＊＊
After leaving the communal kitchen, John walked quickly through the ground that used to be occupied with a hustle and bustle of people, materials, products, and horses loading and unloading them. Now the place was empty and deserted.
"Master!"
Hearing a voice behind him, John stopped and turned around. Nicholas Higgins ran towards him.
"I haven't seen you walk that fast in a long time," he said, catching up to his master and panting. Then he asked.
"Master, well...? "
John had been preoccupied with work, but his face loosened up a bit and he uttered, "Yes." Higgins knew that John and Margaret ended up together, just from the look in John's eyes. He nodded slightly and offered his hand without saying a word.
"..."
John silently took his hand and shook it, like he had a few days ago.
"The next few weeks seem quite busy. I will need your help."
As he turned towards the gate and started walking, he pretended to be nonchalant, saying to his worker:
"Margaret told me she was going to visit your daughter this morning, Higgins."
Nicholas realized that John called her Margaret, not Miss Hale. His face looked relieved while he saw his master walking away.
＊＊
That afternoon, Margaret stood in the doorway of the house she used to live in. The caretaker unlocked the door and said to her:
"There are still quite a few things left from when you lived here, Miss Hale."
Going inside, Margaret walked up the spiral staircase.
"Are you planning to live here from today?"
The caretaker called from downstairs, and she replied:
"Not yet. I'll live here when my belongings arrive."
She entered the drawing room, and slowly looked around. The caretaker was right, there was quite a bit of furniture still intact. She wondered if Mr. Bell had predicted that she would eventually return to Milton. She stared at several things that reminded her of the days with her family.
The chair that her mother liked to sit on.
The wallpaper they had changed to make the room feel more comfortable.
The floor that always creaked.
It felt like a long time ago that her family had lived here. She heard the caretaker's footsteps coming up the stairs and called out.
"Can I have the key today?"
There was no answer.
"....?"
As she approached the stairs, a man in a black suit appeared.
"Mr. Thornton!"