Page 59 of Marry Me…Maybe?
‘London, I guess. I don’t know. We’re not involved any more.’
He was surprised to see his mother’s face drop again. ‘Why ever not?’
‘You saw the article, Mother. She didn’t think you’d be too keen on having her join the family.’
She shook her head as if trying to clear it. ‘I don’t understand.’
He lost patience with her. ‘Look, I know you don’t think she’s good enough to further the Berkeley family line, or some such rubbish, but I don’t want anyone else. Sell the house, if that’s what you want. I don’t care any more. There are one too many bad memories here now anyway.’
Her expression was confused. ‘I’m not going to sell the house, Theo, it belongs to you.’
‘No, it doesn’t.’
‘Not yet – legally, at least – but I’ve decided to sign it over to you. This silly feud between us has gone on too long.’
He stared at her, trying to process what she’d just said. ‘You’re selling me the house?’
‘I’m giving it to you.’
He let out an involuntary huff of surprise. ‘Why?’
‘Because it belongs to you and you belong to it. I never much enjoyed living here – I prefer more modern buildings – but I know that you love it here.’
He shook his head wearily. ‘It won’t make a difference to anything. Emily doesn’t want me.’
‘Are you sure?’
He slammed his coffee mug down on the table, feeling the burning liquid slop over his hand but not caring. ‘You can’t fix this, Mother, so don’t even bother trying. This is one problem you can’t buy your way out of.’
Getting up, he marched out of the house and over to the workshop, turning on all the machines and finding a strange kind of peace in the grinding and whirring noise of their engines.
He was so angry.
He’d been punishing himself all these years for things he’d not been able to predict or control – and for what?
To be alone and miserable still.
He’d held everyone at a safe distance from him until Emily had shaken it out of him – but look what had happened.
Once again, he’d found himself willing to give up everything – something he’d sworn never to do again – but it hadn’t been enough.
He’d still lost the best thing that had ever happened to him.
Sighing, he slumped down against the wall, putting his head in his hands.
It was over. She wasn’t coming back.
He just needed to find a way to live without her now.
Emily was busily scrubbing the doors of her dining room, just for something banal to do to take her mind off the incessant loop of sadness and anger and loneliness swirling through her head, when there was a ring on her doorbell.
Dumping the cloth in the bucket of water, she went to the door, fully expecting to have to turn away a determined salesperson – only to find Theo’s mother standing there, looking completely incongruous, somehow; the epitome of a fish out of water. The woman was far too genteel to be standing in the middle of a busy London street.
‘Francesca! How did you find me?’ Surely the woman hadn’t tracked her down here just to tell her to leave her son alone?
Francesca gave a small cough behind her hand before speaking. ‘Theo’s housekeeper found your address out for me – she didn’t need much persuasion to help. Apparently, she really likes you and thinks you’re a good match for Theo.’
She patted down her immaculate hair and raised an eyebrow.
