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Every year for a long time, Lady Felicia received a Valentine’s card from a secret admirer. She knew it wasn’t from Monty because, well, it just wasn’t his style with all of the tenderness, affection, and the rather passionate things that were written in them. And also they had continued since his passing. The cards were never anything too inappropriate, but this man definitely wanted to be with her and seemingly loved her deeply. She had tried to work out who it might be, and had spent some time dropping little hints and questions to her friends and acquaintances to try and find out, but to no avail. Whoever it was must have felt unable to tell her in person for whatever the reason, although she had a feeling that she knew him and that he knew her. She kept every card she got in a special box that she put in safe place in her bedroom, and sometimes when she was feeling exceptionally lonely she reread them, imagining this man holding her in his arms and telling her all these things to her face.
The cards strangely didn’t have a stamp or postmark on them, so they must have been hand delivered. This year she was alone at Montague for Valentine’s Day, so she decided she was going to finally find out who sent them. So she got up exceptionally early to try and catch whoever it was. She positioned herself in a room overlooking the main entrance and waited. After a while she watched as Sid made his way up the drive on his motorbike. She wondered why he was there so early as she said she wasn’t needing him to drive her anywhere this morning. She continued to watch as he sheepishly looked around, as if checking if anyone was looking. What was he up to? Something sneaky no doubt. He went up to the door and put something through the letterbox, then got back in his bike, sharpish, and rode away. Was he helping out the local postmaster? She went downstairs and picked up the mail from the mat, expecting it to be the usual of bills and official letters, but no, it was definitely a card. She stood there and carefully opened it. Oh! Oh Sidney. It was the valentines card she was waiting for and it was filled with sweet, loving and heartfelt wishes and romantic desires for her. It had been her Sid all along? How could she not have realised? And he loved her! Felicia blushed, remembering things written in previous years cards and wished he hand the nerve to tell her how he felt because, well, she had pushed her own feelings down over the years, not thinking for one moment that Sid felt the same way. They were friends. The best of friends. Obviously any kind of romantic relationship between them in the past would likely have been seen as a bit of a scandal, so perhaps that’s why he’d not told her. Not that she’d care one jot. After all, she was a widow now and who she saw was her own business and nobody else’s. She would have to do something about this. Tonight was the annual valentines dance in Kembleford, and she always attended out of community spirit, and also to keep the Father company. Tonight she would drag Sid away from whatever little tramp was trying her charms on him and she’d tell him she knew about the cards. Perhaps Saint Valentine would smile down on them and finally give them both the love and happiness they both desperately wanted from each other.