A Lady at Willowgrove Hall (40 page)
Even though Nathaniel had suspected to hear those very words, they still lanced him, jabbing at the raw spots of his heart.
“My father was a harsh man, a cruel man, and I thought that marrying Andrew would take me away from that. I gave myself to Andrew—heart, mind, and body. But it was all too late, for when my father discovered our plan, he saw to it that I was separated from Andrew permanently and took me to Rosemere. I never heard from him—or Andrew—after that day. He disowned me because I shamed him. I shamed my family.”
Nathaniel resisted the urge to react. He’d suspected that Moreton played a role in this, but he was unsure of how great a role. The thought of the man touching even a hair on her head sent fire through his veins. But was this not what he had been asking from her? To share with him? To confide in him? At the moment, relief that she was finally trusting him outweighed any disappointment.
A small sob choked her, and she wiped her eyes again. “I had no idea that the Moretons were at all connected with the Trents when I accepted the position as a lady’s companion.” Cecily gave a nervous laugh. “So you must imagine my surprise when I saw Andrew my very first day at Willowgrove. But what could I do? I have no family. No connections. I needed that position.” She met his gaze, her fingers fretting with the trim on her reticule.
It was then that Nathaniel remembered the letter tucked in his waistcoat. He pulled it out and handed it to her.
“Why, this is the letter from Mrs. Sherwin!” she said, taking the letter from him. “Wherever did you find it?”
“When Clarkson told me you left, I did not want to believe it,
so I went to your bedchamber to see for myself. That letter was on the floor.”
She lowered the letter to her lap. “So you know what it says?”
He nodded, feeling guilty that he had read her private missive.
But she only tucked the letter in her valise by her feet. “But do you see now why it is so important that I find Leah? For she could be alone. I could not forgive myself for that.”
Nathaniel pulled her close to him again. The evening shadows fell across the bridge of her nose and the fullness of her lower lip. He tucked her hair behind her ear and allowed his fingertips to linger on her cheek. “We all have a past, and it pains me that yours has been so difficult. But all that matters to me is our future.”
Even in the dark he could see a flush rush to her cheek.
His heart thudded in his chest. For he knew. She was the one he could trust with his heart. He could no longer hold it in. “Marry me, Cecily Faire.”
Cecily’s hand flew to her mouth as she began to laugh and cry. Then she threw her arms around Nathaniel’s neck. “Yes!”
Nathaniel again lost himself in the splendor of her kiss.
C
ecily stepped out of the carriage at Mr. McGovern’s house a different woman from the one she had been mere minutes ago. For the first time in years, she began to feel the weight of the chains binding her to the shame of her past slacken. For now, Mr. Stanton—her beloved Nathaniel—knew all, and accepted her in spite of her past. One day soon she would be Mrs. Cecily Stanton.
Nathaniel reached in, grabbed her valise, and then laced his fingers with hers. His smile was giddy. Contagious.
“Are you ready?”
She fairly floated to the McGoverns’ door. She had never met the man, but if Nathaniel trusted him, she had nothing to be concerned with.
Nathaniel knocked on the door, and within moments a poker-straight butler appeared at the door. “Mr. Stanton, welcome back.”
“Thank you. Is McGovern in?”
“He’s in his study. You may go on in if you wish.”
Nathaniel grabbed Cecily’s hand and hurried toward the study. When the study door opened, she expected to see an older gentleman at the desk, but what she saw stole her very breath.
For sitting in the chair by the fireplace was Leah.
Despite time’s paintbrush, looking at Leah was still like looking in a mirror.
Abundant joy coursed through her, infusing her with energy. Cecily could not form words. Instead, she ran to her sister and embraced her with all her might.
When they finally separated, Cecily held Leah at arm’s length. Her heart, already tender from the reunion with Nathaniel, threatened to burst from her chest. “If you only knew how I have longed for this moment!” Cecily sobbed before throwing her arms around her sister once more. “How did you get here?”
Leah returned the embrace, squeezed Cecily’s hands, and wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Mr. Stanton came into the shop where I work.” She reached out and touched Cecily’s cheek. “Oh, Cecily, I cannot believe it is you. I thought . . . I thought I would never see you again.”
The sisters embraced again. Cecily could not help the giggles welling up within her. The day had been surreal, a complete transformation from hopelessness to complete joy.
Nathaniel retreated toward the door. “I will leave you two ladies to get reacquainted. I am sure you have much to discuss.”
Cecily dropped her sister’s hands and turned toward Nathaniel. His smile was warm. She whispered, “Thank you.”
He simply nodded and closed the door behind him.
Cecily led Leah to a nearby sofa. “Tell me everything and quickly! Five years is a lot to catch up on!”
Once they were seated, Leah’s expression sobered. “I cannot wait to hear all about what you have been up to, but do you know about Father?”
Cecily nodded and looked down at her fingers knitted together in her lap. “I received a letter from Mrs. Sherwin not long ago. She told me he was gone.”
Leah’s darker eyes filled with tears. “He would not tell me where you were. I begged and pleaded. I-I was afraid something terrible had happened to you—or that he had done something terrible to you.”
“Do not be upset. He took me to a girls’ school. How cruel of him not to tell you. And as you can see, I am just fine.”
Leah sniffed. “When he returned that next day, and you weren’t with him, I-I was so frightened.”
At the sight of her sister’s tears, tears welled up in Cecily’s eyes. “I have often wondered what it must have been like for you.”
Leah shook her head. “He was released from his position at Aradelle Park the next day, once it was clear what had happened with Mr. Moreton. We traveled to London, but Father became violent. Angry. I feared for my life. I remembered Mother talking about her sister here in Manchester. I ran away to find her. Thankfully, she took me in. I never heard from Father, but I did keep in touch with a few friends from Aradelle. That is how I learned of his death.”
“And our aunt?” asked Cecily. “How is she?”
Leah shook her head. “She was so much like Mother. Kind and warm. But she died about two years ago. We had grown quite close. It was like losing Mother all over again.”
Cecily had been focused on her own pain for so long that news of Leah’s hardship was sobering. “I wrote to Aunt, but I never heard from her.”
“I do not think she received your letters, for she helped me look for you for a long time. We eventually abandoned the search.” But then Leah grabbed her hand, a smile brightening her face. “But you are here now. And we never need be separated again.”
Leah and Cecily spent the rest of the evening in the McGoverns’ study, talking until the wee hours of the morning. Sharing five years of dreams, secrets, fears, and tears.
Cecily lifted her hand to brush her hair away, but as she did, her fingertips grazed the coral necklace around her neck. She stiffened. There was still one thing she needed to do. She reached up and unclasped the coral necklace from around her neck. As Cecily pulled it free, Leah’s eyes widened and then filled with tears. “Mother’s necklace!”
“It was wrong and selfish of me to take it that night. It belongs to you too.”
Leah took the necklace and held it gingerly in her fingers, as if it might break into a dozen pieces. “Oh, I thought this had been lost for good! I have often wondered what became of it.”
“It has been with me, and it has been my deepest wish to return it to you.”
Leah lifted her hair and pivoted so that Cecily could fasten it around her neck. When she was done, Leah turned back around and reached for Cecily’s hands. “I have missed you.”
Cecily squeezed her sister’s hands. “Who knows why, but at least now we know we will never be apart again.”
A
n early winter snow fell on Cecily’s wedding day, gathering on the grounds in lacy droves. Dressed in a gown of cream satin with pale-pink flowers, Cecily turned to face her beloved in the warmth of Wiltonshire’s stone church.
The years of pain and hopelessness flashed before her for but a fleeting moment, all of which now seemed to be a distant memory.
She glanced over her shoulder at the people filling the pews. Her past was again blended with her present: Her sister, Leah, was sitting two rows back, next to Rebecca Turner. Mrs. Stanton pressed a handkerchief to her eyes, and Hannah and Charlotte watched them, eyes wide. She lifted her eyes to view even farther back. The church was full of people she was just getting to know—people whom Nathaniel had known his entire life. And then, in the back pew, she saw him. Andrew Moreton, his new wife absent from the event. He was not in the Trent family pew, but in the back. A bystander.
So much hinged on that one decision she made when she was
sixteen. How much pain and anguish it had caused her. But now, as she stood next to Nathaniel, it was clear—she had to have all those experiences to get her to where she was at this moment.
Nathaniel squeezed her hand, and she looked up at him. He smiled down at her, his pale eyes bright and wide, his dark hair falling over his forehead. Her heart ached at the expression of affection in his gaze. Warmth welled up within her. He loved her. Not for what she had or had not done. Not because of where she came from or who her family was. But because of her.
He did not let her hand go. Instead, he interlaced his fingers with hers, holding it tighter.
In one week, they would leave for Lockbourne. They would start a new life together. It would be a future free of secrets. Free of loneliness.
Her time at Lockbourne was the opportunity for new beginnings; not only would she be starting her life as Mrs. Nathaniel Stanton, but Leah would be accompanying them on their new journey. And even though Rebecca and Mr. Turner were staying to run his family’s farm, Mrs. Stanton and the younger girls were planning to travel north to spend the summer at Lockbourne. Cecily once felt so alone, and now she had a family to love—and that loved her.
As they waited for the vicar to begin, Nathaniel leaned over, squeezed her hand, and whispered, “Are you happy, Cecily?”
Tears misted her vision, but she did not want to cry today. Today she was experiencing a happiness she had never known. “Yes. More than I could ever imagine.”
He wrapped his hand more tightly around hers.
Her future was before her, wide and boundless. She had new memories to create, ones that would fill her heart and give her hope, and they would face their future . . . together.
1. In this novel, Nathaniel was asked to keep a secret from those he loved. Do you think Nathaniel resented keeping such a secret? Have you ever had to keep a secret from your family and friends? How did it affect you?
2. If you were able to give Cecily one piece of advice, what would it be? What about Nathaniel—what words of wisdom would you share with him?
3. Throughout the course of the story, Cecily spent a great deal of time with Mrs. Trent. What life lessons do you think Cecily learned from Mrs. Trent? What do you think Mrs. Trent learned from Cecily?
4. During the Regency period, a woman was defined by her reputation. Is that still true today? How do you think Cecily’s story would be different if it took place in modern-day America instead of Regency England?
5. In what ways is Cecily different at the end of the novel? In what ways is she the same? How does her perception of herself change throughout the course of the story?
6. Cecily and Andrew made a decision while they were teenagers that changed the course of both their lives. How do you think their experience shaped the adults they became?
7. What character in the novel (male or female) do you identify with the most?
8. Now it is your turn! What comes next for Nathaniel and Cecily? Does Lockbourne House flourish? Do they have children? What would you like to see happen to these characters in the future?
W
riting a novel is a thrilling journey, and as I think about the people who have encouraged me along the way, I feel truly blessed!
To my husband, Scott, and to my daughter—your loving support and enthusiastic encouragement motivate me to follow my dreams. Thank you for traveling this road with me!
To my parents, Ann and Wayne—through prayers and guidance, you have shown me that nothing is impossible. And to my sisters, Sally and Angie—you encourage me and cheer me on. Thank you for always being there for me!
To my agent, Tamela Hancock Murray—you are not only my agent, but my friend. Thank you for dreaming big and caring about my stories. I am beyond privileged to work with you.
To my editor, Natalie Hanemann—thank you for coming alongside me again and joining me in this adventure. You rolled up your sleeves and dove right into this story. Your astute insight inspired and challenged me, and this story is stronger because of your guidance. And to the rest of the HarperCollins Christian Publishing team, from marketing to design, from production to sales, your collective talent astounds me.
One of the best parts of being a writer is meeting and interacting with other writers. To my writing accountability partners, Carrie, Julie, and Melanie—thank you for the support, the encouragement, and the laughs! And to my writing “sister” Kim—you have been there since the beginning of my writing career—I am so grateful for you.
