Huckabee's Fortune

Laying in bed, I heard the grandfather clock in the hall chiming.

“One, two, three, four, five…”, I whispered to myself.

“What was that darling?” I heard from the restless body by my side.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, Ernest…”

“Wake me? My dear, I have barely slept a wink”, he replied as he pulled me into his embrace.

He and I both. We were both as nervous as each other for today. The trip to the Scottish Highlands had been planned for some time now, however as the day neared, my nerves had grown more. I hadn’t stepped back to my previous life for close to thirty years and half of me wasn’t ready to face the demons that I knew were waiting.

“What time are we being collected again?”

“Ellie said the cart will be here by breakfast…”

“Hmm… Remind me again why my daughter is coming on our honeymoon?” He replied. The bags under his tired, closed eyes were looking darker today.

I laughed. Ernest had only had his daughter back in his life for a short time, but his age was showing, and he was getting grumpier by the day.

“Oh, darling. This whole charade was her idea. Come on, you’ll enjoy your time with your grandchildren.”

He made a muffled groan before rolling out of bed and stoking the fire in our cottage room. Since we had ceased most of our work at the Sherwood Manor, I could see the plump in his stomach more prominently in the morning light.

“Well?” He asked, “Are you just going to lay there?”

Thankful that I had packed the day before, I took his hint and clambered out of bed, my back stiff with age. Finding the blue gown that I’d laid out the night before, I headed down to prepare breakfast. I hadn’t yet reached the kitchen before I heard the screams of two excited children on the other side of the door. I took a deep breath and smiled, their laughs had become the centre of our universe, along with their mother. I opened the door and was greeted with the joy of an eager family, ready for the journey ahead.

“I’m sorry we are so early, Ma.” Ellie said, “The children had been up before dawn and we couldn’t contain their excitement much longer. Is my father nearly ready?”

“Don’t rush me, Ellie. I am retired now, after all.” We heard a muffled voice behind us coming down the stairs.

Thankfully, Ellie knew what her father was like, especially when he was tired. Her laugh still lit up an entire room and made my heart fill whole. Although she wasn’t my daughter by blood, I loved her as much as I had loved my own before they perished all those years ago.

“Well, come in then. We are just about to have some tea and then we will leave.”

Within an hour we were on the road, the sun had well and truly risen, and the children were asleep on their parents' laps.

“I thought we would aim to get to Edinburgh tonight. It will be a long journey, but we can stay with my cousin on the outskirts and continue on in the morning. We should be in the Highlands in two days time.” Thomas said quietly.

I winced at the mention of the Highlands, even though I knew it was our destination. Gazing into the distance, I felt a warm hand take hold of mine.

“You’ll be ok, Ma. We will all be with you…” I turned to face Ellie and forced a smile.

Unbeknownst to me, Ellie had sent a messenger to the Highlands a few months prior to our journey. He had found the Cairn where my family was buried, and it wasn’t too far from my old castle in South Drouin. The last time I visited, I had discovered my husband had murdered our eleven children before taking his own life and I was too distraught to look for their burial site. Ellie had arranged this trip in the hope of some closure for me, and to say a final goodbye on their anniversary.

“She’s right, my love. All of us here have been on the same journey, even Thomas. We have all needed our own form of closure. We will be with you every step of the way.”

He was right. Our journeys had been long, mine the longest. I had also lost the most compared to all here, and although I never resented the fact my dear Ernest had found his daughter in the midst of it, the pain of losing my own never ceased.

The rest of our journey was uneventful, and I was glad the conversation of what was to come was over. We did have to stop a few times for Eira and William to stretch their legs, and by the time we reached Edinburgh, we barely ate dinner before succumbing to our exhaustion.

“You should reach the Southern Highlands by nightfall.” Thomas’ cousin, Edward, stated the following morning at breakfast.

“You think so? We had allowed ourselves another day of travel…”

“Oh definitely. Surely you remember, Mrs Branxholme? The road between here and the north isn’t too bad.”

“Unfortunately, it’s been some time since I have visited my homeland, Sir. I can’t quite recall the way if I’m being honest.”

“Ahh well, never mind the distance. It’s the beauty you shall never forget. Just in time too, for the heather is to be in season. It is the most beautiful time of year if I don’t say myself.” Sir Edward replied.

I nodded in agreeance, “Now that is something I could never forget.”

I drifted off into memory as Thomas and Edward discussed our lodgings in his summer house in the Highlands, just out of Inverness. Heather was the name of my first daughter, and she was named after the season Edward had mentioned.

“Maude, are you ready, darling?” I jolted out of my daydream to Ernest’s hand reaching out to mine and realised it was time to keep moving..

“I thank you, Sir Edward. It’s been a pleasure to be surrounded by fellow Scots. I assume we will meet again.”

“I do hope so, Mrs Branxholme. I wish you well for the remainder of your journey.”

We reached the Highlands by nightfall, as per Sir Edwards prediction. Although it was getting dark, the beauty of the Highlands shone beneath the glow of the rising moon. The smells that surrounded us, from dirt to the scent from the forest we were riding through, met me like an old friend. I shut my eyes and breathed it all in. I had lost so much, but never the memories.

“We are close, Ernest. I remember this road.” He took my hand and squeezed it tight as I stared into the distance. I saw my old home on top of the hill. It looked run down even from so far away, and no smoke was descending from the chimneys. For once being filled with so much love, laughter, and happiness, it broke my heart seeing it in a state of ruin.

We rode for another hour before reaching our lodgings, where we were met by the house staff and taken to the dining hall for supper. I felt my anxiety reach new levels and could barely eat. I decided to excuse myself and headed out into the courtyard for some fresh air. Even though I had begged Ernest to let me be, I knew he would soon be on my heels. I gazed up into the night sky, the moon had fully risen now, and it was almost full. The scents that surrounded me were so familiar and I hated to admit that it made my heart full.

“Home is where the heart is, a place to catch you when you fall,” I whispered to myself before being interrupted by the sound of heavy feet behind me. I knew Ernest wouldn’t stay away long.

“Are you ok, Huckabee?” There was only one person who still called me by that name. I spun to see Thomas, leaning against the doorframe, a worried look in his eyes.

“Thomas? I mean, my lord. You took me by surprise. I thought you were Ern…”

“I assumed you would, but I poured him a whiskey and told him to stay put. He is with Ellie and the children in the drawing-room.”

“Oh, good. Is there anything I can do for you, sir?” I asked, knowing I would be scolded for the offer by the look in his eye. I still forget I am not his housemaid anymore.

“No. In fact, I hope there is something I can do for you. Somehow, our little trip here wasn’t kept as secret as we would have liked, and this package was delivered for you just last week.”

Thomas handed me a small package wrapped in brown butchers paper and tied with straw. It was solid but light. I quizzed its existence while putting it in my jacket pocket. I decided to open it later and I knew Thomas would respect my privacy.

“It is beautiful here, isn’t it, Mrs Branxholme? The air is fresh, the fields are green, and the food is delicious!”

“Scotland is a special kind of place, sir,” I replied while walking to stand next to him on the edge of the path.

“Do you ever miss it?”

I stood in silence for a good moment before I could muster the words to answer his question.

“You can take a Scot out of Scotland, but you can never truly take Scotland out of the Scot, Thomas.”

He smirked at my reply, “I like that.”

“However.” I continued, “Wherever Ernest is, and the grandchildren, Ellie, and even yourself, that is where my heart truly lies.”

I saw his smile in the moonlight and he wrapped his arms around my shoulder pulling me in tight.

“You are incredibly special to us all, Huckabee. Who would have thought when I was running around the Sherwood estate, causing my usual chaos all those years ago, that this is where we would end up, hmm?”

As I opened the door to my chamber, I saw Ernest waiting for me by the fire with a nightcap in hand. He walked over to greet me and pulled me in tight. I felt his hand feel the small package in my pocket that Thomas had given to me earlier.

“What’s this then?” he asked, as he pulled it out.

“I don’t know. Apparently, it was dropped here last week for me. I don’t know who it could be from.” I began opening it to find a small black book. It looked distantly familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. I opened it to find a letter that contained the trust and ownership of all my deceased husbands' financials.

There were thousands of pounds worth of assets and inheritance throughout the pages, that I never knew existed. Perplexed, I continued to read on and found out it was all left to me and I had the authority to distribute how I saw fit, between myself and my two surviving children, Heather and Peter. It was dated 16th May 1842, only two months prior.

I dropped the book and collapsed into Ernest’s arms

“Whatever is the matter, Maude?” He asked, worriedly.

“They’re alive. My children are alive.”