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  “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

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  Contents

  Title Page

  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 [email protected].

  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

 

 

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