At the same time, Kate was confused. Taken from her? Perhaps it was only Kate who didn’t understand.
Joshua cleared his throat, seemingly unsurprised by the countess’s claim.
“My lord?” She willed Joshua to tell her everything he knew. Besides her doubts regarding the vicar and his wife, her parents, Kate hadn’t been ready to disparage their memory by voicing her concerns surrounding their past and her origins. “Please, tell me all you know.”
“Kate, the countess believes you are her daughter.” He glanced at the older woman sitting beside Kate. “Lady Katherina De Vere.”
“That cannot be right. I am Miss Katherina Elliott.” She’d always felt there was something not quite right about her mother and father. However, they’d loved her, they’d cared for her, and they’d made certain she was taken care of after their passing—as best they could anyway. She’d lived a pious life, but she’d never wanted for anything. She’d noticed their differences, of course, but admitting aloud to a stranger what she’d suspected her entire life was too much. A betrayal to the mother and father who’d raised her. “My father was a vicar, and my mother dedicated her life to educating those less fortunate. That is who I am. Miss Katherina Elliott of Cheapside.”
It was who she’d been raised to be. A lowly vicar’s daughter. A woman resigned to her place in life. Blessed and fortunate for what she possessed as others survived on far less.
Not the daughter of an earl and a countess.
And certainly, far from the granddaughter of a duke and duchess.
The Countess of Holderness looked on stoically, issuing no challenge, only listening until Kate was finished.
“My name is A’laya. I was wed to Pierce De Vere, only son of the Duke and Duchess of Shrewbury. At the time, he was Earl of Holderness, and I, the countess.” She spoke with a sure, steady voice, never once faltering. “Believing us in love, I agreed to move with him to his family’s home at Shrewbury Gardens, where I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. When she was—when you were—two months old, the duchess, Pierce’s mother, ripped you from my arms, and you disappeared. Not long after, I was sent away, almost literally dumped alongside the road and left to die in the harsh elements.”
Kate turned to Joshua. If the woman were lying, he would know—or he would know someone who held the truth. However, he only nodded at her, confirming the countess’s claims.
“This is true?” Kate asked. “How can it be so?”
“I have searched for you since you were taken.” The countess—her mother?—stared hard at her. “Tell me you were treated kindly all these years.”
“My mother and father”—both Kate and the lady flinched at her word choice—“the vicar and his wife, loved me greatly. Unconditionally.”
“And you have lived here all your life?”
Kate pointed toward the front of the building, though at some point, Joshua had closed his office door, making it impossible to see through the room and out the front window. “I was raised above the schoolroom across the street. My father’s vicarage was only a block away. I learned in the schoolroom alongside the other children.”
“The duke and duchess…you never knew them?”
Kate shook her head. “It was only us, my mother and father and I. Except for Joshua and his uncle.”
“That is a blessed miracle.” A bit of the tension eased from the woman’s wrinkled, weathered face. She appeared years younger than she had only a moment before. “The duchess, Henrietta De Vere, was a vile, despicable woman. I prayed every day that you would remain far from her, even if that meant you were far from me, as well.”
The countess was speaking of people Kate didn’t know and had no connection to. However, her mother, A’laya, sat before her. “Where have you been all these years?”
“Searching for you, Katherina.” She placed her palm to Kate’s cheek and smiled. Kate could not help but nestle into her hand, breathing deeply of a new scent. That of her mother. “I never gave up hope that I would find you. I’ve lived with a traveling group—mystics and fortune tellers—and we’ve journeyed all across England and Scotland. In every village, in every town, I asked after you.”
“And my father, Pierce De Vere, he let this happen? He allowed me to be taken and given away. And the vicar…I cannot believe he would have been part of such a ruse.” She could not believe the man she’d known as her father for her entire life would have allowed such a travesty to occur. That he would participate in keeping a babe from its mother. Were they unaware of where Kate had come from? Maybe they didn’t know her past and had simply taken in a child who needed a home. They’d been good people, kind, revered by those in Cheapside and known for helping others. “No, it is worse than that, isn’t it? My true father paid someone to take me.”
The countess lowered her head as tears fell down her face, then dripped off her chin to land on her many-hued skirts. The moisture dampened the fabric and brightened the colors.
Tears were not enough to repair the destruction done by the woman’s revelations.
Kate was not who she believed herself to be. Her parents were likely not who they’d purported themselves to be. The schoolroom was her home, but it had been purchased with ill-gotten funds, and Kate knew she could never think the same of the place she’d considered her home. And now, a stranger claimed that everything she’d ever known was a falsehood. She’d been lied to all her life. What was Kate to do with all this knowledge?
She’d longed for answers for so long, even before she knew there were answers to find. What she’d never expected was to discover something that could destroy what little she had left in her life.
Chapter 13
A’laya finally had her Katherina next to her; she could smell the scent of her skin, hear the lilt of her voice, and see the resemblance they shared. And she could barely bring herself to meet her daughter’s stare as the tears flowed warm and unabated down her face. She’d dreamt of this moment for nearly two decades, and now words eluded her. All the things she’d labored over every day and night, all the people she’d cursed with every breath, and the immense, hollow, gaping hole within her still gnawed at her.
She’d played no hand in Katherina being taken from her, yet A’laya could not cast off the shroud of guilt she felt regarding her part in it all. She’d been young and naïve. She’d allowed herself to believe that anything was possible with love. She’d given trust when it hadn’t been earned nor warranted.
And Katherina had paid the ultimate price.
Living every moment knowing her daughter was out there somewhere but having no notion where and with whom, had been a horrid way to live. But what would come next? Katherina had lived a normal life with two loving parents, a home, and a future, only to have it stripped from her by a stranger. She would question everything in her life thus far: her childhood, the people she’d thought family, and even her own identity.
Yet again, A’laya was to blame.
A’laya had had years to come to terms with what Pierce and his family had put her through, forced upon her, and how they’d discarded her.
Katherina did not know the entirety of it all. She only knew that her life was being torn asunder.
Was it selfish for A’laya to come into her daughter’s life after all these years?
Perhaps Katherina would have fared better had A’laya not searched for her.
She lifted her head and brushed the tears from her cheeks.
She would not think in such a way. Could not think in such a manner. She needed Katherina. And no matter how it all hurt in that moment, her daughter needed her, too.
There was so much she longed to share with Katherina, and even more that A’laya desired to learn about the daughter who’d grown up without her. When had she taken her first steps? What had been her first word? Did she excel at learning? Had she many friends? Did she prefer summer over winter? Even the simplest question, Katherina’s favorite color, was unknown to A’laya.
“My la
dy.” The soft tone of Lord Joshua Stuart’s voice was unexpected. “With your agreement, I think we should return to my townhouse. Kate—Katherina—has been residing there since the fire. I have plenty of room, and I am certain we are all famished. My carriage is just outside.”
A’laya had arrived in London expecting to face a foe in the solicitor, yet she’d found him to be kind and, most of all, trustworthy. An ally. Lavinia had taught her years before that reading someone wasn’t about mystic powers as much as it was about intuition. A’laya could confess that she’d been severely lacking in instinct. With Lavinia’s tutelage and support, she’d learned the skill with a swiftness the older woman had claimed was uncommon and a rarity.
When she’d held the lord’s hand earlier, he hadn’t tensed, nor had his palm moistened with nerves. He’d looked her in the eyes, and his stare hadn’t wavered even an inch. His breathing did not quicken nor halt. He hadn’t bestowed a false smile on her nor evaded her questions, except when it came to withholding information that would protect Katherina.
She hadn’t known a more honorable peer since her father’s passing.
A’laya suspected that if he thought she would cause Katherina any harm, the lord would not have allowed her to get within sight of her daughter.
“I appreciate your offer and desperately wish for more time with Katherina,” A’laya said, accepting the man’s kindness. “I shall follow on my mare.”
“It is late, and the temperature is falling rapidly.” He shook his head as he stood. “You will ride in the carriage with us.”
She caught Katherina studying her, taking in her attire and her hair. She should have spent the extra coin to bathe at the inn the previous night, but A’laya hadn’t known what she’d discover when she arrived in London, and she had only enough coin for one more stay at an inn.
“I think it best I follow on horseback, my lord.” She’d come to speak with the solicitor. She hadn’t dreamt she’d find Katherina so quickly. The situation was moving far faster than A’laya had expected, and a few moments to think everything through would be beneficial for both of them. “I will ride behind you the entire way.”
“Night is upon us, and I fear this is when thieves and other miscreants frequent the streets of London.” Katherina stood and stared down at her, her eyes softening. “It is not safe.”
“I can care for myself.” Never, not since being dumped on the side of the road, had A’laya allowed herself to be helpless in any situation. “The offer of a bed and a hot meal are generous enough.”
And the opportunity to spend more time with Katherina. It was more than she’d hoped to gain on her journey to London.
“It is settled.” Lord Joshua Stuart clasped his hands and gave both women a tentative smile. “Katherina and I will ride in the carriage, and the countess will follow on her own horse. Shall we be off?”
A’laya’s knees and back ached as she stood. She shook out her skirts and nodded.
She should be overwhelmed with the idea of seeing her daughter after all these years; however, finding her was only the beginning. There was so much they needed to discuss—mostly that A’laya never would have consented to giving her babe away. Nor would she have abandoned her… not for anything or anyone.
As they departed the building, she was struck by how much Katherina resembled A’laya’s own mother. Her coloring was several shades lighter, but her upturned nose, her rounded chin, her long, curling, ebony hair were all things inherited from her Barbadian lineage. In addition to the likeness, Katherina had her grandmother’s kind heart but without A’laya’s ingenuousness. The woman was capable and independent. She possessed a cultured tone despite being raised away from a noble family. She seemed skilled at knowing who to trust, as evidenced by Lord Joshua’s presence in her life.
Katherina had survived without A’laya. She’d done more than survive, she’d thrived.
All while A’laya had been slowly dying on the inside.
“Please ride close to the carriage, my lady,” Lord Joshua warned as he offered to assist her onto her horse. “Chapman will keep watch. The distance is not overly far.”
Katherina stood in the shadows near the carriage, holding a basket A’laya hadn’t seen her collect.
“She will listen. I promise,” he whispered in A’laya’s ear. “Kate—she is known as Miss Kate to everyone in Cheapside—has encountered much change and uncertainty of late. However, she is always understanding, even with those undeserving of her time. Though I pray that is not the case here.”
Atop her mare, A’laya kept a close watch as the solicitor returned to the carriage and assisted her daughter inside.
A’laya also prayed she was deserving of Katherina’s understanding and kindness.
She prodded her mare into a slow trot and fell in line beside the conveyance. The crisp London night air bit at her face and instantly chilled the tears that began falling once more.
There was much A’laya had to be thankful for as she kept pace through the darkened streets: finding her daughter in good health, the compassion of the solicitor, and the hope that A’laya had held onto every day, even when it threatened to abandon her in hard times.
Mostly, A’laya was thankful the turn of the carriage wheels and the clopping of the horse’s hooves masked the gut-wrenching sobs that erupted from her without restraint.
Chapter 14
Kate sat across from Joshua in the carriage, desperately trying to suppress the urge to pull the drapes aside and press her face to the foggy glass to keep watch on the woman who trailed them on horseback. She succeeded and forced her hands to remain in her lap, though tightly winding and unwinding the fabric of her skirts, crushing the material until it was beyond wrinkled. This woman, this stranger, held all the secrets…answers to things Kate hadn’t known to look for. She could not risk having her questions go unanswered for even one more day.
The possibility that the countess—her mother—would disappear into the night as quickly as she’d appeared was nearly as frightening as accepting everything the woman claimed to be true. Why should it matter that some lord she’d never heard of before the fire and his parents had sent her away? The vicar and his wife, the two people Kate adored above all else, had loved her in return. They’d raised her in a safe home and encouraged her to be a kind and caring person. Yet they’d hidden a momentous and life-altering truth from her all these years. Had it weighed heavily on them? If they were still with her, would they be remorseful? Would they have broken down and insisted that she find her true family?
Had the secret slowly crushed her parents over the years as Kate grew up? Did they sense that Kate never truly belonged with them or in Cheapside? And if the countess hadn’t found her this night, would Kate have ever discovered the truth of her past?
Everything should be far simpler than it was. Kate had believed herself alone in the world only that morning. Now, she’d discovered that she had a mother and possibly more family. She wasn’t alone. Nor was she plain Miss Kate. She was Lady Katherina De Vere. If she could not find the funds to fix the schoolroom, it would not mean that she’d be left without a home or would be dependent on Joshua’s charity with no plans for her future. The news she’d just received changed everything. Not how she felt about others, but how she felt and accepted herself. For so long, she’d built this wall between herself and those around her, especially with Joshua. But as her mother had spoken, that barrier had crumbled, exposing all of Kate’s misconceptions about her past, her present, and all the stark possibilities her future now held.
She had a mother…family, even if it only turned out to be the two of them. From the haphazard appearance of the countess, Kate doubted she had much more to her name than Kate herself did. Though, as the vicar—Kate’s mind halted—no, he was still her father despite their lack of shared blood. Her father had always told her that possessions did not make the man, nor could one be fulfilled and whole simply because they possessed a grand house, servants, and coffers o
f money.
Pain sliced into her palm, and Kate looked down to see her fists clenched so tightly that her nails had bitten through her gloves and into the soft skin beneath.
“Kate?” Joshua took hold of her hands and leaned so close she could smell his spiced scent. This man, someone who had been no more than a neighbor and acquaintance not long ago, had turned into her only constant. He helped but asked nothing of her. He listened but never dictated what she should do. He’d had the foresight and ingenious idea to seek out Shrewbury and the bank who held her account, but he’d never forced any decisions upon her. He always knew what to do, where to go, and whom to trust. All while Kate seemed continually on the verge of falling apart…helpless and despondent.
Looking up from their clasped hands, Kate met his brown stare. The resolute persona she’d managed since meeting the countess crumbled. She’d felt it happening on the inside but only now, with Joshua close, did she let it show outwardly. If she were a spool of thread, she’d surely be unraveling, winding across the ground, never knowing when it would all come to an end or where she’d end up when it did.
“When you offered to help me, I imagine you did not expect for all this…trouble.” She sighed on the last word, unable to pull a better term from her addled haze. “The workmen said the upper floor of the schoolhouse is suitable for living again while the repairs are made. I think it best if I return—”
Joshua had his own life to live. His attention was better focused on his businesses and his clients, not her. She’d brought messiness into his neatly organized life. And it appeared that things would likely spin even more out of control before Kate could get a firm grasp on everything.
He shook his head as he slipped from the seat across from her in the moving carriage to kneel on the floor between them, his body swaying gently from the conveyance rocking to and fro. “I cannot let you go. Not now…with everything.”
Fortune’s Final Folly Page 13
