Sentence The Threehundredandthirtyfifth
Suddenly, Thomas's face darkened and he shuddered as a wave of emotion swept over him, and he saw in his mind's eye the image of his Home Tower as it had been when he was last there, all those
 
years ago and – if these ladies were correct – some eight hundred years since! the changes wrought by time made everything he loved seem insignificant, blink and they were gone and forgotten, his family, friends, servants, even his livestock and the people of his village, it was as if they had never lived at all; and then he glanced at Ludmilla and shook himself: she was a true Learmonth, in many ways so like himself and his wife, whose eyes and colouring she had obviously inherited – this was the true gift which could be bestowed and passed down through the countless generations, it was through his descendants that he would live on, in some strange way referencing their appearance, their minds and bodies and, he hoped, their character; it was for them he must live a fit and proper life, so that they – and she, this girl Lermontova – would be proud to be a Learmonth, just as she was proud of that intermediary, Mikhael (the name to him sounding clumsy compared to his own elder son's Michael, was it Michael's line he wondered?) but just then they were disturbed by the sight of Teri's little red vehicle entering the small parking place and soon Teri, Maude and Patience joined them and Patience rapidly chose Hot Chocolate and a sugary Doughnut which she evidently found

quite palatable, seeming relaxed and at home here, no matter how strange it must all be to her, too; but Patience was also impatient, having been taken on a route which included several places she was familiar with: Dryburgh Abbey, though neither Maude nor Teri told her that this was where her father would be buried, and then a viewpoint she knew her father loved and they told her that in their time it was named 'Scott's View' and she was pleased to learn this; but now that they had all met up by Thomas's Tower, which really was no longer, she wanted to get on and so they all soon drove in the two cars to Abbotsford House and as Patience began to recognise the approach, she became tense and when she saw the new Visitor Centre, she became quite upset; her confidence crumbled and she had to be led along the path towards the House where she had lived with her parents, brothers and sisters; without warning, she ran away from Teri and Maude and they were concerned that she was running towards the river, but Thomas chased after her and, though she was nimble and quick and fleet of foot

– all the more so by her life about The Cavern on the Eildon Hills - led him through trees and undergrowth that she knew as little changed from before, he soon took her in his arms and they sat on






the ground, heedless of the damp grass, breathless and alternately laughing at the fun of their chase and crying over the changes and losses they had both witnessed, until the others gathered round: “am urny ever coming back here am ah?” the young girl wailed, and beat at his chest with her fists, “am urny gaunie see ma mither an faither again, sure am no?” and when no-one contradicted her, for researches had shown that there was never any mention of Patience after the fateful night when she had tumbled into the river in spate, her wails grew louder and more intense; it was Teri who wrapped a blanket around Patience, rocked her and crooned, perhaps drawing on her own memories of that distressing time in her own early teens when she felt lost and abandoned, and helped soothe Patience






into a quiescent state and then helped her to her feet, and slowly walked with her, while the others followed, toward her former home; once inside, Patience seemed to rally – for here she was in very familiar surroundings, though she did show some confusion about the signage (Fire Exits etc) which, more than anything, showed that it was no longer a family home, but now a Museum; even Teri, whose earliest memories of Abbotsford were dominated by the two wonderful sisters, Patricia and Jean who, direct descendants of Sir Walter, were the last of the family custodians and the tireless workers who kept countless thousands of visitors enthralled by their personal attention and guidance and maintained interest in their ancestor as a man of flesh and blood, not just in his literary achievements, great though they undoubtedly were and kept his spirit alive in this, his home and theirs; Patience wanted to see into every room and quickly took the party to the rooms she had her siblings had slept and played in; she sat down on the floor and Maude was anxious lest she was going to become upset again, but Patience appeared to be counting the floorboards until she stopped with her hand on one: “under here,” she said, “I hid a dolly,” and Thomas, little heeding the protestations of the Guide who had accompanied them, evidently suspicious, managed to force his finger into a little gap and pulled a section of the plank up: Patience's small hand delved and with a cry of excitement she withdrew a rather dessicated and almost pinnate rag doll, quite fragile, with red hair

and freckles, and the Guide, perhaps anticipating some altercation, hurried away to fetch her Manageress!