Madison's Gift

by Marie Higgins

  “Really?” Happiness flipped in her chest. “It was Heath Langston as we predicted?”

  “The cane actually belonged to Gaynor. He was the one who killed Bailey.”

  She sucked in a shocked breath. “Are you serious?”

  “Very serious. Not more than fifteen minutes ago, we arrested him. Captain Orwood and Mr. McGreer are taking him to the station to await his trial as we speak.”

  “This is very good news.” She squeezed his hands. “I’ll admit, I’m surprised it was Gaynor, but I knew it had to be one of the cousins.”

  “I had hoped it was Langston, only because it would have given me a good reason to slam my fist into his face for striking my sister.”

  Worry escalated inside of her. “Oh, no! Rosie!”

  His brows creased and he shook his head. “What about her?”

  “Cameron, don’t you see? She is going to be devastated when she discovers the man she loves is a murderer.”

  The happiness on his expression fled and he frowned. “Indeed, she is going to be very upset.”

  “You need to tell her before she hears it from someone else. We all know how Miss Trent loves to gossip. I’d hate for Rosie to hear it from that woman.”

  “You’re correct.” He nodded. “I’ll go home right now.”

  “Would you like me to go with you?”

  A soft smile stretched his face as he tenderly stroked her cheek. “More than anything. But...” He glanced at that shop they stood in front of. “Don’t you have other plans?”

  Although she wanted to start searching for the missing girl, Madison knew Rosie was more important. Besides, she could return tomorrow and speak with Gretchen. “Not to worry.” She smiled. “I can do this another day.”

  A grin claimed his face once more. He took her hand and hooked it over his arm. “Then allow me to escort you to my house. I hope you don’t mind if we take a hackney. I fear it would look improper if I had you riding with me on my horse.”

  She chuckled. “It would be nothing more than scandalous.”

  He stepped to the side of the road and lifted his hand to hail down a hackney. Within minutes, one stopped right in front of them. As he assisted her inside, he called out his address to the driver. Before Cameron climbed inside, he tied his steed to the back of the hackney and then slid on the seat next to her. Immediately, the vehicle rocked into action.

  Madison didn’t know what to say, only because Cameron peered at her with dreamy eyes as his gaze slowly moved over her face. He took a lock of her hair and caressed it between his thumb and forefinger.

  She’d told him she wanted to take their relationship slow, and yet now she wished she hadn’t said that. She would like nothing better than to cuddle in his arms and kiss him endlessly.

  “Madison? Why were you at the millinery shop? I have never seen you wear a bonnet.”

  She laughed uneasily. “I was going in there to talk to the owner, Gretchen.”

  “Do you know her?”

  “No. Do you?”

  He chuckled. “I have two sisters who adore bonnets. So yes, I know the shop’s owner. The place has been around for years.”

  “Well, did you know that’s the same shop where Lord Hanover’s daughter disappeared?”

  His smile left his face. “No, I didn’t know that.”

  She nodded. “I chatted with the woman who owns the clothing store across the street, and she said Gretchen is her sister. She was the one who directed me to the millinery.”

  Cameron expelled a breath and his shoulders drooped as he leaned back in the seat. “Madison, I’m worried about you working on this case.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Lord Hanover specifically told you to let it rest.”

  She folded her hands in her lap and leaned back in her seat, staring straight ahead at the road. “Yes, I’m aware of that, but I doubt your father wants me to let it rest, and I’m sure the missing girl doesn’t want me to ignore her case, either.”

  “Madison,” he placed his hand on her arm. “Everyone believes the girl is dead. It’s been too many years. If the girl was alive, don’t you think someone would have found out by now? Don’t you think the girl would have tried to contact her parents? After all, she would be an adult now.”

  Clenching her teeth, Madison tried not to become upset. Cameron was probably just trying to keep her from becoming discouraged like his father had. But she had something the elder Mr. Westland didn’t have. The gift of second sight. How could she give up when there was something telling her to find this girl? Why else would she have experienced what she did while inside Cameron’s house? And when she touched Lord Hanover and saw him and his wife grieving, Madison’s heart twisted in agony. No, Madison could not let this rest.

  “I’m sorry, Cameron.” She turned toward him and pleaded into his green eyes. “I understand what you’re trying to do, but I feel that I need find out what happened. Maybe your father is talking to me from Heaven...or perhaps it’s the girl herself who is trying to communicate with me through my visions. Regardless of who it is, I need answers. That’s what I’m all about. Haven’t you realized that about me yet?”

  He nodded. “I have.”

  “Then allow me to do this. In fact, I would like your help. Then, if I get discouraged and need a shoulder to cry on, you will be there for me.”

  He stroked her cheek again as a slight smile curved on his mouth. “I shall always be here for you. If you haven’t noticed yet, I have wide shoulders. They are yours to use whenever you wish.”

  Madison’s heart melted that much more. He was such a kindhearted man. How could she not want to love someone like him? “Thank you for understanding.”

  He sat back against the seat again. “What if we start looking for that girl first thing in the morning? I won’t have to worry about Rosie, and especially not about Gaynor, and I can focus solely on you.”

  “Yes, I think that sounds wonderful. Have you been able to find your father’s notes yet?”

  “No, but only because I was busy catching a killer.” He winked. “However, tomorrow, you can come with me to the station and we shall search together.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Together? I won’t embarrass you in front of your colleagues?”

  He shook his head. “No. In fact, I’m quite certain Captain Orwood would like to thank you personally for assisting me with Mr. Bailey’s case.”

  She gasped and placed her hand on her throat. “You...told him about me?”

  He grinned wide. “Indeed, I did, and I think we have made a believer out of him.”

  Madison’s heart soared and tears stung her eyes. If they weren’t out in public, she’d throw her arms around him and show him her appreciation.

  “Oh, thank you,” she whispered in a tight voice. “You have no idea what that means to me.”

  “I think I do.” He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “And I want to thank you for convincing me to talk to Captain Orwood. Because of the evidence we found, he has taken me off his suspects’ list.”

  “I’m so very happy for you.” She smiled as her heart softened. Things were falling into place quite nicely...especially their relationship.

  All thoughts in her head told her to ignore propriety’s rules and kiss him. But because he loathed scandals, she wouldn’t be the reason he was in another one. She glanced at the road, mainly to get her mind away from showing her affections. They were close to his house, anyway. Pretty soon they’d be alone...

  Then again, they had to talk to Rosie. The sister’s feelings came first, and Madison didn’t think Rosie was going to take kindly to her brother arresting the man she loved.

  MADISON’S STOMACH FLITTERED with nervousness as she waited in the sitting room as Cameron fetched Rosie. Madison hadn’t gotten a chance to actually meet the sister when they rescued her, and she hoped Rosie would take to her as Alice had. By now, Madison hoped that Alice would have at least told her sister about the woman who helped them fi
nd Rosie.

  She walked to the window and parted the drapes, looking out into the yard. Another thing that made her nervous was knowing she could touch something in this house and get the vision about Lord Hanover’s little girl. Just the thought made her anxious to walk around the house, running her fingers over everything the elder Mr. Westland had made. But she needed to take one step at a time, and right now, helping Cameron talk to Rosie was the next step. Once that was completed, Madison could look for more clues the elder Mr. Westland would have left in regards to the lost child.

  Voices drifted up the hall, and Madison jerked her head toward the door. Within minutes, Cameron and his younger sister walked into the room. Rosie’s bruised eye looked slightly better than it had the night they rescued her. The young woman wore a pale green gown trimmed with white lace, and elbow-length sleeves and a square neck. Her brown hair wasn’t as light as Cameron and Alice’s, and the freckles on her cheeks and nose was something the other two siblings didn’t possess, either.

  “Rosie, this is Miss Madison Haywood.” Cameron closed the door before standing beside Madison. “We didn’t get much of a chance to be properly introduced the other night.”

  Rosie curtsied, and Madison also copied the movement.

  “Miss Haywood,” Cameron continued, “helped me find you.”

  “Miss Haywood.” Rosie stepped closer. “Alice tells me you have visions.”

  Madison nodded. “I do.”

  “And that is how you saw me?”

  “Yes. I saw you crying in the bedroom attic. And I saw Mr. Langston strike you.”

  Rosie grasped Madison’s hands and smiled. “I don’t know how to thank you for your help.”

  “I was only too happy to assist your brother.” Madison smiled.

  Rosie’s eyebrow shot up and she switched her gaze to her brother. “And I’m certain you and Cameron spent a lot of time together.”

  Warmth gathered in Madison’s cheeks. She hoped Rosie couldn’t see how uncomfortable she was with this subject. “Well, we did spend some time—”

  “Rosie, the point is,” Cameron interrupted, “we rescued you from a very bad situation.” He motioned toward the sofa, and she sat. “Do you have any idea what could have happened to you if Miss Haywood and I couldn’t find you?”

  She nodded and stared at her hands resting on her lap. “Yes. You have reminded me countless times already, Cam.”

  “All I want is for you to get to know a man and his family before you...um, decide hastily to run off with him.”

  She snapped her head up and glared at her brother. “I’ll have you know that I spent many hours with Gaynor and I feel as though we understand each other well. I feel as though I have known him for years. I have never connected so quickly with a man before.”

  Madison didn’t dare comment. She knew exactly how Rosie felt because that was what she thought about Cameron. So did that mean she needed to get to know him better before deciding if she was in love with him or not? It was probably best...

  He released a heavy sigh and sat next to his sister. “Rosie, sometimes men tell a woman what they want to hear only to have them in their control.”

  Madison arched an eyebrow. Where is he going with this? She hoped he didn’t know this from his own experience.

  “No, Cam. Gaynor is not like that.” Rosie folded her arms. “He hasn’t lied to me at all.”

  “Actually, he did.” Cameron frowned. “Today I went with two other officers to Mr. Bailey’s house to ask Gaynor and Mr. Langston some questions. What we found was that Mr. Bailey was killed by Gaynor’s cane.” He raised his gaze to Madison. “And Miss Haywood saw Gaynor beating Mr. Bailey over the head with it in her vision.”

  Rosie swung her head and looked at Madison as tears filled her eyes. “Y-you saw my Gaynor doing that to Mr. Bailey?”

  Madison opened her mouth to reply, but Cameron answered for her, instead.

  “Rosie, I arrested Gaynor earlier today. He won’t be able to lie to you ever again.”

  Color left Rosie’s face. She shook her head as tears streaked down her cheeks. “H-how could you?”

  “I put a criminal away. That’s what I do for a living, remember?”

  “But...what if you’re wrong? What if Heath was the one who killed Mr. Bailey, instead? After all, he wanted Mr. Bailey’s estate, too.”

  “Rosie,” he took her hands in his, “all the evidence points to Gaynor. If he tries to deny it, then he’s lying. Why can’t you understand that he’s not the man you thought he was?”

  “No!” she screamed and jumped to her feet. “You are not the man I thought you were.” She wiped away the tears streaming down her face. “I don’t know why Father just didn’t leave me in Scotland when I was six. I would have been better off without you as a brother.”

  She ran out of the room, sobbing. Madison’s heart wrenched, and she moved to follow, but Cameron grabbed her arm, stopping her.

  He shook his head. “She needs to be by herself now.”

  “But we cannot have her hating you. If she only knew what type of person Gaynor really was—”

  “In time she will discover that.” He cupped Madison’s face. “But I thank you for being here with me.”

  “I didn’t do anything.” Madison shrugged.

  “You supported me, and that means the world.”

  Smiling, she cuddled her cheek against his palm. “I just want her to know how thoughtful you really are.”

  He chuckled. “My dear Madison, I’m her brother. I don’t think she’ll ever realize that.”

  “Tell me,” she stepped away from him as she moved to the hearth, staring into the low burning fire, “has Rosie always felt that way about you or was she speaking out of anger?”

  Cameron’s footsteps were light as he walked toward her. “She wasn’t like this when she was younger. It took a few years after she finally came to live with us before she truly felt part of our family, but by then, our father was losing his mind. I felt as though I needed to be a father-figure to her since our own father couldn’t.”

  Curiosity snuck in, and she peeked at Cameron. “What had her so ill when she was young?”

  Cameron shrugged. “I’m not sure we ever found out. We were always just told that she was too sick to travel.”

  Madison stared at the wooden candlestick holder standing on the hearth’s shelf. The object had the most amazing craftsmanship. She knew without being told that this was one of the senior Westland’s creations.

  “I wish there was a way to repair the missing years between you,” she said.

  “Yes, that would be nice.”

  “Well, we must never give up trying to mend things between you and Rosie.” She smiled at him. “I never had siblings, and believe me, I would have liked to have talked with someone while growing up.”

  “I understand. I shall keep trying.”

  She brushed her finger across the wooden candlestick, and immediately, all sights and sounds around her disappeared. No longer was she standing by the hearth with Cameron, but now she was in that same dark and cold room she’d seen before. The child wasn’t crying this time. Instead, she moved a hairpin around the lock on her door until it popped open. Slowly, she opened the door and peeked out into the hall. Angry voices from the other room filled the air. Carefully, she crawled out of the room. Up the hall stood another door. This one looked to be the front door.

  Just as before when Madison saw this vision of the child, she couldn’t see the girl’s face, but could feel what the child was experiencing. Anxiety pounded in the girl’s chest and she crawled faster toward the door. Every other step she glanced over her shoulder to make certain the adults had not discovered she was out.

  Almost there...

  Suddenly, the house grew quiet. Chills climbed up the girl’s neck and arms. She dared not pause and look behind this time. She must keep moving.

  A gasp ripped through the air and the woman’s voice screamed something Madison didn’t under
stand, followed by what sounded like the name Rosaland. The man’s fast footsteps entered the hall. He yelled, “Rose!”

  Dread washed over her and churned her stomach. Tears stung her eyes. Failure was not an emotion the girl wanted to feel again, yet at the same time, hope still lingered in her heart.

  “Madison! Are you all right?”

  Cameron’s voice snapped her out of her vision. She was in his arms as he carried her to the sofa. Her strength was sapped and all she could do was try to regulate her breathing. He rested her on the furniture before hurrying over to a bottle of wine. He poured a small amount into a glass and brought it to her.

  “Sip this slowly. You’ll feel better.”

  She shook her head and pushed the glass aside. “No, I’ll be fine. I promise.”

  “What did you see?”

  Rubbing her forehead, she closed her eyes and thought back to the vision. Why was she having these visions about Hanover’s daughter while in the Westland’s estate? Something wasn’t right about any of this, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

  And then the name she’d heard came to mind again. Rosaland...Rose.

  Gasping, she sat up and grasped the front of Cameron’s uniform. “We must find your father’s notes on the Hanover case.”

  “Why?”

  “Because, I feel that...” She took a breath in hesitation, wondering how she could say this without startling him. “Because I need to know the name of their daughter.”

  “What is the urgency?”

  “Because someone in my vision called the girl by her name. Rose.”

  Frowning, he shook his head. “I still don’t understand.”

  “Don’t you see? Hanover’s daughter was six years old when she was kidnapped. And...” she licked her parched lips. “Rosie was six years old when she was brought here to live with you. They both have the same name and they are the same age.”

  Cameron stared at her for a few moments with wide eyes in silence before his mouth stretched into a grin.

  “You must be joking.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Do I look like I’m joking?”

  He jumped to his feet as if the sofa was on fire. Strolling toward the hearth, he ran his fingers through his hair. “You’ve got it all wrong. Rosie isn’t the Hanover’s lost daughter. She’s my father’s daughter.”