He had disappeared on his quest over a month before, but Skye was glad for his absence, since she hadn’t wanted him interfering with her attempted romance with Hawk. She spent the next day catching up on correspondence with her friends and dispatching social obligations. And the morning after that, she set out for East Sussex with Daphne in Kate’s carriage.
Daphne was alternately excited, anxious, nervous, and hopeful. As they neared Hawk’s castle, she asked Skye to remain with her when she met her mother for the first time. Skye did her best to put Daphne at ease and prepare her for what to expect, particularly for what her mother was like. And then Skye listened while Daphne shared her concerns.
When they arrived, it was near midday and a chill rain was falling. The renovations for the family wing were not as obvious upon their approach, but the gravel drive seemed less rutted and the overgrowth of the park had been significantly pared back. Rachel must have been watching anxiously from a window, for as soon as their carriage drew to a halt, she appeared on the front steps above them.
Clearly, Daphne hardly dared to breathe as a footman opened the carriage door for her. Rachel looked just as nervous as she slowly descended the stone stairway.
When she reached Daphne, they stood there in the rain, drinking each other in. Lord Cornelius had followed at a discreet distance and stood watching the two of them. It was left to Skye to make the introductions, then move the encounter inside, where liveried footmen accepted their wet outer garments and bonnets.
They couldn’t hold a tender reunion in front of all the servants, yet once they made it to the parlor, the searching glances resumed. Mother and daughter were both weeping silently, tears of happiness running down their faces.
Then Rachel took Daphne’s hands and murmured in a hoarse voice, “Can you ever forgive me?”
Daphne gave a watery laugh. “Of course I can, Mama.” Then she winced. “I ought not call you that, oughtn’t I?”
“I fear not, my dearest girl. You must address me as Mrs. Donnelly or Meg.”
“It doesn’t matter. It only matters that I have found you. I always dreamed of knowing my mother, but it seems impossible that my dream has come true.”
“I feared you would hate me,” Rachel said in a choked voice.
Daphne’s expression remained solemn. “When I first learned of your existence, I felt a bit resentful that you had left me.”
“I could not take you with me, Daphne, no matter how agonizing the choice. You were so very young—just a tiny baby. Your father would never have ceased looking for us if I had stolen you away. It was difficult leaving my family and friends, but abandoning you was like ripping out my heart.”
Daphne’s slow nod suggested understanding. “I realize why you felt it necessary to fabricate your death. Papa was not only cold and heartless but physically brutal. But it is harder to accept why you kept the secret from me after he was gone.”
“I was frightened by the possible ramifications. The truth could alter your life so drastically. I didn’t dare expose you to your half brother’s wrath, for one thing. He inherited your father’s temperament, from what I can gather.”
“Yes, Edgar is much like Papa.”
“So perhaps you can see why I thought it best for your sake to maintain the lie that I had lived for twenty-five years. Moreover, I had no confidence that you would welcome the news, until Lady Skye persuaded me to take the risk.”
Daphne cast Skye a thankful look. “I am enormously grateful that she did.”
Rachel hesitated. “I must ask, Daphne … did your father ever raise a hand to you?”
“No. He was mostly indifferent. I think because I was a daughter, not a son.”
Rachel shut her eyes briefly in relief. “Thank God. That was my worst fear—that he might hurt you, but I gambled that he would provide you a far better life than I ever could. And later … I learned that his new wife was a quiet-spoken gentlewoman from an impeccable family and hoped she could raise you to become a genteel young lady. I see I wa
s not wrong.”
Daphne smiled at the compliment. “My stepmother was not unkind, simply frivolous and shallow. She had a great eye for fashion and style, though, and she encouraged my interest in roses and watercolor painting, even though she disliked being out of doors herself and had no fondness for art or science. I think I must have acquired my attachment to roses from you. I know that you loved roses.… Painting in your rose garden at Farnwell Manor always comforted me. Somehow I felt close to you when I was there.”
Suddenly, Rachel buried her face in her hands and heaved a great sob. Groping blindly, she sank into the nearest chair and continued to weep.
Daphne’s concern was evident in the way she hovered over her mother. Cornelius, too, was visibly anxious at her distress, but Skye felt certain the tremendous emotion Rachel was feeling was relief and joy rather than sadness, and so she passed over a handkerchief from her reticule.
A short while later Rachel quieted and wiped her eyes. Still sniffing, she looked up. She was smiling broadly. Beaming, in fact. “I am perfectly fine, my dear. I am crying from sheer joy. You cannot know how I have longed for this moment.”
Daphne’s features softened. “Indeed, I can, for I have felt the same longing all my life.”
At the touching exchange, Skye let out her breath in relief, her own fears allayed. This promising, heartwarming beginning boded well for their reunion.
After Rachel’s outburst, they all took seats and initiated the process of becoming acquainted. They were strangers, after all, and had a quarter century of catching up to do. Emotions and feelings and thoughts came pouring out in fits and starts. One comment led to another tangent, which diverged to a different subject altogether, before circling back again as they explored each other’s lives and characters and history.
Most surprising to Skye was Daphne’s familiarity with Cornelius’s scholarly works. She had read his treatise on Ovid numerous times and professed to be a great admirer. Skye’s biggest regret was that her uncle and Rachel had to hide their love. Cornelius was merely introduced as the patriarch of the Wilde family and a longtime friend of Rachel’s.