The Somerton Man

A kind of contentment

(PART FOUR)

Daniel had returned home to Somerton Manor, after spending a week in London on business. On entering the house, he could hear Clara's girlish laughter drift from  somewhere in family home It made him stop and pause for a moment, finding it strange. It had been a long time since there had been any sort of laughter in Somerton Manor, and he had never thought to hear it again, or care. But these last few weeks had changed all that.

He was about to climb the stairs to his room, when the door of the drawing room opened, then Clara and Eleanor appeared caught up in some light hearted conversation, at first unaware of Daniel's presence, but then Clara caught sight of him.

"Father!" she exclaimed happily, now hurrying over to him, "We didn't think you would be back until the end of the week"

"Yes, well I managed to get away a little earlier than I thought I would, so here I am" Daniel replied, realising that this was the first time since his return from the war and Europe he had ever been inclined to return back to his home early, instead of delaying the prospect as much as he could.

"Eleanor and I were just discussing the letter Eleanor received from her cousin Katherine, in York. She has just attended her first coming out ball at Lady Carmichael's home, apparently it was a great success, although Katherine's description in her letter of Lady Carmichael was very amusing..." Clara continued to chatter away.

As Daniel watched her animated expression, it once more reminded him of Isabella. But he did not feel the pain and loss quite so deeply as he once had, after all, having Clara was almost like having Isabella back with him, and he was beginning to realise at last that this was a good thing, in that he had not lost her completely after all.. She lived through their daughter.

Thinking of his dead wife only brought his mind back to his living one, and he glanced over at Eleanor, who unlike Clara, had just stopped in her tracks a few feet from him,  whilst she smiled at Clara, she  but looking a little uncertain of him as usual, as if she wasn't sure how to greet his return.

She had fully recovered from her accident, and she and Clara had become even closer, much to his relief. He found the disadvantages of staying off the alcohol and having a clear head, tended to make you more conscious and aware of the affects your words and actions had with other people, and not liking yourself very much. Re-examining his past behaviour towards Eleanor, he knew he had not dealt with her very kindly a lot of the times, and he felt bad about that.

He was now trying to treat her with more civility, realising that in some inadvertent way she had helped to bring about the closer relationship between himself and his daughter, and deserved to be treated with more respect, though sometimes it felt a little awkward for both of them.

The evening when she had injured herself, and he had carried her up to the room, it had stuck in his head the way she had looked at him with such revulsion, that he found himself keeping a distance between them, to the extent he now always slept in a separate bedroom, and he had made no demands on her since  the day she had fled the house.

He sensed she was still a little cautious of him, and in a way he understood. He imagined she was quite happy with this arrangement. She seemed a little more content now she could fulfil her role as Mistress of the house, and had a friend in Clara.

For now it was enough for him, and he decided couldn't expect any more from her than that.

Clara was now chattering on about her plans for her own future coming out In a few years time, and Daniel, still only getting used to the idea of taking responsibility for his daughter's future welfare, suddenly faced with such matters, found the whole prospect a little bit daunting.