Page 23 of Once Upon a Winter's Tale
Albert looked at his brother. “Will that be enough to prove who she is?”
“I believe it will—and if it’s ever challenged, there is the doctor’s word and Mother’s. Did the doctor ever write anything to Father affirming the child’s name?” Roger asked.
“I believe so. There was a small packet of paperwork in a slim brown covering with a narrow red ribbon in the safe,” the duchess said.
“I believe I found that here, along with a letter from Father.” Albert now suspected Father had written an account of this for Brianna’s sake, should she ever need it, knowing she or one of his sons would see it carried out as intended. He reached into his desk drawer and withdrew the letter, skimmed it, and handed it to his mother. “Father described much of the situation, as you told it this night.”
“Should we introduce her to Lord Patrick Wharton?” Roger asked.
“I would like to be the one to do that, if things go my way,” Albert said.
“Son? What way? What are you talking about?” Both his mother and Roger looked astonished.
“I plan to ask her to marry me, Mother. If she will have me, I will introduce her to Patrick as my duchess,” Albert said. “I decided before reading Father’s letter, fearing it would place some sort of pressure on me—which, as it turns out, it would have. I find I cannot go a day without seeing her.” He smiled.
Roger jumped up from his seat and congratulated him. “This was worth the trip to hear!”
“We may be ahead of ourselves. I planned to ask her tonight. With the two of you here, it seems even more right.”
Chapter Nine
That night
“My lady, youare lovely as usual,” Jane said as she fastened her mistress’s blonde curls into a soft chignon behind her head. “You must be so excited to see your friend!”
“If she is here, something must be wrong,” Alaina murmured.
“My lady, please do not think that way,” the maid said, stopping her ministrations to her mistress’s hair. “I feel it in here”—she tapped her heart—“that this night will be special for you. I think, just like that night seventeen years ago, that if there was something wrong—truly wrong—we would know it. Your friends have kept you and your daughter safe for all these years. If something was wrong, they would have told you already.”
“You are probably right, my dear. I worry about Brianna. I want her to have a chance at a decent future, whatever that turns out to be. She’s missed so much because of my decisions.”
“My lady, your daughter lives because of your love. You saved her life; I am sure of it. And probably yours,” the maid added. “A braver woman I have never known. This is but a dinner with friends.”
“Stay close, Jane, in case I need you,” the duchess beseeched.
“Of course, my lady, but your daughter and your friends will let no harm come your way. They have protected you these seventeen years,” the maid said, securing Alaina’s pearls. “You must take a calming breath and cleanse these worries out of your mind.”
The countess fingered the strand of pearls about her neck. “These were my dear mama’s. They are all I have of her.”
“Your parents will always be in your heart, my lady,” soothed Jane.
At once, Alaina realized she had forgotten to check on her daughter. “Is Brianna ready?”
“I finished assisting her an hour ago. I have never seen her so excited as she has been to meet this man for dinner each evening,” Jane returned.
“I have said very little. I only hope I have done the right thing, allowing them to spend time together. It’s so difficult to know the right thing. My daughter deserves a chance at life, but I don’t want her heart broken,” Alaina said, taking a deep breath. “I had a good feeling about him.” Taking her maid’s advice, she closed her eyes and willed herself to breathe steadily and slowly. She would get through this evening. These were her friends.
*
From the momentMama consented to dinner, Brianna’s body had thrummed with excitement. She would see Albert shortly, although she wasn’t sure of how much she’d be able to eat. Even though he planned to leave the next day and their time together was short, she counted the hours until she would see him again.
When she arrived home, she’d placed her new book under her pillow and gone out to check on Nero. Even though he had no visible scratches, she had kept him in the stable—not so much quarantined but confined and away from danger—until she could be sure the dog that escaped would not return. The puppy was doing fine, and the mama cat and her kittens were thriving. The fawn was still in the barn with its mother protecting it, but Brianna knew the time would pass too quickly before they would say goodbye to it. There would be more animals, but she would miss these. They would always remind her of meeting the duke that day.
“Are we ready to go to the manor house, darling?” Brianna’s mother stood in the doorway of her room.
“You look beautiful, Mama. You must be excited since the duchess arrived. She will be there,” Brianna said, happy to see her mother looking so radiant.
“It’s been a very long time, Bree, and it’ll be wonderful to see her,” Mama agreed.
