Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
O nce I have possessed Maddie, this intense desire shall pass . At least, it has always done so in the past, when I have been mad with lust for other ladies.
As he walked into his study, Daniel was teetering on a razor’s edge, indeed. He was already sick of playing host, and it was only the first evening of this infernal house party.
A game of snapdragon was being played in the parlor. Lord Acton had suggested it, even though it was usually played in winter, and everyone had seemed eager to play. The candles had been dimmed, and a bowl had been filled with brandy and raisins and set alight. Daniel was quite certain that someone was about to lose their eyebrows to the dangerous game.
I had forgotten what passes for entertainment amongst this crowd . It is a far cry from the more sophisticated antics on the Continent.
He sighed heavily, pouring himself a tall glass of whiskey and then picking up the entire bottle, taking it with him to the upholstered chair by the fireplace. He sat down, staring moodily into the flames. He was deluding himself, of course. His frustration had nothing to do with the house guests and everything to do with Lady Madeline Cole.
He sipped his drink, feeling the liquor seep into his bloodstream like fire. She had slipped through his fingers like an eel. And she had stealthily managed to avoid him for the entire evening.
When he had left the parlor, she had been talking animatedly with Christopher in a corner and hadn’t even glanced in his direction. They were the only guests who had refused to play the game, apart from himself, and they seemed as thick as thieves. He didn’t think she had even noticed he had left the room.
A pang of jealousy pierced his heart. He frowned. Another one . Clearly, he needed to scratch this itch with Maddie sooner rather than later, to purge himself of this mad lust he had for her before it drove him to the nearest asylum.
He stretched out his legs, taking another long sip of his whiskey. He might as well stay here and drown his sorrows. At least it might temporarily dampen his fervor for her.
His frown deepened. He actually couldn’t recall ever feeling this level of jealousy over a woman before. It was quite disconcerting. He really didn’t like it. Not in the least.
The door opened. It was Selina, looking a little out of breath. Her eyes were bright.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a censorious voice. “Why did you skulk out of the parlor so early?”
Daniel shrugged indifferently. “They were all having a fine time without me.”
She eyed the bottle of whiskey. “You will be rolling around in your cups soon if you are not careful, Brother.” She walked into the room, standing over him, her hands on her hips. “You must help. One of Lady Darnley’s puppies has gone missing on the grounds. A servant took him and his siblings outside, and he has vanished.”
Daniel gaped at her. “What the deuce has a missing puppy got to do with me? Surely the errant servant can search for the beast and enlist help from the other servants?”
“Everyone is out looking for the pup,” Selina said, frowning. “Well, almost everyone. The older ones, like Mama and Lady Ollerton, are still in the parlor, comforting Lady Darnley, who is having a conniption. But the younger guests all threw their hat into the ring. Christopher, Augusta, Maddie…”
Daniel sat up straighter, staring at his sister keenly. That had gotten his attention. “They are all wandering the grounds, searching for this puppy?”
Selina nodded. “Yes. And you must help as well! Lady Darnley is truly distraught, Brother. Her puppies are like her children.”
Daniel jumped to his feet. He really didn’t feel like trawling the grounds in the dark, searching for a missing poodle, but if Maddie was out there… well, the search for her would be another matter entirely.
“I am at Lady Darnley’s service.” He slipped on his jacket. “Tell her the pup will be found in no time.”
Selina looked pleased. “What a good sport you are, Brother.”
“What direction did the others go in?” he asked casually. “Just so I know and can look elsewhere. We do not want to be searching the same area, do we?”
“Christopher and Maddie have already headed towards the lake,” Selina replied. “Augusta and I are about to search around the folly. Perhaps you could check the rose garden?”
“Done,” Daniel said, knowing he had no intention of going in the direction of the rose garden at all. “May the best man find the pup. Tally ho!”
Selina gave a bark of laughter. “It is not a treasure hunt, Daniel! But, yes, let us hope the poor pup is found safe and well. I do not think Lady Darnley will take it well at all if he is lost forever. She is already suffering from the vapors. Mama had to send for her smelling salts to revive her.”
Daniel just managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Lady Darnley’s histrionics were legendary. The lady had an attack of the vapors when she cut her finger.
He tried to look sympathetic.
“The poor lady,” he said, sighing. “Yes, let us find her pup, and all will be well.”
“You do not fool me for a moment, Brother,” Selina drawled, looking amused. “You do not care either way about that pup. But thank you for joining the search, anyway.”
Daniel paused, reaching out to rumple her hair affectionately, dislodging one of her jeweled hair combs in the process. She ducked, laughing.
“You know, it is good spending time with you again, Selina,” he said, feeling another wave of affection. “You have grown into a charming, beautiful young lady. It makes my heart glad to see it.”
Selina looked surprised, then gratified. “It is good spending time with you again as well, Brother. It has been too long.”
They gazed at each other, a bit awkwardly. Daniel ruffled her hair again. Then, they headed out of the study, going in different directions.
Daniel felt suddenly alert and almost thrilled. The evening had progressed in an unexpected way. And if he managed to stumble upon Maddie alone during the search for the missing puppy… well, it might end up much, much better than he had ever anticipated.
Maddie held the flaming torch higher as she scoured the banks of the lake, searching for Lady Darnley’s missing puppy. It was cold and very dark. She shivered. She hoped and prayed the poor poodle would be found cowering beneath a bush or something, safe and well.
She looked into the distance. Another flaming torch was bobbing in the darkness, getting closer by the minute. She knew it was probably Lord Christopher, as they had headed out together. He was probably checking on her to see whether she was all right. But suddenly, Maddie didn’t want to be near him at all. She just wanted to keep searching by herself.
Quickly, she headed off, away from the other torch. It was oddly exhilarating being out here in the darkness alone. It made her feel as if she really was an adventuress, exploring the world. As if she might be in the Americas, or India, or even far-flung New Holland, on the other side of the world.
Suddenly, she heard the Duke’s mocking voice in her head.
You want to be an adventuress, My Lady, remember?
Maddie gritted her teeth. She would show him. She would find the missing puppy and be a heroine. She would be lauded with praise, while he slept away oblivious to it all. He wasn’t even out searching for the pup, as he had retired early, missing all the drama.
Stop thinking about him . Forget him, as he will surely forget you. You are just a pawn in his game. Nothing more.
She realized she was close to the quarters where she had met him that day. Her heart flipped over in her chest. His secret lair, where he brought his conquests, just like he did when he was staying at his London house.
He probably does have a harem somewhere .
It probably wasn’t a lie at all. He was a rake, through and through.
Still, she couldn’t resist going to the lair, feeling as if she were being pulled by a string towards it. It was shrouded in darkness. And when she turned the doorknob, finding it unlocked, she couldn’t resist slipping inside.
Her heart was beating hard as she raised the torch, staring around. There was a candlestick in the corner. Quickly, she lit it, before returning outside, placing the torch in the sconce—a mounted bracket—at the front of the quarters.
Back inside, she raised the candlestick, walking slowly around. She didn’t know what she was looking for, only that the same impulse that had made her walk around his chambers in the main house today had possessed her once again. Perhaps she was searching for a clue to understand him.
She shivered. It was dark and cold. The fire wasn’t even lit. Abruptly, she felt a tingle of fear. She was all alone here in the dark. No one knew where she was. What if this place was haunted by ghosts?
You will have to do better than this if you ever become a true adventuress . An adventuress would never get scared in a dark house. She would think it a challenge.
There was a sharp, sudden movement behind her. She started, her heart pounding, and she whipped around. She felt an icy breeze. The wick of the candle flared dangerously, before dimming, threatening to burn out. Maddie almost dropped the candlestick, gripping it just in time.
Oh, dear Lord . There really is a ghost in this place!
She started stumbling towards the door, ready to flee, her heart pounding harder. But just at that moment, the door flew open. Her jaw dropped. In the dim candlelight, she could just make out the figure and face of the Duke of Everly.
“What… what are you doing?” she stammered.
“I could ask you the same thing, My Lady,” he said dryly. “What are you doing here?”
Maddie raised the candlestick higher. “I was searching for the lost puppy,” she replied, realizing how ridiculous she sounded. “And then, I stumbled here, and thought I might take a look around.”
He laughed softly. “I see. So, the lure of my lair proved too strong to resist?”
Maddie flushed. “It wasn’t like that! Oh, you are impossible!” She hesitated, then the words came tumbling out of her mouth. “I was just curious… but then, I thought I heard a ghost… It scared me witless!”
He laughed again, taking a step closer to her. “I have never encountered a ghost here,” he said, his mouth twitching in amusement. “But that is not to say that there isn’t one. Perhaps it waits for unaccompanied ladies to haunt them. Perhaps it likes a particular lady as much as I do.”
Maddie’s mouth went dry. He was playing with her again. How did he even know she was here? Was it coincidence, or had he sought her out?
She vaguely recalled Selina mentioning that she was going to try to rouse him to join the search. Had he predicted she would be drawn here, like a moth towards a flame?
It is feasible . He calculates everything he does. And he is an opportunist.
“You do not like me, Your Grace,” she stated firmly, taking a step back, trying to dispel her disquiet. “You are merely playing with me as a cat does with a mouse. Do not think I am so na?ve that I do not realize the game you’re playing.”
He took another step towards her. “If I am playing a game, My Lady, then you are playing it as well. You came back here of your own free will. You knew that I come here often, and there was a chance that I would appear. Now, what do you think that says?”
Maddie flushed harder. “I… I was looking for the puppy. That was all. It might have snuck inside. You are being impossibly arrogant in assuming that I came here on the chance I would see you!”
He kept staring at her. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew he didn’t believe a word she said. And the awful thing was that he was right. For she hadn’t entered the lair in order to search for the puppy. She had been drawn to it because she simply couldn’t resist. It was as if a magnetic charm had pulled her here and she was powerless beneath its grip.
Suddenly, he stepped back, opening the door. A cold wind swept in. She was forced to put her hand over the wick of the candle so it wouldn’t blow out.
“If that is the case, then you can leave,” he said in a neutral voice. “It is your decision entirely, My Lady.”
Maddie hesitated. She should run. He was giving her the choice. But, to her appalled shock, she couldn’t. It was as if her feet were rooted to the ground. As if she were a tree rather than a person.
They looked into each other’s eyes. He waited another moment. Then, slowly and deliberately, he closed the door, turning the lock. There was a sharp click.
When he turned back to her, her mouth went dry again. There was no escape now. And somehow, that thought thrilled her to the very core.