Full of possibilities.
There was only one thing that held Madeline back. One thing that stood in the way of pure and utter joy.
Meagan.
After changing into her nightgown, Madeline stood by the window, gazing out at the trees slightly swaying in the wind. She took a deep breath and then walked out of her room, closing the door behind her. Hesitating outside her bedchamber, Madeline turned her head down the corridor toward the room that had been readied for the little family. Ought she disturb them so late? And after what they had just been through?
Madeline took a deep breath, then headed down the corridor. Outside the door, she closed her eyes for a moment, then quietly slid it open and peeked inside, knowing that she would never wake them if they were already asleep.
However, she had to try as her mind would not allow her to sleep otherwise. She would be tossing and turning all night. She was certain of it.
Stepping inside, Madeline found the family all huddled in bed, the mother in the middle, each arm wrapped around one of her children. Their eyes were closed, and the soft sounds of their calm breaths filled the night air.
Feeling like an intruder, Madeline stepped back when the board under her foot creaked.
Instantly, the widow’s eyes flew open.
“I’m sorry,” Madeline whispered. “I did not mean to wake you. I simply…”
Mrs. Dunning’s face relaxed, and she waved Madeline forward.
Stepping up to the bed, Madeline quietly pulled up the chair by the window and sat down. Then she leaned forward to be able to hear the widow without waking the children. “Is there anything you need, Mrs. Dunning?”
A ghost of a smile rested on Mrs. Dunning’s face. “I didn’t have a chance to thank ye for what ye did today, my lady.”
“Please call me Madeline.” Being called my lady oddly reminded Madeline of a life she had left behind. For good. “And it is not necessary to thank me. I did what I did because I wanted to. Anyone would have done the same.” She smiled. “Your neighbours rushed to help you.”
“I’m Meagan,” the widow said, her gaze travelling over Madeline’s face as though she tried to find an answer to a question that had plagued her for some time. “It might not be necessary to thank ye,” she continued after a while, “but I find myself wanting to do so, nonetheless.” Again, she looked at Madeline as though about to say something before deciding otherwise.
“Is something wrong?” Madeline asked, wondering if there was something between Meagan and her husband after all. Was Meagan trying to tell her something, but could not find the words? Madeline swallowed as a bone-chilling cold gripped her body.
“I cannot help but feel that there is something…amiss between us.” Holding Madeline’s gaze, Meagan waited.
Madeline swallowed, realising she had once more reached a moment of truth. “I want to apologise if my words offend you, but,” she took a deep breath, “is there anything between you and…my husband?”
A knowing grin came to Megan’s face, and she shook her head. “I told him to speak to ye.”
Madeline’s blood froze in her veins.
“I told him ye might draw this conclusion if he did not.” Exhaling forcefully, she rolled her eyes in annoyance before meeting Madeline’s gaze once more. “No,” she said definitively. “There is nothing between myself and your husband, my l-Madeline.”
Slumping forward in her chair, Madeline buried her face in her hands, trying to breathe as relief washed over her. And yet, there was a quiet voice, whispering of doubt.
“At least not in the way ye were implying,” Meagan continued. “I think of us as friends, close friends.”
Madeline looked up, questions in her eyes.
Meagan sighed, and a touch of sadness came to her gaze. “We grew up together in the same village,” she finally said. “However, we’ve never been particularly close. It was him and my husband. They were good friends until the war took him from us.” Her voice grew thicker as her eyes filled with tears. “After Edward’s death, we grew closer. We had both lost him, and somehow there was suddenly an understanding between us that hadn’t been there before.” She swallowed, blinking back her tears. “Sometimes it feels good to have someone to lean on. Someone who understands. However, that is all there is between us. Ye have my word.”
Closing her eyes, Madeline inhaled deeply. “Thank you,” she breathed into the silence of the room. “Thank you for telling me.”
“He loves ye.”
At Meagan’s words, Madeline’s eyes snapped open. “How do you know?”
Meagan chuckled, “Well, to tell ye the truth, it’s always been rather obvious. He tends to get that silly moon-eyed expression when he talks about ye.” She smiled. “He’s never actually admitted to it, but I no longer have doubts about it. He’s afraid ye do not return his affections.”
Joy surged through Madeline’s heart, and a wide grin drew up the corners of her mouth.
Meagan chuckled, “I see he has no reason to fear as he does.” Then her expression grew serious. “Go and talk to him. Don’t waste the time you have together.”
Madeline nodded, knowing exactly what Meagan was trying to tell her. Life was unpredictable, and she did not want to live with the regret of what could have been if she had only had the courage to claim it. “Thank you,” she whispered, gently squeezing the woman’s hand.
Then she slipped back out into the corridor and approached her husband’s bedchamber.
“Now or never,” she whispered to herself before opening the door.
Chapter Thirty-Five ? Three Little Words
Lying in his bed, Derek listened to the sounds of the house as one by one its occupants found their way to their chambers turning in for the night. As the minutes ticked by, a comfortable silence fell over the house, the howling wind outside the only sound that remained.
He sighed, wishing he had not been condemned to spending the day in bed, recuperating. His mind itched with the need to know what had happened, to see that everyone had been taken care of, to ensure that everything was as it ought to be.
It was not that Derek doubted his family’s devotion, their sense of duty or their skills to handle a situation like the one they had found themselves faced with that night.
He did trust them.
And yet, it was almost painful to relinquish control and step back, to not hold the reins and ensure everybody’s well-being. It was a new experience for Derek. One not easily made.
Soft footsteps reached his ears as they headed down the corridor toward his chamber.
Lying completely still, Derek listened, his gaze narrowed as it fixed on the door, wishing it were open so that he might know who it was. His wife? His mother? An intruder?
A silent groan escaped Derek’s lips as he once more found himself lost in his own mind, always expecting the worst. Ought he get up? What if someone had entered the house and was now?
With a soft creak, his door slid open, and Derek’s breath caught in his throat as his heart stopped beating. Then he saw his wife, dressed in her nightgown, step over the threshold, her dark eyes finding his instantly, and his heart almost jumped out of his chest. “Madeline?” he whispered, not certain whether he was dreaming or not. “Is something wrong? What are you doing here?” Pushing himself up, he searched her face.
Something was different about her, and his pulse immediately sped up as a sense of panic seized him. However, in the next instant, he took note of the warm glow that clung to her features, the tender smile that curled up her lips as well as the sense of peace that radiated from her. Although there was a moment of hesitation in her step, she quickly recovered and approached his bed, her dark green eyes shining like two stars in the night sky. “How are you?” she whispered, and the sound of her voice felt like a caress to him.