forty-two
Sipping her morning tea, Vivienne skimmed the articles on the front page ofThe Times.
A few days had passed since Dr. Tucker’s arrest, and news about him kept filling the front pages of every newspaper. He’d been charged with attempted murder, and fraud. Good news and the addition of Potter’s delicious chocolate biscuits were the perfect combination for a great day.
Samuel’s lion eyes seemed bigger and full of light. The shadow that had darkened his face in the past weeks was gone.
She stroked his knuckles. “Are you sorry you had to renounce knowing your parents’ names?”
“To have Murdock arrested? No. Besides, he’s a confidence man. He was probably lying to save himself, and I wouldn’t have any chance to verify the information was correct until later. But I was tempted for a moment.”
Mrs. Foster entered the sunroom. The household was still in a chaotic state with Bernard cooking breakfast, Potter sleeping more than usual, exhausted after his brave deed, Richard needing a few days of calm to pull himself together, and William neglecting his footman’s duties because…
“Lady and Lord Huntington are here,” Mrs. Foster said, a nervous note in her voice.
Vivienne tensed a little. “Show them in.” She rose when her parents entered, and they couldn’t look more different from one another.
Father’s smile reached his eyes, wrinkling his skin. He radiated sheer happiness. Mother was as pale as usual, in her black gown, with her shoulders hunched.
“The world is a better since that thug was arrested.” Father squeezed Vivienne and Samuel in a fierce hug. “Justice.”
“Mother?” Vivienne offered a chair to her mother, who refused.
Mother cleared her throat. “Superintendent Johnson visited us days ago. He told us about Dr. Tucker, and I read every article about him I could find. I went to see him in prison.”
“You didn’t.” Vivienne gasped.
Mother swallowed a few times. “I needed to hear his version and ask him why he’d lied to you, and the conversation was eye-opening. I know he pointed a gun at you.” She shivered. “I believed he was someone I could trust, that he sympathised with my pain…”
Mother’s sorrow was palpable.
“He deceived many people,” Vivienne said.
“Let me finish.” Mother took a deep breath. “Instead of protecting you, I put you in harm’s way. You, your father, and Samuel tried to warn me, but I didn’t listen. I was blinded by my grief, lost. I must apologise and thank you for having…” She paused, pressing her lips.
“Take a deep breath,” Vivienne said.
Mother took out the silver box from her pocket. “Will you keep this for me? I think it’ll be good for me to live without it for a while.”
Vivienne’s eyes stung with tears. “Of course.”
“It was a decision that cost a lot to your mother,” Father said. “And we both agreed she will wear something different than mourning from now on.”
“I missed your wedding.” Mother sobbed. “And I feel soiled by having been so close to that thug.”
Samuel signed, “That’s his legacy.”
Father called Mrs. Foster. “Summon the captain, please.”
Vivienne tensed a few minutes later when Captain Jackson entered the room.
“If you want to complain about the bacon being too cooked, it wasn’t me.” He skidded to a stop when he saw Mother. “What the h?—”
Father gave Mother a nod.
“What is this?” the captain asked.
Mother took a slow step towards him. “Captain Jackson, I must apologise for having treated you like a criminal. I realised my dear Adele’s death wasn’t your fault, and I thank you for having saved my Vivienne’s life.”
