The Wedding That Never Was

Rings 23 - I cannot go on living without him

Rings 23 – I cannot go on living without him

It had been three weeks since Bryony flew to London and since Simon's mother wanted to go home to the country estate in Gloucestershire, so they went there instead. It had been a tense 3 weeks, she barely talked with Simon and his mother, the dowager was a dragon. Nothing satisfied that old hag.

And Bryony was getting more frustrated, she cannot wait to go back to Manila. She hated it here, memories were flooding her mind. She hated it so much. All these years, she avoided her memories because there was no joy in those memories. Even the happy memories were clouded by the painful memories.

She eyed the maid with the tray of food for the old hag. The doctor cleared certain food for her but the old hag didn't even want to touch her food. She noticed how the maid took a deep breath before she touched the knob.

The old hag was terrorizing the staff and everyone was afraid to face her. So Bryony decided to give the maid a reprieve, she walked to the door, "Give it to me, I'll feed the dowager." She said, the maid's eyes widened but she saw the relief there.

The maid handed the tray to her, "Thank you, my lady." She opened the door for Bryony.

Bryony stepped inside the room, she noticed how the curtains were down again. It was too dark in the room. She put the tray down on top of the drawer near the door, after it, she walked to the window and pulled the curtains up. "Rise and shine, mother."

"Go away."

Bryony ignored it, walked back towards the drawer and took the tray again. With the tray in hand, she walked to the bed where the dowager was resting, she placed the tray down on top of the bed, went near the dowager and helped her up.

After that, she took the tray again and was about to place it near the dowager when she pushed it away. The sound of the plates breaking enveloped the room. Bryony looked down the broken pieces of glasses on the floor.

"That much strength should have been used in your therapy, mother." She just said, she pulled the bell pull near the bed, "I don't know why you are such in sour mood, mother." she said cheerily, just to annoy her mother-in-law. "The sun is shining so brightly, mother."

"Leave."

"If I leave, Stella will be the one nursing you." she said, Stella was the burlesque dancer that Simon was supposed to marry and the old hag hated that woman. "I have many things to do back in Manila, mother. I have my wedding to plan, after all."

Bryony wasn't so comfortable with letting Miss Matthias to continue planning the wedding but she had to trust that Miss Matthias would not sabotage her wedding. She hadn't contacted Miss Matthias or even Angelo. She didn't want to. She was sure Angelo could hear the pain in her voice if she spoke with him. So radio silence. Angelo messaged her saying that he missed her but she couldn't tell him that she missed him too.

"I don't even understand why you put me as your power of attorney. You hate me." She added, she didn't expect the old hag to reply to her so she sat on the chair opposite the bed and waited for the staff to clean the mess up.

"I don't trust Simon." The old hag suddenly said.

Mother not trusting Simon? That was new. He was her only child and she loved him too much. Spoiled him even. And to hear that the dowager didn't trust her only child? That was surprising. "Why?" she asked.

"I don't trust his judgements lately."

Bryony as well. Simon was different. And she didn't also trust what she was seeing with Simon. "How's the wedding planning, by the by, mother?"