Innocence (35 page)

“Not you.” He grimaced. “I just didn’t expect Thomas’s boy would turn out to be a dunderhead.”

“Lord Marsden isn’t a
dunderhead
.” Lisa was hesitant to repeat the word as she was uncertain as to its degree of offensiveness.

“Rubbish! Your speech, your demeanour, your gracious manner. Five seconds in your presence and anyone with a modicum of intelligence should have recognised you as a lady of exceptional breeding and education.”

Lisa was touched by his defence but couldn’t help smiling.
 

“People see what they
expect
to see,” she said.

Her father harrumphed. “If your hair colour wasn’t currently out of fashion—ridiculous, if you ask me. Queen Elizabeth must be rolling in her grave—then anyone with a lick of sense would have recognised your heritage.”

“My heritage?”

“You are the spitting image of your mother, and
she
was a princess for Heaven’s sake. How anyone could mistake her daughter for a servant for a moment, let alone weeks on end, is beyond me!”

Time slowed.
 

Lisa felt her jaw drop open, even as she noted dust motes dancing on a ray of afternoon sunshine that splashed across her father’s chest.
 

“My mother was a
what
?”
 

“A princess, or she would have been if the French royal family hadn’t been killed by the revolutionists.”

“Why was I never told?” Lisa words were more a plea of understanding than a demand. “I thought she was the daughter of a court official, that her parents were caught up in the chaos but somehow arranged for Mama to escape with some loyal servants. Didn’t she live in the French countryside with distant relatives, hidden amongst peasants?”

“That’s the part of the story we told you, but there was more to it.”
 

Her father’s words settled like a cold, damp cloak around Lisa’s shoulders.
 

“The French King was your grandmother’s second cousin. She didn’t approve of the indulgences that went on at court. Her husband, your maternal grandfather—related to our monarchy via
his
cousin, Frederik the fifth of Denmark’s marriage to Princess Louise, George the Second’s youngest daughter—was a sensible man—a baron but also an officer, like me. Unfortunately, their stance against the worst of the excesses could not protect them from the uprising of the masses. Your grandparents were killed along with many other members of the royal household, but not before they provided for your mother’s escape when she was still a girl.”

“And the rest of the tale. How you met Mama after you helped Uncle Thomas when he was injured?”

“All true. After we’d made it safely back to England, your mother and I were married and retired to live a quiet life in the country, shunning society and the social whirl on the pretext of preference.”

“When, in actual fact, you were concerned for her safety,” Lisa said, and he nodded. “What about after the Bourbon Monarchy was restored? Did Mama not want to return to France and her position in the royal household?”
 

“Not in the least. She’d seen too much and had no desire to reestablish connections with her royal relatives. We were content with our lot, and hoping to grow our little family.”
 

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth when I was old enough to understand?”
 

This time Lisa’s words
were
a demand, the consequences of her ignorance settling like a stone in her belly.

“It didn’t seem relevant.”
 

Her father shrugged, and she resisted the urge to succumb to a fit of hysterics.
 

“The danger is past, but otherwise, what difference would it have made?”

“What difference? Papa, my place in society must surely be influenced by a heritage of which I had no knowledge. I thought I was ranked at the very lower end of the
ton
, but if I understand correctly, you’re telling me . . .”

“You rank right up there with the royal family.” He chuckled.

“Does Uncle Thomas know?”
 

Her father shook his head. “He suspected your mother was a member of the French nobility but was unaware how highly placed. In hindsight, I think it’s a pity she didn’t let him know they were related, second or third cousins, I believe. She wanted a fresh start without all the attention and heightened expectations being a member of royalty would bring.”

“It’s been such a long time. Surely Mama’s heritage is irrelevant to
my
standing in society.” Lisa attempted to convince herself she hadn’t just made a colossal mistake because she’d been kept in the dark . . . again.

“No, it’s
very
relevant,” her father said, dashing her faint hope. “I didn’t pursue your royal connections earlier as I had no desire to expose you to the court of George IV. Your mother and I wanted you to grow up in the relative freedom of the countryside without undue pressure. But now that you’re about to embark on your entrée into society, the secrecy will no longer be possible. The news will cause quite a stir, but I’m sure you’ll be welcomed with open arms by your royal relatives.”

Lisa stared blankly.
 

“When were you going to tell me any of this?”

“I thought I’d explain it all a little closer to the time you were due to leave for London so you wouldn’t worry. If Copeland hadn’t shown up, it would have all been out in the open by now.”

“Do you think he knew? Was that why he wanted to marry me? Though what difference does it make if I
am
related to royalty? The connection sounds tenuous, at best, and my dowry is not substantial.”

“About that.”
 

Her father shifted in his seat, and Lisa found herself hoping his hesitation was because he was tired and needed to rest, not that he had any more shocking news to disclose.

“Papa?”
 

“I’m not sure if that scoundrel got wind of your true identity, but he knew about the pearls, so it’s a possibility.”

“Mama’s pearls are valuable, aren’t they?”
 

“
Your
pearls now, and yes, incredibly valuable. They were a gift from the Emperor of Prussia to one of your great-great-grandmothers, passed down from mother to daughter. They’re not a part of the Barlow estate, and I didn’t want Copeland getting his hands on them. The rest of your mother’s jewels were well hidden. Ted let Copeland think he was getting the best of what the estate had to offer—which he did, I suppose—when in actual fact, the real treasure was in a chest hiding beneath a sack of potatoes in the vegetable cellar.”

“Mama’s
jewels
?”
 

As far as Lisa had known, her mother didn’t have any jewels other than her pearls, a lovely cameo locket her father gave her for their anniversary one year, and a handful of trinkets.

“She didn’t wear them as they would have advertised who she was. But we kept them for your inheritance since the entail, blasted thing, doesn’t allow me to leave you my estate.” He father scowled. “But I digress. My plan was to keep the jewels your mother smuggled out of France a secret. They were given to her by your grandparents to secure her safety.

“I know it’s not the way things are done, but I didn’t want it known when you début that you’re a very wealthy young woman. You would have every gold-digging ne’er-do-well and down-on-his-luck noble after your hand. That’s why I only arranged for you to have a relatively modest dowry. It’s not that I couldn’t afford more but
—
”
 

“But what, Papa?”
 

“What I’m about to say would be considered inappropriate by most members of society, but I want you to have what your mother and I did. Love.”
 

“Love,” Lisa whispered, his words confirming what she had always known. “You and Mama were in love.”
 

“Very much so. It’s no longer considered quite so unpopular but still not something one would normally admit to—not in our sphere—another reason we chose to withdraw to the countryside away from the discerning eye of the
ton
.”

“And you wanted the same for me, that I should marry for love and not because my dowry could save some penniless lord’s estate.”
 

Her father nodded, the tears sparkling in the corners of his eyes speaking volumes for his sincerity. He had meant well, and Lisa would forgive him, of course. But by keeping the truth from her, he had destroyed her chance of having the very love he spoke of.
 

Chapter 31

Happiness

Faced with a receiving line of staff upon leaving her father, Lisa assured them of her well-being, her newly honed talent for deception put to good use. Despite an almost desperate desire for solitude, she spent time asking after each person and thanking them for the care they had taken of her father during her absence.
 

“It was our pleasure, Miss Anneliese,” Mrs Waters said. “Though we’re awful sorry we couldn’t stop that horrid Lord Copeland from ransacking the place.”

“You’re alive and well, as is my father—thanks to you—and that’s all that matters. Furniture and possessions can be replaced . . . people cannot.”
 

Lisa smiled, and the housekeeper pulled her into another of her warm embraces.
 

Her reunion with Chef Luis was particularly poignant, as he insisted she tell him all about her experiences masquerading as a pastry chef.

“Who knew your little hobby would help save your life,” he exclaimed in his typically flamboyant Gallic manner.

“Who indeed.”
 

Lisa promised to share with him the new recipes she had discovered when she was recovered from her journey. It was only as she ascended the stairs to her old room that she was able to fully consider her father’s stunning revelations.
 

She might not be the daughter of a duke or an earl, but it appeared she was a suitable candidate for Nathaniel’s wife after all. Or she would have been if she had not damaged her reputation beyond repair by agreeing to become his mistress first. The concerns that drove her to leave Worthington were still valid, if not more so. If knowledge of her downfall was made public, she would bring ruin on both their families and quite possibly shame the royal households of several countries.
 

Now wasn’t the time, but Lisa would need to find a way to convince her father she did not want to go up to London for The Season or to have her heritage revealed. Maybe if she told him she was suffering from the same malady that had kept him homebound these many years, he would be sympathetic. She had certainly experienced her share of trauma the previous two months.

Nathaniel’s and Lady Lucinda’s betrothal would be all but binding by now. He would have to petition King William for permission before the formal announcement was made, but she doubted there’d be any delay. Why
wouldn’t
the King be pleased to marry the son of a cousin, one of his most prominent dukes, to the daughter of a leading earl? The match was most fitting.
 

Not sure how much longer she could hold back her tears, Lisa entered her old room and found Ruth busily rearranging her expanded wardrobe of dresses.

“Oh, Miss Lisa.” Ruth rushed to greet her. “Thank ye so much for inviting us to work in yer lovely ’ome. Everyone is so friendly, and I’ve been given a room of me own, and Ben has ‘is own room above the stables, and Mr Waters ’as already said if Ben and me wed at a later date, we’ll ’ave our own little place above the carriage ’ouse, and we can even keep workin’ ’ere if we ’ave bairns, and yer papa, Sir George, is the best employer I’ve ever ’eard of!”

Laughing at her enthusiastic recital, Lisa drew the excited girl into her arms, relieved that having the couple accompany her to Barlow Manor appeared to have been in their best interests. Ruth froze and then tentatively hugged Lisa in return.

“Thank
you
, Ruth, for agreeing to come with me and for being such a good friend.”
 

When she released her, Ruth flapped her hands in front of her face to ward off her happy tears.

“Oh, we’re a right pair, ain’t we, miss?”
 

She sniffed, and Lisa nodded in agreement, dabbing at her eyes with the lace handkerchief she had made sure to have on hand for her homecoming.

Ruth excused herself to go tell Ben her news, promising to return in time to assist her mistress in dressing for dinner. Alone at last, Lisa glanced at her reflection in the mirror, surprised the changes weren’t more obvious.
 

A letter sitting propped up on her dresser caught her attention, and her heart began to pound.

Shaking her head, she dismissed the fanciful idea that Nathaniel might have written to her even before she noted the feminine script.

She had begged him to let her go, told him there was no future for them in any form, and ordered him to marry another woman. Of
course
he wouldn’t have written.

With a sob catching in her throat, Lisa broke the seal and opened the letter to read.