The Two Letters

By Mazi McBurnie

When Alices husband, George, passes away, her world is turned upside-down by grief. Still, she is a strong, modern woman, unafraid of facing challenges head on. She will not allow the loss of her beloved to completely destroy her life, especially since she still has a daughter to care for. However, a mystery changes everything Alice thought she knew.

While living in Melbourne, Australia, Alice receives two letters at two different times that both have to do with her husband and the possible secrets he kept. Her search for truth in the midst of apparent betrayal leads her as far away as London, Cape Town, and New Zealand. Three families soon become embroiled in Alices quest for closure.

Meanwhile, Alices daughter is ill, and this faithful mother must go to incredible lengths to care for her, all in the name of love. Alices entire search is about love actuallywhich love is real and which is fake? As she unravels the mystery of George, she retains her stalwart strength, struggling to turn heartbreak into hope and fear into faith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Jun 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781504302906

Mazi McBurnie

This is the eighth novel by this author. Mazi is a 75 yr old woman who loves to write about strong female characters. She cares for her husband who has Parkinson,s disease and her family of one dog, Albert and three Birman cats. She lives in the country area outside of Melbourne.

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Copyright © 2016 Mazi Mcburnie.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

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ISBN: 978-1-5043-0289-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-0290-6 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 06/09/2016

Contents

Chapter 1. George

Chapter 2. The First Letter

Chapter 3. Madeline

Chapter 4. Ruby Georgina

Chapter 5. The New Mother

Chapter 6. Centre of Attention

Chapter 7. Marriage

Chapter 8. The Illness

Chapter 9. The Search

Chapter 10. The Operation

Chapter 11. The Chef

Chapter 12. The Second Letter

Chapter 13. Christine

Chapter 14. The Accident

Chapter 15. The Holiday

Chapter 16. The Melbourne Cup

Chapter 17. The Proposal

Chapter 18. Wedding Day

Chapter 19. Hawaii

Chapter 20. Joy

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To my husband Douglas McBurnie, who has been my best friend and confidant and whom I have loved since I was fifteen years old.

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Chapter 1

George

Alice arrived in London on a cold, gloomy day in December 1974. She had just buried George, her husband of ten years, whom she’d met at a county dance fifteen years earlier. That was when George first slipped into his role as Alice’s best friend and confidant. A handsome man with a confident presence and a charming manner, George was a great catch. But now Alice would have to manage without him—and she had no idea where to begin.

George, the breadwinner in their marriage, had died of a sudden heart attack at the age of thirty-six. It had been a normal sort of day, no different than any other Saturday for the Bayfields. They loved to go to a nearby café, have breakfast, and read the weekend newspapers. George always ordered the same thing: eggs Benedict on sourdough bread. Alice did the same. If George was away, Alice still went, but she ordered scrambled eggs made with cream and topped with smoked salmon. The owners knew the Bayfields well—they were greeted as old friends every Saturday morning. George used to call it their special time together.

Both George and Alice were born and bred in Australia. As a pilot, George had travelled often, and Alice missed his company. Alice had one big regret: there had not been a child from the marriage. But Alice hadn’t given up. At thirty-three, she was still young enough to have a baby.

On that particular Saturday, they walked to the café together as they always did, ordering the same food they always did. As George drank his coffee, he suddenly slumped forward in the chair. Within minutes, he’d fallen to the floor. The staff rang for an ambulance, which came five minutes later, and the medics began working on him. The ambulance officers said later that George had died instantly. There was nothing they could do. Alice watched the ambulance take George away, following in her car to the nearest hospital. When she got there, the doctor in ICU confirmed that George was already dead.

Alice was in deep shock. One minute she’d been talking to her husband; the next minute he was dead.

The funeral was as pleasant as a funeral could be, but Alice wasn’t functioning well. Many of their lifelong friends came to the service. His best friend, another pilot, read the eulogy and shared jokes and stories of happy times.

After the service, people trickled into the small hall next to the suburban church to pay their respects and have something to eat. Alice was grateful that the funeral director had arranged for the catering, flowers, and everything else. George had been well liked at work and had many friends, yet he had no family in Australia—just a few cousins scattered around the world and a sister they never saw since she had dedicated her life to impoverished children in Africa. Their parents had died years ago.

Alice had no family either. She was an only child, her parents killed in a car accident when she was eighteen, just after she finished her studies at a private school in Melbourne. Alice’s parents had farmed mixed crops in northwest Victoria, and they had grown hops for making their own beer. Alice made many happy memories growing up on that farm: fishing in nearby streams; smelling the herbal aroma of ripening hops; and, in the winter, playing in snowstorms and making snowballs with her friends.

At last, the final guests departed. Alice was exhausted. It had been a long and tiring day, one that she hoped never to have to repeat. Now to the letter. That morning, Alice had received a letter addressed to George. She’d left it for after the funeral, when all the guests had gone and her mind would be clear.

But Alice’s mind wasn’t clear. The letter could wait another day. What she needed was bed and, if possible, sleep. She took two of the sleeping pills her doctor had given her, knowing that she would still feel pain and grief in the morning but at least her body would be rested.

The Bayfields lived in a gorgeous terrace house in Richmond, an inner Melbourne suburb that was close to everything and not too far from the airport for George. They had a very comfortable lifestyle and were the envy of their friends. They were still very much in love after ten years of marriage.

Chapter 2

The First Letter

The morning after the funeral, Alice sat at the breakfast table, where she had sat many times before. This time Alice sat alone, painfully aware that her husband was no longer with her. There would be no discussion of world events over the morning paper today. The newspaper currently held only one interest for her anyway. She read the many death tributes to her husband, including a particularly thoughtful one from the airline where George had worked for many years.

She picked up the envelope and studied it. Not only was it addressed to George Bayfield, but it was also marked personal. Well, that didn’t matter anymore. She would be opening all of George’s mail now. George is dead. Alice opened the envelope and unfolded the letter. She stood in the kitchen for a full five minutes, too stunned to move, reading and rereading the letter. Personal, indeed. She felt strange reading it, but read it she must:

My dearest George,

By now you will be back in Australia, missing me, I hope. I miss you like crazy, and I can’t wait for your next visit. I have something to tell you, and I know how pleased you will be.

After five years together, we are to expect a baby! I am so excited, as I expect you will be too. The baby is due in early February. It will be great if you can organise a flight to coincide with this important event.

I don’t need to tell you how much I love you. Now you can divorce Alice and marry me at last, my darling.

Love,

Your adoring Madeline

Was this some kind of sick joke? Was it possible that the George Bayfield she had lived with for ten years and loved for fifteen had a secret mistress in England? It couldn’t be true. Not loving, faithful George—the kind and considerate husband she’d just buried.

Alice sat at the table for ages. How could she not have known? Did George