The Orphan and the Duke (20 page)

“Can’t say that I do, but I am aware Mr. Mandeville rescued many of the doomed from the Bastille and helped them flee from Paris. Maybe some were royal.”

“We’d heard rumors of his heroics but weren’t sure they were true,” Basil said.

The priest reached down and opened a drawer. He pushed some things aside and pulled out a carved box a little larger than one of the Gothic novels Basil’s sisters liked to read. He set it on the table. “The man was a hero to many. When he told me he was dying and was going to take his little girl home to England and safety, he gave me this box and told me someday she might come for it. I was to hold on to it until she came.”

“Take her to safety?” Basil asked, wondering why she was in danger if they’d obviously lived peacefully in a village outside of Paris for a while.

“That’s what he said.” The man patted the top of the box. “You must understand, it was still very dangerous, and life in France—at least this close to Paris and the seat of power—was still quite unstable. One wouldn’t blame the man for wanting to get her to family who could tend to her at his death. I was saddened to hear he didn’t make it back to his homeland.”

“May we take the box to Amelia?” Basil asked.

“Of course. It’s much too dangerous for her to come herself. I admire your bravery to undertake it in this time of war. You are much like her father.” The priest slid the box toward Basil.

Basil resisted the urge to open it and patiently conversed with the older man. “I know she will appreciate it.”

“We will definitely want a testimony that the marriage took place,” Myles said.

The priest placed his palms on the desktop and hefted himself out of his seat. “Come with me then, and we shall see to that.” He turned to Basil. “You may stay here and inspect the contents. I have not done so. Mr. Mandeville put his trust in me, and I have not betrayed him.”

Once Cuthbert and the priest had gone, Basil opened the box. Inside were a significant pile of bank notes, some folded papers, and a couple of pieces of jewelry.

Ignoring everything else, Basil opened the papers. The top sheet was a letter addressed to Amelia.

Torn about whether to read Amelia’s personal correspondence, Basil decided it was best so he would know if there was anything else he needed to tend to while he was in France.

My dear Amelia,

My name is Richard Mandeville, and you have been told I am your father.

Basil almost choked at the first sentence.

Much as it pains me to say, I’m not your father by blood, but from the first moment Cécile put you in my arms, I was your father by love. Cécile was the midwife who delivered you and brought you safely out of the Bastille.

This sentence hit Basil in the face with a force that made him recoil.
My Amelia in the Bastille? Whose child
is
she?

Eagerly hoping to learn the truth, Basil returned to reading.

Your mother, the one who carried you in her womb and thereby postponed her own date with Madame Guillotine, was the wife of His Serene Highness, Prince Joseph of Monaco. She was safely out of Paris but missed her three children and, so, returned to the city. Captured by the rabble, she was saved—for a time—by the fact that she was pregnant. Both Cécile and I tried to rescue her, but there were too many guards.

On the day you were born, Cécile brought a child’s body into the Bastille we’d arranged to receive when needed—do not trouble yourself there, the child was stillborn. Once she delivered you safely, she showed the guards the body of the deceased child. Your mother, the princess, wanted you to be smuggled out to safety. She gave you her ring and these other pieces of jewelry so you could be identified as her child. Still hoping to be free, she allowed Cécile to take you out with the used linens, and dear Cécile managed it, praying you wouldn’t cry. And my darling girl, you did not.

Once you were out of the Bastille, she brought you to me, and we found a place to keep you safe. Cécile kept you hidden while I continued my work of freeing people as I could. I regret I never could save your mother, who was called Her Serene Highness Marie
Thèrése. She loved you dearly and went to her death knowing you were safe.

Cécile and I fell in love as we took care of you, and we eventually married. She recently died, and a big piece of my heart went with her. I am now dying myself and have to bring you to my home in England since I cannot take you to your true father in Monaco. I’ve already set up a fund for you at home and have asked my brother to take you in. I will leave this note with the priest here whom I trust. I hope someday you will make the journey to learn the truth about yourself. The signet ring, I will take with us.

I trust my brother to take care of you with the money I’ve set aside. Sadly, I do not trust him with the rest of this information, as I am afraid he would exploit you.

Farewell, daughter of my heart. Know that your true mother loved you so very much, as did two people who had no royal title but adored our little royal lady as if she were our own. You brought joy and light to a world that was in dire need of it.

Love always,

Richard/Papa

Basil wiped an errant tear from his cheek. He knew the letter would mean a great deal to Amelia—the lady who thought she had no name and no one to love her. He wished Amelia were with him and that she could have known Richard Mandeville. The man was a hero, and even though he didn’t trust his brother with knowledge about Amelia’s true past, he trusted him with her safety—trust that was misplaced
.
Basil didn’t blame him, though. Having someone take care of your ward was an important task. Nobody would blame Mandeville for choosing his own brother.

Basil decided at that second to name his sisters’ guardian as soon as he returned to London. He would choose Amelia for the task, knowing she would always do the right thing for them.

As he thought about the sum of money he would settle on her for their needs if he died, he remembered the part of the letter that mentioned funds for Amelia. He would get to the bottom of that when he returned home as well.

He glanced through the rest of the papers in the box. They were legal documents that set up the account Mandeville referred to in the letter.

Cuthbert and the priest returned. Myles nodded at the box. “Anything interesting?”

“You could say that.” Basil stood and shook hands with the priest. “Thank you for keeping this safe. There’s a letter inside that Amelia will treasure. I know you said you didn’t read any of it, but I want to let you know the truth. That is, if you want to hear it.”

“Only if you wish to tell me.” The priest bowed his head.

“I do. You should know.” Basil picked up the box. “My Amelia was the daughter of Their Serene Highnesses Prince Joseph and Princess Marie Thèrése of Monaco. She was rescued on the day of her birth from the Bastille where her mother later was executed. Miss Duval delivered her, and Mr. Mandeville protected her. In the process, they fell in love with each other, as well as with Amelia. They were both heroic in saving, as well as loving, a tiny baby who otherwise may have been lost forever.”

“That is a miracle indeed. Praise God,” the priest said.

“Should I send a messenger to Monaco with the news?” Myles asked.

“I think we should, but let me think it over for a few minutes. I’m still overwhelmed that not only does my Amelia have a name
and
a family, but now she outranks me. What if she doesn’t want to marry someone below her?” Basil sighed. “Or God forbid, her father rejects my suit?”

Chapter 19

Amelia sat in front of the mirror and adjusted the feather on her head. A private audience with Queen Charlotte in order to be presented as Her Serene Highness, Princess Amélie of Monaco was a daunting endeavor. She laughed at her reflection as she thought about the numerous times she’d told Jonquil and Saffron that the presentation would pass quickly and neither would fall on her face.

“It’s easy to be smug when you don’t have to do it yourself, Archimedes.” She rubbed the cat’s head as he sat on her dressing table.

“Are you ready?” Jonquil poked her head in the room.

“I think so. Why didn’t you tell me I’d be this nervous?”

“You’re silly, Amelia. You kept telling us we’d be fine, and now we get to say it to you.” Saffron hugged her.

“If someone told me last week I’d be presented to the queen in a special ceremony, I would’ve said they were ready for bedlam.”

“That goes to show how lives can change in a hurry, doesn’t it?” Basil said as he entered her chamber.

The room was getting crowded, but Amelia wasn’t bothered by it. She was surrounded by her family, and she couldn’t wait to marry Basil.

The letter from Richard Mandeville made her cry for all she’d lost, both for the mother who’d been so brutally killed and for the father who didn’t know she was alive. She’d also lost a second set of parents in Richard and Cécile. She always believed the warm feeling she’d dreamed about was because of the love of her substitute parents in France. She wished she had clear memories of them. Thankful to learn she was so well loved, she knew she would move forward, unafraid to share her heart completely with Basil and his sisters.

In the midst of wedding preparations, she was stunned to receive a letter from the palace inviting her to present herself to the queen.

Basil held out his arm. “Since we’re all ready and the carriage is here, I say we don’t keep the queen waiting.”

“That’s a good idea.” Jonquil turned to Archimedes. “Sorry, but you have to stay here.”

“I wish
I
could.” Amelia looked longingly at the cat.

“It’s going to be fine,” Saffron said.

They made their way down the stairs, trailed by Archimedes.

In the carriage, Amelia said, “I guess my sponsor is meeting us at the palace?”

Basil’s nod was accompanied by a sly grin.

“What? You’re acting odd. What’s going on? Is Augusta coming or not?” Amelia frowned.

“Yes, she and Myles will be there.” Basil reached over and squeezed Amelia’s hand.

“But there’s something I don’t know, right?”

He shrugged.

“Basil, if there is information you’re keeping from me, you need to tell me now. I don’t like this.” Amelia didn’t want to be angry at him on her presentation day, but she was frustrated by his silence.
He’s been a lot more playful since he came back from France, but I don’t really want any surprises when I’m going to meet the queen.
She didn’t want to worry about anything more than staying on her feet
.

The carriage stopped in front of St. James’s Palace. Another larger carriage was already there.

Amelia’s stomach clenched.
That is not the Cuthbert’s carriage. Who else is having an audience with the queen?

She looked at Basil. She was terrified. “What is this?”

“I didn’t have anything to do with it. I promise.” He squeezed her hand again, tighter this time. “All I did was send a messenger to Monaco before we left France. I got a note this morning that Prince Joseph is in London and will be here.”

“What?” Amelia’s voice was a tiny squeak. “I’m meeting my father for the first time in front of the Queen of England? How is that fair? How could this happen?”

“Darling, I don’t know. I’m sorry. This didn’t have anything to do with me. I’d rather you have private time, but I was sworn not to tell.”

“Basil, we can’t have a marriage if you’re going to keep secrets from me.”

“I would never have done it, but the order came from the palace. I
am
sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t good enough. I’ve been getting ready for this all day, and I should have been told.” She was ready to cry.
How could he betray me this way? Why does Prince Joseph want a public meeting? Is he afraid I’m not his daughter? Does he want to denounce me publically?

The last thought was almost her undoing.
What will I do if I’m disavowed?

By the time the carriage door opened and the others preceded her out of the vehicle, Amelia was shaking.

Before she stepped out, Basil took both her hands in his. “Remember this. I love you. My sisters love you. Myles and Augusta love you, and Richard and Cécile Mandeville loved you. If this goes awry, you still have us. All right?” He nodded his encouragement.

“Only if you promise never to keep anything from me again?”

“Never again. Even if God comes down and sits on my settee and says not to tell you that Archimedes is an archangel, I will tell you immediately.”

“You
do
know how to make me laugh.” She smiled. It was a wobbly one, but she felt a bit better.
I can do this. I’ll still be me, no matter how I am received. I’ve lived through much worse.

Basil kissed her then made his way out of the conveyance. Amelia stepped out with his assistance. The rest of their party stood on the pavement. They had been joined by the Cuthberts. Augusta hugged Amelia and whispered words of assurance.

A footman approached and addressed Amelia. “Your Serene Highness?”

“Yes?” She responded, ill at ease with the title.

“Please accompany me. We will see to the comfort of your guests, but His Serene Highness, Prince Joseph, desires a private audience first.”

Amelia glanced at Basil, panicked at meeting the prince on her own.

Basil merely nodded his encouragement and mouthed, “Remember,” as he looked at all the people standing with him.

Taking courage from the knowledge they would all wait for her and would be there to aid her no matter how things went, Amelia stood tall and followed the footman.

They walked down a long corridor, her knees shaking as they went. Just when she knew she would surely collapse, the footman stopped at a door and opened it.

Bowing to her, he said, “Step inside, please.”

She took a deep, shuddering breath, straightened her spine, and turned to enter the room.

At the far end of the ornately decorated room was a massive fireplace, so big Amelia knew she could fit inside it easily. A man dressed in full regalia stood in front of it.

Walking toward him with knees that banged together, Amelia plastered a smile on her face even though she wanted to vomit.

Without hesitation, the man closed the distance between them. He held onto her elbows and examined her face. He took hold of her chin between his thumb and forefinger and turned first one cheek to his view, then the other.

Amelia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Eventually, the prince spoke in a voice that seemed filled with tears. “My God, I’d know you anywhere. You
are
your mother’s daughter. You look just like your sisters.”

“I have sisters?” Her own voice sounded alien to her ears. Two big tears rolled down her face. She didn’t even try to stop them.

“And a brother.” He let her go and took a step back as if afraid he was crowding her.

“A brother?” Amelia could scarcely take in the news.
I have siblings. How can it be that I’ve lived my whole life away from my true family? How could such a thing happen to us all? What did we do to deserve this?

Then it dawned on her. They’d done nothing. They had been victims of a time when the world went mad.

“I know you don’t know us, but I want to be a father to you, and your brother and sisters want a relationship as well. I’ve been terrified to meet you since I got the message that you survived that awful time when I thought I’d lost you as well as your mother.”

“
You
were terrified? Why?”

“First, I was afraid someone wasn’t telling the truth, and then the closer I got to England, the more frightened I became that you really
were
my daughter.” He laughed nervously. “Not that you’d be mine but that you wouldn’t want to have anything to do with the family you thought left you to your fate in the Bastille.”

“I would never blame you for that. It was a time no one should have had to live through, and no one can be blamed for surviving. I say we move forward as survivors. Together.”

That seemed to be all the prince was waiting for. He pulled Amelia into his embrace. She could feel his tears in her hair, but she didn’t mind, even if he messed up the feather and veil she was to wear for her presentation to the queen. He was her father, and he loved her. That was all that mattered.

Finally, he let her go and held her at arm’s length. Staring into her eyes, he said, “Will you come to Monaco for your wedding trip? Meet the rest of the family and be presented to the people? I live in Paris now, but we’d all be at the palace to see you.”

“How can I go if we’re at war with France?”

“Come by ship. That’s how I arrived. I will send my ship back for you.”

“What if you stay here until the wedding and walk with me down the aisle? Have the wedding breakfast with us, and then we can sail with you.”

“You want
me
. . . at your wedding?” He choked out the words.

“Of course. You’re my father, right? Shouldn’t you be there?” She smiled. She found the man kind and unassuming, not her idea of a prince at all. She hoped she could be the same type of princess. After telling Basil he could be a duke and be himself, she figured she should be allowed to be herself as a princess.

“Yes, I agree, and I’m thrilled you want me to be.” He pointed at the door. “I think we’ve kept Queen Charlotte waiting long enough.”

“You’re right. She might think I’m putting on airs to keep a Royal Highness waiting.”

“Never forget you’re a Serene Highness yourself.”

“I can scarce believe it.”

“Believe it. It’s your heritage. Treasure it.”

“I’ll treasure family more, Papa.” She hoped she wasn’t overstepping to call him Papa but found she wasn’t when he pulled her back into his arms.

“You’ve made me a happy man, my darling daughter.”

The presentation went well, and once it was over, Amelia was ready to return to Basil’s home and have chocolate before bedtime.

Her father was staying at the palace at the queen’s invitation. They made plans to meet the next day to talk more and get acquainted.

Once they returned to the house, Basil and Amelia sat on the settee in the parlor after Augusta and Myles went home and everyone else went to bed.

“Forgive me for not telling you your father was at the palace?” Basil played with Amelia’s hair. She quite liked the sensation of his fingers running through her tresses and touching her head.

“I think I shall.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, not believing how easy it was to do so. They’d become more comfortable with each other as every new day passed.

“I’m relieved, as I would hate to start our married life with a wife who was already angry at me. I’m sure I’ll give her plenty of reasons over the years to be so. Better to start at even odds.”

“You really do have a silly side, Basil, Duke of Darnley. What makes you think an angry lady would marry you at all?”

“The banns have already been read twice. What choice does she have?” He winked. “Besides, when I was deep in enemy territory with the only thought of returning safely to your side, I decided I would be myself. Not the duke who was, but the duke who is. I think that would be easier than trying too hard and being miserable inside, don’t you?”

“Yes. I find you to be much relaxed since your return, and your sisters have noticed as well. They’ve shared with me how delighted they are that the brother they call ‘the old Basil’ is coming back.”

“They have no idea what the true ‘old Basil’ was really like. I promise not to be idle like he was.” He looked intently into her eyes. “And I hope you will assist me in that.”

“How?”

“By helping me with the ledgers. You seem to have a talent for numbers, and I’m sure I’ll be a happier man if I didn’t have to do sums.”

“Then I will be glad to aid you. It will also make me useful to you.”

“Speaking of sums, my darling, I’ve had my banker contact your uncle’s man and undertake an audit of the funds Richard Mandeville left for your care. There is still a tidy sum left, but I’m afraid your uncle misused a lot of the money. Based on how he had you attired when I met you, I am quite sure he didn’t spend those funds on you or your care. There was plenty of coin to make sure you were well seen to.”

“He’s not my uncle, Basil, and I would prefer he be left alone. I want no further discussion about him, his wife, or Susan. I’ll be a happy wife if you let that pass.”

“But he may have stolen from you.”

“I care not. He is welcome to it. I don’t want to hear his name ever again.”

“You’re so forgiving, it’s amazing. After all he—no, they—did to you, you’re ready to forgive.” He kissed her lightly on the lips then deepened the kiss as she responded in kind.

When the kiss ended, she said, “I didn’t say I forgave them. It’s that I don’t want to waste one more second of my life thinking about them.” She pondered her situation. “But I guess once we’re married, I won’t have a say in what you do about that situation as all my property becomes yours, including those funds.”