31701-0238-0001

Britannia Street,
Manly,
11th Jan., 1944.

My Own Darling Husband,
It is Monday and I have hurried through my work this morning so that I could write to you my darling. For some unknown reason I have been living the happy times we spent at Burleigh and Sandgate over and over again this morning. I remember you told me once how you felt when we walked through the woods over Big Burleigh, how romantic you felt being there alone with me. Did it really affect you that way Alan darling? If so just think what a glorious time we are going to have at Binna Burra, I am all yours now Alan, wholly and soully, to have and to hold till death do us part. The night we spent at Sandgate is on my mind to-day, I can picture the skating rink so clearly, we sat there for a long time watching them, you holding me close and kissing me, I do wish you were here now Alan darling. It is now lunch time, and I have the peace and quietness of the office, I like it like that when I am writing to you.

I finished the story East Lynn, I was telling you about it in my previous letter. If I remember rightly I had read to the chapter were Mrs. Carlyle (Lady Isabel) had been divorced by her husband and deserted by Mr. Levison, the chap she ran away with. She had three children to Mr. Carlyle and one to Mr. Levison. After finding out what a rotter Mr. Levison was she refused any help from him and wouldn't take a penny of his money. She had to make her own living and support his child, so she got a position as a governess, as she was a talented woman in more than one way. She never stayed in one place long, as she was always meeting old friends of theirs, she didn't wish to be reminded of the past as she realised her folly only too well. On one of these journeys she was involved in a teriffic train smash, her baby and his nurse were killed and Lady Isabel was so near to it, they gave up all hope for her. A nun was there trying to console the wounded, and knowing there was no hope for Lady Isabel asked her to write a few lines to someone while she could and she would forward them on. She did so, wrote to her uncle Lord Severn of the train smash and how she was about to be taken and to tell her husband how she had repented and and all the sorrow and heartache she had suffered and asked for his forgiveness. This letter was forwarded on to him and the announcements were put in the papers. Lady Isabel didn't die, she read of her death in the paper and she thought it better to let the world think her dead. After a couple of years, Mr Carlyle married again, he married the girl who had always loved him, the one Lady Isabel had been so jealous of. She imagined her husband to be in love with her at the time she left him, so went with Levinson for revenge, it was just insane jealousy that made her do it, as Mr. Carlyle had never loved anonther. He knew Barbara loved him, the whole of West Lynn knew it, but he loved only his wife. She never gave any reason for leaving so he didn't know till this day it was because of Barbara. Lady Isabel a time after happened to hear the Carlyles were wanting a governess for her children. She took the position as Lady Vine, her face was so badly disfigured from the accident and she wore dark spectacles the whole time so there wasn't any chance of them rec-