“I cannot say that I know anything about repairing roofs,” the marquess said, a grin on his face, “but I suppose it is never too late to learn.” Casting a glance at his wife, he smiled. “This shall be a fascinating visit and most informative as well.”
Meeting Madeline’s gaze across the table, Derek smiled, relieved to see her more at ease as the evening progressed. Maybe not every member of the ton thought themselves superior, unwilling to open their minds to a different world. Maybe here and there, people met each other simply as people, not caring about titles and positions in society.
Maybe he, too, ought to keep an open mind.
Chapter Seventeen ? In Another's Shoes
He had smiled at her, had he not? A real smile that had even touched his eyes. Had it not been meant for her?
Shaking her head, Madeline headed down to the kitchen, doing her best to conceal the disappointment that her husband had once more chosen to avoid her. As promised he had slept in the stables, leaving his own bed to her while Elsbeth and her husband had been shown to Madeline’s chamber.
Rather curtly, he had bid her goodnight, and it had felt like a slap in the face. Although Madeline could not say what she had hoped for, his reaction had shattered any hopes she had entertained. For some reason, he seemed more distant now than ever before. Was it because he believed her to have been unfaithful with Lord Townsend?
It was the most likely reason.
What man would not be upset about this?
Somehow Madeline had to let him know that nothing…or at least not much…had transpired between her and Lord Townsend. But how? How to begin? How to find the words? And the courage?
As she stepped into the kitchen, Madeline stopped, surprised to see her friend whispering confidently into her mother-in-law’s ear. Bessy chuckled, her eyes aglow. “I shall not breathe a word of this to anyone. Ye have my word, my lady.”
“Oh, I don’t mind,” Elsbeth exclaimed. “I only meant for the ton to be kept in the dark about this for as long as possible. I do not like the way they whisper and distort the truth, even with a truth as innocent as this.”
“Ye’re right to do so, dear,” Bessy agreed, nodding her head vigorously. “A pure heart and mind are the makings of a happy life.” Then she reached for the long wooden spoon on the table and caught sight of her daughter-in-law standing in the doorway. “Madeline, good morning, my dear. I hope ye’re hungry.”
Feeling left out, Madeline bid both women a good morning, her heart aching as she found herself so easily replaced in both her friend’s as well as her mother-in-law’s regard. Would there ever be anyone she could measure up to?
“I’m glad you’re here,” Elsbeth whispered before she seized Madeline’s hand and pulled her forward. “I wanted to speak to you before the men came down.”
“Is something wrong?” Madeline asked; however, judging from the deep smile on Elsbeth’s face, the news she had to share had to be good.
Gripping Madeline’s trembling hands with her own scarred ones, Elsbeth met her eyes, the grin on her face growing ever wider. “I’m with child,” she whispered, utter joy and happiness rolling off her in waves as though she could infect the whole world with her own delight.
“Congratulations,” Madeline offered, uncertain how she felt about her friend’s news. Certainly, she was happy to see Elsbeth happy, and yet, there was a part of her that felt as though she had suffered a loss.
“I know you’re not utterly fond of children,” Elsbeth continued, for the moment unable to see her friend’s distress as her own joy overpowered everything else. “However, I do hope that you will make an exception for mine.” Suddenly, the smile slipped from her face, and her hand went to cover her mouth.
“Are you all right?” Madeline asked, honest concern chasing away all thoughts of envy, as she guided Elsbeth to the nearest chair. “What can I do?”
Elsbeth remained still for a moment. Then she swallowed. “I’m fine. It’s only my stomach that seems to disagree with me in the mornings. Bessy said she’d make me a special tea.”
Bessy?
At the sound of her mother-in-law’s name on her friend’s tongue, Madeline could not help but wonder how Elsbeth always managed to find her way to people so easily when she herself was so lost. After only a matter of hours, it seemed Elsbeth fit in at Huntington House as though she had always lived here while Madeline still stuck out like a sore thumb after more than two months.
It was frustrating, to say the least.
While Elsbeth rested, slowly sipping a special tea Bessy had prepared for her, Madeline and her mother-in-law went about setting the table. Then Bessy disappeared, taking a tray with breakfast in to her daughter and grandson.
“Are you feeling any better?” Madeline enquired, noting the paleness that still clung to her friend’s cheeks.
Smiling up at her, Elsbeth nodded. “I do. Fortunately, it never lasts long; at least not, if I remember to eat a little something early in the morning.”
Footsteps echoed to their ears then, and as the two women looked up, their husbands came walking into the kitchen, lost in conversation about the repairs planned for that day. Both dressed in simple breeches and shirts, they looked nothing like the titled men they were, and for a moment, Madeline gawked at seeing the respectable marquess looking like a commoner. Never would she have thought to see the Marquess of Elmridge like this, and yet, he seemed to wear his new outfit with ease as though it represented his true self as much as his finer clothes did.
“Do they not look handsome?” Elsbeth whispered from her chair, a large smile on her face as her gaze slid over her husband’s frame appreciatively.
Madeline sighed, “You love him very much, do you not?”
“I do,” her friend whispered, her gaze still fixed on her husband as though she was lost in a trance. Then she blinked, and her head turned upward to look at Madeline. “From the first moment I saw him, I knew I could love him, and I’m happy to have been given the opportunity to feel the way I do.” Then Elsbeth’s gaze narrowed slightly, and a question came to her eyes.
A question Madeline chose to ignore. “Shall we eat?” she asked, turning to the two gentlemen and gesturing for them to sit.
Across the table, Elsbeth met her eyes, and Madeline knew that their conversation was far from over…but merely postponed.
As expected, by the time breakfast was finished and the men climbed onto the roof to see to the most urgent repairs, Elsbeth drew Madeline to the front hall where they donned their coats, scarfs and bonnets and headed outside.
So early in the morning, a chilling wind blew across the fields, and Madeline shivered, clutching her arms around herself. “Should we not rather return inside? I can barely feel my toes.”
Elsbeth laughed, her cheeks aglow. “Please, only a little longer. Somehow the cold wind in my face makes me feel so alive.” As they walked down the path to the pond, her friend sighed, “It’s beautiful here-- and peaceful. You must come here a lot.”
Madeline nodded, unable to keep a small smile from showing on her face.
“What is it?” Elsbeth instantly demanded, a suspicious and slightly mischievous gleam in her eyes.
“It is nothing,” Madeline said, trying to evade the question. However, the way her friend fixed her with a daring stare told her that she would have no such luck. “Fine. You said it was peaceful here. Well, for me, it’s rarely peaceful because I rarely come here alone.”
Elsbeth’s eyes sparkled as a large smile drew up the corners of her mouth. “Does your husband accompany you then? I had no idea you were this close. At supper last night, there seemed to be a certain distance between the two of you.”
Madeline cringed at her friend’s rather accurate observation. “Not my husband,” she quickly said before sadness could overwhelm her. “Collin.”
“Collin?” Elsbeth’s eyes opened wide. “You mean your new nephew? But I thought you did not like children. At least, you’ve always rather convincingly stated that very fact.”
Madeline shrugged. “I wouldn’t say I like children but?”