handed the reins over to her best friend. Honeyfield Manor was definitely in safe hands, with so loving a family as this to take care of it.

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