Unable to keep at bay the overwhelming joy that coursed through his body, Derek jerked Madeline forward and into his arms. His hands cupped her face, feeling the softness of her skin, and his lips claimed hers in a searing kiss.
For long moments, they clung to each other, holding on to the sweet joy of having the secrets that had stood between them for so long finally revealed and knowing that they were strong enough to get past them. Although doubts remained, they were merely a small echo of the dread that had lived in Derek’s heart before. “Did you ever wish??”
“Never,” his wife assured him, her arms coming around his neck, pulling him closer. “I do not ever want to feel his touch again. Only yours.”
Wrapping her in his arms, Derek pushed away the image of Townsend, refusing to allow that man even the smallest victory. “Only mine,” he whispered, reclaiming her lips, determined to focus on the good instead of the bad. After all, had his wife not chosen to return to him when she could have stayed with Townsend? Was she not right here in his arms, kissing him with all the passion he, too, felt for her?
Sweeping her up in his arms, he carried her to the bed, more than ever determined to make up for lost time.
Chapter Twenty-Seven ? Utter Shock
The next fortnight passed in a flurry of stolen kisses and passionate nights that left Madeline with a permanent smile plastered on her face. Even the moments when they had to part were those of sweet sorrow as they only increased their desire to return to each other.
While Derek continued to assist his tenants with the repairs to their homes, Madeline tirelessly worked on obtaining the skills she would need to function in her new world as her husband had put it so practically. She helped Bessy in the kitchen, asked Kara to teach her how to mend clothes, take measurements for new ones and ultimately sew them. In spare moments, she bustled around the house, retrieving usable furniture from the side of the house that still had the occasional leak. Although her husband’s repairs were holding so far, he understood further improvements would have to be made come spring. Fortunately, he had already received assurances from his tenants that he would not have to do them alone.
Madeline delighted in teaching Kara and Bessy how to dance?much to Sean’s displeasure?and they spent many nights dancing around the drawing room, humming and laughing, enjoying the loving company of a close-knit family.
As October turned into November, Madeline met more of their tenants’ wives, and she soon found that both sides could benefit from an exchange of knowledge. While theirs were the skills needed to survive, Madeline’s accomplishments served to brighten the harsh reality most of them lived in. Her skills of embroidery as well as her keen eye for decorations soon not only warmed Huntington House but also their tenants’ cottages.
More than ever before, everyone worked hand in hand toward a common goal: a happy and safe home.
Every tool, every material was shared, and no one was left without help if it was needed. Never in her life had Madeline felt so much a part of something as she did now.
An integral part on top of that.
Although she was still learning, still improving her skills, Madeline experienced a sense of pride that she had not known before: the kind of pride that stemmed from having faith in your own abilities, from knowing that your contributions were cherished, from seeing your effect in the lives of others as well as your own.
“Is it your turn again, dear?” Bessy asked as she watched Madeline pack yet another picnic basket.
A grin on her face, Madeline nodded. “It is.”
Bessy chuckled, “It warms my heart to see ye two so happy. Ye’ve missed him dearly these past few days, have ye not?”
“More than I like to admit,” Madeline sighed. Although she had seen her husband these past few days, she had not seen him during lunch hour as Madeline was not the only wife who enjoyed spending time with her husband and sharing a meal with him. Every day, Madeline got to know their tenants’ wives a bit more, and to her surprise, she had to realise that they were not so different from herself. Certainly, they had led different lives. However, their hearts yearned for the same things Madeline’s did.
Slinging a scarf around her shoulders and pulling her thick winter coat tightly around her, Madeline blessed Kara for her simple and efficient instructions on sewing and mending. As the cold wintery air blew into her face, her body did not shiver as much as it had before. Certainly, it was still cold. However, with her new dress, she did not feel completely and utterly at the elements’ mercy as she had before.
With every step that Madeline approached the cottage the tenants were currently working on, the smile on her face grew in anticipation of seeing her husband. How had this happened? A mere few months ago, she had cursed him, thought her life over when he had compromised her that night at the ball. And now?
Now, the thought of him not following her froze her heart and made it ache in the most painful way.
Madeline sighed. “I love him,” she whispered to the wind, a tentative smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. For some time now, she had suspected thus, but never dared admit it to herself. Ought she reveal it to him? Would he reciprocate her feelings? Or was his desire for her of a merely physical nature?
As soon as she was spotted by their tenants, the loud hammering ceased as all the men dropped their work and hastened toward the small area in front of the cottage where they always took their food. Most of them smiled at her as she approached. Some even waved. And for a short moment, Madeline stood and stared at them in wonder and amazement.
If anything, the past few months had taught her that nothing was written in stone. Everything was subject to change. Or at least, it could be.
No chance was ever truly lost, was it?
Handing out the food to the hungry men, Madeline glanced around for her husband, a frown drawing down her brows as he remained nowhere to be seen. “Where is his lordship?” she asked Mr. Thompson as he helped himself to a tart.
Swallowing, he cleared his throat. “He’s helpin’ the Widow Dunning. The leak in her roof opened up again, and she wouldna allow anyone but him to help out.” Grinning, he shook his head. “She’s a proud one.”
Taken aback, Madeline stared at the man before her as an unexpected chill ran up and down her arms, sending shivers down her spine. The Widow Dunning?
Dimly, Madeline recalled her husband speaking of her. Was she not the widow of a comrade who had fallen in battle? Was he assisting her out of a sense of duty to his friend?
Clenching her jaw, Madeline could not seem to quell the surge of jealousy that gripped her heart. If it was innocent, why had Derek not told her?
With her mind and heart in an uproar, Madeline stepped back and quickly took her leave. Hastening up the slope of the hill, she gazed down into the small valley, spotting several cottages on the far side toward the stream. However, there was one that stood closer, on the side that bordered on Huntington House. If she recalled correctly, that was where the Widow Dunning lived. Collin had once mentioned her son Matt, who had made a great impression on the three-year-old when he had climbed to the top of the gnarled oak tree that had once been struck by lightning and almost burnt to a crisp. Only a sudden downpour had put out the flames before they had done more damage and possibly reached over to the cottage.
Rubbing her hands together against the cold, Madeline found her way down the small slope leading toward Huntington House. However, she veered off to the west and toward the small cottage, the lump in her stomach urging her on. Why was it that she did not trust her husband?