“Madeline,” her husband said, shocking her once again by addressing her so informally, “this is my brother-in-law Sean as well as my nephew Collin.”
While the brother-in-law respectfully inclined his head to her, the look in his eyes revealing a rather appropriate sense of shock, the little boy eyed her with interest, clutching a small wooden bowl to his chest. “Your name is Madeline?” he asked as he cocked his head slightly, regarding her with open curiosity as though she were a rare artefact in a museum. “Can I call you Maddie?” Before Madeline could conquer this renewed shock and admonish the boy, he shot forward and thrust the small wooden bowl into her face. “Look, I found these out back. Aren’t they pretty?”
At the sight of the boy’s treasure, which?once again?shockingly turned out to be worms, Madeline’s stomach revolted, and she clasped a hand over her mouth.
“Put these creatures aside,” Bessy chided, pulling Collin away. “I’ve told ye many times your friends have no place in my kitchen. Set ‘em outside and then come back in.”
With no small amount of grumbling, Collin did as he was told.
Before long, they were all seated around the large table. While most of them remained rather silent, their eyes focused on the steaming bowl in front of them, including her husband as well as his brother-in-law, Kara and Bessy with the occasional interruption from Collin prattled on, discussing cooking, the weather, and the tenants that had apparently worked at Huntington House that day.
“When do ye want to start on the roof?” Bessy asked, looking at her son from across the table.
“Tomorrow afternoon,” Madeline’s husband replied. “In the morning, I’ll first assist the tenants with dismantling the barn.”
Nodding in approval, Bessy smiled. “Ye did well today. The men have already come to look at ye differently. I can tell.”
Not saying a word, Madeline’s husband merely nodded.
After supper, Kara escorted Madeline upstairs and showed her to a bedchamber on the eastern side of the house. It held a simple bed and wardrobe as well as a small table with a wash basin and a mirror. The fireplace was empty, and there were two bulbous jugs set down on the floor in the right-hand corner.
“The roof is leaking in places,” Kara explained when she saw Madeline’s frown. “If it should rain, these will keep your chamber from turning into a lake.” An amused smile played on her lips as she lifted her gaze to Madeline. “I’m so glad you’ve come.”
Taken aback, Madeline stared at her. How many more shocks would she have to endure? Why would this woman welcome Madeline’s company?
“My brother deserves to be happy,” Kara said, deep devotion in her eyes as she spoke. “He’s always been so willing to sacrifice his own happiness for the well-being of others. He deserves to have a family of his own, a wife he can share his burdens with.” Stepping closer, Kara gently took Madeline’s hand. “I can see that all of this must seem…otherworldly to you. But we are a close family, and now that you’re one of us, I promise we will do whatever we can to see you happy.”
Too overwhelmed to speak, Madeline merely nodded as Kara bid her a good night.
Oh, why had she come? What had gotten into her?
If only she could return to London.
Sinking onto the bed, she wept into her pillow.
Chapter Thirteen ? Miserable
Staring up at the dark ceiling and listening for the telltale signs of the leaking roof, Derek could not convince his muscles to relax or his mind to surrender to sleep. It did not matter that a hard day’s work lay ahead of him. He simply could not ignore the fact that his wife was sleeping in the room beside his.
So close…and yet, so far away.
Why had she come? He wondered for the thousandth time. Had she grown tired of her affair with Townsend so soon?
Gritting his teeth, Derek felt his hands ball into fists as he fought the urge to flee the bed and occupy his body to distract his mind. Maybe he ought to go chop some wood. Winter was not too far off, and they would need all the warmth they could get in this house.
However, he did not dare move from the bed as he feared more than anything that his sister would learn of Townsend’s involvement in all of this. Had she not suffered enough? Had it not taken every bit of faith and hope she had had to allow herself to find love again? Was she not happy now with Sean?
A small smile came to his lips. Yes, she did look happy. The way she looked at her husband spoke of a deep devotion.
Derek could only hope it would remain that way, that nothing would upset Kara’s little world.
Maybe he ought to speak to Madeline and ask her not to mention Townsend in his sister’s presence. But would she not ask for a reason for such an unusual request?
Tossing and turning, Derek found little sleep that night. When he headed down to breakfast the next morning, he was not at all surprised to see his wife absent.
“Shall I see to her?” Kara offered, handing Collin a bowl of porridge.
Shaking his head, Derek declined. “She has her lady’s maid, doesn’t she?” he grumbled, worrying that his wife’s presence might upset the delicate trust that was beginning to form between him and his tenants. What would they think of her walking around the estate in her fancy gowns, a lady’s maid on her heels?
As he looked up, he found his mother’s watchful eyes on him. “Do you have something to say?”
A sly smile on her face, his mother shrugged her shoulders. “It is not for me to tell a husband how to treat his wife.”
Derek chuckled, “Since when?”
His mother laughed, her eyes sparkling like those of a mischievous child. “Ye know me too well, my son.”
“Then say what’s on your mind.”
Smiling, she merely shook her head and turned back to her breakfast, offering seconds to Madeline’s coachman, who looked more than a little uncomfortable at the intimacy of their conversation.
By the time they had finished their breakfast, his wife’s lady’s maid, Anne, entered the kitchen and was immediately ushered to an empty chair. “Here, you go, my dear,” his mother hummed, clearly delighted to have so many people to take care of.
“Where is Ma…Lady Ainsworth?” Derek asked, feeling at odds about how to address her. In London, it had felt natural to address her more formally. Out here, however, it struck him as strange and unnatural. He could not say why.
“She’s still asleep, my lord,” Anne replied, quickly returning her gaze to the bowl before her.
“I see,” Derek mumbled, doing his utmost to prevent meeting his mother’s gaze. Then he pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. “If you’ll excuse me?”
When no objection came, he headed upstairs, wondering about what to do. If his wife truly intended to stay, then she would have to find her place at Huntington House, and at present, there was no place for a fine lady here.
Knocking on her door, Derek waited, the muscles in his arms twitching impatiently. When no reply came, he hesitated for only a moment before opening the door and striding into the room.
The thin curtains were drawn, only allowing a little light into the room. On the bed, he could make out Madeline’s form, curled into her blanket, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling with deep slumber.
A part of him wanted to leave and grant her this brief respite from reality. It had not escaped him how shocked she had been the day before upon discovering the condition of Huntington House as well as the nature of her future life here.
Stepping up to the bed, Derek gazed down at her, his eyes tracing the slim line of her neck before they travelled to her full lips. Instantly, his own tingled with the memory of their kiss, and he cursed himself for having acted so impulsively. He should never have touched her. Especially not now when he could not say what had happened between her and Townsend.
He felt an almost desperate need to find out.
And yet, he did not dare ask…afraid of what the answer might be.