Chapter 2
Today will be a good day. I will make certain of it.
Hyde Park was always busiest in the late afternoon, and Madeline had looked forward to the outing all week. A walk among the trees, a little gossip beneath the silk-lined tents, an hour away from the worries back home. She had even worn her brightest ribbons for it.
But as she approached the tent where her friends had gathered, something felt wrong. The chatter did not rise to greet her as it usually did. It dropped instead, and several heads turned her way at once.
Madeline kept her smile in place and told herself she was imagining things.
“Is there something new about you, Madeline? A new trim on your bonnet?” Lady Rose asked, her fan snapping open and shut.
“No, I do not think there is anything new,” Madeline replied, bewildered.
Why are they looking at me so strangely?
“Oh, what a shame, then,” Lady Rose murmured, her lips curling into a sneer that surprised Madeline. “Your ribbons are far too bright. I find that too optimistic for you.”
What was wrong with optimism? Madeline tilted her chin upward, giving the young lady and their other friends a defiant smile. It had become her armor, what with all that was going on in her life.
“A splash of bright color is important in making even the grayest day happier. Don’t you agree?”
The group of young women she mostly considered her friends stared at her, some with their mouths slightly open.
The Serpentine served as a backdrop, mere yards away.
Judgmental pressure seemed to overpower even the beauty of their environment.
Instead of being comforted by their outing in the park, Madeline felt anxious.
“I cannot say that I do,” replied Lady Rose, who seemed to serve as the group’s ringleader. “After all, it certainly did not change your circumstances much, even as you cling to yellows and oranges.”
Madeline was surprised. Although she had heard whispers about her sister, Cathy, when she was still unmarried, she had never personally witnessed such open hostility. Maybe she was just misunderstanding the situation?
“Speaking of gray afternoons...” Madeline said after taking a discreet breath. “Did any of you read today’s Morning Post? The Duke of Huntington has taken to advertising for a wife. What do you think of that?”
What did Madeline expect? She thought that her usual group of friends, perhaps more like companions at this point, would at least smile or titter. The laughter she expected did not come. Instead, Lady Rose stepped closer to her, a wicked flash in her eyes.
“I believe a woman of your current situation may even find such an advertisement quite generous, Madeline. It is likely the only way anyone would take you as a wife. However, given your family’s past and current reputation, you need not bother applying.”
Madeline’s smile froze on her face. She could not believe what she was hearing.
“My... my family is...” she stammered.
“Your family is a disgrace, Madeline,” Rose interrupted, raising her voice as if she wanted everyone to hear. “Do you not know what I am referring to? We heard the most recent news about your father. Honestly, I am surprised you were audacious enough to show your face here after that.”
“What... What happened to him?”
“He has been found floating in the Thames. Alive! But reeking of gin, and whatever else,” Rose explained, gleefully. “Perhaps, smelling like despair. Watchmen had to pull him out before he drowned. Unfortunately, I might add.”
Madeline felt the blood draining from her face. Something seemed to have slammed into her chest.
“How cruel! My father is a good man, Rose. He is just... struggling at the moment.”
“Struggling?” Miss Anne Murray echoed before she laughed.
“Oh, stop it,” Esther murmured, even as she looked at her dainty fingernails. “You will make Madeline cry. We do not want people to think we have made the ball of sunshine cry.”
“Aw, posh!” Rose snapped. “Let her cry. We have tolerated her long enough. Her father is a drunkard and a gambler. She should not be allowed to be with us here. If my mother finds out I am associated with her, she shall be furious. But I never thought she would have the gall to show up.”
Rose’s harsh words made Madeline recoil. As she stepped back, she already had a feeling it was not a good idea. The heel of her silk slipper grazed the grass, and she realized how close the lake was when she inhaled the smell of mud and reeds.
“I... I was not aware of what happened. I am sure it is some sort of misunderstanding.”
“It does not matter, Madeline. You do not belong here with us,” Rose taunted as she walked forward. Madeline stepped back a little more, trying to keep her footing steady. “You Quinten lot never did.”
“That is enough, Rose,” Esther warned.
“Why should I stop? The Quintens need to stay where they belong,” Rose said, her voice barely a whisper now, but the menace on her face was just as clear. “Madeline needs to wash away the Quinten grime from her.”
“What do you mean?” Madeline asked, her eyes focused on Rose. The other young woman looked tense. That was not good news for her.
“You know better, Madeline. You have the nerve to come here and join us for a walk when you know that you do not belong in polite society. Now, your father has proven how much he loves the water. Why do you not show us just how much you love it, too? An afternoon dip is waiting for you.”
No!
Before Madeline could reply or react to that, a gloved hand shoved her hard against one shoulder.
She gasped and flailed her arms to try to regain her balance, but it was completely gone.
Her silk slippers were no match for the slick grass.
Soon, her body crashed into the water of the Serpentine.
She was submerged in the cold world around her, and for a moment, she could not breathe.
Her descent seemed to be never-ending, leaving her lungs burning and her gown dragging her downward.
For a moment, she almost gave in to the suffocating, silent world, but Madeline’s fingers and legs almost had minds of their own, kicking and moving until her head broke the surface.
With a choking sound that clamped her throat, she gasped as she inhaled the murky air. Her eyes smarted from the water streaming into them. The world had momentarily become a blur of blues and greens.
How humiliating.
Instead of people panicking over her, they were laughing. One person in particular was filled with so much obvious mirth.
Lady Rose.
She stood with her back ramrod straight by the bank, a sharp silhouette against the pale sky.
“Look at her! Her father floated with the fish in the Thames, and now we have the Quinten duckling!”
Madeline wiped her eyes, trying her best to see more of the silhouettes of dresses and hats behind Rose. She probably should not have bothered.
“I think that is enough,” Lady Esther whispered, her amusement finally deflated. She took a few tentative steps toward the bank. “You have sent the message loud and clear, Rose. Her dress is ruined. But I do not believe you want her to catch her death.”
“Ah, do not be tedious, Esther!” Rose snapped. “It was just a bit of fun.”
To Madeline’s horror, she saw some gentlemen slowing down their horses. They must have noticed what was happening.
“It is no longer fun,” a young woman Madeline did not know added. “You went too far!”
“What? It is not as if something happened to her. It would help to remind her to stay in her place!”
“We need to leave,” Miss Anne said, looking pale as she looked left and right.
Rose finally understood how serious the situation was. Soon, the young ladies hurried to leave not only Madeline alone but also the tent entirely.
Somehow, Madeline recovered from the shock, trying to regain control of herself. Gasping for air, she swam to the nearest shore of the lake and reached for a branch to pull her toward the bank. The water was cold, but her humiliation ran so hot it dispelled all the chill.
Then, something hit her on her forehead. Another one came, making her realize that they were crusts of bread.
Oh, Lord. Now they are throwing food at me?
“I got a big duck, Alexander!” a child’s voice cheered.
Madeline froze where she was, her hand still gripping a muddy root. She looked up, expecting Rose and the rest of her supposed friends to look down on her. Instead, she saw two small figures, a boy and a girl, watching her with wide, curious eyes.
“Oh!” the girl exclaimed, her face looking apologetic. “You are not a duck, after all! I am so sorry, Miss. My brother wagered on who could catch a duck first.”
Madeline finally rose, although bogged down by her dress. She let out a shuddering breath, her smiles from earlier completely wiped from her face.
“I... I am not a duck. Unfortunately, also not a swan,” she mumbled.
“You look a little like a frog,” the boy, Alexander, said as he looked at her with a funny expression.
“Where is your governess?” Madeline demanded, as she attempted to wring as much water from her dress as she could. “Where are your parents?”
“Our mother abandoned us,” Alexander revealed, his lower lip wobbling slightly. “That is what Papa said.”
“Goodness! Did she leave you here?” Madeline was horrified.
“No, what my brother means... We are here for the ducks,” the girl explained, poking her brother in the arm as if she would rather not hear anything sad coming from him at this moment. “We hid in the carriage to follow our papa to see where he was going, but we lost him after arriving at the park.”
Madeline squinted her eyes at the two. Their clothes looked fine and expensive, but the coats were buttoned incorrectly, as if they had no one truly to care for them. Some children ended up with providers rather than carers.
“So, you are lost?” she asked.
The two nodded solemnly.
“Do not worry. I have a carriage,” Madeline offered, pointing at where it was waiting for her, together with other coaches. “I can take you home if you would give us directions. You will be safe with me.”
“You are quite kind for a lady who was just in the water,” Alexander declared, his eyes brightening.
“And for someone who got hit with bread,” his sister added.
“Are you a frog that turned into a princess?” asked the boy.
Madeline could not help but laugh. “You could say that I am a princess who turned into a frog. Now, follow me.”
Taking a deep breath, Madeline turned around to march toward her carriage. She could at least achieve something positive today.
As she glanced back, she saw that the two children were slightly distracted and had fallen a little behind.
“Wait!” The boy realized this and made a run for it. “Do not leave me behind.”
But his foot caught on something, possibly a protruding root, and he went down hard on the ground. The sound of his knee hitting the gravel made her stomach lurch.
“My knee!” he cried, with tears rolling down his cheeks. “It hurts!”
Without hesitation, Madeline dropped to her knees beside him, prepared to comfort him. It no longer mattered if she dirtied her dress; it was already soaked and muddy.
“Hush now, little one,” she murmured, keeping her voice soft and soothing as she touched the boy’s leg. “You are going to be all right. Now, let me see…”
Before she could do much more, a voice roared from a few feet away.
“Release him at once!”