“Pardon me,” he said, “but ever since I saw you at the drawing room presentation, there is something about you that is sofamiliar. It startled me when I saw you for the first time, and then last night it intrigued me. But this morning, I’m at a loss.”
We were facing each other, with the tea table between us.
“Won’t you have a seat?” I asked in a feeble voice.
He sat on the sofa, seeming almost unaware of it as he continued to regard me.
I also lowered myself, thankful for something solid to anchor myself to.
“You are probably wondering why I asked you so many questions last night,” he said.
“I thought—” I paused, my lips and mouth suddenly dry. “You were friendly,” I finished in a lame voice.
He scooted forward to the edge of the sofa. “You remind me of someone, Miss Hill, and at first, I thought it was a mere coincidence at the drawing room presentation, and then last night, I began to suspect it was more than coincidence with the answers you gave me.”
I frowned.
He took a deep breath. “I’m almost afraid to ask, worried that the answer will confirm what I suspect—and terrified it won’t.”
I shook my head, at a loss.
“Does the name—” He paused and swallowed. “Does the name Nellie O’Day bear any meaning to you?”
The world felt like it tipped on its side for a moment as I stared at him. I’d never told anyone the name of my mother, except Aunt Maude and Alec.
“How? How do you know about her?” I whispered.
Something shifted in his eyes. Shock, then vulnerability, and then joy. “Is she your mother, Miss Hill?”
I nodded, unable to find my voice again.
He smiled and shook his head as wonder filled his face. “You look just like her.”
“You—you know my mother?”
“I loved your mother, once upon a time.” He took a deep breath. “I still love your mother.”
“But how do you know her?” Had he really come all this way to simply inquire about her? Why hadn’t he asked me last night? He could have done it in a way that would not have drawn too much attention. He’d asked me so many other questions.
He stood and paced to the fireplace.
For a moment, I wasn’t sure what to do. If he rose, did I have to rise? I wasn’t certain my legs would even hold me up at the moment.
“I met her in Ireland, when I was nineteen. After I returned home from my trip to America, I was sent to Curragh Camp in County Kildare for military training. A group of friends and I went to a play that was traveling through town, and it was there that I first saw Nellie on stage. It was love at first sight.”
The Prince of Wales had been in love with my mother? I could hardly believe it.
“I returned the next night, and then the next. Finally, one of my comrades told Nellie that I was in attendance and would like to meet her.” His face brightened with the look of a young man in love. “She was even more beautiful off the stage than on. We spent several days together, and they were the happiest of my life. When her acting troupe planned to leave County Kildare, I begged her to stay, and she did.”
He continued to pace as he spoke, but I remained motionless.
“The scandal made its way back to England,” he said, stopping at the fireplace and leaning his arm against the mantel, lost in his memories. “My father came to Curragh Camp to speak to me. We spent hours walking around the parade ground, in the rain. He impressed upon me the great magnitude of responsibilities on my shoulders and my need to be morally astute.” He scoffed. “I could never live up to my parents’ expectations, so I had long stopped trying.”
He turned to look at me. “That night, after walking with my father, I returned to my quarters and Nellie told me she was with child.” His voice was low and serious. “With you, I suspect.”
My heart stopped beating as I stared at him. I opened my mouth to ask him to repeat himself, but nothing came out.
“I have never been happier in my life than in that moment,” he said. “Your mother was beside herself, knowing that nothing could come of our love, but I wanted to convince her otherwise. I went out the next day and found a gold locket, which I had engraved with our initials. N for Nellie and B for Bertie. I gave it to her and told her I would abdicate the throne for her and for you. I was never more serious in my life.”
