Page 6 of The Baron’s Perfect Match (Twist of Fate #1)

Unfortunately, her father wasn’t careful with their funds and began to waste more coin on gambling and drinking, staying out until all hours of the night. Nothing Mary said could dissuade him from this destructive behavior.

To make matters worse, James became obsessed with having an heir to inherit the title.

After Mia’s difficult birth, Mary had been warned by the doctor that it would be unwise for her to have any more children.

Even with that dire warning, their father would not relent.

He was determined to have a son and heir, and Mary had no choice but to comply with her husband’s marital demands.

After the devastating loss of two more babies in the next few years, Mary finally fell pregnant again.

She was eight and thirty, considered too old by many to try for another child, especially with her past history of difficult births.

Mary had surprised everyone and managed to carry the child nearly to term, but the whole ordeal weakened her slight frame.

Papa was ecstatic about the pregnancy. He was convinced this child was a boy and tried his best to pamper Mary as much as possible. Nothing could come between him and his son. Tragically, all the pampering did little to help Mary as she labored to deliver the child.

Audrey would never forget her mother’s agonizing screams, which had lasted long into the night.

She was holding her mother’s hand when the child was finally born, the cord wrapped around its neck.

The midwife tried her best, but the boy was blue and could not be revived.

That seemed to take the fight out of Mary, and after begging Audrey to take care of her sisters, her mother took one final breath and was gone.

Her father was inconsolable and held his son for hours after the birth.

When he finally relinquished the tiny body, he learned that his beloved wife had also left this world.

It broke him, and he staggered out of the house.

He was gone for three days. Even when he finally returned, he was a shell of a man and did not try to console his daughters on the loss of their mother.

His eyes were dead when he looked at them.

Audrey had tried to be as helpful as possible, but even her best efforts weren’t enough.

He drank more. He gambled more, until they could no longer pay the servants and were forced to give up the townhouse and move to Gracechurch Street.

She’d been five and ten on that tragic night, and her life would never be the same again.

The memories of that tragic time overwhelmed her, and she cursed her father for what he’d done to her mother’s belongings.

Audrey fell to her knees in a pile of her mother’s dresses, sobbing in frustration.

She momentarily stopped crying when something hard pressed into her knee.

Sitting back on her heels, she lifted up the dress.

What had gouged her? The aqua-and-cream silk dress was the fanciest one Mama had owned, and she’d adored it.

Audrey could see why; it was stunning. Seeing it carelessly tossed on the floor made her cringe.

She ran her hand down the silk, and that’s when she felt it.

Audrey checked the inside of the dress, and that’s when she found them—Mama’s pearls.

She carefully untangled the threads on which the pearls were caught and nearly screamed with happiness, but didn’t want her sisters to be alarmed.

She jumped up, clutching the pearls in her hand.

She also grabbed the dress, counting on her father never noticing the loss of one dress in the pile of dresses he’d thrown on the floor.

Peeking out the door to make sure her father hadn’t returned, she ran down the hallway to her bedchamber.

Once inside, she hid the pearls in her secret hiding place and hung the dress in the back of her armoire.

There was no way she’d ever let her father know she’d found the necklace. He wouldn’t appreciate its sentimental value to her; he’d just pawn it like he’d pawned everything else he could.

Audrey wiped her eyes and went downstairs to rejoin her sisters.

For now, she’d keep quiet about finding the pearls and let her sisters believe Papa had taken them.

She couldn’t chance that either Grace or Mia might one day blurt out in frustration and anger that he hadn’t taken everything from them.

She didn’t want to risk it, so she would keep the secret until the appropriate time, whenever that may be.

It would be a nice surprise for Grace and Mia later to know that a piece of Mama was still here for them to enjoy.

“Oh, no. By the look on your face, all the jewelry is gone too?” Grace asked.

“I’m afraid so. Papa threw all of Mama’s dresses on the floor and took everything from the small box on her vanity.”

“I’m so sorry,” Grace said, hugging Audrey. “I know you loved her pearls.”

“Thank you, Grace. We will just have to make do however we can.”

The rest of the day and the next one passed without their father coming home, which was unusual these days.

“Where do you think Papa’s gone?” Mia asked when they were all sitting in the parlor on the third day of the baron’s absence.

Audrey looked up from her book. “I don’t know. It’s not like him to be gone this long.”

“What if—”

A knock on the door interrupted any further conversation.

“I wonder who’s come calling?” Audrey said.

Beckwith opened the parlor door and announced the local magistrate. “Mr. Wright.”

All three girls immediately stood. Why was the magistrate at their door?

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but I’m looking for Miss Parker,” Mr. Wright said, striding into the room with an air of authority around him.

Audrey stepped forward. “I’m Miss Parker. May I ask why you’re here? My father, Lord Fletcher, is not at home presently.”

The magistrate bowed his head. “I know, miss. That’s why I’m here. There’s been an unfortunate incident.”

A shiver of dread raced up Audrey’s spine. “An incident? What kind of incident?”

“It appears Lord Fletcher has been the victim of a robbery gone wrong.”

“Victim? What are you saying?”

“I’m sorry to inform you, Miss Parker, that your father is dead.”