“He’s gone,” Beau said, leaning against the sturdy wooden door frame, projecting an effortless sort of calm that Maddy wished she could bottle for herself.
“How can you be so calm?” she asked. “He could turn you in in a heartbeat if you don’t give him what he wants. You’re still a wanted man.”
“Only by you I hope,” he said, his lips turning up in a sly smile. “You’ve quite ruined me for anyone else.”
“This isn’t funny,” she said, pushing aside his compliment, knowing full well it was an attempt to soothe her. Instead, she found herself only becoming more agitated.
“I’m not trying to be.” He pushed himself off the door, walking into the room, the nonchalance gone, replaced with an unbreakable sense of confidence. “He’s not a threat to me.”
“How can you be so certain?” Maddy crossed her arms and turned toward the window, watching the gig until it disappeared. “He just tried to blackmail you.”
“And I turned the tables,” he said. “Nelson Taylor is many things, and greedy is one of them. Silver Lumber is a big company. We control a lot of the markets and have access to many of the same people that George’s College wants to use to populate that school. If he turns me in, I will simply reach out to my contacts and tell them to stay away.”
“They don’t have to listen to you if you’re swinging from a rope,” she said.
“Why do you always expect the worst to happen?”
“Because the worst happened to me,” she snapped. “And that man was right in the middle of it.”
Beau crossed the room in three strides, standing in front of her, brushing away a stray lock of her hair. She fought the urge to sink into him and allow his strength to support her.
“It happened to you,” he said, his mouth crinkling into a soft smile that made her feel safe. “You’ve been through some truly horrible things, and you are still here. You’ve shown me over and over just how strong you are.”
“What if I don’t want to be strong anymore?” she said, cursing herself for the unwanted hitch in her voice. Tears pricked the back of her eyes, and she blinked, desperate to keep them at bay. “What if I want to just want to sink in a chair with a book and not worry who might be coming to the door, or what they say about us in the papers? What if I just want to work in the garden, and go for long walks, and just live without having to worry about everyone else?”
Maddy turned away, fighting to keep her emotions from spilling over.
“Madeline,” he began, his voice low and soothing. “You don’t have to be strong for me. I don’t deserve it.”
Maddy warred with herself, wanting his touch and yet hating herself for desiring it. If only her fellow spinsters could see her now—completely undone by a man.
“That is why I am here,” she said, unable to look at him, even as she found comfort in his presence. Comfort she didn’t deserve. “Or have you forgotten?” Because only an hour ago, she certainly had.
A second knock at the door interrupted them. Maddy jumped, then realized it was coming from downstairs.
“It’s the kitchen door,” she said, pushing past Beau, just in case Nelson had returned. This time, she had her knife safely in place.
Maddy took a deep breath then flung open the door. Teddy Chandler stood on the step, wearing a toothy grin.
“Good afternoon Master Chandler,” Beau said, standing beside Maddy. He spoke with that effortless charm of his, as if he and Maddy hadn’t just been bickering about blackmail and his safety. “How can I help you?”
“Mom and Dad wanted to invite you to supper tomorrow,” he said. “You too, Miss Murray.”
Maddy noticed that Teddy was looking up at Beau with undisguised curiosity. She wondered if Hollis had spoken with the family about this prodigal son.
“We’d love to,” Beau replied. His voice was even, but there was something there—trepidation perhaps—in his very short answer. More so, amazingly enough, than when Nelson Taylor had been sitting in their parlour only a few moments earlier.
Beau’s parlour, Maddy silently corrected herself.
They invited Teddy in for a few cookies, but the boy politely declined. He kept looking at Beau, and Maddy was confident his parents had made Teddy aware of this long-lost connection. He spilled out the essential details, such as the time they were expected, most importantly that his mother was making a cake, before running off back toward home.
“Well,” Beau said, raking his fingers through his hair. “We’ve just been invited to a family dinner.”
Maddy rose early. Birdsong peppered the early morning stillness, a welcome reprieve from the cacophony of thoughts running through her head. She’d spent half the night staring at her bedroom door, lit by a generous moon, wondering if Beau was awake. Her body, traitorous thing that it was, craved his touch. Even worse, her heart craved his boundless confidence that Nelson posed no threat.
After a simple breakfast of boiled eggs, toasted bread, and strawberry jam, she spent time in the kitchen garden. She’d wanted to harvest some raspberries, but would not allow Beau or the house out of her sight. For his part, Beau continued to work on the pergola, brushing the first of several coats of linseed oil on the wood to help preserve it. While Beau was confident Nelson would not return, she was not so certain. Occasionally she paused from her gardening to walk around the house, carefully surveying the meandering path that would bring any visitors to the property.
Still, the day passed fruitfully enough, and by mid-afternoon, Maddy and Beau stopped their labours to prepare for dinner. After she put her tools away, Maddy refreshed herself with a cool hand bath and dressed for dinner. She hadn’t packed anything remotely appropriate for the occasion. Her fellow spinsters, however, most definitely had. There, at the bottom of her trunk, was a lovely pink skirt she’d worn once before, as part of an ensemble Rimple had made for her for a job she and Elouise had done at Government House last year. Maddy smiled in spite of herself. No doubt Elouise and Rimple were responsible for putting it there. While the evening bodice she’d originally worn it with was far too fancy for their surroundings, pairing the corded silk skirt with a fresh white blouse would be just the thing. She took time to brush the dirt from her boots and make them somewhat presentable, especially when the dinner was meant, no doubt, to welcome Beau to the family.
