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13
Georgina smiled up into the late afternoon sunshine as she trailed after the tiny boy crawling along the grass at the edge of the blanket. He pushed himself up, struggling to stand, then fell back on his bottom. With a grunt, he flung out his arms, pulling the lower half of his body behind him.
“Oh, my little wiggly worm, come here.”
He scooted away from her, chubby legs and thighs pumping furiously as he set out across the lawn. Pausing, his little hand dug in the dirt. He sat up again, a stone clutched in one hand. Waving his treasure about, he gave her a half-grin. Blue eyes, with a distinct ring of indigo, sparkled back at her.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Sunlight streamed through the trees above their heads, dappling the deep brown curls adorning her son’s head. There was very little of Georgina in Daniel. Certainly not in his coloring or the shape of his mouth. He’d been born with a full head of dark hair, and while many children’s eyes were blue at birth, Daniel’s had changed only to become a darker, more vibrant shade of sapphire. He would look very much like Leo one day.
She tried to coax him over to her, but Daniel shrugged away from her, grabbing at her sister, Lilian’s skirts. Bracing himself, he pulled himself up using her knee for balance.
“Ma ma ma.” Tiny fingers held on tightly to her skirts as he shoved the rock he held beneath her nose.
“Glorious, Daniel.” Lilian took the rock from him, pretending to admire it. “A very fine specimen. But let us put this aside lest you try to chew on it.” She handed him a small, stuffed horse. “Perhaps this would be best.”
Daniel immediately began to gnaw on the fabric of the horse.
Georgina reached for him again and he pulled away, laying his head in Lilian’s lap.
“Ma ma ma.”
She sat back, deflated, her heart aching. Looking up into the nearly bare branches of the maple tree above them, she blinked back tears at her son’s rejection. Ridiculous to feel this way. Lilian was all he’d known for most of his short life. Still, his preference for her sister cut Georgina to the quick.
“Georgina,” Lilian whispered, fingers stroking Daniel’s curls. “It will take some time for him to grow accustomed to you. He was barely five months old when I brought him home.”
Lilian, in the company of their cousin, Benjamin Cooke, had come to England just before Georgina delivered Daniel. Their trip had been fairly easy to arrange. Ben told Lilian’s husband, William, he was taking her to visit Georgina, who was in mourning for her husband. They’d stayed in Cumberland at the duke’s remote estate until Daniel was deemed able to travel. It had broken Georgina’s already frayed heart to let her child go. But she had.
“You’re right, of course.” Georgina nodded, wiping away a tear falling down her cheek. “How could he possibly remember me? I was nothing more than a pair of bosoms when I handed him to you.” She gave a weak laugh. “I doubt Daniel knew the difference between myself or the wet nurse Ben found.”
“I don’t think that is entirely true.” Lilian took her hand and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “Daniel felt your love for him.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“BecauseIdid,” Lilian said.
“I should have come back with you.” Georgina looked away into the thick woods surrounding her sister’s home on the outskirts of Brooklyn Heights. As much as she loved the bustle of Manhattan, there was something to be said for the peace one could find so close to nature. Eventually, she would like to live in such a place outside the city. The home her grandmother had once inhabited in Garrison on the Hudson River still stood vacant.
“But I was so worried about Harold.” She turned back to her sister. “I—couldn’t let Harold know about Daniel. He would have taken him from me. Or hurt him. I think Harold’s plan was to lock me away since he failed in having me killed.” She’d told Lilian and Ben everything when they’d balked at returning to New York without her. Stella had begged to stay with her. “Harold would have used him, I think. I still worry—”
“Even if Harold knows about Daniel, which he doesn’t, you are safe here. He would be a fool to chase you across the ocean, and for what? You told me yourself you instructed your solicitor to give him the sum in the account Masterson left you. You fled with the clothes on your back. You didn’t even take your jewelry.”
There was Beechwood Court. The estate, though small, was worth a great deal of money. Only it wasn’t hers to give to Harold.
“Not even Father knows about Daniel. Only me, you, and Ben.”
“And William.” Georgina mentioned Lilian’s husband. “He knows.” It had been necessary to tell William some of the truth, but not all. To society, Daniel was introduced as the son of one of William’s distant relations, a couple who had died while making their way out west. William’s parents were dead, and his only brother, of whom he rarely spoke, lived in New Orleans. There wasn’t anyone to contradict the story.
“William isn’t going to say a word. He’s happy to help you. Once you’re remarried, you’ll have the protection of your husband and can adopt Daniel.” She reached out to wipe a tear from Georgina’s cheek. “In the meantime, rest assured that Ben would never allow anything to happen to Daniel. Nor would I.”
“Did I tell you that while I was in England, before I left for Cumberland, I fell asleep before the fire in the drawing room? I awoke to find Harold standing over me. Just staring with those soulless eyes of his. I was terrified. He’s quite mad. I’m sure of it. And you can’t reason with the mad.”
“Grandmother often said that, didn’t she?”
“Among a great many other things.” Georgina had always been their grandmother’s favorite, while Lilian had been doted on by their parents.
And why wouldn’t they dote on her?Georgina reasoned.Lilian is perfect.
