Page 49 of The Wise Daughter

Nora had never been one to grow ill from swaying carriages, but tonight, tucked away in one with her father, she thought she was going to be sick.

The castle’s light disappeared behind trees, like candles being snuffed.

Whispers of music from the ball drifted until they were drowned out by carriage wheels rolling over gravel and dirt.

There were several people Nora would have liked to say goodbye to, Mrs. Manning, Mrs. Bloom, Chuff, even Ruthers, who she still hoped was trustworthy.

What would Janie think of her leaving without a goodbye?

Janie would come to Nora’s bedchamber only to find her note explaining that she had to leave and asking her to please take care of Scamp.

My precious little kitten.

Leaving Scamp had especially stung. Nora had almost decided she couldn’t leave him after all, but after Aaron’s cold and sudden change of heart, nothing could persuade her to take anything with her that she had not brought to the castle herself. At least she still had Locket.

Nora smoothed the skirts of her old, mud-stained dress. Her hand looked too small without Aaron’s signet ring on her thumb. Taken without warning, just like his affection, it was the only thing she did not want to give up other than him.

He hadn’t even come to see them off.

With the next bump in the carriage, Nora breathed through her nausea and wished she had chosen to ride Locket who clambered along behind the carriage with an unknown groomsman who had been hired for the night to help with the ball while the castle’s usual men danced.

Beyond the darkness outside her window, she continually saw Aaron walking away from her in the garden, the change in his countenance, the stiffness in his movements.

She blinked back the moisture building in her eyes.

It was pointless to wonder what had caused the change.

He had decided. A marriage between them would not work.

Her father, sitting across from her, gazed at his lap.

How disappointed he must be! The further they rode from the castle, the more she could almost hear his thoughts.

They wouldn’t be in this predicament if she had accepted Lord Newberry.

She almost laughed to herself, still without a regret in her bones for that decision.

Those awkward moments in West Riding were now a lifetime away.

Her heart belonged to Aaron, whether he wanted it or not.

The silence in the carriage pressed on her thoughts until it became unbearable.

“You’ve been terribly quiet, Father.”

He barely looked up. “Well, I don’t understand how you could leave all those new gowns behind. I’m sure the duke intended for you to keep them. What the devil is he supposed to do with them?”

“Whatever he wants,” she grumbled. “No matter what has happened, I cannot have him believing I wanted his money.” Like everything else he had given her, the gowns remained at the castle. Let him give them to the next woman who becomes engaged to him, she added bitterly.

“I’m sorry, Nora, for all of this. Never mind what I said about the gowns. This is my fault.”

Her eyes stung with tears. “No. I don’t believe that.”

“It’s true. He only asked us to leave after his meeting with Lord Bilford.”

He blew his nose into his handkerchief and told her the entire story of taking up the habit of playing cards with him and, finally, of wagering Raven Manor in his last attempt to regain what he had lost from his previous wagers.

“It wasn’t an honest wager, me offering up a property I did not own.

I didn’t think it would matter. I knew I would win.

Then I lost, just like every other tempting wager.

I won’t blame you if you leave me to fend for myself after this.

No, I won’t have arguing. I hope you do.

You would do much better without me. I know you’ll find a desirable position somewhere.

Do your best to earn a little money. I imagine you’ll meet someone eventually and marry.

I really thought the duke had lost his heart to you. ”

Nora had to look away as he said this, incapable of explaining that Aaron must have changed his mind for other reasons.

“You may not have the life I had hoped you would have, Nora.” He blew his nose again. “But you’ll find a way.”

“Goodness. You must be feeling truly awful to suggest I work to earn my own way.”

“You have no idea how awful.” He sighed and bent over, dropping his head into his hands. “All I can think is if I had but listened to my daughter.”

Tears finally slipped down her cheeks, leaving cold streaks as wind from the carriage’s drafts blew them dry. She wanted to be furious at her father for yet again giving in to his one great weakness, but she wasn’t. She knew deep within his actions weren’t the reason for Aaron’s dismissal.

She took a shaky breath to keep from releasing any more tears. “I used to believe I was strong and clever enough to overcome anything, but ever since Mother died, I’ve felt so lost.”

“Oh, Nora. I can tolerate the idea that I brought myself to ruin, but I cannot abide the truth that I brought my daughter to ruin as well. Chastise me all you like. Tell me I already brought you to ruin. I know I did, but I was so sure coming here would solve things.” He twisted his handkerchief and pinched his eyes shut.

“I thought if I could just be rid of the place where she died, I could forget how much it hurt.”

Understanding washed over her. He had wanted to lose all those wagers. What was the point in fighting for a home full of so much sorrow? Looking back, she saw it in his actions. He had wanted to be rid of any reminders. It was a small relief to finally understand that piece of the puzzle.

Her father opened his eyes and took her hand. “Do you know what I realized at Holmrook Castle? Even though I’ve felt just as lost, I’ve always had you. I should have realized what a blessing you were to me. I should have taken greater care of you.”

Nora squeezed his hand in return. Trying to forget had never done either of them any good. With so many mistakes in the past, remembering was the only way forward that seemed to offer any peace.

“Father, remember how she used to sing in the mornings?”

His features pinched though his eyes brightened. “How could I forget? Her voice was the first sound I heard each day. No doubt, you inherited your talent for singing from her.”

Nora smiled at the compliment. “And do you remember her rose garden? The reds and pinks, the white and yellows. The roses never did bloom as beautifully again as they did under her care.”

“True,” he agreed. “She had a special touch. The variety she grew was a testament to how much she loved color. Remember how she was always encouraging you to try new colors in your wardrobe?”

Nora sucked in a quick breath. She had forgotten. “You’re right. I wouldn’t have discovered how much I liked to wear green or peach without her encouragement.”

“I don’t think she would have wanted you to wear those greys and lavenders for so long. She would have wanted you to have those gowns.”

So that’s why her father had wanted her to have the new gowns. He wanted her to enjoy life as she once had, before the blacks and greys and lavenders of her mourning. If she ever had another chance to choose a pretty gown, she would choose something full of color, perhaps a vibrant blue.

Her father released a heavy sigh. “Your mother was such a light. Just like you, my little Nora. I’m sorry I made such of mess of our lives, but you keep shining.

Your mother would have been so proud of you.

She would be heartbroken to see me like this.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive myself. ”

“Mother wouldn’t have wanted that either.”

He pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes. “Whatever happens after this, I will do more to help instead of hurt. No more wagers.”

The strange thing was, Nora believed him. Time was the only true test of his resolve, but for the first time, she heard a humble acknowledgment of his grief along with an understanding of what he had actually done not only to himself but to her as well.

The carriage slowed. Her father leaned forward and looked out the window.

“What’s this? Where are we? This isn’t right.”

“What’s wrong, Father?”

She leaned forward for her own look outside. The clouds had dispersed. Moonlight lit the small but elegant manor before them.

“This isn’t Raven Manor.”

“What do you mean? Of course it is.”

“It most certainly is not. I’ve only visited it a few times, but I know the difference. Make no mistake, I won’t complain if this is where the duke insists we stay. Even from a glance in the dark, I can see that this place is far superior to the one I’ve visited. I wonder why we’re here instead.”

Nora didn’t have an answer to this. “Do you think we ought to say something about it?”

“Oh, no. I won’t say anything that takes us to the abandoned hovel I visited earlier. We’re staying here.”

Nora didn’t like it. She had heard it from Aaron’s lips. This was Raven Manor, but if that were true, where had her father been going?

Nora and her father thanked the groomsmen who had driven them. One took Mr. Lacy’s small trunk inside while another took Locket to the stables.

“We’ve brought a few supplies, Miss Lacy, a bit of bread and cold meats, but there isn’t much else here for you or your horse. You can take her out to graze in the fields tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” She didn’t mind that the house was not well stocked. It meant she and her father would have to find somewhere else to go soon.

One of the groomsmen was kind enough to light a fire, but otherwise, there wasn’t much else to do. Soon, Nora was listening to the carriage pull away.

Her father settled into a large armchair and heaved a great sigh.

“If the duke had offered me this place, I’m sure I should never have offered it up in a gamble.

It was wrong, either way, I know, but the other wretched place was much easier to surrender.

” He closed his eyes, and soon, his breathing slowed, followed by light snoring.

Nora rubbed her arms, feeling very alone, and looked around.

The manor wasn’t nearly as grand as the castle, but it was respectable and adequately furnished. It compared well to their old home in West Riding, but Nora found she missed the castle’s portraits and twisted corridors that always promised her an interesting discovery.

Making herself useful, Nora went in search of the kitchen and larder to see what was at their disposal. The footmen were right. Other than a few baskets they had brought, the manor was empty of food, but she did find several candles. Greedy for light, she lit every last one.

“Forgive me, Your Grace, for so readily indulging in your candles,” she sighed, “but I need the light now more than ever.”

After setting them throughout the rooms she had thus far visited, Nora took another candle and set off to explore the empty rooms upstairs.

Holding the light aloft, she was compelled to see it all, unsure what difference it would make, but she had to be thorough.

Room after room, everything looked in order.

Strange. If Raven Manor had needed such extensive work, which Carver had insisted was not quite finished, why did she not see any evidence of disrepair?

Marking the end of the second floor’s long corridor was a door plainer than the others but much more interesting to Nora’s curiosity.

This door must have led to the third floor she had seen from the outside.

The knob was either broken or locked, but after a few turns, she could almost feel the click of release.

She yanked and rattled, shaking its rust, until it finally gave.

Just as she thought. Beyond the door was another staircase.

“Hello?”

Her candle cast stark shadows as she climbed the stairs to the third level.

Here, the floorboards were cold and the walls bare.

The first room she entered was empty except for a plain, crude bed and moth-eaten curtains.

The second room was similar only more dusty. The third, however, made her pause.

Several paintings leaned against the walls, some large, some small, but all wore elegant frames and carried the marks of master artists.

One portrait in particular snatched Nora’s attention.

It was of a woman quite beautiful with sparkling eyes, chestnut hair with hints of red, a fine gown, and very familiar features.

“Mrs. Westlake?”

Nora hardly realized the whispered question had come from her own mouth.

She didn’t know how it could be, but it was her neighbor in younger days.

A strange sensation overcame her, like a bite of food that would not go down.

She almost ran downstairs to wake her father, but the strangeness of her discovery made her yet more curious about the other rooms.

The next room was filled with an assortment of trinkets, clocks, and even jewelry in a jumble on the floor, shoved into the corners, and along the walls.

The third room made Nora gasp and drop her candle, the flame extinguishing before it could cause any trouble except for leaving her in darkness, but she knew what she had seen in that candlelight.

Even in the faint, ghostly light of the moon that slipped in, she could see the outlines of the only other piece of evidence she needed to be absolutely sure.

A room full of instruments.

Her heart pounded. Her breath quickened.

“Oh, Aaron. I wish you were here!” She didn’t need any confirmation to know that these were the instruments stolen from his mother’s music room. “You’ve banished us to the thieves’ lair.”

Though there were multiple thieves, there was only one man who could have shown her father another house, one man who accused the chimney sweep, the same man who handled business with the servants and their supposed lowered wages, and one man who suggested she was a mistake.

Carver.