Thawed Hearts

Chapter 3

Fires kindled at the hearths all around Thornbury. Warmth spread throughout the manor, like the snow blanketing the earth. There's nothing like the touch of a friendly hand and the warmness of a pleasant chat beside the fireplace to fill one's heart. Along with comfort food, it makes the day feel a little more inviting and homey. Unless, of course, the day is spent packing up the residence's contents for relocation. Then everything feels cold.

If kindness is like the snow decorating everything it touches, then so is a frosty mood. Except it doesn't make things pretty. It only makes things worse. It's true what they say. Nothing burns quite like the cold or a bad attitude. This icy disposition is precisely what Mary carried with her as she helped the servants pack the belongings and essential house items.

She stockpiled grudges and heartaches the way she'd once collected beautiful trinkets from her father, never sharing, never abandoning them. So the Princess packed those too. Rejection was the worst of all. Rejection was sour and bitter, and it tasted so close to the truth she had to fight to sink into it. With an unfulfilled longing, Mary closed the lid on one of her trunks.

Mabel entered with dresses draped over her arm. "Where do you want these, and why are you looking so bothered?"

The Princess pointed to a chair. She couldn't help but respond, "Right now, I'd like all my problems to stand in front of me in a straight line, and one by one, I'd give them an unladylike telling-off. Sometimes it seems my identity is a matter of opinion whenever it's convenient. Like now, it's convenient for me to marry my father's brother-in-law."

Mabel agreed but challenged her thinking, "Marrying Seymour is a new start. I think it's time to let go and stop clinging to all the old pain. You need to unpack it and leave it here. Don't keep holding onto the things that can keep you from the love you desire and deserve. And no one deserves it more than you."

Mary thought about that, and the more she did, the more something inside her sprung to life. She felt now was the time to be stretched, make decisions and find her own roads. This new beginning could be what bravery looked like when she took a step outside her comfort zone. Because when did anything good grow in a comfort zone? It's a lovely place, but life happened beyond it.

So Mary stared hard at her trunk. With eyes snapped closed, she breathed. Everyone has baggage, and there comes a time in life when you have to unseal it. Maybe not all in one day, but letting go of some of it is a load off. So, the Princess inhaled and exhaled. And when she exhaled, she unpacked a few of those old feelings because there comes the point when you must exhale. That takes more courage than anyone could honestly know.

Over the next two days, Mary had to exhale many times. Packing is challenging. It's amazing how much a life can accumulate, even those that seem sparse. The momentos of one's past are profound magic that weaves a deep spell over every crook and corner of the mind. Days, weeks, months, and years were either boxed or discarded. How does one part with a life? How does one say goodbye to treasures that used to mean so much?

At times it became overwhelming. Lady Salisbury was ever near to redirect attention where it was needed. She would give gentle reminders like, "Don't cry over misplaced moments and forgetfulness. Be happy it came to you in the first place, and cherish the memories. When you're older, you'll be thankful."

And so it continued. The clearing has allowed Her Highness to rediscover things she neglected and put them into a place of prominence. The more items were cleared out, stored, or tucked into trunks, the more Mary felt lighter and more unrestricted. But a single thought bore down upon her: "Am I accumulating a life of things, or am I accumulating a life of things that matter?"