“I shall have to advertise for another lady’s maid. Jane will want to be with her baby.”
“Old Pritchett will be retiring soon, and I’ll need a new coachman. I’ll ask Henry to take over the running of the stables. He has proved he is capable and loyal.”
She kissed him. “Thank you, darling.”
“I must go. I’ll see you at three o’clock at the stables.”
Maddie watched him cross the room. He had told her about his childhood. It had made her cry. To think of him as a young boy having lost his mother he dearly loved and tried to protect from his father’s bad temper, then to be sent away to school. That would never happen to their son. Hart wouldn’t allow it, and neither would she. They would employ a tutor for him until he was of an age to wish for the companionship of other boys.
She went in search of Jane to tell her. The maid was in her dressing room, unpacking Maddie’s trunk. Her round stomach was obvious to Maddie, probably because she knew. She told Jane about her and Hart’s plans for them. Her maid’s gratitude warmed her. “I will miss you, Jane. You weren’t just a wonderful maid, we went through so much together. I think of you as a friend.”
Jane’s eyes widened. “I will miss looking after you, milady.” She fought a smile, and then gave in to it. “A cottage of our very own? I can grow vegetables and have chickens, and even a pig. It will be like living on the farm again.”
“Yes, but this farm is yours, Jane. No one will ever take it away from you.”
Jane burst into tears and searched frantically for her handkerchief. “I can’t wait to speak to Henry.”
“Go now, the clothes will wait.”
“May I, milady?”
“Yes, go.”
Alone in the grand bedchamber, Maddie went to the window. She looked out over the gardens, restored to their former beauty. In the distance, she could see Hart riding out with the estate manager, a hound, which could only be Rasputin, running behind. Life here would be perfect, especially if they had a baby to make it complete. That hadn’t happened, but she remained hopeful. When she was blessed with so much, she shouldn’t wish for more. But the desire for a child remained as strong as ever.
Epilogue
Lilybrook Cottage, September
The early foghad cleared, the sky now a clear blue-gray arch overhead as the coach turned into the driveway, now devoid of potholes. Their coachman pulled the horses up outside the small cottage. The leaves of the graceful chestnut tree had turned golden brown, and the air was crisp.
Hart opened the door and jumped to the ground, beating the footman by a whisker. He put down the steps and offered Maddie his hand.
“Well, what do you think, sweetheart?”
Maddie stepped down carefully, always aware of the precious baby she carried in these first vulnerable months. She stood back, shading her eyes with a hand, and looked at the freshly whitewashed dwelling. “It looks like a storybook house with its rustic charm.”
Hart planned to lease it, but she secretly wished to one day bring their son here. Maddie put a hand to her stomach. She knew she carried a boy. She could see him riding over those hills on his pony. Strangely, it wasn’t the frightening experience she and Jane had suffered here that stayed with her. It was how her short time here had restored her confidence after her uncle had made her doubt herself. Performing the simple tasks of cooking and growing vegetables, she learned she could manage well with very little and be content.
“The caretaker I hired must be here somewhere,” Hart said, looking around.
A red-haired man walked toward them with a smile.
Maddie cried his name and hurried to him. “Jack! Is it really you?”
Her parents’ former groom who had saved Pearl and brought the mare to her smiled and nodded. “It is me, my lady.”
“But how…”
“You told me you wanted to find Jack, Maddie,” Hart said. “So I had my steward look for him.”
Jack grinned. “He found me working for Lord Summerton. But as he was about to let some of his staff go, here I am.”
“Jack is to become a groom at Pembury,” Hart said.
“I can’t be more pleased,” Maddie said, casting a warm, grateful smile at her thoughtful husband. “Father would be pleased too.”
Jack frowned. “About that, my lady. Didn’t like to tell you at the time because you’d suffered the loss of your parents. But now that his lordship tells me your uncle is dead, I feel I can speak up.”
