Extended Epilogue
Greenhaven Castle, on the estuary of the River Avon, a few miles south of Bristol, was a forest. Trees grew up through holes in the roof, torn by storms and not repaired. Ivy clawed at the walls and writhed into windows. The park before the house had returned to wilderness. The Mills had not wanted the property, preferring to live in the north, where their money would go further. They had taken the income and left the property to rot.
Vanessa dismounted from Apollo and looked over her ancestral home in despair. Instinctively, she ran a hand over her stomach. The baby she carried hadn’t begun to show yet but she fancied that she could feel it there. Wilson dismounted from Zeus and took off his top hat, whistling softly as he surveyed the task ahead of them.
“They have a sin to answer for, don’t they,” he said, moving to stand beside his wife.
“They do. But I will not mention their names here. Not on this land. They will be in jail for some years yet. And when they eventually get out, I hope they will have repented.”
Wilson moved to stand behind her, putting both his hands over her stomach. Just like her, it was a habitual movement. Whether they were alone or in public, he could not resist touching the part of his wife that nurtured his first child.
“Besides,” Vanessa said, leaning back against him with a smile. “This gives us a quest. To bring this place back to life. Back to how Justin and I remember.”
She looked back at the sound of a carriage approaching, smiling broadly. She began to run to meet it. Jessop pulled on the reins to bring the carriage to a halt and Justin looked out. He laughed as he saw Vanessa running towards him and opened the door. He caught her in a hug, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. Wilson strolled over, grinning broadly.
“Justin bach!” he called out, lapsing into Welsh vernacular as he always did around Justin. “Good to see you! I was beginning to despair of getting you away from those cows.”
“Wilson bach!” Justin returned their customary greeting. “I’m a proper working man. Not a fop like you, boy. Work’s never done on a farm.”
Wilson laughed and peered into the carriage. “Angharad, thank you for persuading your man that he can spare a week to revisit his family home.”
A woman with masses of dark, curly hair descended from the carriage. She had a round face and laughter lines around her eyes. She leaped from the carriage and then reached back to help a tottering young boy to the ground. He immediately held up his arms to Wilson, cooing and laughing. Wilson seized him, lifting him high and spinning him while the boy giggled and laughed.
“And how is my nephew, Owen?” he asked of his mother.
“That’s Owain, of course,” Angharad said in a broad North Wales accent. “And he’ll be mucking out the cows in no time. It’s hard to keep him indoors most days, he just wants to be out in the fields like his dad.”
Vanessa put out her arms for her nephew and he responded. She held him close, kissing him and conversing with him in nonsense baby talk.
“Who’s minding the farm then while you two are here?” Wilson asked.
“Dad is looking after the place,” Justin said, following the Welsh custom of addressing In-Laws as though they were parents. “He’s got some help from Ang’s brother for a week now that he’s out of the army.”
Vanessa giggled as Owain reached for her hair, seizing handfuls of it and pulling enthusiastically.
“Well, shall we take a look at the house we grew up in?” she said.
Justin put an arm about her shoulders as they began to walk. Behind them, Wilson talked with Angharad about children and babies. Ever since Vanessa realized she was with child, he had been determined to educate himself as a parent. The child would be as happy and healthy as he could make it. Vanessa rested her head on her brother’s shoulder, closing her eyes briefly to enjoy the feel of the sun on her eyelids. He was no longer the skinny man who had walked over the Menai Bridge from Anglesey. Farm work had given him bulk, putting muscle to his shoulders and arms.
“What’s the plan with this place, Ness?” Justin asked. “Seems a lot of work for a big house to rattle around in.”
“Is that what you think we want?” Vanessa said, opening her eyes and arching an eyebrow.
“Isn’t it? You are a Duchess after all,” Justin grinned.
“An uncommon Duchess!” Wilson called out.
Vanessa looked back at her husband who fixed Justin with a wicked grin. “As I am an uncommon Duke.”
He joined them and put out his arm for Vanessa, who took it. Owain began bouncing and wriggling until Vanessa put him down and he began to totter ahead, arms out from his sides for balance. Justin laughed and jogged alongside his son, keeping a watchful eye as Angharad joined Vanessa and Wilson.
“So, what is the plan then, Wilson?” Justin asked.
“It’s going to be a hospital,” Vanessa said.
“A very special hospital,” Wilson put in. “We’re going to restore it and the grounds and then put the entire property into the hands of a foundation. The income of the Greenhaven estate will go to improving the lives of the ordinary people of this country. Doctors will be trained here and all will be welcome here for treatment. Free of charge. No-one will be turned away. Ever.”
“You’re a pair of bloody fools!” Justin exclaimed. “You’ll be bankrupt inside a month!”
Wilson exchanged looks with Vanessa. “That’s the challenge. Landscaping and building work is easy. It’s just a matter of money. Making this work though will take…”
“An epic effort,” Vanessa put in.
“Exactly. It’s a quest for the ages and one that will bring this country closer to the twentieth century. You can help if you like. There’s room in this for a strong pair of hands and a quick mind,” Wilson said.
Justin looked at the estate under its smothering blanket of wilderness and then shook his head.
“I have my lot. And I’m happy with it. I want nothing more than my little piece of the mountain and my family.”
Vanessa knew that her brother would answer so. In her dreams, he had accepted, joined her on her new quest. But, they were just that, dreams. She didn’t mind. Justin was happy. She and Wilson visited Dinas every summer to help with the harvest, pitching in on the farm that Justin was building with Angharad and, one day, their son Owain. Wilson seemed to have found solace in the wilds of Wales, becoming childishly excited as the date for their annual visit approached. The dark anger that had always been so close to the surface with him had dissipated.
For herself, she had grown into the role of Duchess and Lady of Greenhaven. She was proud to be Wilson’s Duchess. She enjoyed being on his arm at society functions. But, she equally loved to immerse herself in Brockwood’s library, discovering new knowledge and discussing it with Wilson. For so long, her life had been about surviving, making her meager income stretch, getting by. Now, she was going to make a difference. They were going to make a difference. Together.