Page 95 of The Wise Daughter
A guilty look swept across her features. “It is also where I have been quietly living these many years.”
“Then you must know the Lacys.”
“Of course, I do. When the Lacys lost everything, I thought of you. I told Mr. Lacy who I was and made him promise not to tell a soul, not even his daughter, and I urged him to come here. I had a feeling you would receive them. Maybe it was foolishness, but when news reached me of your father’s death, I wanted so much to find a way to be part of your life again. I thought the Lacy’s might provide a means back.”
“How very prophetic of you.” Aaron glared off to the side, away from his mother, unsure how to feel about her confessions.
“It was my secret hope that Miss Lacy would capture your interest.”
Aaron rubbed his forehead. “I want to be sure I understand you. Even estranged, my mother has been meddling not only with my friendships but also with my marriage prospects?” It was incredulous. It was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.
They looked at one another and shared one brief laugh, their first in over a decade.
Aaron’s head began to throb anew. The mood grew serious again. “Mother, I was a child. I didn’t understand it then, and I don’t understand it now. You could have written to me, at the very least.”
“Perhaps I should have, but there is one more thing I never told you.” She took a deep breath. “I had convinced myself I was keeping you safe. Do you know why your father sent you away to school? Do you remember that fire in the stables?”
“How could I forget? It seemed connected to Father’s decision to send me away. I now know that Carver was behind that too.”
“Curse that man!” His mother pounded a fist into her palm. “Well, your father didn’t know who was responsible, but he knew that fire was no accident. Well, I had convinced myself that the fire was actually an attempt to strike at me.”
“At you? I don’t understand.”
She shrugged. “Shortly after the fire, I started receiving threatening notes. Hurting you was the worst way anyone could ever hurt me. I thought if I left, whoever had started that fire would be satisfied and leave my child alone. Maybe it was stupid of me to give into fear like that, but you have to understand the state I was in. I was so sad all the time. I wasn’t thinking properly, and my ill-twisted logic convinced me I was doing something for your good. I even convinced myself I was doing a service to your father. I never intended to stay away as long as I did, but one month turned to two, then three, then twelve. The longer I was gone, the more difficult it was to return. The shame was too great, but so was my regret. After a while, I just didn't know how to fix things. Maybe I can’t. Heaven knows I’ll always regret losing your father without reconciling, but I hope you and I can somehow bridge the distance between us. I’m happy with small things, a cup of tea together, a moment of conversation. That would be more than enough for me. I promise I won’t bother you. I have to return to West Riding soon anyway.”
She turned away so he couldn’t see her face, but he could hear the sniffles and imagine the tears washing her cheeks. Aaron rubbed his forehead, and suddenly felt every ache in his body, his pounding head,his throbbing arm full of fresh stitches, and now a new ache in his chest that hurt and soothed at the same time.
“You should return here, Mother. Make Holmrook Castle your home again. We’ll sort it all out. We’ll start with small things and build from there.”
“Oh, Aaron, really?” She whirled around, her cheeks glistening but her features every bit as youthful as he remembered them. “You don’t think Miss Lacy will mind having me around once you are married?”
Aaron tugged on a loose thread on his blanket. “I’m not sure she will still want to marry me after all this.”
His mother bent over and kissed his forehead just like she used to do when he was a small child. “Then you must have forgotten how many times you proposed to her in your delirium. And how many times she said yes. It was quite amusing, actually, but whether you were fully conscious or not, we all know you love her. And she loves you.”
With one last hopeful glance, she left, leaving Aaron with much to think about.
Chapter 35
Nora waited endlessly by the fire, pretending to read, pretending to do needlepoint, pretending to sort through sheets of music, anything to keep from worrying about what she would say to Aaron when next she saw him. The only thing that held her attention for even a minute was watching her precious little Scamp practice leaping onto furniture with mixed success. Janie had taken excellent care of him in her short absence.
The clock chimed, and Nora stretched her arms. She had been sitting for far too long. For the hundredth time, she smoothed back her curls and shook her skirts straight, hoping Aaron would be happy to see her in one of the new gowns he had ordered for her, a vibrant blue that rivaled the clearest of skies.
A creak on the stairs made every last one of her muscles freeze. She didn’t know whether it was Aaron or someone else coming, but she counted the seconds anyway. When his tall, handsome figure appeared at the door, she rose slowly from her chair and offered a deep curtsey, the controlled movement keeping her in command of herself.
His wavy auburn hair and handsome features with those bright green eyes set her heart racing.
Scamp strutted across the thick carpet, pausing to regard him, then stuck his tiny cat nose in the air as if to say he had more important things to attend to.
Aaron shook his head. “I swear that cat likes to mock me.”
Nora bit her lip, happy to see Aaron in the mood for jesting. “Only because he knows it irks you.”
“Played like a true scamp. No sympathy at all for the ordeal I’ve been through.” But the way he smiled at Scamp revealed his affection for the kitten.
“I can’t help it if I’m his favorite. If you want sympathy from a cat, complaining or asking for it is sure to have the opposite effect. You must wait until he is ready to show it. Cats have their own priorities.” When Scamp began nuzzling her skirts, she picked him up and rubbed his head to the sounds of contented purring.
“That hardly seems fair, especially since he receives all the attention.” Aaron stepped close and scratched Scamp’s ear. “And speaking of attention, you look absolutely bewitching in that blue gown.”
