Chapter 57

With an approaching chill of

winter in the air, a carriage pulled up outside the family home of

Alessandra's parents. She eagerly jumped out, seeing her mother

running toward her.

"Alessandra!" she heard before

being enveloped into the familiar, loving arms.

Edward looked on over the

loving reunion, and shook hands with Alessandra's father before

both grandparents noticed Margaret, with Elizabeth in her

arms.

"There is my granddaughter,"

Isabella exclaimed as she gathered the small bundle up into her

arms. "Oh, how she has grown since I last saw her! Come inside

quickly. It is starting to be too cold to be outside for long now,"

she continued, ushering everyone inside the small home.

Margaret appreciated further

her young mistress upon seeing the home that she grew up in. She

had suspected since first meeting her that Alessandra had not come

from money. Seeing how well she fitted back into the little home -

how much it meant to her - confirmed it.

After general talk about their

long journey and the progress of Elizabeth in her growth, Margaret

was shown to the room that she would share with Elizabeth.

Alessandra and Edward were left to finally speak in confidence to

Alessandra's parents.

"Now, my child, you did not say

much in your letter, apart from you and Edward needing to visit a

property near here," Alessandra's father began, making both young

people nervous about mentioning Tom to the people before them.

"Yes, Father, I have …

inherited … a vast property not far from here. If agreeable to you,

Edward and I would like to leave Margaret and Elizabeth here with

you for one night so we may go and visit the property. We wish to

meet the staff there, so we can decide what to do with

it."

Edward saw both of her parents

look at her in surprise at the news.

"But who has left such a gift

to you, daughter? I know of no family members who have passed

recently."

Alessandra blushed and looked

down before summoning strength and looking both of her parents in

the eye.

"I was left it … by … Tom

Missinger."

"Oh, dear, but he was married,

Alessandra. How could you possibly have been left his property?"

her father questioned, not at all understanding what could have

brought about such a situation.

"Yes, Father. It appears

that in his will, he named me as the full recipient of his wealth,

including land and money."

"But what of his wife?" her

mother asked, confused. "Will she receive nothing?"

"No, it seems he expressly put

in his will that she was to receive nothing from him. Furthermore,

the lawyer has said that she has not come forward to make any claim

at all on the will. It appears that she wants nothing from what Tom

owned - not even the money and land that he received from her

family when she married him."

Everyone was quiet as they

thought about the situation that had presented itself.

"You now own land near

here?" Isabella asked and saw Alessandra nod in acknowledgement.

"Will you move here then?"

Edward looked at his wife, not

having even considered the possible allurement of her wanting to

live closer to her parents. As he watched her face, Alessandra

turned to him and smiled, taking his hand in hers to reassure

him.

"No, Mother, we will remain

living where we are. However, we do need to see the property and

assess what is to be done with it. That is why we are here. Are you

agreeable to our plan?"

"Yes, of course. We will take

good care of little Elizabeth, and Margaret too. Take as long as

you need to visit the property," Isabella replied.

"Thank you, Mother. We

will stay here tonight, and travel on tomorrow morning for just one

night," she said and turned to her father. "But Father, after we

visit the land, I would welcome your thoughts and advice on options

for it."

Edward saw Alessandra's father

nod and smile softly.

"Of course."

~~~~~

Once settled in bed that

evening, Edward held Alessandra close. The question of living

location still lingered in his mind.

"Is there a part of you that

would like to live closer to your mother and father,

Alessandra?"

"No ," she replied. "I

thank you for asking, but your home is now my home, and I love

living there with you and your parents."

"But you would be able to see

your mother and father more often…"

"I will very shortly be

receiving my own income. That will enable me to come here when I

need to, without worrying about the expenditure to your mother and

father," she said, moving closer still to him and kissing him. "We

already have a home, and I am happy there. I have no need or desire

to live anywhere else."

~~~~~

The next morning, the two

of them set out toward a home and land that neither of them had

ever seen before. Of most concern was the expectation that the

staff and tenants on the land would not be welcoming of them, given

the circumstance through which Alessandra had obtained it. In both

of their minds, that would be understandable since the property had

largely been in the Missinger family for generations.

As they approached the

property, they were immediately confronted by the size of the main

house. It was not as large as the estate manor of Edward's family,

and yet somehow it held a presence that was commanding, as though

it were a great person, famous for its strength and

power.

When they approached the

front door, they saw Mr Hogelby walk out. His presence surprised

Alessandra.

"Mr Hogelby! I did not expect

to see you here," she said happily.

"Mrs

Chisholm. Mr Chisholm," he

started, bowing whilst smiling at them both. "When I learned that

you were intending to visit, I wished to ensure that I was here, in

case any explanations were required. I have already taken the

liberty of speaking to the staff, and many of the tenants. They are

all understanding of how the property has now changed hands, and

they are eager to meet you both."

When

t he lawyer ushered them

inside, Edward found himself in awe of the design of the house.

Perhaps being not as old as his own family home, it had aspects to

it that made sense to him in a way that he had not even considered

before.

"It is a fine home, is it

not? This house was constructed only fifty years ago, after the

original home burned down. It has every modern convenience, and is

very handsome indeed," Mr Hogelby said. "Ahh, here are your service

staff."

One by one, Edward and

Alessandra were introduced to everyone lined up to meet them.

Overall, Alessandra found they were cheerful and eager to make

their acquaintance, and not at all resentful as she had thought

they might be. Soon afterward, the two of them were given a tour of

the home, walking from room to room in a daze while wondering again

what was the best thing to do with the home.

Mr Hogelby

moved to excuse himself , but

found himself invited to sit in the drawing room and talk more to

Alessandra and Edward. He took his time, answering all of their

questions about options for keeping the estate running and earning,

or selling it. Eventually he dismissed himself, saying he would be

ready to move forward with anything they wished for, whenever they

needed him to.

When he left, it was

mid-afternoon and Alessandra made her way to the kitchen to speak

to the cook, and on to all the individual household staff members,

Meanwhile, Edward ventured out to the stables to inspect the staff,

the horses, and the way things were run out there.

Over an intimate dinner that

had been lavishly prepared in their honour, the two of them

compared notes of their separate investigations, both feeling

excited about various aspects of the property.

"How are you feeling about

everything, my love?" Edward asked tentatively, still not sure if

perhaps she might be lured to live in that part of the land after

all.

"It is a fine home,

Edward. I think I need to keep it, at least for the moment, rather

than sell it. Mr Hogelby is certain that the financial side of the

estate is profitable, and we can use that profit to keep it

maintained and running well. I do believe we would need to find

someone to live in it, however. I have no reason to think it cannot

run without direction, as the staff all seem very established in

their roles. It would seem a waste, leaving it with no-one to enjoy

it."

They spent the evening

talking about all the different options they could think of, before

settling into a bedchamber which they found to also be similarly

modern and comfortable. The newness of it all - even down to the

fireplace which somehow seemed to generate and project much more

heat than the ones they were used to in Edward's home - provided a

new source of excitement. That, in turn, overflowed into the

realisation that they were once again alone without any parents in

the house with them. While they missed their daughter, once those

feelings started flowing, even she was dismissed from their active

thoughts.