“Surely you must. She is your sister,” Alexander said. “Would she not want to know?”
“Not at the moment. The shock will be absolute for Lillian, coming out of a clear blue sky without warning,” Violet replied. “I cannot tell her. Not yet.”
Alexander nodded slowly. “Then how will you let her down concerning Ambrose?”
Violet lifted her shoulders. “I do not know.”
It took three hours before the carriage arrived outside the Ravendel’s London residence. Alexander gave Violet one last passionate kiss before allowing her to disembark. Then he tookthe carriage to Westminster. There he would set the wheels in motion that would result in his Bill being approved by the Lords and sent back to the Commons to prepare for its submission to Royal Assent. Violet entered the house, her mind full of what she would tell Lillian. George appeared almost before the door was closed behind her.
“Violet? What happened? That rogue, Lorchester, came here looking for you. I regret to say that his argument swayed me. I told him where you could be found.”
“It is of no consequence, Uncle. He found me and the matter has been resolved. I know who Lord Godstone is. In relation to me…and…one other,” Violet said.
George stopped halfway across the hall, almost freezing in mid-stride.
“He told me everything and…at the request of his daughter, he has decided to drop his opposition to the Bill. A vote will be tabled as soon as possible.”
George’s mouth fell open. “But…what…how…I do not understand. It was always agreed that you would never be told. To protect your mother’s name as well as yours and…”
Violet hurried to him and embraced him warmly. “You do not have to say more, Uncle. I am grateful for all the precautions you took. I know that you and Aunt Charlotte did what you did from a position of love.”
“Of course we did, child! Your mother was a good woman and so are you. She could not help with whom she fell in love nor that she gave in to weakness. I would not see her condemned for that.”
“Whatever are the two of you talking about?” Lillian demanded.
George jumped at the sound of her voice. Violet ran through the conversation they had just had, in her mind, wondering how much she could possibly have heard.
Surely, I did not name Lillian as my sister. Nor did Uncle George. She may ask who the one other was that I mentioned. I pray she was not within earshot at that moment. It will make things too complicated.
“A revelation, Lilly,” Violet said. “Come down and I will tell you all.”
Lillian descended the stairs, watching Violet warily. “Does it concern Lord Godstone?” she asked.
“It does,” Violet said.
“If you are about to tell me that you are marrying him, then I would rather hear nothing more about it,” Lillian said.
“Lillian! The very idea!” George blustered. “Whatever makes you think such a thing?”
“Why should I not. Lord Godstone showed me kindness and interest and then Violet…” Lillian began.
“Discovered that Ambrose Devereaux is my real father,” Violet interrupted calmly.
Lillian was caught with her mouth open. She stared at Violet in disbelief.
“I had deduced it from clues in what he said to me about his family home in Norfolk and what mother recorded in her journal. Remember the one you found?”
Lillian nodded mutely.
“When I saw that you were considering him as a potential suitor, I felt I had to intervene. He would be your Uncle, after all. Not by blood of course but…” Violet said.
“Still close enough to be quite, quite wrong,” George blustered. “Besides, you can do a lot better than him. Truthfully, I was forced into becoming subservient to the man to protect my sister’s reputation and hide the truth from Violet, but now that it is out, I will denounce him a thousand times to you. Why, he’s old enough to be your father.”
Violet struggled to keep from gaping. George went quite red in the face and began to bluster. Lillian put a hand to his arm, then one on Violet’s arm.
“Neither of you need worry. I did not seriously consider Ambrose as a romantic interest. I just found that I enjoyed being the center of attention for a while. And it seemed like Violet had recognized that and was trying to make herself the center. As she so often is. I am sorry, Vi. I hope you can forgive me?”
Violet hugged her impulsively. The fact that Lillian was her sister but didn’t know it made her weep. But there was happiness mixed in with the sorrow. With Lillian as her best friend once again, it would not be unlike having her as a sister. With Lilly on one side and Alexander on the other, she felt strong enough to do anything.
