Chapter 28
The morning after the chaos felt too quiet and sunny to be real.
Madeline had not slept at all. She had lain awake in the bed she shared with Kenneth, except he had not come to her.
Malcolm had not come home either. He and Roberta had walked out together the night before, while the rest of them sat frozen at the table. No one had seen him since. Madeline could only imagine where he had gone, and that Roberta would be filling his head with more lies while they were together.
That was not even the part that hurt the most. It was Kenneth.
She had spent weeks learning how to reach him, coaxing him open little by little, and the moment he was truly wounded, he shut her out and chose to bear it alone.
He had let her into his bed, but not into his pain.
Their physical intimacy had not been enough to bring down his walls after all.
Alas, she had no time to dwell on that. There were two children at the breakfast table who needed her.
“Where is Papa?” Emily asked, her small voice sounding anxious.
The little girl was not fidgeting as she usually did. Instead, she copied Madeline’s rigid posture, her hand holding a fork, although her eggs seemed to be completely untouched. Her eyes flicked back and forth to the empty chairs around the table.
Beside her, Alexander poked at his food with his fork. He seemed so preoccupied with his breakfast. Instead of prancing about and making trouble, he simply looked defeated, and it broke Madeline’s heart.
Madeline reminded herself of her role. These children had no mother to turn to, so she had to be strong for them. She made herself smile, though her cheeks ached with the effort of it.
“Your Papa has likely spent the night out if he is not in his bedchamber sleeping a bit later.”
“He is probably drinking again,” Alex muttered, his voice dull.
He sounded completely unsurprised. He let his fork clatter onto his plate.
Then, he crossed his arms over his chest, his face looking as stubborn as his father’s had been the night before.
“He promised that he would not do it again. He promised that he would do better.”
“Alex, look at me, please,” Madeline said softly but firmly.
Madeline waited quietly, not speaking until the boy finally looked up with a resentful glare. She could see the bitter disappointment in his eyes.
“Your father is fine,” Madeline reassured him, hoping that she sounded fully certain. “I promise you that he is completely fine. He simply needs to discuss some family matters that are not fit for children to hear. Once he has cleared his head, he will return home. You have done nothing wrong.”
“Yes, Aunt Maddy,” Emily said, trying to keep calm even as her lower lip trembled. “Still, he could have told us that he would be away.”
“I do agree with you, Emily. However, I believe that your father just needs some time to think. Now, I want the two of you to promise me something.”
Madeline hated having to lie to the children, but she felt there was no other option.
The truth was too painful. It was obvious that their mother came not for them but for revenge.
To dismantle the little peace that Malcolm and the children were finally gaining.
Perhaps she was after money as well. If she had truly come for her children, she would have insisted on seeing them at the very least.
“What kind of promise?” Alexander asked warily, his brow furrowing with confusion.
“I want your word that, despite not feeling up to it, you will both head for the schoolroom to attend to your lessons immediately after breakfast,” Madeline said, as she held the two pairs of eyes watching her.
“Your tutor has spent much time putting together the lesson for today. Please pay him attention.”
“I promise, Aunt Maddy,” Emily said softly.
“How about you, Alexander?” Madeline asked.
The boy exhaled heavily, sounding defeated. Still, Madeline was thankful for the way his shoulders relaxed for even a fraction. She had managed to distract him from his main concern: his father.
“Fine,” he mumbled. “I promise to go to the schoolroom and do my best. And I promise not to swear.”
“Excellent,” Madeline praised, clapping her hands together. “Now, please finish your breakfast before you leave.”
“Yes, Aunt Maddy,” both children said in unison.
After breakfast, Madeline adjusted the skirts of her morning gown to wish the children good luck as they headed to the schoolroom.
She made sure to give them an encouraging nod.
As soon as the children were out of sight, her smile disappeared.
It was getting harder to maintain her cheer as everything from the night before came crashing down on her.
Madeline rested her back against the wall, hoping for a moment of respite. Yet, the violent confrontation continued to echo in her ears. Malcolm’s hate, Roberta’s vicious smirk, and Kenneth’s despair would follow her throughout the day. She just knew it.
Why would a woman want to destroy her own family? Why marry one brother when she had designs for the other?
Even though she hated how Malcolm and Roberta behaved, nothing hurt as much as Kenneth telling her to leave.
‘Leave me.’
Madeline had opened herself to him in more ways than one.
Yet, he was still holding on to his secrets.
He was still trapped in his own pain, unwilling to share his emotions with her.
She wanted to help him. She would have carried part of the burden if he had let her. But he would not let her near it.
“Your Grace?”
The voice was gentle and respectful, but it still startled Madeline. She was pulled out of her thoughts as she turned to see Mrs. Gaines standing just a few steps away in the dimly lit corner of the hallway.
Madeline knew Mrs. Gaines was a woman of competence and intimidating resourcefulness, highlighted by her stiff posture, quick steps, and smooth workflow. However, something was different about the older woman that morning.
She wondered whether the housekeeper was behaving so because she had overheard the conversation last night, if one could call it that. Embarrassment heated her cheeks at the thought.
“Good morning, Mrs. Gaines. Are you here about the state of the dining hall after last night?”
“No, Your Grace,” Mrs. Gaines replied. “Do not worry. I have already warned the servants, particularly the footmen who served last night, not to breathe a word unless they wish for a dismissal without a reference.”
Madeline suspected as much. She swallowed hard, trying not to show her humiliation. But it was as it always was in grand houses like Huntington, with its many servants. The family’s dirty laundry and ugly scars were often laid bare for the staff.
“It was... unfortunate that a family matter had to be laid bare like so, Mrs. Gaines. I prefer that we do not dwell on those words spoken in anger.”
“He never did it, Your Grace,” the housekeeper declared, the words stumbling out so quickly as if she had mustered the courage to spill them out as fast as she could.
Madeline’s head snapped toward the housekeeper.
“I can testify to it,” Mrs. Gaines continued, tilting her chin fiercely.
“I can even swear it on a stack of Bibles before any magistrate in this land. His Grace never did what that woman claims he did. Not one thing she said was true. I have eyes and ears everywhere in this house, Your Grace. That is why I told you that I know what happened last night, just as I know what happened the night that woman entered His Grace’s rooms for her evil purposes. ”
Madeline’s chest felt loose. She felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
Yes, she believed in Kenneth, but it helped that someone else, someone who was not his wife, could attest to his innocence.
She reached to place a reassuring hand on the housekeeper’s arm.
It was trembling. It took everything for her to come forward, but she was loyal to Kenneth.
“Mrs. Gaines, I assure you that I believe in my husband’s innocence with my heart and soul. I may not have known him as long as you have, but I know what kind of man he is. He would never force himself upon a woman.”
She meant every word. If she had married another duke, she would have been forced to give her virtue as early as the wedding night. Kenneth argued with her, yes, but he never made her feel as if she had no choice.
“However, Malcolm must hear it from you. He is blinded by his grief and longing for his wife. He desperately wants to believe Roberta. It is unfortunate that he would risk his relationship with his brother for a mere illusion.”
“He will hear the truth from my own lips,” Mrs. Gaines promised.
“I knew both men when they were little boys. Both of them are aware that I do not lie for the sake of household politics. And I knew Mrs. Spruce well enough in the years she lived under this roof. I saw how she behaved, the way she looked at His Grace when her husband’s back was turned.
I held my tongue then, God forgive me. I will not hold it now. ”
“Would you really do that?” Madeline asked, daring to hope that the housekeeper could clear the misunderstanding between the two brothers. “Would you be willing to speak with Malcolm about such things?”
“I will go to him as soon as I am able,” Mrs. Gaines said with absolute finality. “Mr. Spruce will believe me. I have been in their family’s employ for as long as they can remember. I was there before they were even born. I cannot stand wickedness ruining the love between brothers.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Gaines,” Madeline whispered, her voice cracking. “Thank you so much more than you will ever know.”
The housekeeper gave her a stiff but respectful curtsy before turning on her heel to leave, but not before Madeline spied a look of maternal sympathy softening her features.
The relief of it lasted only a little while.
Kenneth was innocent. Madeline had never doubted it, and now Mrs. Gaines could prove it to Malcolm and to anyone else who needed convincing. That part, at least, would be set right, and everything could be back to normal.
But as the day wore on, she found the housekeeper’s reassurance did not settle her the way it should have.
“His Grace has not left his study since dawn, Your Grace,” the footman admitted, barely able to meet Madeline’s gaze. “He refused the tea and even the scones. He told me not to knock on the door until he said so and that he would have anyone who disobeys him dismissed.”
“I see,” she murmured, “Thank you. You may go.”
The young servant gave her a quick bow before scrambling out of her way, so eager to escape. However, the tension seemed to have spread through every inch of the grand house.
She did not doubt her husband. Still, something about it all nagged at her. Yes, he was innocent, but he married her months ago. He had made love to her—or so she thought—but he had not once mentioned the event that destroyed Malcolm’s family.
He never told me anything.
The realization hurt more than she could imagine. It meant that she had been living in a daydream for the past few weeks. In their bedchambers, there were just the two of them. She had given him her body, heart, and soul completely. Her defenses were down, and she had let herself be consumed.
What had Kenneth given her in return? He had given her his name and wealth, and for that, she would be eternally grateful. Though her family was content with living in genteel poverty, there was at least no threat to their security.
Kenneth protected her. He defended her against Lady Rose. He had given her his body, freely and passionately. Just the thought of him being vulnerable in front of her every time he reached his peak made her feel warm all over. There was trust in that vulnerability.
And yet...
He still could not share the secrets that mattered with her. He kept the truth about what happened with Roberta or his father. How could she continue being with someone who guarded his heart so fiercely against her? If he guarded his heart so much, how could he ever love her?
“I need to take some air,” she muttered to herself.
Without summoning anyone, Madeline grabbed a thick coat to wear before leaving the house and stepping into the biting air of a chilly day.
Perhaps a walk will help me clear my mind.