Because she had spent the last several days at Grayson Manor, when she returned to her own home in her hometown, everything appeared smaller, a little insignificant and lonely. Although she had not spent a long time there, during her time at Grayson Manor, she enjoyed her relationship with her Uncle Flannel, and her cousin Elizabeth. Her little house was too quiet.
Her trip home was, however, a chance to get back in touch with who she was. The reality that this was her home and the only home she had ever known was good for her. She was touching base and steadying herself. Grayson Manor and her family there were just, more, added to all of the blessings she already had. Reflecting, Grayson Manor seemed surreal compared to the sense she had now of being home and having her own things with her.
The first errand she had was to check in at her accounting agency to see if she was needed for anything. She would spend the afternoon with her assistant going over the books before returning home to gather and organize the things that she planned to take back to Grayson Manor.
Her assistant, Abby, was glad to see her and helped her go over the books. After they had finished, there were papers to sign, and because one of the consultants was out sick, Patricia filled in for her for the rest of the day. It was nice to be back into her old routine. It made her feel grounded and in control.
She couldn’t spend too much time at work, however, because there was a lot to do to get her house in order, and then there was all of the things she had to remember that she needed to take back with her to the manor. Also, her Uncle Flannel was still vulnerable and needed her whether he knew it or not.
Although she was tired once she arrived at her home from the agency, she turned Snuffles out to run and went to the basement for cartons. She had a suitcase, but she might need a couple of cartons as well. Besides, she remembered putting her mother’s jewelry box in a trunk with a lot of Carol’s other things she wanted to keep.
In the basement, she moved some clutter off of the trunk so she could open the lid. There on top was her mother’s jewelry box, which, Patricia sat aside for later. When she had first put the jewelry box in the trunk, she had never expected to need it. The little pearl necklace given to her by her mother just before she died was all she expected to need in her simple life. Besides, just in case any of the jewelry was valuable, it would be safe in the old trunk in the basement.
The last time she had opened the trunk was when she had put the box away. She had not opened it again because the intimacy of her mother’s personal things was more than she could bear after just having lost her.
There were old letters, cloths, and small boxes. Sifting through her mother’s things she could see that there was nothing that could not wait for when she had more time for a trip through her mother’s memories. Replacing everything back in the trunk except the jewelry box, she closed the lid, picked up the cartons and the jewelry box and took them to the kitchen. She sat down at the kitchen table and opened the lid of the box. There on the top lay a letter from her mother dated just a few months before she died. Heart racing, Patricia picked up the letter and with hands shaking, opened it.
My Dearest Patricia,
Before you read this letter, I want you to know that you are the joy of my life. My world has always revolved around you Patsy dear. When you read this, I will be gone. I should have revealed to you what is in this letter long ago, but I am a coward. I have always been afraid of what you might think of me. Now, I am dying so I must do as much for you as I can while I am still here. Without both your father and I, you will be alone.
I have made mistakes in my life. I hope that you will forgive me for what I am about to tell you, for I am sure that I would know it if you didn’t. People do foolish things in the spirit of youth that a more experienced mature person might not do. My sincere regret is that this involves you.
Twenty-three years ago, I lived in Louisville, Kentucky. I was a young girl full of dreams and high expectations. My parents were still alive, and my sister and I were in college. I met a young man, Flannel Grayson. We dated and eventually fell in love. At least, I thought that I loved him. His family, wealthy and influential, accepted me with open arms. Flannel was a good-looking young man with a bright future. I thought he was so wise and I looked up to him. After dating for at least a year, Flannel asked me to marry him, and I said yes.
I fully intended to marry Flannel Grayson. I thought that I was in love with him. But, just days after the proposal, his brother David, who was in the military, came to Grayson Manor looking so handsome in his uniform, so heroic, I was lost. David fell in love with me too. We couldn’t stay away from each other, and just a few weeks later, we eloped.
I know that is shocking, but there is more. I was pregnant with Flannel Grayson’s baby when I married David. Although you have known David as your father, he is not your biological father. Flannel Grayson is your biological father. David knew and didn’t care. Flannel did not know. At least, not until I told him a few months ago.
Please forgive me dear. I would not have told you except that I knew that you would be all alone when I am gone. You and flannel are family. Search him out. I believe that the two of you will become lifelong friends.
I love you. Please forgive me.
Your loving mother, Carol Grayson
Patricia looked up from the letter and realized that she was crying. She felt like putting her head down on the table and sobbing her heart out, but she wouldn’t. There wasn’t time for that, because she needed to think. Her entire life was turned upside down. She was shaken, but still optimistic. David and Carol had loved her, and now she had Flannel Grayson, her father.
Noting the open jewelry box, Patricia marveled on how life changing a few moments could be. She decided to put the box back into the trunk, but she would take the letter with her. Her Mother had suggested that she should share the information with Flannel Grayson. She knew that he knew she was his daughter, but he did not know that she was aware.
She looked through her mother’s jewelry and decided not to take anything. The pearl necklace she was wearing would look great with anything she chose to wear. After she had returned the jewelry box to the trunk in the basement, recalling her mother's words, she said to the room. “I love you Mother, and of course I forgive you.”
The next day, when she awoke, the past days revelation flooded over her, but after the first shock of recall, an unusual calm came over her as she remembered her Uncle Flannel whom she had come to love dearly. It didn’t matter if he was her uncle or her father. He was her family.
She packed all of the things she thought she might need, called the agency to see if her manager needed her for anything, collected Snuffles, and returned to Grayson Manor that same evening with her suitcase, boxes, Snuffles, and the life-changing letter.
Patricia gave a lot of thought to the situation on the long drive. Flannel had allowed life to pass him by over a lost love. She was sure that he had not known of her existence until her mother had told him right before her death. He was good and very dear to her. Life had come full circle, and she and Flannel Grayson were family.
Chapter Twenty-One
When Patricia arrived at Grayson Manor, she found Flannel Grayson in the garden reading his newspaper. Snuffles rushed him getting patted vigorously by Flannel, who had become fond of her funny little dog. Snuffles, easily distracted, was gone like a shot, answering to a call only audible to him.
Patricia, experiencing a renewed sense of belonging, sat with Flannel drinking tea and exchanging information about the events of the last few days. She could not decide if she should immediately tell him about the letter. After all, he had just recovered from being deathly ill. She would wait until the time was right.
In her dreams that night, she had dreams of her mother so realistic, that when she awoke, she felt that her mother had visited her in her sleep. Because Flannel already knew that she was his daughter, she decided it was time to discuss it with him.
Later in the library, S
nuffles was curled up in front of the fire, and Patricia and Flannel were each in comfortable chairs. Flannel Grayson seemed to be daydreaming, and Patricia was reading a book. Sensing that it was time to tell him about her mother’s letter, she reached over to pat him to get his attention. When he looked askance and patted her back, she took the letter from her pocket and handed it to him. “My mother left this letter where I was sure to find it, although I have managed, up until yesterday, to overlook it. “ Patricia handed the letter to Flannel, and Flannel, noticing the change in Patricia’s de-meaner, reached across the gap between their chairs and took the letter.
The girl left her chair to curl up at Flannel Grayson’s feet, and Snuffles jumped into her lap. She hugged the dog to her as she watched Flannel gingerly take the letter from the envelope. She watched as his eyes moved across the page and saw a single tear appear and run down his face. Patricia started crying too remembering the words of the letter.
When he finished reading, Flannel folded the letter and returned it to the envelope, his face reflecting a mixture of pain and joy. Taking both of her hands in his, he said in a voice filled with emotion. “When I found out a year ago that I had a daughter, and that I had missed everything, holding you in my arms and loving you, seeing you learn to walk, going to school, everything, just everything, I was devastated. Now, after all of this time, your mother has given you to me to cherish because she can’t. I suggest that we make the most of these years as a family. I am happy to welcome you home daughter.” And he reached out to her and she hugged him with a real sense of coming home. She pulled away and they both laughed with pure happiness.
Patricia suggested to Flannel that, to the world, she would remain Flannel Grayson’s niece to protect her mother’s legacy, and he agreed. Flannel Grayson and Patricia both understood how unforgiving and judgmental some people could be.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Later that evening, Flannel sat gazing into the fire reflecting on his relationship with Carol all of those years ago. He had loved her the first moment that he had met her. They were in some of the same classes in college, and when he asked her out, they immediately became a couple.
Just days after he had asked Carol to him to marry him, his brother David came home from the military and things changed. There was an instant attraction between Carol and his brother. Carol broke their engagement and started dating his brother. Flannel heartsick and bitter, railed against them and their betrayal. Within months Carol and David eloped and that was the end. They moved away, and the family lost touch. Because of the awkwardness of the situation, Flannel and Carol stayed away.
Later, when Flannel had learned of David’s death, he remembered experiencing a twinge of regret, and then he began reliving the events that led up to David and Carol’s marriage and felt the old sense of loss and betrayal by his own brother and the only woman he had ever loved. The wounds he thought had healed were again raw and real. His life had never righted itself, until now. Now his daughter, looking very much like her mother was part of his life, and he was very grateful.
Flannel had learned several months before Carol’s death that he had a daughter. Carol had visited him. She had met him for dinner and they had renewed their acquaintance sans the romance. Carol had revealed to him that he had a daughter named Patricia. Carol was ill and wanted to ensure that Patricia would still have a family if something happened to her.
Flannel, his mind running a gauntlet of emotions from joy at seeing Carol again, sadness that she was seriously ill, and then joy at learning that he had a daughter was devastated and elated at the same time. When Patricia had appeared the first time that night in his room when he was ill, he had thought that she was an angel inspired by Carol. As time and events progressed, she had become a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds of his lonely life, and her presence had awakened new hope and interests that inspired a myriad of thoughts of extravagant social events and travel. There was also the anticipation of the warm sense of family at the table and by the fire. She was his only daughter, and he welcomed her.
The voice of his daughter shook him out of his melancholy. “Uncle Flannel, do you need anything. Do we need some tea?” “I just need you to sit here by the fire and talk to me.” “I have a better idea. Lets read. You have hundreds of books that I would just love to browse through.” “Now, I know you are my daughter because you love books as much as I do. They have always been one of my passions hence the large library.” And he waved his hand indicating the large room. “I would love to share them with you.”
For the remainder of the evening, father and daughter were occupied with exploring the books, some of which Flannel admitted he did not know he owned. But then, it had been years since he had examined the library that closely.
After browsing through the books and reading for a while, Flannel, who had gained some weight, but was still struggling to regain his strength, retired to his room for the night. This left Patricia, on her own, still exploring the wonderful books. She would browse, read a little, and collect a few books that she wanted to read. Although she knew that she could never explore all of the books in one evening, she continued to browse.
She was getting tired and considering retiring to her room when she pulled out a large atlas and saw a small book lying flat against the back of the bookcase. Picking the book up and examining it, she saw that it was a diary dated 1986. When she opened the diary, she found that the book belonged to Hannah Ivy. Patricia, wondering why the diary was in the library in the first place, was torn between taking the book with her to her room, or just putting it back in the bookshelf behind the atlas where she had found it.
Patricia realized that the diary was not meant for her eyes, but she was curious, because anything that involved Hannah Ivy involved the Grayson’s. After giving it some further thought, she decided to take the book to her room. This diary could fill in a lot of holes concerning the Grayson family history.
When the young girl got back to her room with Hannah’s diary, she sat in the comfortable chair with a good light and opened the little book. After reading about half way through, she sat reflecting on what she had just read. Amazingly, the diary told the story of a young Hannah being wooed by a young man who had frequented some of the festive events held at Grayson Manor years ago. Try as she may, Patricia could not envision the Hannah she knew as a desirable young woman in demand at parties. Patricia tried to picture it and could not.
Patricia was shocked when she came across the pages in the diary that revealed that Justin was not a Grayson, but was the son of an opportunist who had jilted Hannah when he realized that Hannah was not a Grayson, and so had no money. She was really curious to know if anyone else in the Grayson family knew about this. Except for Hannah’s sister, she did not think so. She felt sure that her Uncle Flannel and Justin did not know.
The Grayson family, despite their wealth and elite position in society, had some serious skeletons in their elaborately furnished and well-stocked closets. There was the smudged legacy of Hannah and her son Justin, and then there was the story of her own father David Grayson, and her biological father, Flannel Grayson, who she had just met in recent days.
So, Justin wasn’t a Grayson after all, and she had no idea who he was. She knew that he couldn’t possibly know about this. All that she did know was that he was not a Grayson.
Leaning back in her chair and brushing her shoulder length hair back from her face, she smirked. So Justin thinks that he is a Grayson and in line to inherit the Grayson fortune. She had no proof, but all of the evidence pointed to the fact that this imposter had made an attempt on her uncles’ life and maybe her own life as well. She felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck as she considered how close she and her uncle had come to literally dying at the hands Justin. Was it Justin? She wondered how safe she and her Uncle Flannel would be, especially now, if Justin knew about his heritage. She had a gut feeling that this information should be guarded until the appropriate time. Be
sides it wasn’t her place to reveal these new circumstances anyway. She did wonder how Justin would take the news. Maybe Phoebe or Hannah would tell him.
Twenty-Three
It was Friday, and Elizabeth had just arrived home from school. Patricia met her in the foyer, and carrying one of her bags, followed her cousin up to her room. She had missed the fun that was Lizzy, and now that she was here, she intended to make the most of it.
“Hey, Cousin. What do you think about going shopping this afternoon? We could get a bite to eat and after that, who knows,” Patricia said, and laughed. “We could find something to wear to the party tomorrow. What do you think? Let’s go!” and she laughed again.
Looking totaling interested, Elizabeth flung herself on the bed and hugged her pillow. “You don’t know just how great it is to get to come home on weekends. I love my bed, my room, and everything, and everyone in this house.” Looking comfortable leaning on her elbow, she answered Patricia. “I would love to go shopping, and get something to eat, and yes we can do something after. We can figure that out later. There is this cute guy that I went to high school with, who works at the mall. Maybe we can accidentally stop by his store. Let’s go!” “OK, just a minute.” Patricia said eagerly. “ Let me freshen up. I will run and change and meet you in the foyer in twenty minutes.”
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