‘Yes,’ said Lucy. ‘But it was not right: I should not have taken it. It was never mine to have. And though I loved the doll, I always felt guilty. It was the only thing I ever stole. Now, I want to return it to you, so you may give it to your granddaughter, Felicity.’ She smiled. ‘I’m sure Miss Beatrice would have wanted her to have it.’
Lord Farnley wiped his eyes.
‘I’m sorry,’ Lucy said. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you.’ She glanced anxiously at Cyril, as she waited for Lord Farnley to reply.
‘Lucy,’ he said, ‘this doll means more to me than you can imagine. I never had a single thing to remind me of my daughter. No lock of hair. No pretty dress. No photograph. Everything she had was burned. And when she died, I even lost her image in my mind. And though I tried, I could never conjure up her face, except occasionally in a dream, but in the morning she was gone.
‘Now,’ he said, ‘as I look at this doll, I see the great bed, and I see my Beatrice in it.’ His face lit up. ‘And I can see her face as clear as I see yours, smiling a soft smile, serene and beautiful.
‘Lucy,’ he said, the tears rolling down his cheeks, ‘you have given me more than the doll, you have given me back the memory of my daughter.’
Lucy and Cyril did not wait to be seen out. When they left Lord Farnley, he was still in his chair, but he was not looking at the French doll sitting opposite him, he was gazing at the little girl whom Lucy had returned to him.
Other Books by this author
Historical Fiction by Margaret Muir
Sea Dust
The Black Thread
The Condor’s Feather
Nautical Fiction by M.C. Muir
Floating Gold
For more information about the author visit:
www.margaretmuirauthor.com
Table of Contents
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
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Other Books by this author
Through Glass Eyes Page 24