Elana made her way to the cliffs early the next morning. Keeping the promise to herself, she stopped to watch the tiny lambs in the field. Small white balls of fluff leapt and played together. Faint bleating could be heard as their mothers tried to keep some semblance of order.
The gulls swooped and glided on the air currents, their cries blending with the sheep in a strange symphony of nature. Elana sat on the grass near the edge. Her hand moved in the blades of grass beside her. How I miss you Daniel. We would sit here for hours watching the gulls and the fishing boats, planning our life together. Much has happened since that day on the dock when our lips touched for the last time, my darling, four long months ago. Her eyes instinctively searched the horizon for any sign of a ship. I know you will come back to me one day,my love.
She sat on the cliff for more than an hour thinking of her husband. She took a folded piece of paper from her pocket. It was one of Daniel’s poems. Unfolding it, she read it out loud:
Boat rocking gently on the waves
Surrounded by fog, no horizon
The sense of sight has been limited,
Nothing seen, nothing heard,
Pensive, calming moment
Then from below the water,
A dolphin slowly appears,
The sound of air escaping
The dorsal fin makes its slow arc
Out of the water, then back to the sea
In that one moment you realize,
You are not alone.
She looked up from the paper, over the calm blue water. As if by magic, a dolphin appeared on the surface, followed by a second and a third. They breached the water and then disappeared, one after the other. She knew it was a sign. Thank you, God. Thank you for keeping Daniel safe. Yes, Daniel, I do realize that I am not alone. She carefully folded the paper and returned it to her pocket. She smiled widely and blew a kiss out to sea.
His commission was up in eight months. He would come home for good. Elana put both hands on her still small, but swollen belly. You will have a fine son or daughter when you come home, Daniel. Our love has finally been blessed.
Elana made her way down the hill and back to the cottage. There was a strange carriage stopped in front of the gate. Carefully she made her way to the door. She could hear voices inside. Although she was used to Mary Margaret and Max, Elana was still nervous of strangers. She opened the door slowly and saw Mary Margaret seated at the table. Emily was beside her looking grim. A young constable was seated at the end of the table drinking a cup of tea. Just the sight of the policeman made her nervous. She could not help but remember when they had dragged her from this cottage screaming Daniel’s name. Elana took several deep breaths, trying to calm the storm that churned within her, before she stepped into the room. Mary Margaret met her gaze.
“What is it?” Elana asked nervously, looking first to Mary Margaret and then to the constable. Both looked very serious.
“It appears Lady Birmingham is dead.” Mary Margaret said flatly. Elana sat down with a thud, both from surprise and relief.
“Dead? Someone better explain.” She turned to the constable. He finished his tea and told her what had happened.
“The man that killed Lord Birmingham, Andy Wilson, came to an understanding with the judge. He was sentenced to the death penalty, but his mother told the judge that he was paid to kill the Lord.” Elana looked at Mary Margaret who sat stern and still. She nodded for the man to continue. “Naturally, the court was very interested in who would pay to have the Lord killed. Wilson said he would tell who paid him, if they reduced his sentence to life. Here is where it gets interesting.” The young constable adjusted his body in the chair, so he was facing Elana. “Apparently, Lady Evelyn Birmingham paid him five hundred pounds to kill her son.”
Elana stared at him and her mouth dropped. Shocked, she almost fell off the chair. “No, she wouldn’t. Even the old dragon wouldn’t be that cold-hearted and cruel.” She needed a few minutes to take it all in. Now she understood why Mary Margaret appeared traumatized and in a trance. They both sat staring at the constable, in shock. After sipping her tea, she directed the constable to finish his tale.
“The judge ordered the police to go and find Lady Birmingham and bring her back to England, so that they could get to the bottom of the man’s claim. When the police informed the French authorities, they went to Lady Birmingham’s residence and confronted her.”
“I can’t believe this.” Elana looked at Mary Margaret. Her sister just shook her head from side to side. “I thought Andy Wilson was already dead, but it appears he is in prison for life. Charles’ own mother paid someone to kill him? It is absurd.”
“Sorry constable, please continue,” Mary Margaret found her voice. They both looked at the young man who seemed intrigued by the entire tale.
“Standing in front of Lady Birmingham, they told her that Andy Wilson had accused her of paying him to kill her son, and that she was wanted back in England immediately. The French police said that at no time did she deny it. During the confrontation, she screamed at the policemen to leave her alone. They informed her she was under arrest, but before they could take her, she collapsed. She died of a heart attack in the hospital shortly after that.” Elana stared at him, still in disbelief.
“She’s dead because she got found out? After all these years, it was her! She hired that man to kill Charles?” Elana was rambling. “It was her that had me put away for five years!” Finally, Mary Margaret’s own fog cleared and she came to hold her sister.
Max was making his daily visit and arrived at the door finding it was still open. He looked in and when he saw Elana in distress, he rushed into the room. “What’s going on here?” Not hearing Max approach, the young constable jumped. “Elana, Mary Margaret, what’s going on?”
The constable asked Mary Margaret if she wanted Max to stay. She nodded and told Max to take a seat. “I have come to tell these ladies that Lady Birmingham is dead.” Max looked at the women in utter amazement.
“Tell him all of the ghastly details, from the beginning.” Elana reached out and took Max’ hand. Mary Margaret sat back down holding Emily, who stared silently at the grownups. In all of the confusion, Mary Margaret had forgotten that Emily was beside her. The child was pale and filled with fear. Her mother held her tightly, whispering reassurances in her ear.
The constable repeated his macabre story. Max, like the others, was stunned.
At last, Mary Margaret had absorbed what he was saying. She cleared her head and came to a sudden realization. She turned on the constable, shouting, “She is dead! Where is my son? Where is James? He is my son and I want him home now.”
Elana reached for Emily, who was startled by her mother’s outburst. Her aunt pulled her onto her knee, holding her gently.
Elana and Max suddenly realized that Mary Margaret was right. If Lady Birmingham was dead, where was James? Something had to be done, and soon. They thanked the constable and he left the cottage. Max rode into town to get Mary Margaret’s solicitors. They arrived two hours later.
Looking at the stone cottage in distaste, they entered the tiny structure hesitantly. What did this woman want now? They had charged her a great deal to free her sister and they knew she did not have much of the estate money left. It was all about money to them.
An hour later, they were in a different frame of mind. If Lady Birmingham was dead, Mary Margaret could now reclaim her son, young Lord James Birmingham. She would be his legal guardian and would be back in the manor with all the advantages that she had once had. This revelation, combined with their immense greed, changed their countenance and they were busy planning the next course of action for Mary Margaret.
It had been a long day. Max took Emily to the Douglas Manor so that she could play the piano. She really didn’t understand everything that was going on, but at ten years old she knew her mother and her aunt were very excited. “Max, did that man say that my grandmamma Birmingham killed my Daddy?” He looked at her with
such pity.
“Yes, Love, but don’t you think about that. Your Daddy loved you very much and his mother was very ill. She had something wrong with her mind that made her do bad things. She is dead now and can’t hurt anyone ever again.” Thankfully, Emily seemed satisfied with Max’ explanation.
Elana had to go and lie down. The entire episode was exhausting and the pregnancy was making her very tired. She lay in her bed thinking about Lady Birmingham. You old witch. I will never forget your evil face through those bars and all the time it was you! You killed Charles and I spent five years in hell because of it. I’m glad you’re dead, may you rot in hell. She rubbed her hand with the crooked finger and rolled over toward the wall. A strange peace seemed to envelope her, and she fell fast asleep.
Mary Margaret walked up the hill alone and stood staring at the estate. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Is it really possible? Will I finally have James back in my life? Charles, my darling, to be killed by your own mother is unbelievable. Dear God, please help me reunite with my son soon. She thought of Charles and wondered how her son would look. She worried that he might not be glad to see her. After years with Evelyn, what did James think of his mother? She sat down on the grass and cried.
In time, Mary Margaret conquered her fears. She was excited. Her son was coming home at long last. She told Emily all she could about James, so the girl would accept him as her brother. How James was going to accept Emily, no one knew.
Elana and Max began to plan how they would get the farm up and running again. Max noticed that she was less nervous and seemed full of energy. Elana wrote to Daniel and told him the entire story.
No one could believe it and deduced that Lady Birmingham must have been insane to hire someone to kill her own son. This thought gaveb Mary Margaret some concern about how her son had been raised by a mad woman. She tried not to think about it. This was what she had been waiting for. Her son was coming home after seven long years. She wondered what he would look like. What kind of a boy was he? Mary Margaret started to think about hiring staff and having the estate cleaned and ready, but the solicitor instructed her to stay away from the manor. Nothing could be done until James actually arrived home. She also had very little money, but she could make plans.
She visited Jesse Douglas and told her what had happened. The woman was shocked. During the visit, Jill came into the room. Lady Douglas asked Jill if she would like to return to the Birmingham Manor, but Jill was settled now and enjoyed working for the Douglas’. Mary Margaret assured them both that she would find people to staff the house. It was a difficult yet exciting time. She wanted to see James so badly, but she knew she would have to wait until he came home.
Elana lay in her bed at night trying to deal with the news. She ran the scenario over and over in her mind. Lady Birmingham had hired Andy Wilson to kill Charles. Then she arrived on the scene and accused Elana of killing him. That meant she had intended to blame her or Mary Margaret for the murder all the time. It was difficult for her to accept that anyone could be so evil. She placed her hand on her stomach and stroked her skin lovingly, thinking of the child within. Imagine killing your own flesh and blood, for what reason, money and power? No matter how she looked at the situation, she could not fathom it, but it seemed to give her an inner strength that she had forgotten she had.
Mary Margaret and Elana talked about the murder, but both were having trouble understanding how a mother could kill her own son. They made a pact to try and forget about Evelyn and how she had made both of their lives a nightmare. They would think of the future and make the most of their lives from this day forward. Evelyn couldn’t hurt them anymore.
The solicitors arrived at the cottage one bright and sunny morning. Mary Margaret and Elana were surprised to see them. They both thought that James might be with them. Seeing only the two solicitors, they soon realized he was not. “Come in, gentlemen.” Mary Margaret held the door open and the two men stepped inside.
“We have news, Lady Birmingham.” It was Elana that first realized they were addressing her sister as Lady Birmingham once again. She and Mary Margaret looked at them with anticipation. “It concerns Lady Evelyn Birmingham. It appears her ladyship had a considerable amount of money in a French bank account.” The sisters looked at each other curiously. “That money belongs to the estate and Lord James Birmingham. She has left a will and everything that she owns is now his.”
“But how did Lady Birmingham amass a small fortune?” Elana was curious but she had her own ideas of where the money came from.
“Unfortunately, it appears that she was depositing money in France for many years before her husband passed away.” Thank God, Robert was not aware of this, thought Mary Margaret.
“She had it planned the entire time, the old dragon.” Elana couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “It is a good thing she is dead; now she can’t hurt us anymore.”
“Elana! Show some respect for the dead, in front of these fine gentlemen.” Mary Margaret had returned quickly to her aristocratic ways putting on a show for the solicitors, but she was trying to suppress her own desire to laugh at her sister’s comments. Elana winked at her.
“The money has been deposited in the bank in Chatsworth in your account, Lady Birmingham. Here are the necessary papers giving you full guardianship of James and the estate, until he reaches the age of eighteen. James will be home in a few weeks.” Both women stared at them in awe.
Mary Margaret walked the solicitors to the door. Closing the door, she turned to her sister and laughed. “A few weeks! James will be home in a few weeks, I can’t believe it is finally happening.” Elana grabbed her and the two danced around the room.
“Imagine that old dragon stealing from her own husband. Was nothing sacred to her?” Elana still could not believe what the solicitors had told them. “Never mind, remember our pact. We think only of the future, and now your son is coming home at long last.” She hugged her sister tightly.
Mary Margaret visited Charles’ grave in the old church cemetery. It was a warm sunny day and many blooming flowers were scattered throughout the rows. She settled herself on the grass, laying a bouquet of spring flowers beside the stone. Oh, Charles, my darling. So much has happened since you left me, but now, at long last, our son is coming home. Your mother was a beast, Charles, stealing not only our son, but money from the estate. It appears the woman had no conscience. I want you to rest in peace, my love. I shall miss you until the day I die and we can be together once again, just as we should have been before fate stepped in. Her fingers caressed the earth as she spoke to him in her mind. She would miss Charles, but now James was coming home, at last.
Thirteen-year-old, James Birmingham arrived at Birmingham Manor on July 7th, two weeks after his mother had been told of his grandmother’s will. The legal paperwork had taken months and his school year ended in June. Mary Margaret stood on the doorstep of the manor, waiting for him in great anticipation, with Emily and Elana by her side.
The doorway was overgrown with vines. There had not been time to do anything to prepare the manor for his return. It was dilapidated and in great need of repair. The carriage stopped in front of the door. The coachman jumped down and opened the door for the young Lord Birmingham. When he stepped from the carriage, Mary Margaret and Elana both gasped loudly. He was the spitting image of his father. Tall, blond and blue-eyed, he was a very handsome young man. Mary Margaret felt as if Charles was standing in front of her. Her heart beat loudly in her chest; she found it very disconcerting.
He stood looking at the building before him, sternly taking it all in. His eyes came to rest on the tiny welcoming committee. He did not smile. He just stared at them, as if he had never seen them before. Mary Margaret wanted to run and pull him into her arms, but the look he gave her froze her feet to the step.
Elana held back as long as she could, but she knew her sister was close to tears. Finally, she broke the tension. “James, your mother and I are very happy to see you. We have missed you
very much.” He gave her a look that could only be interpreted as disgust.
“Missed me? I doubt that very much.” He turned to Mary Margaret, “Mother, you did not come to visit me once in all these years. You sent me away to school and forgot about me. Now I am supposed to be thrilled to see you. I am sorry, but I don’t even know you.” He turned his attention on Emily. “Is this my sister?”
Mary Margaret stood still, as his words cut her to the quick. Elana put her arm around her.
“James, your mother did not know where you were. I think you had better come to the cottage; we need to talk.” Angry, Elana grabbed Mary Margaret’s hand and started to walk toward the road. James remained where he was. He appeared to be trying to decide what to do.
Emily walked over and took his hand. “Come on, James. You can see my new lamb.” It worked. He started to walk with his sister. He watched her animated face and her dark ringlets bounce as she walked and chatted to him. Listening, James found this entire scenario surreal. He looked at the countryside as if he were trying to remember it. Mary Margaret and Elana did not try to talk to him until they were back inside the cottage. Mary Margaret’s heart was breaking. After all these years, he had rejected her. Elana did her best to keep her sister calm.
James sat at the table, but he wasn’t going to make this easy. “Before you say anything, you should know I am going back to France in a fortnight. I will stay at the school until the next semester begins.” His attitude was cavalier, at best. He appeared very mature for his age.
Mary Margaret finally found her voice. “James, my darling son, I did not know where you were. Please believe me. Your grandmother took you without my permission, the day of your father’s funeral.” Tears ran down her face with her words coming out in gasps.
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