Chapter 21
CHAPTER 21
W here is she? I cannot see her anywhere.
Daniel loitered outside his lair, gripped with impatience. He grabbed a twig off the ground and snapped it in two. He had been waiting for her for over half an hour.
He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair, trying to keep his cool. Images of their lovemaking were playing in his head, over and over. He couldn’t stop them.
The feel of her skin, like the softest silk I have ever touched. The feel of her body moving seamlessly with mine. The glorious moment when I entered her for the first time. We fit together like we were always meant to be.
He sighed again. It wasn’t like him to moon over the act after it was over. Usually, it was the thrill of the chase for him. When he had finally conquered, the allure of the lady dissipated.
It wasn’t like that this time. Not at all.
His heart flipped over. He had told her the truth—it hadn’t been just words to get her to submit to him. He did care for her, in his own way. It had been growing on him slowly. He cared what happened to her. He didn’t want to hurt her. It wasn’t just about the intense lust he felt for her.
But now… now, it was like something else again. Making love to her had stirred something deeper within him. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing her. He couldn’t stand the thought of never making love to her again. He especially couldn’t stand the thought of his cousin claiming her.
Her body belongs to me. We are made for each other.
Suddenly, in the far distance, he saw a carriage circling to the front of the house. It pulled up. He waited to see who would emerge out of it, but no one did.
And that was when it dawned on him that the carriage was waiting for someone.
His heart seized. It was waiting for Maddie.
Instinctively, he started running through the gardens, surprising Lord and Lady Carruthers, who were taking a morning stroll. He veered around them, too intent on his task to even greet them. The lady almost dropped her parasol.
He kept running. His breathing was ragged, but he pushed on, skirting the side of the house, reaching the front just as Maddie was stepping into the carriage. To his dismay, Christopher was there, helping her climb into it.
He stopped abruptly. His hands balled into fists.
She was leaving Stansgate. She was leaving the house party. She had told him she was before they made love, but he had thought she had changed her mind. He thought he had convinced her, through touch if not words, that they could work this out.
He couldn’t bear it.
He rushed forward, almost jostling Christopher out of the way.
“My apologies, Cousin,” he said through gritted teeth. “I was walking and didn’t realize Lady Madeline was leaving us. I must say farewell and wish her a safe journey.”
Christopher smiled indulgently. “Of course, Daniel. Lady Madeline has been seized by a sudden illness and needs to go home. You couldn’t have known.” He peered into the carriage, staring at Maddie. “I will be in touch, My Lady. I will call on you when I return to London. I hope you feel better soon.”
“Thank you, Lord Christopher,” she replied in a faint voice. “I look forward to it.” She smiled at him politely.
Daniel waited for his cousin to walk back into the house. But he didn’t. Christopher simply stood back, waiting for Daniel to say farewell. It was intensely frustrating, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Maddie wasn’t alone in the carriage either. Her lady’s maid was sitting opposite, looking a trifle disgruntled, probably out of sorts at the haste of the departure.
Daniel stared at Maddie. She was pale, looking like she truly was ill. Gently, he took her hand, staring into her beautiful honey-brown eyes that seemed to stir his innermost soul.
“Farewell, My Lady,” he said in a formal tone. “Thank you for coming, and I do hope that you feel better soon.”
She inclined her head politely. “Thank you, Your Grace. You have been a charming host, and Stansgate is truly magnificent. It has been a pleasure.”
There was silence. She looked down, trying to pull her hand out of his. In response, he tightened it. He couldn’t help it.
She laughed uncomfortably. “I must go, Your Grace. I feel so ill that I simply must get home. It is a long journey.”
“Of course,” he relented in a tight voice.
From the corner of his eye, he saw that Christopher had turned away, saying something to one of the coachmen. He leaned towards her. His heart was beating fast.
“This is goodbye,” she murmured, her eyes flickering.
Daniel’s heart seized again. “This is not over,” he whispered so that the maid couldn’t hear. “I swear it.”
Maddie pulled her hand out of his sharply, rapping on the roof of the carriage. Christopher turned back to them. Daniel stepped back, closing the door. The coachman cracked the whip, and the carriage pulled away, rambling down the driveway and through the high gates.
She was gone.
Daniel watched until it vanished from sight. His heart was beating hard, and he felt slightly ill.
“How about a game of billiards, old chap?” Christopher asked casually. “We haven’t spent much time together since the horde descended on the house. What say you?”
Daniel gritted his teeth. He didn’t even want to look at his cousin.
You are claiming what is mine. You have no right.
The thought shocked him. He swallowed it down, trying to suppress the anger and jealousy, turning to his cousin. None of this was Christopher’s fault—at least, his cousin didn’t realize what was happening between him and Maddie. He didn’t know that he was stepping into his territory.
“Of course,” Daniel replied, trying to sound jovial.
Christopher clapped him on the back, quite hard. Harder than he usually did. Daniel tried to smile at him, but he was certain it was a grimace. They stared at each other for a moment, before Christopher laughed, striding into the house.
Daniel gazed after him. He took a deep breath. He couldn’t wait for this infernal house party to be finally over and done with. He couldn’t leave until it was. He was the host. That would be the height of rudeness. His mother would never let him hear the end of it. He couldn’t pursue Maddie. Not yet, at any rate.
He glowered as he thought of the Dowager Duchess. He had a bone to pick with her, and now was the time to do it before this ridiculous business got out of hand entirely. His mother would have him engaged and dragging Lady Augusta to the altar before the day was out if he let her.
He strode back into the house, following his cousin. His heart seized again as he thought of Maddie. She ran away, and he hadn’t been able to stop her—but he had meant what he said to her.
It wasn’t over. And she could only run so far. He would sort this mess out once and for all. One step at a time.
Maddie sat in the window alcove in the drawing room in her family’s London residence, listlessly staring out the window as her mother and sister sat with their embroidery patches on the sofa.
A week had passed since she had fled Stansgate, feigning illness. The house party had broken up two days ago. Her family was back home now… and so was everyone else. She knew that Selina’s family was back in London. Lord Christopher had told her when he had called on her yesterday, casually mentioning that the Duke was there as well.
He is only a few streets away from me. And yet, he has not attempted to see me at all.
She tried not to let that knowledge affect her, but it was so hard. Ever since her family had returned from Stansgate, her mother had been talking nonstop about the “twin courtships.”
Augusta looked bored but resigned to her fate. She would often walk out of the room when the wedding talk grew too much. But Maddie tried to endure it. She didn’t know what else to do. She felt as helpless as a piece of driftwood floating down a river.
“I was thinking,” Lady Ollerton said in a high-pitched voice, “that we could perhaps have a double wedding, girls? What do you both think?”
Augusta rolled her eyes. “How original, Mama. As if that hasn’t been done a hundred times before.”
Lady Ollerton sighed dramatically. “Augusta, just because something is fashionable, does not make it gauche. I think it a charming practice.” She turned to Maddie. “What do you think, dearest?”
“About what?” Maddie blinked rapidly.
Her mother put down her embroidery patch, clearly irritated. “Honestly, Maddie, you are even more distracted than you usually are since our return from Stansgate! Are you not interested in taking part in your wedding preparations at all?”
Maddie’s heart clenched. “There is no wedding to prepare, Mama. At least, not for me. Lord Christopher is courting me, to be sure, but he has not proposed. I am not even engaged.”
“Neither am I,” Augusta chimed in. “As much as you and the Dowager Duchess conspire to unite me and the Duke, it is idle chatter, as far as I can tell.” She paused. “He hasn’t said he wants to court me at all. He isn’t courting me. Tell me, how on earth have you jumped to planning weddings, Mama?”
“The Dowager Duchess assures me she has it in hand,” Lady Ollerton argued, looking a bit perturbed. “She says he will come around to the idea. He is just a bit stubborn. That is all.”
“Stubborn?” Augusta’s voice was full of derision. “I would say that he is showing you both, in a passive way, that he has no interest in marrying me at all. Or anyone, for that matter.”
Maddie’s heart lurched. Her sister spoke the truth—more than she even knew.
“The Dowager Duchess announced his intentions towards you in front of everybody, Augusta,” Lady Ollerton pointed out, pursing her lips. “She said that he asked her if he could formally court you. You heard it yourself.”
Augusta sighed irritably. “The Dowager Duchess just said that. She seized the moment because she wanted to trump Lord Christopher’s announcement that he wished to court Maddie.” She paused, her eyes flicking to her sister. “And to make sure that no one was talking about what had been written in that scandal sheet, of course.”
Maddie froze. She could feel Augusta’s eyes on her, staring at her speculatively. Did her sister suspect that she was one of the parties involved? Or even that the Duke was involved in it with her as well?
Oh, if you only knew the half of it, Sister.
Their mother cleared her throat. “Speaking of scandal sheets,” she continued, gazing at Augusta, “there has been something written about you this week as well, my dear. A mention about your previous scandal.”
Augusta’s jaw dropped. An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Maddie felt her heart start to pound with dread.
“Well, go on,” Augusta said, eventually, her face impassive. “Tell me what it says.”
Lady Ollerton took a deep breath. “It says that there is a whisper that you and the Duke of Everly may be engaged soon,” she replied. “And that the author hopes that you will not leave the groom at the altar this time around.”
Augusta stood up, throwing her embroidery patch on the sofa, before marching out of the room.
“Oh, dear.” Lady Ollerton tutted. “She is offended. Although I do not know why. She must realize that it will follow her around like a bad smell until she has a wedding ring on her finger.”
Maddie stood up. Her heart was pounding now. “You are being insensitive, Mama. You know how much even the slightest reference to it distresses her. Why did you have to tell her that she was mentioned in this scandal sheet at all?”
“Because it might change her attitude,” Lady Ollerton snapped. “She is dragging her feet about the Duke. She is always making smart comments when I try to involve her in the wedding planning. I just wished to remind her that she does not want to embroil herself in another scandal.”
“Of course, she does not want to create another scandal,” Maddie said in a strained voice. “The first scandal impacted her profoundly. Augusta would walk over hot coals to avoid another one.”
Lady Ollerton looked shamefaced for a moment. “I do not wish to hurt her, Maddie. Truly, I do not.” She took a deep breath. “But I am at my wit’s end. This opportunity with the Duke of Everly cannot be wasted. She will never get such an opportunity again.”
Maddie’s heart twisted. She didn’t know what to say.
“Augusta needs her own household,” her mother continued. “She has such a strong personality. She argues with me constantly because she is far too old to be living with her parents any longer. If she marries, it would mean she could live her own life, at least.”
“That is true,” Maddie acquiesced in a tremulous voice.
“I know that she wishes she could live independently,” Lady Ollerton acknowledged quietly. “She wishes she could go to university, or tour the Continent, or do a hundred other things. But none of that is possible for a lady of her station. The sooner she accepts it—and accepts that the only way she will gain some autonomy and a modicum of power is through marriage—the better.”
Maddie felt deflated. She knew that her mother spoke the truth. It wasn’t pleasant to hear it, and she knew that her mother’s agenda wasn’t entirely altruistic. Lady Ollerton wanted to be rid of the headache that was Augusta once and for all. But that still didn’t mean it wasn’t the best thing for Augusta, when all was said and done.
She couldn’t live the life she wished to live. She was never going to become a bluestocking bohemian, living independently, with no care in the world. Marriage was the only way she would gain any autonomy over her life.
And it was true that Augusta probably wouldn’t get any more offers. She was on the wrong side of five-and-twenty. She scared most gentlemen witless. Marrying the Duke would be her last chance. If she didn’t marry him, Maddie feared she would turn into a bitter spinster indeed, snarling and snapping at their mother for the rest of her life.
Maddie knew she should encourage her sister to marry him. It was the right, and selfless, thing to do.
It felt like a knife plunging into her heart.
Maddie took a deep breath, facing the hard, bitter truth. The Duke didn’t love her. He had gotten what he wanted from her, and that was the end of that.
She would do well to look after her sister—and herself—from now on and forget him entirely.
And what did it matter whom she married if she could not marry the man she loved?
“I have been remiss, Mama,” Maddie said, her heart twisting anew. “I will speak with Augusta about encouraging the Duke. And I will encourage Lord Christopher as well.”
Her mother jumped to her feet, rushing to her, and taking her hands. Her eyes were shining with joy.
At least someone is happy . Lord knows that is something.