“I seem to recall having to outfit you once before. Albeit in somewhat different circumstances.” He looked down at her, his expression tender. “Let’s not ruin our record. Mad schemes are what we do best.”
Rachel smiled mistily up at him. “Only north by northwest.”
Simon’s hand tightened on hers. His expression grew serious as he said, “Do you still wish you could go back, to before?”
Two nights ago, at Carrisford, she had longed for nothing more than to go back to the simplicity of being Rachel Woodley, secure in her history and her name. She thought of the Rachel who had bolted from the Château de Brillac only three months before, so sure of herself, seeing the future stretch on in familiar, recognizable paths. Another post as a nursery governess. Possibly, if she were bold, a typing course and a secretarial job. And maybe, someday, marriage to someone as steady and responsible as she.
It had been a safe life, but a narrow one. Her opinions, her judgments, all those had been narrow, too. Bourgeois, even, Rachel thought with a half smile.
Life with Simon might sometimes be rocky, but it would never be dull. Diamond cut diamond. They might occasionally feel the sting of sharp edges, but there was no one in the wide, wide world who suited her half so well.
She had fallen through the looking glass, and she found she rather liked it.
“You’re a vast improvement on Amelie, Albertine, and Anne-Marie.” And then, because she felt he deserved something more, she added honestly, “I wouldn’t go back, even if I could. For all the pain, it was worth it in the end. It brought me to you.”
She half expected Simon to mock, but he didn’t. “And all say amen.”
They stood together for a moment in peaceful silence, the bustle of departure ebbing around them. The final whistle sounded. Rachel could hear the creak of the gangplank being drawn up, people shouting their final good-byes. Ahead of them stretched the gray waters of the Atlantic, and New York on the other side of it.
Rachel leaned back against Simon, feeling a bone-deep sensation of satisfaction. She felt a crazy grin begin to spread across her face. No clothes, no baggage, no papers, even, but what did it matter? Mad schemes were their specialty.
Simon nodded to the paper she held. “What do you mean to do with that?”
“Oh, that.” She’d nearly forgotten about it.
“Yes, that.” Fondness and amusement mingled in Simon’s face. “Just your passport into the peerage.”
On an impulse, Rachel tore the paper down the middle, then folded the pieces together and tore them again. Opening her hands, she let the wind take the scraps, scattering through the air, whirling and swirling like dust motes above the waters of the Atlantic.
She took a step closer to Simon, standing in the shelter of his body. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“No, it doesn’t, does it?” Simon drew her closer, resting his cheek against her hat. “We can name our first daughter Vera.”
“No.” Rachel smiled up at him through a sparkle of tears. “Katherine.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Writing this book with my right hand in a splint made for a new and challenging writing experience. Special thanks go to my husband, who took on the dull duties like dishwashing and diapering so I could save my wrist for writing; to my mother, who stepped in for extra babysitting; and to Lutchmie, who cuddled and cajoled the little one and kept everything running. Thanks also to the staff at my local Starbucks (Camille Robles, I’m looking at you!) for commiseration, encouragement, and endless lattes.
Thanks as always to my editor, Jennifer Weis, for pushing me to make this book as good as it could be, and to Sylvan Creekmore and the rest of the team at St. Martin’s for all the creativity, patience, and hard work of taking The Other Daughter from manuscript to book. This book was something of an experiment—I had never written a single-narrative, single-viewpoint novel before—and I am so very grateful to my sister, Brooke Willig; my college roommate, Claudia Brittenham; and my two fellow W’s, Beatriz Williams and Karen White, for endless hours of character analysis and plot advice. (Also, Irish coffees and proseccos.)
These acknowledgments wouldn’t be complete without a moment of remembrance for the late great Mary Stewart, who passed away just as I was beginning work on this book. As I was working, I jokingly called this my Mary Stewart tribute book, and while, in the end, it turned into something rather different, I am so very grateful for the lessons her books taught me and the hours of pleasure they afforded me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lauren Willig is also the New York Times bestselling author of The Ashford Affair and That Summer. An alumna of Yale University, she has a graduate degree in English history from Harvard and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She lives in New York City, where she now writes full-time. You can sign up for email updates here.
ALSO BY LAUREN WILLIG
The Ashford Affair
That Summer
THE PINK CARNATION SERIES
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
The Masque of the Black Tulip
The Deception of the Emerald Ring
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
The Betrayal of the Blood Lily
The Mischief of the Mistletoe
The Orchid Affair
The Garden Intrigue
The Passion of the Purple Plumeria
The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla
The Lure of the Moonflower
Thank you for buying this
St. Martin’s Press ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content,
and info on new releases and other great reads,
sign up for our newsletters.
Or visit us online at
us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup
For email updates on the author, click here.
Contents
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Lauren Willig
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE OTHER DAUGHTER. Copyright © 2015 by Lauren Willig. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Danielle Christopher
Cover photographs: London © Tony Watson/Arcangel Images; woman © Ruta Production/Shutterstock
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-05628-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-6013-1 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466860131
First Edition: July 2015
et