Chapter 23
ALEXANDER
The sky was overcast and dark the next morning as we rode into the village. Under the guise of collecting some supplies, we took the cart. The truth was, my arm ached constantly, and the thought of swinging up into the saddle was unpleasant. Especially knowing I would be watched.
At the inn, we entered, surprised to see Dr. Atwood there talking to the innkeeper.
“What is the news?” I asked.
“He is awake, complaining, and cranky.”
“Is he well enough to travel?”
My physician sighed. “He is breathing and the wound is clean, so in my estimation, yes.” He lowered his voice. “He was not of good health before this incident, my lord. How he will fare, I do not know. It is up to his physician when he arrives to his own estate.”
“Good enough.” I looked toward Edward. “Settle the account, and I will go speak with him.”
I headed upstairs, knocking on the door of the room I was told Barnett was in. I didn’t wait for his summons before entering and shutting the door behind me. The room smelled of piss and unwashed flesh, and I grimaced, crossing to the window and yanking it open. “Good God, man, have some pride.”
Barnett glared at me, his hatred on full display.
“Your account is settled as of today. Take your unctuous little crew and leave. Do not return.”
“I will sell you Milton Manor now.”
“No. You had your chance. Many of them. I no longer want it,” I lied.
He cursed me, calling me several names. I remained silent until he was done.
I raised my voice so he could hear me clearly, having no wish to get closer to his person.
“I have no idea why you hate me. Or why you treated Maddie as you did. You could have chosen to see all of her mother in her. To celebrate that she lived on in a clever, loving woman, instead of punishing her for something she had no control over.” I shook my head in anger.
“Did you think that made you a bigger man? Hurting a child? Beating her into submission?”
“How I raised her is none—”
I cut him off. “Everything about her is my concern. She is my wife. My marchioness. I hold due any past transgressions to this day. Any slurs you say against her, you say against me. I will drag you through the mud so deeply, you will never recover. Not one word, Barnett. You will leave, you will never return, you will never so much as speak her name, or I will ruin you so thoroughly that not even the lowest of moneylenders will allow you in their door. Even those who wish to profit from you will stay clear.”
He remained silent.
“And you will cease in this tirade of proclaiming I stole her. You gave her away, and I will not hesitate to prove it. I have the funds and the witnesses.” I crossed my arms. “You seem to think you hold something over me, and you do not. I am not a child you can beat into silence. I will use my position and whatever other means to destroy what is left of your life.”
I eyed him with dislike.
“Any funds Maddie possesses, any gifts I choose to lavish on her, belong to her. Not to you. You will never benefit from the love I bestow upon her. And she has ceased to care about your indifference. She now knows what love is, and she has blossomed. You, in your uncalled-for rage—your heedless vendetta against a dead woman—have turned someone who would have loved you throughout your entire lifetime into a stranger who doesn’t wish to know you. ”
I shook my head. “You will never truly understand that loss since I believe your heart no longer exists.”
I curled my hands into fists to stop myself from hitting him. Giving him a taste of his own medicine.
“You hated my father over an insignificant argument, so you punished me by refusing to sell me a piece of land you knew I coveted. You hated Maddie’s mother, so you punished her daughter by stripping her of her life.
Your hate and bitterness overtook you. And you lost. Now you are alone, penniless, and without a friend.
I wish you gone from my sight and that you spend any time you have left in misery.
It is all you deserve. You are a despicable man. ”
He stared at me, then spoke, his voice almost pleading. “I need help.”
“So did Maddie when her mother died. So I will give to you what you gave to her. Nothing.”
And I walked out.
The sun came out, brightening the sky and sending its rays over the fields.
I breathed in lungfuls of clean air. The cart creaked under the weight of our purchases.
Sugar, tea, sweets for Maddie. Coffee, brandy, and cheroots for me.
A fine joint and sundries for the kitchen.
Seed and tools for my farmers. I tore through the small shops like a madman, picking up anything that caught my eye.
In my pocket were two pairs of gloves. Lacy, delicate, soft.
Fingerless. Maddie loved the style, and I knew she was most comfortable still when her palms were covered.
These would please her. I had also purchased a small pair of pearl earrings I decided I wanted to see her wear.
A lovely dressing gown from the dressmaker, long soft silk in a creamy violet trimmed in lace and pretty. Like my wife.
None of it needed, but it somehow took the edge off my anger. I didn’t leave the village until Edward quietly informed me Barnett was gone.
“Snuck away like the rotter he is. He and that slimy solicitor. His butler barely made it into his seat when they were moving. Whatever you said to him sent him away quickly.”
“I spoke only the truth.”
Wheaton came into view, the rolling hills and neat fences making me smile. Tenants worked in the fields, smoke rising from the chimney stacks in the tidy little cottages where they dwelled.
“I wish to walk in the fields later. Speak with the tenants.” I sighed deeply. “But first, I wish to lay my eyes on my lovely wife and hold her in my embrace.”
“Of course, Alexander. I understand.”
“If I am able to purchase Milton Manor, I wish to present it to you.”
He pulled the cart to a stop. “My lord?” he asked, sounding incredulous.
“For your future.”
He shook his head. “I cannot accept that, nor would I possibly need so much land or so grand a house.”
“It is not a large parcel, but perhaps part of it, then. Build your own house. Have land to tend.”
“You said you told him you no longer wished to buy it.”
“I did, but only to anger him. I will have Higgins make the proper inquiries under a different name.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “Perhaps yours.”
“Alexander, what has come over you?”
“I could have died,” I replied simply. “You have been loyal and constant. A true friend and never once have you ever asked me for anything.”
“You are more than generous with my wages.”
“And you earn them and more. This would be a gift. We will work out the details and how the estate could be managed. You would receive part of those earnings.”
For a moment, he stared.
“You need a home of your own, Edward. A wife. A place to call yours. You would be close. Still able to assist me, and together, we can run the estates.” I looked around, feeling the pull of the land.
“Wheaton is home. Where we will raise our family. I would like to think of my closest friend as my neighbor.”
“You would sell the town house?”
“No. I will need to return for business and Parliament on occasion. But it can be run with fewer servants. My visits will be brief.” I chuckled.
“Until my daughters, should I have some, wish to see the city and be presented. Or my sons long for city life.” With a laugh, I clapped him on the back.
“That, my dear friend, is years ahead. For now, let us plan. Let us return to Wheaton and build our future. Think about what I have said. We will discuss it on another day.”
He returned my smile. “Another day.”