“Perhaps I am,” he said at last. “But perhaps there is a reason for my haste. Step aside, Isaac. I must see her.”
Isaac nodded slowly, moving out of the way.
“Think about what I have said,” he stated simply.
Tristan nodded tightly. “I can assure you I will think of little else.”
Then, cramming his hat on his head, he stepped past his friend and hurried out of the door.
CHAPTER 23
The nuns of St. Naomi’s seemed thrilled with Adam. They took turns holding him, cooing over him, and tickling him. Adam, for his part, seemed equally pleased with the attention.
It gave Madeline a chance to sit back and relax a little. The abbess was a personal friend of Papa’s and always liked to greet Madeline personally when she arrived. They were taking tea in a small, serviceable parlor overlooking the courtyard, watching the children play. The abbess was a tall, strong-looking woman in her late middle years, famous for her strong opinions and equally strong will.
“We hear little of the outside world here, as you might imagine,” the woman said after a few moments of sipping tea. “But Ididhear of your marriage. My congratulations. Is he a decent sort of man?”
Madeline found herself nodding without thinking twice.
“He is kind,” she answered, and that was honest enough. “I am fond of him.”
The abbess glanced sharply at her, and Madeline suspected that the woman had spotted the difference between ‘fond’ and ‘love’. Still, she said nothing.
“He is a man of title, I expect?” the abbess asked after a moment.
Madeline nodded. “A duke, in fact.”
“Ahh, I see. So you areYour Gracenow. Congratulations.”
“It won’t affect my visits here,” Madeline said quickly, suddenly afraid that the abbess might think that she was going to start acting all high and mighty. She wasnot. The titleduchessdid not even seem to fit her yet.
“Don’t you worry; you and your father have always been fine, reliable patrons to the orphanage,” the abbess chuckled. “I wish you all the luck and happiness in the world. Which duke have you married, then?”
“The Duke of Tolford.”
The abbess choked on her tea. “T-Tolford?”
“Yes,” Madeline sighed. “His reputation precedes him, I see. He’s not as terrible as people think. In fact, I believe he has a kind side to him somewhere.”
“No doubt, no doubt,” the abbess murmured, recovering her composure. She dabbed at the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief and nodded across the courtyard. “I believe he is coming now.”
Madeline was about to say that it was impossible, that Tristan wouldnevercome here, when movement caught her eye. She watched in amazement as Tristan himself appeared at the other end of the courtyard and came striding grimly toward the main building.
She had expected the children to scatter around him, vaguely horrified. To her surprise, they clustered around him, shouting and laughing and eagerly trying to catch his attention. She got to her feet, rushed to the window, and pushed it open.
“…not today,” Tristan was saying. “Look! Look! My pockets are empty. I know it’s a disappointment, but I shall bring double sweets next time, I swear it.”
The children gave a chorus of disappointment but seemed to recover soon after, turning on their heels and scuttling away to resume their games. Tristan, freshly abandoned, glanced up and spotted Madeline standing in the window. He pressed his lips together tightly and narrowed his eyes.
Why do I feel as though I am in trouble?
There was not much time to wonder, because at that moment Tristan strode toward her, slipping in a side door—he certainly seemed to know the place well—and a moment later was standing in the parlor.
“There you are,” he said heavily. “Did you not think to tell me where you were going? Did you not think I would worry?”
Before Madeline could think up a sharp enough response to this hypocritical speech, the abbess got smoothly to her feet.
“Your Graces, I shall see that more tea is brought,” she said sweetly. “In the meantime, I shall leave you the room and go and check on young Master Adam myself.”
