Chapter 141 A Bold Guess
Whether it was due to the overwhelming joy or the painful reminder of her two deceased grandsons, Madam's figure swayed suddenly, prompting Auntie Jane to quickly support her.
"Madam!" Auntie Jane's face turned pale.
Madam raised her hand slightly, "It's nothing, I just lost my balance. Don't worry."
She knew her body best, having survived this long and experiencing the departure of loved ones was graying her hair. She believed she had lived long enough.
Next, she wanted to accomplish as much as possible within the limited time she had.
With Ethan and Emma to accompany Sam in the future, she could rest assured even in the afterlife and have an explanation for Sophia.
"This afternoon, come with me to organize Sophia's belongings."
Auntie Jane sighed softly, feeling slightly anxious. She felt that Madam seemed to have figured many things out, but she didn't know if it was good or bad.
Sam was tired from playing and had already gone upstairs to rest, while Madam also went back to her room for an hour of rest.
Gabriel returned around two o'clock and seeing both the young and old taking their afternoon nap, he didn't disturb them and went straight to his study to keep himself busy.
Half an hour later, Sam woke up first, and Gabriel took him to play in the backyard. The weather was so nice; it would be a waste to not enjoy it.
After Mrs. Lancaster woke up, she sat on the edge of her bed in a daze for more than ten minutes. Auntie Jane came in to call her, and only then did she snap out of it. She let Auntie Jane support her as she washed her face.
"Go and fetch the key."
Auntie Jane hesitated and said, "Madam, that room hasn't been opened in a long time. Let me send someone to clean it first."
The children's rooms were regularly cleaned by the servants, with the clothes and toys inside being replaced every year. As for the locked room, it hadn't been accessed for five years, and it was surely covered in dust.
"You go get a broom. I will clean it myself."
"Madam!"
Madam glared at her displeased, "Go and get the cleaning tools."
As Mrs. Lancaster grew older, that dominant sideof hers from her past life hadn't completely faded. Auntie Jane didn't dare to stop her anymore and hurriedly fetched a broom, supporting Madam as they went upstairs.
The lock on the door was rusted. For five years, this door had become a taboo for the Lancaster family, and no one dared to touch it.
"Open it," Madam said in a solemn tone.
Auntie Jane hesitated, wanting to persuade her, but seeing Madam's determined gaze, she could only sigh and open the door.
As the door swung open, various smells rushed out, carrying even the dust in the air.
This room was the largest on the entire second floor. Every item inside was covered with white cloth, maintaining the same appearance as it did five years ago.
Before Gabriel got married, this was his bedroom. After marriage, it became his and Sophia's shared bedroom.
Five years ago, when Sophia "passed away," the servants had to organize her belongings and take them away, but Mrs. Lancaster intervened and instructed someone to put everything back in place before locking the room.
"Let's begin," she said.
Auntie Jane put a mask on Madam and also wore one herself.
They opened the windows for ventilation and started cleaning.
Madam opened the drawers of the dressing table, which were filled with various pieces of jewelry she had bought for Sophia. Now they were covered in dust, and the gemstones and jade had lost their former luster due to lack of care.
The wardrobe was filled with many clothes, all outdated from five years ago, covered in dust as well.
There was a small box lying in the corner. Madam remembered that it was Sophia's treasure. On the day Sophia came to the Lancaster family, she could have left everything behind, but this box was the one thing she insisted on bringing.
Mrs. Lancaster had never seen what was inside the box before, and now she was a bit curious.
Just one look wouldn't be a cause for blame when she meets Sophia in the future, would it?
Madam took the box out and crouched down. It wasn't locked, and the latch opened with a press.
There were quite a few things inside.
There were books, certificates, a tambourine, and a doll. They all seemed to hold special meaning for Sophia.
There was also a photo album with the words "Kelly family, full of joy" written on the cover.
This should be the Kelly family's album, and the first page showed a family portrait. The baby being held by the Kelly family parents in the photo was Sophia, who resembled Sam the most during their infancy.
Gabriel's grandfather had a close relationship with Sophia's grandfather, and both families had always wanted to arrange a marriage between them. However, in the generation of Sophia's parents, only sons were born, so they silently abandoned the idea of a marriage arrangement.
In Sophia's generation, they finally had a daughter, and Old Lancaster and Old Kelly happily agreed to arrange their marriage, but unfortunately, they did not live long enough to see their two grandchildren grow up.
Even the parents of both families didn't have the chance to personally toast to the marriage of their two children.
As Madam looked at this photo album, all the pain in her heart surfaced. Her eyes turned red, resembling a rabbit, and tears threatened to fall, but her thin hands trembled as she continued to flip through the album.
The Kelly family parents loved taking photos and had taken many pictures of Sophia as she grew up.
As she reached the back pages, she suddenly came across a familiar photo.
Madam adjusted her reading glasses, squinted her eyes, and carefully examined it.
Wasn't this a photo of Gabriel when he was a child?
Yes, it was. She had given it to Sophia before.
Unlike Sophia, Gabriel had never liked taking photos since he was a child. Therefore, there were very few pictures of him from his childhood in the house. This particular photo was one she had shown to Sophia earlier,
When looking through the family album, Madam took out a photo to give to Sophia. Surprisingly, Sophia placed Gabriel's photo in her most cherished box, indicating how much she truly loved her grandson. Unfortunately, her grandson didn't seem to appreciate it... Sigh... Madam let out a deep sigh, feeling even more burdened and uncomfortable.
"Madam, what is this?" Auntie Jane walked in at some point and noticed the photo in Madam's hand. The photo was colored but slightly blurry, as the pixels back then couldn't compare to the present.
"This is Gabriel when he was young. Look, Sam looks a lot like Gabriel, but also like Sophia," Madam shared with Auntie Jane.
Auntie Jane took it and commented without hesitation, "I actually think the young master looks a lot like Ethan."
"Oh, really? Let me have another look."
Mrs. Lancaster took the photo back, rubbed her eyes, squinted to make her vision clearer. Despite the blurriness, the outlines were still visible.
Gabriel in the photo had a stern face, looking very serious, like a little adult. His eyebrows were wrinkled tightly, showing that he must have been unhappy when the photo was taken.
Madam's hand trembled even more intensely, causing her body to start shaking as well. She couldn't squat down anymore and ended up plopping on the ground, startling Auntie Jane, who quickly went to help her.
"So alike, truly alike!" Madam's voice was also trembling.
When Ethan had a stern face, didn't he look exactly like young Gabriel?
Could there really be two people in the world who look the same?
If so, it must be because they are related by blood!
Madam had a bold guess.
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