back below again. Being above decks allowed him to be the first to disembark, and he made a beeline for the black lacquered carriage bearing his family’s crest on its doors.
“Hello, Fredrick,” he called to the coachman, while the footman went to get his luggage.
“It is good to see you again, Lord Bartlett,” Fredrick replied as Walter stepped into the carriage.
He nearly fell backwards in surprise to find his mother waiting inside for him. The next moment, he had his arms around her in an embrace, a smile on his face.
“It is so good to see you!” he said as he moved her to arm’s length to look at her more closely.
“It is so good to see you, too, Walter,” she replied as she began to fondly inspect him.
Now Walter was able to get a good look at his mother, he found himself shocked at how much she had aged. True, she had already had a fair amount of gray in her light brown hair two years ago but now there was more gray than brown. And all the new wrinkles and worry lines…
“Well, I am here to stay for a long while,” Walter told her, making the decision right then. The statement made his mother seem to hesitate about something, before she appeared to brush aside whatever thoughts were in her mind to smile back at him, while the carriage started moving.
“And I will gladly keep you here as long as you will stay,” she told him, putting a hand on his cheek, and patting it gently. “I had hoped your ship would dock earlier in the day, but it seems we have just enough time for us to return home and for you to prepare for dinner.”
“And I suppose you are going to insist on it not being a minute late?” he teased, remembering how strict his mother was about having meals on time. Walter settled in beside his mother with an arm around her.
“Now, more than ever. You won’t have any trouble being on time, so long as you don’t waste time or get distracted.”
“To be fair, Mother, that only happened a handful of times when I was a child,” Walter replied. Then he saw the lift of his mother’s eyebrows. “I don’t count those times.”
Sylvia smiled and shook her head at him, as though he was still a naughty child. “Well, enough of all that. Tell me more about your journey here, how you got on in France, and everything else. You did try your best in your letters, but it was not nearly enough. I want all the details.”
“Where shall I start?”
“Hmm. With the basics of your journey. We should have time for that before we arrive at the townhouse.”
So, Walter obeyed, telling her everything he could think of in the carriage, and then going straight to his room when they reached the house. Part of him was still in shock at how much his mother had aged in two short years.
The small twinges of guilt he had sometimes felt in France now had him on the rack. While he still didn’t want to be in London, he resolved to stay for as long as she needed him. Perhaps, he might even be able to convince his mother to return to France with him?
Despite his musings, Walter was able to concentrate on the task at hand well enough to reach the dining hall with exactly one minute to spare. His mother glanced pointedly at the clock as he pulled out her chair for her.
“So, shall I resume telling you about the happenings on the ship?”
“No, thank you, dear ... I think we shall have plenty of time for that later,” Sylvia replied hesitantly.
“What is it, Mother?” he asked, picking up on the fact she wanted to say something important.
“I have considered not broaching this particular subject for a while. However, if you are to … it is, perhaps, best to discuss it now, in case … certain preparations need to be made.” Seeing Walter was looking at her and listening attentively, she continued. “Walter, dear, you mentioned earlier your plan to stay here for some time. So, may I take that to mean you intend to leave again at some point?”
Walter could tell his mother was choosing her words carefully, so he took a moment to do the same. “Yes, I do. For certain reasons, I don’t think I can ever truly feel at home here. At least, not yet.”