Work Text:
Your relationship with Thomas Thorne had been a happy one, though you couldn't have been lucky enough for it to stay that way.
The two of you had been madly in love, and had actually been engaged to be married, although secretly. Your parents had never liked Thomas, thinking him to be too irresponsible and eccentric to make a good husband for you. You had planned to elope, but before you could get away your father found out about your plans.
He gave you a choice, break off the engagement, or he would make things 'difficult' for Thomas. You had no idea what that meant, but your father was not a kind man so you did not wish to find out. You loved Thomas far too much to put him in any danger. And so, you wrote a letter to him, telling him that you would not marry him, as your feelings for him had left you. It was harsh, but it was better to break his heart than have him come into any danger.
However, you soon found out that what you had done had not helped him at all.
About a week after you broke off your engagement, you received news that Thomas had died. According to Thomas' cousin Francis -- who had arrived at your home to inform you of what had happened -- he had been so distraught after reading your letter that he had challenged an officer to a duel that he could not win, over the smallest slight. The officer had shot him in the back, and Thomas had perished a few minutes after.
You cried for hours and hours after you heard what had happened. The snide comment that your father had made about you being better off with Thomas gone only hurt you further. In your grief you had decided to travel to Higham House, the place of Thomas' death, so you could get a chance to say goodbye to him.
Francis had told you that Thomas had died resting up against a tree on the grounds, and when you saw it, somehow you just knew that was where it had happened. You walked over to the tree, placing the flowers you had brought with you underneath it, purple hyacinths, to symbolise your regret.
You kneeled down before the tree as if in prayer, tears streaming down your cheeks as you touched the earth where your beloved had taken his final breaths just hours ago.
"Thomas, my love, I cannot express how sorry I am. I lied when I said that I did not love you anymore and that I did not wish to marry you. I know it does not change anything, but I believed that I was protecting you from my father... I never imagined something like this would happen! I hope you can forgive me, my dearest, and know that I will always love you and think about you forever."
You stayed there for a while, crying and thinking about the life that you and Thomas could have had together. Everything would have been perfect had your father not discovered your engagement and destroyed your chances at happiness. You hated him, but it wasn't like there was anything you could do. With Thomas gone, he was likely to try and marry you off to some man that he approved of, one of his rich businessman friends that would be far too old and not care for you beyond being his pretty young trophy wife.
But there was nowhere else you could go, and so, you would have to return home now before he realised you were gone. You stood, your knees sore from kneeling for so long and feeling utterly exhausted from grief.
That was probably why you tripped. You scrambled to steady yourself, but could not, and you didn't even have time to make a noise before you had fallen backward and hit your head against the tree, hard. It only took a few moments for the life to drain out of you and for your vision to fade.
How fitting that you and your true love would both die against the same tree.
*
You didn't know how long it had been when you opened your eyes again. Perhaps it didn't really matter. All you could really take notice of was the face that you saw when you did.
"Thomas...?" you said, astounded. This was impossible. It had to be a dream. How could you be seeing his smiling face looking at you once again?
"Oh, Y/N, my sweetest angel..." Thomas beamed at you, holding both of your hands between his own. "It seems that after everything that has happened, fate still could not keep us apart for long."
"What... what is... I don't understand..." You wanted to be happy to see Thomas, and you were, of course, but your utter confusion was overriding any joy you were feeling. "What happened? How can this be possible?"
"When I saw you out here through the window, my curiosity got the better of me and I had to know why you had come. I was certainly not expecting to see you again after I had received your letter," Thomas explained, and the smile had still not left his face.
You dropped your gaze to the ground, unable to look at him. Even if you did not mean what you had written in that letter it still pained you to think that you had done so.
"But when I heard your beautiful words and saw you weep for me, I could not bear to be mad for a second longer. Oh, how I wished to wipe away your tears and see your radiant smile again! But I could not, so I simply stayed by your side and hoped to be some comfort, even if you could not see me."
"And then...? How... how am I seeing you?"
"When you stood to leave, you tripped. Your head hit the tree and then it was the end. There was nothing that could have been done." His expression turned sad as he spoke of your death. Even though it had allowed the two of you to be together once more, it was still a horrible loss of life. "And now, it seems you have become a ghost, just as I have."
Of course. It all came back to you in the span of a few seconds. You had been planning to go back home and you had fallen, you remembered now.
"So, this is real. I am not dreaming?" You looked to your hands, still cradled between Thomas'. There was no way it could be a dream, you could feel the warmth of his touch. He was really there. Thomas nodded.
You took a moment to contemplate the information. It seemed ridiculous, but the evidence was right in front of you, was it not? And even if it was not real, and simply an incredibly vivid dream, was that really so bad? If it were a dream, you hoped it would never end. "Oh, Thomas, how I've missed you!"
Thomas rose to his feet and gently brought you up with him. He let go of your hands, instead taking you into his arms and embracing you lovingly, like he never wished to let you go. "I have missed you too, my darling. So much."
It would take you a while to fully adjust to being dead, but it wasn't so bad, knowing that you and Thomas could truly be together forever. Just as you had always wanted.