Emily has always felt like an outsider in her own house. Her mother clearly favours her older sistersVictoria and Harrietshowing them far more affection and warmth. This inequality cuts deep, but Emily keeps her bitterness hidden, constantly trying to please her mother and win even a sliver of love.
Dont even think about living with me! The flat will go to your sisters. Youve treated me like a stray dog since you were a child, so go wherever you like! With those words, her mother throws Emily out as soon as she turns eighteen.
Emily tries to argue, to point out how unfair it is. Victoria is only three years older, Harriet five. Both have finished university with their mothers money; no one rushed them to become independent. Yet Emily has always been the odd one out. Despite all her efforts to be good, the familys love feels superficialif it can even be called love at all. Only her grandfather, Arthur, treats her kindly. He took in his pregnant daughter after her husband vanished without a trace.
Maybe Mum is worried about my sisters? They say I look a lot like them, Emily thinks, searching for an excuse for her mothers coldness. She has tried several honest talks with her mother, each one ending in a scene or a tantrum.
Arthur remains her real pillar. Her fondest memories are of the Yorkshire village where they spend summers. Emily loves working in the garden, tending the vegetable patch, milking cows, baking piesanything to delay returning home, where each day greets her with contempt and reproach.
Grandpa, why does no one love me? Whats wrong with me? she often asks, tears held back.
I love you very much, he replies gently, never mentioning her mother or sisters.
Little Emily wants to believe him, that she is loved in a special way But when she turns ten, Arthur dies, and the familys treatment of her worsens. Her sisters mock her, and her mother always sides with them.
From that day on, she receives nothing newonly handmedown clothes from Victoria and Harriet. They tease:
Oh, look at that fashionable top! Sweep the floor, Emilyanything youre needed for!
When their mother buys sweets, the sisters gobble them all, handing Emily only the wrappers:
Here, love, collect the wrappers!
Her mother hears it all but never scolds them. Thus Emily grows up as a stray dogunwanted, always begging for affection from people who see her as worthless and a source of ridicule. The harder she tries to be good, the more they resent her.
When her mother finally kicks her out on her eighteenth birthday, Emily finds work as a hospital orderly. Endurance and hard work become her habit, and now she at least earns a wagethough its modest. Here, no one hates her. If youre treated kindly where youre decent, thats progress, she tells herself.
Her employer even offers her a scholarship to train as a surgeon. In the small market town, such specialists are desperately needed, and Emily has already shown talent while assisting nurses.
Life is tough. By twentyseven, she has no close relatives. Work becomes her whole worldliterally. She lives for the patients whose lives she saves. Yet loneliness never leaves her: she lives alone in a staff dormitory, just as before.
Visiting her mother and sisters is always a disappointment, so Emily tries to go as rarely as possible. Everyone steps out to smoke and gossip, and she heads to the porch to cry.
One afternoon, while shes sobbing, a fellow orderly named Thomas comes over.
Why are you crying, love? he asks.
Dont mock me, Emily replies quietly.
She sees herself as plain, a grey mouse, not noticing that at almost thirty she has become a petite, charming blonde with bright blue eyes and a neat nose. The awkwardness of youth has faded, her shoulders are straighter, and her light hair, tied in a tight bun, seems ready to break free.
Youre actually very beautiful! Value yourself and lift that head. Besides, youre a promising surgeon, and your life is shaping up nicely, Thomas encourages.
Thomas has worked with her for almost two years, occasionally slipping her a chocolate, but this is their first real conversation. Emily breaks down and tells him everything.
Maybe you should call Dr. David Whitfield? The one you saved recently. He treats you well and has many connections, Thomas suggests.
Thanks, Tom. Ill try, Emily replies.
And if that doesnt work, we could get married. I have a flat, I wont mistreat you, he jokes.
Emily blushes and suddenly realises he means it. He sees not a pitiful orphan, but a woman who deserves love.
Alright. Ill keep that option in mind, she smiles, feeling for the first time in ages that she is not a workhorse or useless, but a beautiful young woman with a future ahead.
That same evening, Emily dials Dr. Whitfields number:
This is Emily, the surgeon. You gave me your number and said I could call if there were problems she begins, hesitating.
Emily! Good to hear from you! How are you? Lets meet up, have a cup of tea and talk. We older folk like a proper chat, he replies warmly.
The next day is Emilys day off, so she heads straight to his house. She tells him plainly about her situation and asks if he knows anyone needing a livein caregiver.
You understand, Dr. Whitfield, Im used to hard work, but now I feel like I cant go on
Dont worry, love! I can get you a junior surgeon post in a private clinic, and you can stay with me. Without you, I wouldnt be where I am now, he says.
Of course, Dr. Whitfield, I agree! But wont your relatives mind? she asks.
My family only shows up when Im gone. They only care about the property, he admits sadly.
So they move in together. Two years pass, and a romance blooms between Emily and Thomas, often over cups of tea. Dr. Whitfield, however, dislikes Thomas and never misses a chance to warn Emily:
Sorry, love, but Tom is a good bloke, just soft and too impressionable. You cant rely on someone like that. Try not to get too attached.
Oh, David Its too late. Weve already decided to marry. He even jokingly proposed two years ago, and now Im pregnant, Emily announces, her face glowing with happiness. She had only just learned the news but adds, Youre still very important to me! Ill visit every day. Youre like family.
Emily, Im not feeling well. Heres the plan: tomorrow well go to the solicitor and Ill register a cottage in the village in your name. Youve always loved country life. It could be your dacha or you can sell it if you wish.
He hesitates, doesnt finish his sentence, and frowns.
Emily objects: its too much, hell live many more years, better to leave the house to his children. In the past two years they have visited him only once. But Dr. Whitfield insists.
Emily is stunned to discover the cottage is in the very village where her beloved grandfather lived. His house had long been demolished, the plot sold, strangers now occupy it, yet the thought of having her own little corner there stirs warm memories.
I dont deserve this, but thank you, David, she says sincerely.
Just one thing: dont tell Tom the house is in your name. And dont ask why. Can I ask that of you? he says seriously.
Emily nods, promising to keep the secret. Explaining the origin of the cottage to Thomas remains a problem, but she can claim shes reconciled with her mother.
Later Emily learns that Dr. Whitfield, besides suffering stroke aftereffects, also has cancer. He refuses surgery. In the end, Emily arranges his funeral and moves in with her future husband.
Problems surface around the seventh month of pregnancyby then they have lived together six months.
Maybe you should work a bit before the baby arrives, Thomas suggests.
At that point Emily has temporarily left the clinic where David got her a job, hoping to live on her savings with Thomass support. His suggestion hurts.
Well maybe she answers uncertainly. She buys the groceries, and Thomas turns out to be stingy. The baby grows, and she does not want to abandon the wedding.
A week before the planned ceremony, while Thomas is out, a stranger enters their flat with her own key.
Hello. Im Lena. Thomas and I love each other, and hes just scared to tell you. So Ill say it: youre no longer needed, the tall, slender blonde declares confidently.
What?! Our wedding is in a few days! Weve already paid for everything! Emily stammers. She covered most of the costs for a modest celebration at a café.
I know. No problem. Thomas will marry me. I have contacts at the registry office; well sort it quickly, Lena says as if its already decided.
When Thomas finally appears, he mutters:
Emily, Im sorry Yes, its true. Ill help with the baby but I cant marry you.
Well do a paternity test, Lena adds, laying a hand on Thomass shoulder.
What paternity test?! Youre my first and only! Emily shouts, lunging at him.
Shell scratch you up, love! Shes nearly thirty but behaves like a schoolgirl! Lena sneers.
Thomas stands silent, not defending Emily, eyes downcast. It becomes clear: everything hinges on Lena; he is merely a passive observer.
Emily starts packing. Theres no point fighting a man who gives up so easily. Lena tells her that she and Thomas dated long agoshe was married then but now free. Emily is just a placeholder until the dream woman arrives.
She could demand explanations from Thomas, but whats the use if he lets Lena walk in and take over?
So the cottage finally comes in handy, Emily thinks.
The cottage is modest, lacking running water, but the woodburning stove is perfecther grandfather taught her everything needed for rural life. Its livable. How will she give birth alone? Theres still time; she will figure it out.
Firewood is stacked, the shed sturdy, and snow blocks the doorway, waiting to be cleared. The woodpiles are fulla rare find in such cold weather!
It helps that Dr. Whitfield introduced her to the neighbours in advance as the new mistress and future wife of his son. No unnecessary questions follow.
Emily, of course, calls her mother and sisters. As usual, they dont disappointadvising her to give the baby up for adoption and to never get involved with anyone before the wedding. They also gossip about how Thomas hasnt returned the wedding money, half of which Emily paid.
But no one knows about the cottage. Now Emily can hide from everyone and collect herself.
It is bitterly cold; she doesnt even remove her parka. While raking the coals in the stove, her poker hits something hard.
She pulls off her gloves and lifts a wooden box that has been blocking the firewood. The lid bears large letters: Emily, this is for you. She recognises the handwriting instantlyDavids.
Inside are photographs, a letter, and a small tin. Her hands tremble as she opens the envelope and reads:
Dear Emily! You should know I was your grandfathers brother, the man he asked to look after you.
The letter explains that many years ago a serious rift split the brothers, but before dying the elder sibling found David and asked him to locate Emily after she turned eighteen. He also left her an inheritance his daughter would never surrender.
David couldnt find Emily at firsther mother and sisters hid her address. Fate brought them together in the hospital when he was a patient and she was his doctor. He wanted to tell her earlier but ran out of time, so he decided to give her the cottage her grandfather bought from him while alive, knowing his daughter would never leave anything to a granddaughter.
Another shock emerges: Emilys mother is not her biological mother. Emily is the daughter of her late aunt, the sister she envied. In the photographyoung mother and father, smiling, cradling a little girlEmily survived because she was with her grandfather on the day of the accident.
In the box lie fivehundredpound notes left by the grandfather. Touching them warms her heart. Tears stream down her cheeks. Now she and her baby are safe.
When she lights the stove, the flames seem to consume all her fears, betrayals, and resentments. She will start overfor the baby and for herself.
She knows she will eventually forgive those who hurt her, but she is done with them. This cottage will be her refuge.
David always said a good house belongs to someone who values it. He claimed he built it in his youth with his own hands, from the finest materials.
Not just a house, but a wonder! It will stand for two hundred years! he used to say. The village is reachable by busjust two stops away.
Yes, the pay is low and help with the baby remains uncertain. But the main thing is that she now has a roof over her head, savings, a profession. She is young, beautiful, and she will have a son.
For the first time, Emily feels truly happy.