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HER MOTHER'S SECRET
A Novel
By
MRS. E. D. E. N. SOUTHWORTH
Author Of
"A Leap in the Dark," "A Beautiful Fiend," "Fair Play,"
"Em," "Em's Husband," "David Lindsay," Etc.
A. L. BURT COMPANY
Publishers--New York
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POPULAR BOOKS
By MRS. E. D. E. N. SOUTHWORTH
In Handsome Cloth Binding
Price----60 Cents per Volume
Beautiful Fiend, A. Ishmael.
Brandon Coyle's Wife. Leap in the Dark, A.
Bride's Fate, The. Lilith.
Bride's Ordeal, The. Love's Bitterest Cup.
Capitola's Peril. Lost Lady of Lone, The.
Changed Brides, The. Mysterious Marriage, The.
Cruel As the Grave. Nearest and Dearest.
David Lindsay. Self-raised.
"Em." Skeleton in the Closet, A.
Em's Husband. Struggle of a Soul, The.
Fair Play. Test of Love, The.
For Whose Sake. Tortured Heart, A.
For Woman's Love. Trail of the Serpent, The.
Gloria. Tried for Her Life.
Her Love Or Her Life. Unloved Wife, The.
Hidden Hand, The. Unrequitted Love, An.
Her Mother's Secret. Victor's Triumph.
How He Won Her. When Shadows Die.
For Sale by all Booksellers
or will be sent postpaid on receipt of price
A. L. BURT COMPANY, PUBLISHERS
52 Duane Street----New York
Copyright, 1882 and 1889
By ROBERT BONNER
Renewal granted to Mrs. Charlotte Southworth Lawrence
1910
Her Mother's Secret
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HER MOTHER'S SECRET
CHAPTER I
THE MISTRESS OF MONDREER
"Mother! Oh, mother! it will break my heart!" wailed Odalite, sinking at
the lady's feet, and dropping her head into her hands, face downward to
the carpet.
The lady gently raised her child, took her in her arms and tenderly
caressed her, murmuring, softly:
"No, my own! hearts never break, or one heart, I know, must have broken
long ago. Besides," she added, in a firmer tone, "honor must be saved,
though hearts be sacrificed."
"'Honor,' mother dear? I do not understand. I do not see what honor has to
do with it. Or if it has, I should think that honor would be better saved
by my keeping faith with Le than by breaking with him! Oh, mother! mother!
it will kill me!" moaned Odalite.
"My child, my dear girl, hear me! Listen to reason! Leonidas Force has no
claim to be remembered by you. You have never been engaged to him. You
were but a little girl of thirteen when he went to sea on his first
voyage, three years ago, and you have not seen him since. What possible
claim can he have upon you, since no betrothal exists between you?" gently
questioned the lady, tenderly running her fair fingers through the dark
tresses of the young head that leaned upon her bosom.
"Oh, mother," replied the girl, with a heavy sigh, "I know that there was
no formal betrothal between Le and myself--but--but--we all knew, you and
father and Le and I--all knew--and always knew that we two belonged to
each other and would always belong to each other all our lives. Le and I
never thought of any other fate."
"Idle, childish fancies, my poor little girl! too trivial to cause you
these tears. Wipe them away, and look clearly at the higher destiny, more
worthy of your birth and beauty," murmured the lady, pressing her ripe,
red lips upon the pale brow of her darling.
"Oh, mother, I do not _want_ a higher destiny! I do not want _any_ destiny
apart from Le. And these are _not_ childish fancies, and _not_ trivial to
me! Oh, think, mother, Le and I were playmates as far back in my life as I
can remember. We loved each other better than we loved any one else in the
whole world. You and father used to laugh at us and pretend to be jealous;
but we saw that you were pleased all the time; for you both intended us
for each other, and we knew it, too, for father used to say when he saw
how inseparable we two were: 'So much the better; I hope their hearts will
not be estranged when they grow up!' And our hearts have never become
estranged from each other!"
"Oh, yes, dearest, I know that there was some speculative talk when you
were children of uniting you and Leonidas, so that the name of Force might
not die out from Mondreer. But I never really approved of marrying
cousins, Odalite, merely to keep the family name on the family estate."
"But, mother, darling, Le and I never thought of the family name and
estate; we only thought of one another. And, besides, we are such very,
very distant cousins--only fourth or fifth, I think--that that objection
could never be raised. Oh, mother! dear mother! do not compel me to break
with Le! I cannot! I cannot! Oh, indeed, I cannot!" she cried, burying her
face in the lady's bosom.
Elfrida Force caressed her daughter in silence.
Presently Odalite lifted her head and pleaded:
"He is coming home so soon now, and so full of hope! He expects to be here
by Christmas; and he expects--oh, yes, I know by his last letter that he
expects to--to--to----" The girl's eyes fell under the compassionate yet
scrutinizing gaze of her mother, and her voice faltered into silence.
"To marry you early in the new year, I suppose you mean, dear."
"Yes, mother."
"He did not say so."
"No, mother, dear, he did not say so, in so many words, but from the whole
tone of his letter he evidently meant so. Father thought he did, and even
tried to tease me about the New Year's wedding--asking me how many
hundreds I should need to buy my wedding clothes."
"What was it he said in his letter that leads you to suppose he has any
such expectations? I confess that I saw nothing of such an intention when
I read the letter."
"Only this, mother, but it was very significant. He wrote that now he had
inherited Greenbushes and all his Aunt Laura's money, he was rich enough
to resign from the navy, and he need not go to sea any more, nor ever part
with me again; but that he could stay home, repair and refurnish the
house, improve the land, and farm it on all the new principles, and make
the place a paradise for us to live in. He wrote, mother, dear, as of
certain fixed facts."
"He was very presumptuous, my dear little girl, for there is nothing
certain in this world of changes," gravely commented the lady.
"But Le's heart has not changed, nor has mine."
"My poor darling," said Elfrida Force, smoothing her daughter's dark hair
with a gentle hand, "my precious child! It grieves me to do so, but I must
prepare you for what seems inevitable. You must forget all this youthful
folly, and think of Leonidas Force only as a cousin. You do not really
love him as a betrothed maiden should love her affianced husband. You only
fancy that you do. In reality you know nothing of such a love as that. Le
was brought up in the house with you. You have no brother. Le has no
sister. You therefore love each other as brother and sister. By and by you
both may discover--but not for each other--the higher, deeper, stronger
love which unites the husband and the wife in a true marriage--such a love
as I could wish might crown my darling's life with lasting joy--such a
love as you might find in a union with Angus Anglesea, if you would but
give him the opportunity of winning your heart."
"Madam!" exclaimed the girl, starting to her feet, and gathering her black
brows over black eyes that blazed with indignation, "I hate Col. Anglesea!
I hate him and I fear him! And I would rather die this day and never
behold the face of Le again, than listen to Col. Anglesea!"
"Odalite! Odalite, my child! You are talking to your mother. Come to my
heart again, and calm your excitement," said the lady, holding out her
arms.
And the young girl fell weeping upon the bosom of her mother.
The lady allowed some time to pass in which the girl's paroxysm of tears
exhausted itself, and then caressing her gently, she began, in a soothing
tone:
"My precious child, do you doubt your mother's love or truth?"
"Oh, no, no, no! How could you ask such a question of your own child,
mother?" earnestly protested Odalite.
"Do you doubt that duty is to be held above all other considerations?"
"No! Oh, no!"
"Well, then, I have something to tell you, my darling, which will make you
forget all selfish aims, and even also the wishes of your old playmate.
Come with me to your own bedchamber, where we shall be most secure from
interruption. I will tell you of a fatal episode in my own youth, when I
was younger even than you are now. Oh, that I should have to tell such a
tale to my daughter! But, Odalite, when you have heard it you will learn
just what you have to do in order to save us all, and especially to save
your noble, generous, honorable father from ruin and disgrace. And then,
Odalite, when you have learned all, you shall do exactly as you please.
Not one word of coercion, not another word of persuasion, will I utter. I
will leave our fate in your hands, and you shall be absolutely free to
act. Come with me now."
She took her daughter's arm, and they arose from the sofa.
For a moment they stood, quite accidentally, facing a tall mirror, between
two windows on the opposite side of the room, and that mirror for the
moment reflected two beautiful forms, of which it would be difficult to
decide the one to bear off the palm for beauty.
The elder lady, Elfrida Force, was a tall, stately blonde, with a superbly
rounded form, a rich complexion, and an affluence of golden brown hair,
rippling all over her fine head, and gathered into a mass at the nape of
her graceful neck. She wore an inexpensive, closely fitting dress of dark
blue serge, whose very plainness set off the perfection of her figure and
enhanced the brilliancy of her complexion, showing to the best advantage
that splendid beauty, which at the age of thirty-five had reached its
zenith. Just now, however, the vivid brightness of her bloom had faded to
a pale rose tint, and her lovely blue eyes seemed heavy with unshed
tears.
Her young daughter, Odalite, equally beautiful in her way, was yet of an
entirely opposite type. She was of medium height, and her form, though
well rounded, was slender almost to fragility. Her head was small, and
covered with rippling, jet black hair. Her eyes and eyebrows were black as
jet; her features were delicate and regular; and her complexion was of a
clear, ivory-white. She wore a crimson, merino dress, plainly made,
closely fitting, and relieved only by narrow, white ruffles at throat and
wrists.
Only for a moment they paused, and then they walked out of the room, and
the pretty picture disappeared.