After all, her mother? A pirate? And a leader of a powerful, feared group of thieves, to boot?
Of course it had to be a tall tale. It sounded like something out of one of Hattie’s novels, not a reality. So when she threw the words out there to her father, a rueful smile tugged at her lips. She was fully ready to laugh with relief when her father declared Roger’s words the most heinous lie.
But then...this.
Silence.
She leaned forward, resting on her elbows as she tried to peer past the hand that partially covered his eyes. “He was lying, Father. Wasn’t he?”
He dropped his hand with a sigh. “There is much I need to tell you girls.”
Abigail sat back with a start. That was not a denial. “How much?” she asked.
Her father finally met her gaze, and the weariness in his blue eyes made her flinch. “Pardon?”
“How much of it was true?” Her heart was pounding as rapidly as it had the moment Roger had uttered those fateful words. She had so many questions, too many thoughts were racing by so quickly she couldn’t catch hold of one. And emotions...she knew not where to begin describing how she felt. How she should feel. Her father met her stare as question after question echoed through her skull, and what finally came out was, “Did she leave, or did you force her to go?”
Somehow that question forced all the others aside, even though it likely was not the most pertinent. But it seemed crucial that she knew. That Minerva and the others knew. Their mother abandoning them had set the course of their lives. It had shaped who they’d become, how they were raised, and the kind of women they wanted to be.
So yes. That was the answer she needed to hear first.
Her father’s gaze fell to the tabletop, and she supposed that was her answer. After a moment, he spoke in a gruff voice. “It was a difficult decision, Abigail. One I never thought I’d have to make.”
Abigail stopped breathing. Her lungs felt constricted. “Should we...do you want me to call Hattie in for this?”
He shook his head and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I will tell your sisters soon enough. When Sally and Rebecca return next week. When they are all together.” He seemed to be talking to himself more than her, and she sat back to listen. It was all she could do. “I should have told Minerva before she left. I meant to. But she was so happy. All of you girls were.” He lifted his gaze to meet hers. “That’s all I ever wanted. For you girls to be happy and safe.”
“Did she...did she love us?” Really, Abigail. Her mother had been accused of piracy and traitorous acts, and all she could focus on was if her mother cared about her. About them. But there it was. At heart, it was what mattered most.
Her father’s eyes grew shiny and wet. That made her heart race even faster. She’d never once seen her father cry. It set off a panic inside her.
“She loved you girls more than anything.”
Abigail blinked. “But...but I thought...we always thought...” A flicker of anger rose to the surface before she could stop it. “You let us believe that she loved the sea more.”
The anger was more for her sisters than herself. Minerva, who’d always struggled to ensure she didn’t end up like their mother. For Sally who’d decided their mother didn’t deserve to be remembered and had drawn so close to their father—the parent who hadn’t abandoned them. And then there was Rebecca and Hattie, who’d been too young to retain many memories at all, so all they knew was that she hadn’t wanted them. That they’d done something to drive her away.
Abigail’s father leaned forward, and his eyes held an anger as well. “Your mother loved you. And in her own way I believe she thought she was doing what was best for you. She always wanted to provide you with the very best life could offer....”
“But?” Abigail prompted when he trailed off.
His brows drew down, an old pain so clear in his eyes that she felt it herself. “She put you girls in danger with her actions. Even if I could forgive her betrayal to this country, to the crown I was sworn to protect...” He leaned over farther, his gaze fierce. “She endangered you and your sisters each time she broke the law. Every time she dallied with the enemy, she courted trouble for you all.”
He sat back with a long exhale. “She might have had her reasons, but the ends do not justify the means.”
Abigail struggled to swallow. The passion in her father’s voice...the pain. It was so rare and so unexpected. “And the rest of it?” she asked in a quiet voice. “The allegations that she’s now some fearsome pirate?” She shook her head. “Surely that cannot be true.”
Her father flinched slightly. “I cannot say for certain to the extent of her criminal activities, but your mother has...well, she has not kept her distance entirely these past ten years. I’ve received word, messages over the years. I have reason to believe she’s been keeping an eye on you girls. And I knew she’d fallen in with a seedy lot.” He cleared his throat and met her gaze again. “I have no reason to believe what Roger said was a complete falsehood.”
She sank back in her seat as well, her muscles exhausted, it seemed, from all the tension of the day. “I see.”
Her father watched her closely. “Tell Caleb to see through on his promise. Send that wretch off to Antarctica for all I care. His being near can only cause trouble.”
The mention of Caleb brought a flicker of warmth in her otherwise cold and numb body. “And my sisters...”
“I will tell them,” he said. He sounded so tired. So defeated. “I
