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Alice, too, looked entirely confused as the woman clung to her, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Your Grace, I would like to introduce Lady Silvana Lucerne, Alice’s mother,” Arthur said.
Jackson stared at him in astonishment, as now the woman stepped back, shaking her head and still clasping Alice’s arms.
“Oh, my child, my darling child, how I’ve longed for this moment. How I’ve searched for you… oh, can it be? Can it be?” she wailed.
But Alice shook her head, staring at the woman as though she was mad.
“My mother was a maid,” she uttered, but the woman shook her head.
“That’s what he wanted you to believe. But no, you’re my child. Can’t you see the likeness?” she cried, weeping uncontrollably.
The likeness was remarkable. The woman was beautiful, an elegant creature, whose features matched those of Alice perfectly. There was no doubting a connection between them, but how it had come about was the true mystery.
“My father told me…” Alice began.
“He told you lies. Just as he told me he loved me. But he didn’t love me. He never loved me. We met in Florence many years ago. I was young and naïve. He was handsome, charming, the perfect gentleman. He made love to me, and then he told me he was married. By then, I gave birth to you in secret here in England. The scandal would’ve brought down my family, and his, too. I couldn’t keep you, so you were given to your father and raised by his wife. I don’t blame her, not at all, but him… he gave me this,” she said, and rummaging in her pocket, she brought out a locket.
Jackson stepped forward to look at it, and Silvana opened it to reveal a locket of hair and a tiny portrait of a child. A child who was unmistakably the woman standing before them – Alice.
“Oh, My Lady,” Delphine gasped, and Alice stared at Silvana in shock.
“I… I never knew, but… oh, I never knew,” she faltered, her eyes wide with amazement.
“It’s all I’ve had of you, all these years. It was only later I discovered your father sent you away. But I didn’t know where. I’d have come for you, my darling. I’d have taken care of you. But your father’s cruelty was absolute. He discarded you, just as he discarded me.” She pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her cheeks.
“I found Lady Lucerne quite by chance. I decided to investigate the question of the maid. But there was no maid employed by Viscount Snowden at the time who matched the description. I discovered he’d been in Florence, and the rest fell into place. When I encountered Her Ladyship, I knew from your description I was right. But we had to meet in secret. The masquerade ball was the perfect place. And here we are,” Arthur said, as Alice and her mother embraced.
Jackson was astounded. But the happy reunion between mother and daughter brought with it an added advantage. It was one thing for an aristocrat to involve himself in a dalliance with a maid, but quite another for a nobleman to have a secret lovechild with a noblewoman. If Lady Lucerne was willing to be part of their ploy, then the scandal would surely be enough to put a stop to the wedding between Eloise and Lord Crawford once and for all.
“It’s quite amazing. I’ve never known the like,” Delphine said, shaking her head.
“But we have another pressing matter to attend to,” Jackson reminded them as Lady Lucerne and Alice sat down next to one another by the hearth.
“Arthur told me something of Eloise’s predicament, yes,” Silvana said.
“Well, I rather think you might be able to help us in that matter,” Jackson stated, and having called for further refreshments to be brought, he outlined his plan for rescuing Eloise and the part Alice was to play.
CHAPTER31
“Rise and shine, Eloise. It’s time to get up and get ready,” Penelope called out, as she and Claudia entered Eloise’s bedroom without knocking the following morning.
Claudia pulled back the curtains, letting in a flood of light, as Eloise sat up and rubbed her eyes. She had not slept but had lain awake, mulling over the sadness that was to come. A sadness she could now do nothing to avoid.
“Yes, come along, Eloise. Get up. We’ve got to get you ready,” Claudia snapped, as several of the maids entered the room, bearing hot water and towels, along with the ivory wedding dress, which had been pressed and was now hung up for them all to admire.
“It’s beautiful. The perfect fit. It’s precisely what I would wear to my wedding,” Penelope exclaimed, taking Eloise by the hand and pulling her out of bed.
The fact of Penelope liking the dress was enough for Eloise to dislike it even more. She stood in the center of her bedroom, dressed in her nightgown, as the Crawford sisters and the maids fussed over her. She was a passive observer of her own fate and could do nothing but accept what was now done to her. Her hair was washed and combed, and she was bathed with warm water and soap before they helped her into her petticoats and undergarments. Powder was liberally applied to her face, and she was scented with lavender water before being helped into the dress.
“Oh, doesn’t it look wonderful? Yes, very fitting for a bride. It’s beautiful,” Claudia gushed, clapping her hands together as Penelope forced Eloise into a twirl.
She was like a doll, a plaything in their eyes. She was now sat down at the dressing table so that they could put on the jewelry they had chosen for her.
“Yes, the tiara. And the matching necklace. It belonged to our mother,” Penelope said, placing the tiara on Eloise’s head.
The tiara was hideously gaudy. It matched the necklace, and Eloise shuddered at the sight of herself in the mirror – made up to look like an effigy of Penelope and Claudia themselves.
