The Heiress - Lynsay Sands [48]
Daniel tilted his head slightly, wondering if he’d imagined the wistful tone of her voice as she said that, but merely asked, “You won’t mind missing town life?”
“What is there to miss?” she asked, rising up to glance over her shoulder again.
Daniel shrugged. “Balls, soirees, the theater.”
Suzette laughed lightly and turned back to the chest. “I’ve never been to the theater, so surely won’t miss that. Besides they have balls and soirees in the country, you know. Perhaps not as many as in London, and certainly not so grand, but—” She paused and glanced back to ask curiously, “Have you lived in town all your life?”
Daniel nodded which brought a frown to her face.
“Then you must be used to the rounds of social events. Will you find country life too rustic, do you think?”
“No,” he said with certainty. Despite all the troubles he’d encountered with the reparations of Woodrow, Daniel had quite enjoyed his six months in the country earlier that year. He hadn’t attended any local functions, but the peace and quiet and natural surroundings had been soothing after a lifetime spent in town. “Besides, we didn’t attend many balls or soirees while I was growing up, and I haven’t been to the theater much either.”
“Why?” she asked with surprise.
“We were poor,” he said simply. “My father was a second son. He inherited the townhouse in town, and held a position with the bank but had little else when he and my mother met. She, on the other hand, was the eldest daughter of very wealthy parents. They didn’t think my father was good enough for her and were trying to force her into marriage with a baron whose wealth matched their own. However, she loved my father. She said she knew he was the man for her the first night they met.”
“Oh, how lovely,” Suzette murmured, giving up on the contents of her chest to turn and face him as he continued.
“Her parents didn’t think so,” Daniel said dryly. “When she went against their wishes and married my father, her family cut all contact with her.”
“Oh no.” Suzette frowned.
Daniel nodded, and then shrugged. “Still, Mother and Father were very happy together. Money was apparently tight but they were in love and didn’t care. However, then my father fell ill and died and that is when things got really tough. Mother had to release the staff and started doing mending. She also sold furniture to augment our income. She couldn’t afford clothes for balls and such, and the theater was out. We mostly stayed to ourselves to hide our lack of coin.”
“But surely you visited others in town or . . .” Suzette let her voice trail away as he shook his head.
“We couldn’t accept invitations out, because it would mean extending return invitations, and no one was ever allowed in our home.”
“Why?” she asked with a frown.
“Because most of the furniture was gone,” he pointed out with a grin that suggested it hadn’t bothered him. “It was sold off first to pay creditors and get us by. After that she sold her jewelry, one item at a time. Fortunately, most of it was quite good quality pieces she’d received from her parents while growing up, but there were a couple of lesser pieces my father had bought her as well and all of it went over the years . . . including her wedding ring and engagement ring from my father.”
“No,” Suzette cried with dismay.
“She sold those to pay for my schooling,” Daniel admitted and couldn’t keep the sadness from his voice. These last years as his return on investments had increased his wealth, Daniel had ensured his mother had anything she wanted. But the one thing he could not replace were the rings signifying his parents’ love, and he knew those had been the hardest sacrifice she’d made. The engagement ring and wedding ring his father had given her had been irreplaceable. His mother had truly loved his father, and still did. His being dead these last twenty years had not made that love fade.