The Somerton Man

The Cat amongst the Pigeons

When Clara returned home to Somerton Manor a little while later, she immediately sought Eleanor out, to tell her about what had happened.

"Ellie, has your father ever mentioned to you that Lady Gwen Hawthorne was once a childhood friend?" she then asked with a small thoughtful frown

"No, not that I can recall," Eleanor replied honestly, and felt a little guilty that she was aware of the relationship through reading Isabella's diary, and figuring out what exactly that relationship had entailed before Isabella's death. And she was sure that Gwen's unexpected return would not be something that Daniel would be happy about

"Oh, I can't wait until he gets back so I can find out more," Clara replied feeling slightly frustrated by the mystery of Lady Hawthorne and her parents. If they were indeed friends why had her father never mentioned them.

Eleanor found herself biting down on her lip, unsure what she should say, knowing that Daniel would most likely not be comfortable being quizzed by his daughter about the past where Lady Hawthorne was concerned, in fact she imagined it would be the worst thing that could happen.

Daniel had been doing so well moving forward and becoming a better husband and father lately, now this could set back all the good he had achieved. But as Eleanor was supposed to be ignorant about what happened in the past, and at the most had only guessed the goings on between Daniel and Gwen, she found herself in a quandary of having to keep quiet, and watch how this latest development unfolded, giving her a whole new sense of anxiety

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Gwen wasn't actually staying at the House that belonged to her late husband, she could not bear to be in it with all the memories, so she was staying with her parents who lived a few miles away, until she had the whole business of the estate sorted out, then she planned on returning to Europe, as far away from England as she could.

Despite the acrimonious split between herself and Daniel, she still thought of him now and again, wondering how he was and if he still despised her.

She now found herself recalling how shocked she was at the time when she had to learn about Isabella's death.

But it had happened at a bad time, between the scandal her step son had caused, by turning up, and the fallout with Daniel over the whole debacle. She had just wanted to get away, so she had persuaded her husband they should go to London, and they had left a few days before Isabella's funeral

Gwen was in no doubt her presence would not have been welcome at the time, as much as she wanted to be there. But for once she reigned in her own selfish desires, and had quietly disappeared out of Daniel's life, not wanting to be the cause of any more trouble. She had then tried to get on with her own life, and put the past behind her, in an attempt to get Daniel and what had happened out of her mind and heart.

She had been slightly apprehensive about returning back to the place where she grew up, knowing he was residing at Somerton Manor again, she knew he had remarried.

But still, seeing Clara had shaken her somewhat. It had brought back the past she had tried so hard to forget.

The young girl was indeed very like her mother, and despite all that had happened. and the bitterness Gwen felt towards Isabella, because she had married Daniel. She found herself getting emotional at the sight of her friend's daughter, and suddenly filled with remorse for what she had done.

So when Clara had asked her if she could tell her about her mother, Gwen had decided she could not refuse, it was the least she could do.

But she decided she would only tell her about all the good happy memories they all had from when they were young, and she would not mention the later years, which had caused so much trouble.