“Your aunt told me your uncle wrote back. He said you were unwell and would not go to London this Season.”
Furious at her uncle’s cruel lie, heat surged up Maddie’s neck. She put her hands to her hot cheeks. “I wasn’t aware he’d written.”
“Are you better now?” Mrs. Wilmot asked carefully, observing her. “Would you care for some tea?”
“I am well, thank you. As we traveled by stage, my maid and I sorely need a wash and some food, if you would be so good, Mrs. Wilmot.”
The housekeeper rose and went immediately to the door. “Of course. I’ll see to it.” She turned her hand on the latch. “I’ll have chambers prepared for you, and one for your maid. Do you plan to stay long?”
“Only a few days.” Maddie’s mind worked furiously. Her aunt would be gone for two months! Where could she go now?
After a thorough wash, a change of clothes, and a satisfying meal, Maddie felt more positive as she and Jane retired for the evening. Dismissing her tired maid, Maddie slipped off her shoes and lay down on the pretty embroidered coverlet. Her widowed aunt was a keen embroiderer, something she’d never mastered. Bitter tears blinded her at the missed opportunity to go to London. Her father thought it best to make her uncle her guardian because after her uncle died, her aunt became very unwell. How wrong he was. Maddie’s father would turn in his grave to see how her uncle controlled her with lies. At least he couldn’t touch her dowry, which would be held in trust. It made her so angry she was glad to run away and never wished to return. Uncle Arthur would be determined to find her, so she and Jane couldn’t stay here long. This would be the first place he would look for her, and without her aunt here to assist her, he would surely take her back.
Hart’s absence had made her feel oddly cut adrift. Foolish to think of him as a friend when she hardly knew him. It didn’t matter now. She would most likely never see him again.
Maddie wiped her eyes with her handkerchief as she remembered what had occurred beneath her uncle’s roof three nights ago, which gave her no choice other than to flee.
From the safety and comfort of her aunt’s bedchamber, their mad dash flooded back. Determined to discover what her uncle was up to, she’d crept to the top of the stairs again. The men had been closeted in the drawing room with her uncle. Maddie descended the stairs, studiously avoiding any of the creaking treads. She darted across the hall and listened at the drawing room door. “It takes brains to plan these operations,” her uncle snarled in a tone that brooked no dissent. “And if you want to be paid rather than land in jail, don’t you numbskulls forget it.” His growling voice sounded so menacing, a gasp forced its way through her lips.
Inside, the room grew quiet. Had they heard her? Maddie turned, and moving swiftly and as light-footed as she could, flew up the stairs, sick with fright. In her bedchamber, she quietly shut the door.
In bed, heart pounding, she lay still and listened. The staircase creaked with a heavy tread. Was her uncle coming to check on her again? She screwed her eyes shut and tried to regulate her breathing.
The door opened and someone crossed the floor to peer down at her. It wasn’t her uncle. The unwashed smell and the heavy breathing made her sure of it. A scream rose in her throat, and she clamped her lips shut.Go away,she silently cried.Go away!
Finally, the rogue moved so close that his stinking breath touched her face. Panic made it difficult to stay still. She wanted to leave the bed and escape, but when she almost couldn’t bear it another minute, he moved away and left the room. Once the door shut behind him, she released the breath she’d been holding. Throwing off the covers, she left the bed, running to listen at the door. She was certain she’d come close to being ravished. Would her uncle care? Had he sent the man up to her room?
The next day, Maddie wandered around in a daze, trying to decide what was best to do. At dinner, when Uncle Arthur commented on her quiet demeanor, she said she was tired and tried not to wriggle as he studied her.
But that night, when she heard heavy footsteps in the corridor, she muffled a scream with her hands over her mouth. Her door opened. Lying curled up on her side, her eyes tightly closed, she heard the ruffian’s raspy breathing above her and smelled his sour body odor again as he moved closer. It was all she could do not to cry out and order him from her bedchamber, but she firmed her lips and resisted. She wasn’t sure why, but instinct told her it wouldn’t be wise to let her uncle know she’d seen these men. After a few terrifying minutes, which seemed an eternity, the man left the room. At the sound of his footsteps stamping down the stairs, she left the bed. Quickly dressing, she crammed a portmanteau with a few articles of clothing, donned her warmest cape, took the lighted candle, and left the room.
Maddie climbed the stairs to the servants’ wing where Jane’s bedchamber was located. Jane had the room to herself after one of the maids had been put off.
She opened the door. The bedchamber was in darkness. Her candle lit her way to the bed, and she shook Jane’s shoulder. “Jane,” she murmured. “Wake up.”
“Milady…?” Jane sat up and stared at her, sleepily rubbing her eyes.
“We have to leave, Jane. Pack your bag with enough clothes for a few days. I’ll explain as we walk to the village. We can get a ride there to Tunbridge Wells and join the stagecoach.”
Jane scrambled out of bed and dressed while Maddie worried if she was doing the right thing. Should she take Jane away? What if she couldn’t keep the girl safe? But she didn’t trust her uncle not to dismiss Jane. Maddie couldn’t return there. The man would come to her bedchamber again. He might become emboldened and touch her, and it would be useless to appeal to her uncle.
Even here at her aunt’s, the horror of it still made her tremble. Maddie moaned.Where now?Impossible to go to London without decent clothes. She would have to seek her aunt’s help, which meant asking her to go against the wishes of Maddie’s guardian. Even if Aunt Libby would agree, Maddie could not ask it of her. But where could they go that was safe from him? When Uncle Arthur found her again, he only had to appeal to the local magistrate, and she would have no power against him. It was more than a month before she could claim her independence. Until then, she must find somewhere she and Jane could stay in safety. But with very little money, there was only Nanny. Although she hated to alarm her when she was getting on in years, Maddie had no choice.
Chapter Six
Miss Greyson, Maddie’snanny, lived in a tiny cottage in the old town of Malmesbury. Although she was far from young, the lady had a brisk manner. Hart saw wisdom in her eyes as she invited him inside for a cup of tea.
Hart stood, feeling overlarge in the neat parlor, which smelled of beeswax and lavender. Embroidered chair covers and tapestries decorated every available surface.
“You were about to leave?” He had noted the small piece of luggage at the door. “I shouldn’t wish to delay you.”
“My brother has fallen ill and requires my nursing. But there is time for a nice chat and a cup of tea.”
In the adjacent room, Miss Greyson lifted the kettle off the stove. She stared anxiously at him. “Has something occurred? Lady Madeline isn’t unwell?”
“No. The last time I saw her, she was in excellent health. But I understood she was to visit you.”
“She didn’t mention a visit in her last letter.” She fussed over the tea cannister. “Did Maddie tell you she was coming here?”
