Christmas Wishes Part 1. Elizabeth Rolls
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But if he wants a property near the Wall... What if...?
She was nearly at the inn, and her steps slowed. Christmas was so close. She would have to tell her people that there was no hope, unless—
‘Well, well, well. It’s my little cousin. And did Blakiston break the news gently?’
Maddy looked up. Edward, Earl of Montfort, stood there by the archway leading into the stable yard of the Three Shepherds. Tall, dark, handsome... His aristocratic features had been known to make maidens sigh.
Maddy wanted to spit on them.
‘Or were you looking for lodgings here?’ Edward’s smile oozed gloating self-satisfaction. ‘Haydon will be mine on the seventh of January. You’d better start packing.’
It was his smug assurance that did it.
‘You’re counting chickens rather early, aren’t you, Edward?’ she said sweetly. ‘You really ought to wait until they’re hatched. And even then a fox might take them if the run isn’t secure.’
He laughed at her. ‘You’re a fool, Madeleine. If you’d had any sense you’d have accepted my offer of marriage.’
‘And spent the rest of my life protecting the dairymaids?’ she shot back.
Determined to wrest Haydon back, he’d offered marriage only because he wanted everyone to know that he hadn’t simply kicked her out. That, and it would have made taking Haydon easier. Marrying him would have saved her, but not Haydon. He’d made it very clear that he intended to demolish the old manor for the building stone and the section of the Roman Wall that marched across the estate.
He roared with laughter. ‘Did that rankle? Were you expecting me to save myself for you?’
‘You mean, did I expect you to behave like a gentleman, Edward?’ she suggested. ‘Good God, no.’
That wiped the smirk from his face, and he came towards her. She held her ground, telling herself there was little enough he could do here in a busy yard.
‘Everything all right, Miss Maddy?’ called a stableman crossing the yard with a horse.
Edward swung towards him. ‘You’ll mind your own business, fellow, if you know what’s good for you!’
The man hesitated, and Edward gripped her arm, ignoring him. ‘We’ll have a little talk in private, cousin,’ he said in a low, hard voice. ‘And if you put up a fuss and one of these gapeseeds is fool enough to interfere, I’ll see that he loses his position!’
‘A great many witnesses, Edward,’ she said, digging in her heels. ‘Talk here.’ The last thing she wanted was Jed the stableman interfering on her behalf and getting into trouble for it.
She bit back a cry as Edward’s grip tightened, and, exerting his strength, he began to drag her to the side entrance. Fear rose, a choking ball in her throat, and with her free hand she struck at his face, mentally cursing her gloves that made scratching impossible.
He jerked his head back to avoid the blow. ‘Bitch!’
‘Miss Kirkby!’
Booted footsteps sounded on the cobbles behind them, and with a muttered curse Edward released her arm.
She turned, resisting the urge to rub her arm, and her heart, already pounding, skipped a beat. Lord Ashton stood there, grey eyes narrowed to blazing slits as he confronted Edward. Several stablemen had appeared and ranged themselves nearby, including Jed.
‘I suggest that you leave the lady alone, Montfort,’ Lord Ashton said quietly.
‘Who the he—?’ Edward broke off, staring. ‘Good Lord! It’s Ravensfell, isn’t it? I saw your brother the other day. He mentioned you were back.’ He approached Lord Ashton, holding out his hand. ‘Travelling on the Continent, weren’t you?’
Lord Ashton merely stared down his nose, and Edward took an involuntary step back.
He recovered, waving his hand at Maddy with a conspiratorial smile for Lord Ashton. ‘Just a little cousinly spat. You know how it is with women. I’m forever telling her she ought not to jaunter about alone, but will the silly chit listen to me?’
Lord Ashton turned to Maddy. ‘Miss Kirkby?’
She said simply, ‘My cousin desired some private conversation. Since I have nothing to say to him, and no desire to hear anything he may wish to say that cannot be said in public, I declined.’ And she deliberately rubbed her arm where Edward had gripped it.
Lord Ashton’s eyes seemed to settle there and narrow to dangerous slits.
‘That would appear to settle it, Montfort,’ he said in a voice that might have been chipped off an iceberg. ‘The lady refused. In my book that always ends the matter.’ A hint of scorn laced his tones.
Edward scowled. ‘See here, Ravensfell, you’ve no call to interfere. If my cousin and I—’
‘Leave me out of it, Edward,’ said Maddy. ‘I’ve no desire to speak to you. Unless, of course, you wish to discuss a settlement for Cally Whitfield. She’s expecting your child in a few months.’
Edward’s mouth opened and closed, and Lord Ashton’s chill grey eyes widened slightly.
Maddy watched Edward contemptuously. ‘No, cousin? I thought not.’
She turned away from him.
‘Thank you, Lord Ashton.’
He inclined his head. ‘Not at all. Are you returning home now?’
Maddy’s mind whirled. She’d intended to have Bunty put to and drive straight home. It was after midday. If she didn’t hurry, darkness would catch her before she reached Haydon. She cast a glance at the sky. It was bright and clear, and last night’s sunset had been brilliant. Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight. And there would be a moon if she needed it...
‘Not quite at once, sir.’ Her heart pounded at the sheer impropriety of what she was about to do, but she had no further doubts. ‘There is one piece of business I need to conclude.’
He nodded. ‘I see.’ He glanced at Edward. ‘I cannot see that you have anything further to do here, Montfort. Unless your horses are here? No? Then, good day.’
Lord Ashton didn’t move. There was nothing overtly threatening in his appearance or voice. But something about the cold grey eyes and his stance radiated a warning, and Maddy stared as her cousin, his eyes hard, turned on his heel and stalked out of the yard.
One of the lingering stablemen muttered, ‘An’ a good riddance, too.’
* * *
Five minutes later Maddy was ensconced in a private parlour with pen and paper provided by a very curious landlord. Her stomach still churned at what she was doing, not to mention the confrontation with Edward, and she fought to keep her hand steady enough to produce the perfect copperplate her governess had drilled into her.
It took her half an hour and several sheets of paper to say what she needed to say. Resisting the urge to read it over yet again, Maddy folded up her letter, wrote the direction upon it and affixed the wafer. She had made it as businesslike as she could.
Nothing ventured, nothing won. And she had absolutely nothing to lose. She sent word for her horse to be put to, and sallied back out to the yard.
To find that Lord Ashton was waiting for her by the gig, his horse saddled.
* * *
‘You’re escorting me home?’ Maddy Kirkby stared at him, her face crimson.
Ash resisted the temptation to touch a finger lightly to her cheek and find out if the blush really was scorching. Or if her skin was as silken as it looked. Instead, he held out his hand to assist her up into the gig.
‘Yes.’