I stormed out of the dining room and out the front door. Albert was tending to the buggy. "Albert, do you remember how to get to Aunt Elizabeth's?"
"Of course! I always thought the road was beautiful," he exclaimed.
"Good. Get ready to take me there," I ordered.
George and Charlotte helped me load all our luggage back into the buggy. No one said a word. I didn't even care to see my old room. I had what I needed in my suitcase already.
•
"We'll be staying here, Albert. There's no need for you to stay. Let my parents know we got here safely," I handed him a small tip.
George, Charlotte and I unloaded the luggage again. I fit the key my father handed to me in the lock. The door opened and I stepped inside. All of my Aunt's old, classic furniture was still there, covered in a white sheet. It still smelled as if she lived there. I missed her so much. I always knew I was her favorite out of my parent's children. This is perhaps what led her to giving me the estate, which had to have been slightly bigger than my parent's!
"This is where I'm supposed to be," I said aloud to myself. George came and put his arm around me. Charlotte stood with us, taking in the enormous and well decorated foyer.
"Shall we claim rooms?" Charlotte suggests.
"I get the Master Bedroom, of course. It is my estate," I joke.
"I'll take our luggage upstairs," George says.
"Can I speak to you for a minute, Charlotte?" I whisper.
"Of course."
"I feel guilty for leaving Aurelia there," I admit.
"Oh, don't worry about her. It's best for her to be there now, especially since Ridgeway is gone. Once they're in that vegetative state, the family isn't legally allowed to take them out of the hospital. The patient can't take care of themselves."
"That's horrible," I sigh. "I wish there was something more we could do to Ridgeway. He didn't deserve the easy way out."
"Oh, I agree whole heartedly," Charlotte adds.
"I wish there was something we could do to fix Amhearst too. Those patients deserve better than a derelict old building."
"Come to think of it, I heard about a woman that was working on reforms to asylums and prisons," Charlotte informs me.
"Really? Where?"
"I read about her in a paper a few months ago. Maybe you could try getting in touch with that journalist. He could probably put you in contact with her."
"You're right. I'll write to him soon," I say as George comes back down the stairs to join us.
"What are you two ladies talking about?"
"I want to use some of my family's money to fix up Amhearst," I tell him.
"Lord knows it could use it," he rolls his eyes."Oh, and Charlotte? I didn't know which room you wanted, so I put your things in the next biggest room after the Master."
"What?! That room has to be huge!" She runs up the stairs to see for herself.
George and I laugh as we watch her. He sits beside me and moves some of my hair off my shoulder. He kisses me on the cheek.
"You were very brave with your parents," he said softly, "I can tell that had been coming for a while. You are very strong, Caroline Pendleton. Don't let anyone tell you anything different." He smiles at me. I kiss his lips with the same warmth he always showed to me.