Mama, I dont understand.
Tell her, Edward, Rose said. Tell her why your mother spends so much time and money on a servant girl.
Edward shook his head. I dont know what you mean, he replied, refusing to rise to her challenge. This battle for Graces soul had gone on since the very first day Geneva had held Grace. And it would continue until his mother or Graces departed this world.
She has found a replacement for her dead daughter, Rose continued. And now, shes decided to turn you into her daughter. The lessons and the clothes, the gifts. And now London. Theyre all given at a price, Mary Grace.
Shes just generous, Grace said. It wouldnt do to refuse. It would show that I have bad breeding.
Bad breeding? She shook her head. Tell me your name, her mother demanded. Say it. Say your name to me now.
Grace, she replied. Im Grace Byrne.
Tears flooded her mothers eyes and she shook her head. No. Youre Mary Grace Byrne. Mary is your given name. But because Lady Porter preferred Grace, I allowed you to be called that. But I wont have her putting all these fancy ideas in your head. Youre a simple Irish girl who doesnt need to be puffed up with silly dreams.
She doesnt do that! Grace shouted. Youre lying.
I am your mother, Mary Grace. And youd do well to remember that. Lady Porter isnt interested in you. You remind her of her dead daughter and shell live off that fantasy for as long as she needs to grieve. When shes finished, shell toss you aside.
Do you think I want to be a servant my whole life? Maybe I want something better. Lady Porter can give that to me.
You will be servant in this house, or some other house. Mark my words. If you think the Porters will ever accept you as their own, then youre a bigger fool than I am, Mary Grace Byrne.
Im going to London, she said. And you cant stop me.
Her mother stared at her for a long moment, then turned away. Edward watched as Roses shoulders slumped. For a moment, he thought she might collapse. But then she straightened her spine and lifted her chin. Go then. Youll make your own mistakes, you will. And when your heart is broken, then maybe youll finally know that Im the only mother youll ever have.
THE TRIP WAS MORE THAN Grace could have ever imagined. Theyd taken the Lady Leinster, a night express steamer ship, across the Irish Sea from Dublin to Liverpool and then caught the train for London the morning of their arrival. Shed never thought to travel such a great distance. The farthest shed ever been before had been an occasional trip to Dublin, a thirty-minute ride in the Porters motorcar. But this was a grand adventure and everything she saw was made more exciting because it was brand new.
She and Edward had stood on the stern of the ship and watched as Ireland faded into the misty evening horizon. Then, after a night in a comfortable cabin, they had breakfast as they watched England appear in the east, growing greener with each mile of water that the ship consumed.
A quick trip from the docks to the train station and they were soon onboard the London Midland Scotland line bound for London. Another comfortable compartment was waiting along with a light luncheon and a tea. Everything tasted so much better because she was eating on a boat or a train. The air seemed to vibrate with excitement and all the people she saw were wildly sophisticated. Grace knew, from that moment on, that she would always want to travel.
There was only one dark cloud hanging over the trip. She had left without apologizing to her mother. Theyd barely spoken over the ten days between the invitation and her departure. Rose had waited for Grace to bend to her wishes and refuse the invitation, but Grace had been just as stubborn as her mother and was determined to go.
Grace hadnt wanted to hurt her mother. And she knew her mothers fears were not all imagined. But what harm would the trip do? And there was so much to be gained from it. Who was to care if it put grand ideas in her head or made her want more than she could ever have in life? Wasnt it a greater sin to let such a wonderful opportunity pass by?
They took a small suite at the Savoy, a luxurious hotel with electric lights, gilt-adorned lifts and uniformed porters. Their room had a view of the Thames and the Waterloo Bridge. They took some time to get settled and after theyd unpacked, Edward invited Grace to take a stroll through the Embankment Gardens. Geneva begged off, deciding instead to have a cup of tea, then a short nap. They would have supper at five in the hotel dining room and would take an evening boat trip on the Thames.