ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔩𝔬𝔱𝔱𝔢 𝔖𝔲𝔩𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔞𝔫 ¤ 𝔇𝔬𝔠𝔱𝔬𝔯 𝔚𝔥𝔬

Chapter 26

Early the next morning, Pearl opened her eyes to the sound of the markets beginning to start below them.

She yawned as she began to get dressed and slowly began styling her hair into a side plait like she did every morning. She opened the door to head into the kitchen and make some food when she stopped.

Charlotte was sitting down on the floor, her legs crossed and staring at all of her letters. But these weren't from Timothy.

"Are these your mother's letters?" Pearl asked, picking one up.

"Yeah," Charlotte nodded. "She used to always tell me everything she'd done since the last time she had written to me. This means she might've written where she was living in one of them."

"You're trying to find her, aren't you?" Pearl asked with a smile.

"Is the sky blue?" Charlotte replied, answering Pearl's question.

Pearl giggled, "So... found any clues yet?"

"Nope, just places she used to live..." Charlotte replied.

"Maybe they know where she moved to?" Pearl suggested.

Charlotte stood up, the letter in her hand as she reached over and grabbed her coat, "Then let's get going."

Pearl smiled, standing up and grabbing her coat too.

///

"Yeah, I remember Mary," a worker at the factory said. "After she met that James fella, they moved. Wanted to find somewhere nice that they could afford. I remember Mary saying she wanted something similar to what she had when her daughter was a little girl."

"Somewhere in the countryside?" Charlotte asked.

"Yep, kept saying that she wanted somewhere nice for the day she could get her daughter back," the man sighed. "Poor gal."

"Thank you, sir," Charlotte thanked before she followed Pearl to the exit.

"Well, at least we can narrow the number of houses down," Pearl shrugged. "Where shall we start?"

Charlotte pondered on where to go, when the memories of her old house on the farm came back to her. Her mother wouldn't go back there... would she?

"We start with where Mother and I first lived," Charlotte replied. "My mother would want the place to be as close as she could get to our old home, so what if she originally got the actual house?"

"It's a start," Pearl agreed. "But it's still a distance."

Good thing I still have some of Doctor's money left, Charlotte thought with a smile.

///

The horse carriage stopped at the end of the road, as there was no flat surface to take the carriage. Charlotte didn't mind too much. They were almost at the house.

"Thank you," Pearl said as they left.

"Take care, you two," the carriage driver called out before turning the horse and the carriage around.

The two friends continued down the grassy pathway, their arms linked together. Charlotte took one silent deep breath after the other, trying to keep herself calm. It had been nearly nine years since she last saw the house.

Miraculously, it was still there, undamaged and still looking like a beautiful barn and house. Charlotte smiled a little, glad that her mother had never been affected by the bombings.

"You ready?" Pearl asked.

"I hope so," Charlotte replied.

"Hey, I'll be beside you the entire time, okay?" Pearl smiled at her best friend.

"Thank you, Pearl," Charlotte smiled back.

The two girls walked down the stone pathway and up towards the white door. Charlotte hesitated, taking one last deep breath before knocking on the door.

A man answered. He had frizzy brown hair and a small beard, with kind green eyes and a small smile.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Hello, does a woman named Mary Sullivan live here?" Charlotte asked.

"You mean Mary Wilson?" the man replied.

"Wilson?" Charlotte repeated.

"My wife," the man replied. "How do you know her?"

"Oh, uhm, I'm her daughter, Charlotte," Charlotte introduced herself, holding out her hand to shake. "Charlotte Sullivan."

"James," the man introduced himself, shaking Charlotte's hand. "James Wilson. Who's she? Your sister?"

"Oh, I'm Pearl Robins," Pearl stepped forwards, shaking James' hand. "I'm her friend."

"Well, Mary is on a walk to the market nearby, but you to and come in and wait," James beckoned them in.

While inside, James, Charlotte and Pearl shared stories while having cups of tea.

James had met Mary while she was on her evening walks. They went on a few dates before they both decided to move somewhere together.

"Yeah, my mother wrote about you now and then in the letters she sent me," Charlotte smiled.

"I remember she used to worry about me thinking I loved her daughter more than she loved me," James chuckled at the memory. "I understand, however. My mother had to do something similar when my brother and I were very young. She couldn't even get enough to give us three meals a day. So she made the hard choice and sold us."

"I'm really sorry," Charlotte sighed.

"Don't be, Charlotte," James smiled. "I learnt a lot of important things after that, including how to take care of myself, which most people don't really figure out until they're in their middle twenties."

Just then, the sound of the front door opening caught everyone's attention. Charlotte stood up, making her way back to the front door.

"Hey James," Mary said, having not looked up yet. "The market was very busy today."

"Mother..." Charlotte whispered.

Mary then looked up, and almost dropped the basket in her hands. There, standing before her, was her daughter, looking all grown up and beautiful.

"Lottie..." Mary gasped silently, rushing over and embracing her daughter. "Oh, Lottie! I'm so sorry."

"Mother, it's okay," Charlotte insisted. "You only did what was best for me. And it's okay, I wasn't alone. I had friends everywhere I turned."

"I don't understand though," Mary said. "I went to Farringham when the war started so I could bring you home, but they said you had left with your master four months before I'd arrived."

"I did," Charlotte explained. "My master, Mr Ridley, he took me in. Then Timothy... my boyfriend, he went to fight in the war and the bomb raids began... and I just couldn't stay."

"Come," Mary smiled. "You can explain properly to me at the table, I'd also like to hear more about this Timothy. And I'm sure your friend has her story to share too."

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Author's note:

We are slowly approaching the end of our story here. I promise the last few chapters will be nice and heartfelt. No more heartbreakers.

Get ready for another reunion in the next chapter!