Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
“Adeline will be incredibly excited to see you, so please excuse her if she does not understand the brevity of the moment,” Cedric murmured.
“It was she who convinced Hester to give me a chance to speak, but I gave the child only the vaguest of details. I figured she did not need to know the depth of your situation.”
Deborah only nodded, holding Cedric’s hand as they walked through the hallway and toward the parlor, listening to the two soft voices that carried through the hallway.
“And do not forget. Breathe, my darling,” Cedric added as they approached the door.
As if needing the reminder, Deborah forced her lungs to pull in a deep breath; the first one she took since entering the vast house.
She stopped just at the slightly ajar door of the parlor, her right eye lining up with the small beam of light that splashed through.
Her nerves tingled as she caught sight of Hester sitting beside Adeline on one of the sofas; their bodies turned toward one another as they chatted like they had always known one another.
Relief, happiness, and a lingering tinge of guilt washed over Deborah as she took in her sister.
“She is so beautiful,” Deborah whispered, feeling new tears spring to her eyes.
She took in her sister’s shining red hair, her milky complexion sprinkled with freckles, and her green eyes. The shared features that once led people to mistake them for twins more than once in their childhood.
“She is a beauty,” Cedric agreed, “But no one outshines you, my love.”
Deborah turned to him, smiling warmly, and she reached up to caress his cheek. She reveled in the way he nuzzled into her palm and placed a soft kiss there.
“Go on. She has been waiting so very long to see you again,” he gently insisted.
Deborah nodded, and with a trembling hand, she pushed open the door. Adeline and Hester looked up together, and while Hester went utterly still in her seat as the sisters locked eyes, Adeline shot to her feet, letting out a yelp of glee as she raced to Deborah.
“You are finally here!” Adeline crowed, hugging Deborah’s waist tight, “Look, Uncle Cedric and I found your sister! We did it! Are you happy, Aunty Deborah? Will you stay now?”
Still looking at Hester, Deborah nodded as she wrapped her arms tightly around Adeline’s shoulders, holding her close.
“We missed you so very much,” Adeline excitedly went on, “We have so much to tell you. So does Hester. I love her; she is so very lovely. I am so glad that she came home with us.”
As one, Deborah and Hester drew their gaze down to the little girl, soft smiles spreading across their faces. Deborah slowly moved down to her knees and met Adeline’s eyes. Her smile grew as she cupped Adeline’s cheeks and pressed kisses to her forehead, nose, and cheeks.
“Thank you for bringing her home, sweet girl,” Deborah gratefully replied. “And yes, we have so much to discuss.”
From behind them, Cedric cleared his throat.
“We will have plenty of time for that tomorrow,” he assured Adeline, “But for now, my little dove, it is late. Let us get you to bed and allow Aunty Deborah and Aunty Hester to catch up. They have so much to talk about, as you know.”
Adeline gave an annoyed huff as she rolled her eyes and slumped her shoulders.
“I am not even the slightest bit tired, Uncle,” she grumbled, then turned to look between Deborah and Hester, “Although I suppose it would be selfish of me to take up all of Aunty Deborah’s time this evening. Very well.”
Deborah, Hester, and Cedric all chuckled at Adeline’s rational response. Deborah gave her another tight hug, promising her that they would talk tomorrow. Then Adeline ran back to Hester, hugged her, and then walked to Cedric to take his hand.
“Take as long as you need,” Cedric murmured to Deborah as he brushed a kiss along her cheek. “I will be in my rooms if you have need of me.”
Deborah simply nodded, not trusting her voice as emotion railed against her chest, and turned to look at Hester.
For a moment, neither moved as they were left alone, their eyes locked back on one another as if neither could quite believe what they were seeing.
Then at once they were moving, rushing toward one another as sobs broke from their throats and their arms flung around one another.
“I thought I was never going to see you again,” Deborah sobbed, pressing Hester close, “I feared the worst when I stopped receiving your letters!”
“I am so sorry I worried you,” Hester rasped as they began rocking one another, “The scandal broke out far and wide. I kept getting recognized, even after changing my name. I had to find work away from the nobles before I could finally find peace, and by then I was terrified that our letters might get intercepted.”
“But I am here now,” Hester croaked, pulling away just enough so that they could look at one another, “I am here, and it is all thanks to that husband of yours and his darling niece.”
Deborah let out a half-laugh, half-sob as they framed one another’s face with their hands and pressed their foreheads together.
“I have missed you so very much,” Deborah confessed, “It nearly drove me mad.”
“From what your husband tells me, it did drive you mad,” Hester replied.
When Deborah made a face, Hester laughed and took her hand, leading her to the couch.
“What all did he tell you?” Deborah asked as they sat.
Hester smiled a little as she leaned forward to tuck back a strand of Deborah’s hair, just like she had when they were younger.
“That you are a relentless wonder,” Hester explained. “That you put yourself in the auction, spied on it for years just so you could get your revenge on Sylvester for what he did to me. That he foiled your plans and enraged you when he purchased you instead.”
Hester’s brow perked in amusement.
“That you nearly stabbed him at a party?” She mused.
Laughter bubbled up from Deborah’s mouth, and she quickly slapped her hand over her lips to stop it.
“That really is not funny, I suppose. I could have ruined everything.”
“But you did not,” Hester replied immediately, pulling Deborah’s hand back down. “You were persistent.”
“It did not matter,” Deborah said with a guilty sigh, “The only reason we succeeded was because of Cedric.”
“No,” Hester replied, shaking her head, “He succeeded because of the work you already started. You saved me together. And I am so very grateful you did.”
Feeling her emotions take over again, Deborah leaned forward and held Hester tight.
“I cannot tell you how so very glad I am that you are here,” she breathed.
“As am I,” Hester whispered, hugging her back.
“Though it was quite a feat,” she said with a chuckle as she pulled away.
“The moment I saw your husband and his friend in their fine clothes, I nearly ran out the back door of the pub. They were clever, though. They did not stay at the pub long, and when they returned, they did so with little Adeline. She was the one who explained to me who they were, how they knew you, and convinced me that it was safe to return to London with them.”
Affection, fierce and maternal, rose in Deborah as she heard this. Adeline was so young in so many ways, yet she had been brave and bold beyond her years in order to help Hester come home.
“She is a wonderful child,” Deborah agreed, “I am so glad that you are here and will be able to get to know her.”
Hester’s smile widened.
“And your husband is a wonderful man, you know,” she said quietly, “And surely you know me enough to understand I do not say something like that lightly. After all Sylvester put me through, after all the hands and faces I had to slap away from me after my reputation was found out, I never thought I would trust a man. But I trusted him. I trusted him because from the moment we spoke, I knew he loved you.”
Deborah nibbled at her bottom lip, her body trembling with emotion.
“I love him too,” she answered softly. “Even when I told myself not to. Even when I tried to convince myself that he was tricking me as Sylvester tricked you…I could not help myself.”
Hester leaned forward and squeezed Deborah’s hand.
“I am happy for you, sister,” she said quietly. “Truly.”
The sisters talked long into the evening, whittling away the midnight hours with stories of their lives and the pains they had experienced since they had been forced to part.
Hester shared her agony over her lost reputation and broken heart, which took far too long to heal.
In turn, Deborah shared, with reticence, how she fell in love with Cedric, and Hester, to Deborah’s great relief, blessed not just their marriage but their relationship, even if it had not started in the best of ways.
“Cedric told me that he offered you a room with us,” Deborah said once they were caught up.
“I do hope that you will accept. I know you probably want to see Mother and Grace, but I would feel much better if you stayed with us. Cedric likes to pretend that he is carefree, but in truth, he is quite vicious when it comes to protecting those he holds dear. He could protect you as you acclimate back to your life in society.”
Hester gave a tentative nod.
“He said with me found and Sylvester soon to be dealt with, that we could all go back to Calder,” Hester replied. “I think I should like that. I am not ready for London just yet, but time with you? Most definitely.”
Deborah breathed a sigh of relief, happy to hear that they would not be in London for much longer.
“And Mother?” She asked.
“Perhaps in a few days. When I am ready… You could go with me to see her and Grace and Uncle Archibald?” Hester asked. “I missed them too, especially Grace, but after all that has happened… After Mother and Uncle Archibald failed to come to my defense, I am not sure I am ready to face them alone.”