Guarding Danger: Sinclair and Raven Series

by Vella, Wendy

  She had his colors.

  “You wish to spend your life alone then, with no family?” These words came from Nicholas. “Believe me, if that is your sole focus, then I feel sorry for you. I was once like you, believing I needed no one and knew best. My sister suffered because of it.”

  “I need no one.” Harry backed away. One thing he’d always vowed to do was never betray his father, and if he joined this family, he would be doing just that.

  “His father told him never to trust a Sinclair and made him promise to never associate with us,” Devonshire said, his piercing green eyes focused intently on Harry. “A father’s wishes are heavy burdens to carry, indeed.”

  Amen, Harry thought as he left the men at a sprint. He would be leaving London now, as soon as it could be arranged. This was more than he could cope with. Family, colors. She could never be anything to him.

  Chapter 9

  Madeline could not deny knowing Fleur’s tummy was full and that she slept in a warm and dry bed each night was a wonderful thing. Of course, when Jacques had lived she’d had that, just not to the degree or grandeur as now.

  Her husband had been a good provider. They’d lived in the small cottage that his parents had once owned. But after his death, everything had changed. His brothers had wanted her to leave, but could not force her to do so, as Jacques had ensured she could stay. She had used most of their money before her mother had arrived, and then everything changed once more.

  She was safe here.

  She also couldn’t deny that now the danger had eased, she was able to breathe deeply. The tightness in her chest no longer kept her awake at night.

  And then there were the people she now called family. Over the seven days she’d been in London, she had tried to understand more about this new family she had. Sisters and another brother.

  They wanted her to be part of their lives, and deep inside, she was coming to the realization she wanted that too. But Maddie feared one day what she’d left behind would catch up with her. The uncertainty was terrifying. She could feel the happiness within her grasp, but was scared to take it.

  “Mama!” Fleur was running around Max’s garden with Myrtle and Bran. The sky was cloudless, the sun showering them in warmth. She was happy; well, as happy as she could be with the cloud of worry that hung over her.

  “She is happy today.”

  Looking over her shoulder, Maddie watched Kate Sinclair approach. Dark like the rest of the family, with those amazing green eyes, she was a lovely woman, and someone that made her brother very happy. They were to be married in a few weeks.

  “Good morning, Kate. Fleur is having a wonderful time.”

  She wore a cream dress with blue satin ribbons around the bodice and hem. Her bonnet was blue, as were her shoes. She looked young, happy, and carefree. Maddie often believed she’d been born old and jaded.

  “Kate!” Fleur’s little legs pumped as she ran at the woman.

  In only a few days, Fleur had come to love this family they’d landed in the middle of. She loved that they got down on her level and played with her. The other children had accepted her. Of course there were squabbles, but for all that, in the week she’d been here she had adjusted better than her mother had.

  “Hello, Maddie.” Rose and Emily appeared.

  Sisters.

  “Good morning.” Maddie got to her feet and fought with herself not to curtsey. Both were dressed elegantly, as Kate was, and she, well, shabby was really the only word she could come up with.

  Rory and Max had tried to buy her new dresses, and yet she’d said she wasn’t ready yet. Why? She was being stubborn and irrational for no other reason than Maddie had always controlled her own life, and now someone else wanted a hand in that.

  “We would like you to come shopping with us today?” Rose said, leaning close to kiss Maddie on the cheek. She fought not to back away. These people were touchers, which was hard when you’d never been one. It was just one of the things that disturbed her in a list of many.

  “I have no need of anything, but thank you.”

  Emily did not kiss her cheek, she just took Maddie’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  “We are celebrating, and I wished to do that with my sisters. Except Samantha, who is helping the twins in their office.”

  They were starting an investigative service. Maddie wasn’t sure why the elder Sinclairs were allowing this, but nonetheless it was happening. The three youngest siblings would be open for business shortly.

  Maddie had come to realize the Sinclair and Raven families were not normal. Cam and Emily ran a newspaper called the Trumpeter, and everyone else had business interests. They did not behave in the ways she believed noblemen should.

  “What are you celebrating?”

  “I am to have another child.” Emily’s smile was radiant. “Cam is strutting around the house crowing like a cockerel.”

  “Congratulations,” Maddie said, genuinely pleased for this gentle woman.

  Most of the families were loud and boisterous. Emily and Essie seemed the quietest, and it was those two Maddie felt most comfortable with.

  “And I wish to go shopping with my sisters to celebrate. Plus, we will take tea in Rose’s place.”

  “Rose’s place?” Maddie looked at her sister. She was beautiful, her skin soft and creamy. Her pale green dress suited the red/gold of her hair. Even her lovely Scottish burr was easy to listen to.

  “A teashop. The cakes there are excellent. It was where I worked,” Rose said.

  That shocked her momentarily.

  “We were not all born in large beds with servants dancing attendance on us, Maddie. I thought you knew that?”

  “I knew that some of you have had things happen in your past, but not what.”

  “Our stories would surprise you, and when you are ready to hear them, you will see that.”

  Rose had worked in a tea shop.

  “So we will be off. Ah, perfect timing, here is Rory. He will take Fleur to play at Dev and Lilly’s with the other children,” Emily said.

  “I have no wish to go shopping, Emily.”

  “And yet you will.” Rory walked by her to Fleur and Kate. He then ran a hand down his fiancée’s spine before picking up his niece and throwing her in the air. The shrieks were piercing. “Now, your mother is going shopping, and you’re coming with me to Uncle Dev’s house.”

  “Uncle Dev!” Fleur yelled, making him wince. “Bye bye.” Fleur planted a loud kiss on Maddie’s cheek.

  “And I have no say in this? She is my child. I-I have always cared for her.” Did that sound petulant? Maddie thought it likely did.

  “And now you have us,” Rory said. “We will see you later.”

  He’d gone before she could stop him.

  “Come.” Emily took one arm and Rose the other, and they were soon walking.

  She didn’t say anything further, just let them lead her back into the house.

  Her bonnet was already waiting in the hands of a maid, as were her gloves, so there was little she could do to waylay the inevitable. Minutes later, she was in the carriage.

  “It won’t be painful, Maddie, I promise.”

  “I have never been fitted for a dress before,” she blurted out.

  Rose clapped her hands, clearly excited. “How wonderful then, that we shall be there for the first time.”

  “I had never been fitted for a dress either before I went to live with James and Samantha. You see, I am an illegitimate offspring of the late Duke of Raven, Maddie, just as you, Rory, and Max are. I was raised in poverty.”

  “I’m sorry, Emily.”

  “And while it took me a while to adjust, I now have this family and Cam. I know this is hard for you, and the change so different from the life you’ve lived, but in time you will see it is worth it, Maddie.”

  It had surprised her that quiet Emily was married to the boisterous Cambridge Sinclair. Yet she could not doubt the love they clearly shared.

  �
�Both Rory and I are very happy you will be here for our wedding, Maddie. He talks of you constantly, as does Max,” Kate said. “Unfortunately, I was not raised in poverty, but my mother can be extremely trying, if that helps.”

  That had them laughing.

  “I am so pleased you are marrying Rory.” And she was. Her brother deserved happiness; they all did. Was there a small kernel inside her that actually believed that?

  “Excellent! Well, you need a new dress for the wedding then,” Kate said, opening the carriage door once it had stopped. “Come along, let us go shopping.”

  Maddie had been to Paris, she knew what fashionable ladies did and saw, but that was many years ago, and she’d never actually been into a fashion boutique.

  “It will be fun, I promise. We will order some things for Fleur also.” Kate took her arm. “Rory wants you to do this, Maddie.”

  “We must walk up this lane, as the carriage will not be able to turn around down here. Madame Alexander’s is a wonderful boutique with excellent seamstresses,” Rose said.

  The shop they wanted had a French look to it with a pretty shade over the window in lemon and green. A sign was written in gold denoting the name.

  Inside it was bustling, and looking at the women present, Maddie wanted to slink into the background. Her dress looked shabby in such company.

  “Hannah, how wonderful to see you,” Kate said as an elegant dark-haired woman approached. Her skin was the color of milk, and she was exquisitely beautiful.

  “Hello, ladies,” the woman greeted them.

  “Maddie needs an entire wardrobe, as does her daughter,” Rose said.

  “Well the seamstresses here will be able to help with that. Phoebe is here also.”

  “Brace yourself.” Emily leaned in to whisper the words to Maddie. “This woman is likely the most beautiful you have ever seen.”

  A vision appeared in a deep emerald. The dress caressed her lovely figure, and Emily was right, she was exquisite with her honey blonde hair and lovely smile.

  “Hello, Emily, Rose, and Kate. How wonderful to see you.”

  “Phoebe, this is our sister, Maddie. Maddie, this is Lady Levermarch, but we call her Phoebe,” Emily said.

  Everything about the woman was confident. The way she held herself and her voice. Every inch of her screamed noble birth to Maddie.

  “Hello. Are you the one being fitted today?”

  Maddie managed to nod.

  “Well, you come along with me then. I know the staff here intimately and can expedite matters.”

  “Oh, well…” Her arm was taken, and she was forcibly yet gently led from the room. “I—ah, don’t know what I am in need of,” Maddie said when they reached the dressing rooms.

  Lady Levermarch looked her up and down. “Everything is my guess, which is wonderful fun. Now don’t look scared. My staff have yet to stab anyone and leave a permanent mark.”

  “Your staff?”

  The woman made a tsking sound. “Botheration, I am not meant to bandy it about that I am a partner in this boutique. My husband gets quite snippy when he hears someone discussing the matter. It really is the most unkept secret in London.” She laughed, and even that was lovely.

  “Now you go in there, Maddie, and strip down to your chemise. I will return with material and pins, which I will try not to stab you with. I will also have that small hole in the back of your dress repaired.”

  “I did not realize there was one.”

  “There is.” Phoebe nudged her into the dressing room. “I usually make my own clothes and those for my daughter,” Maddie said. “This is all new to me, I-I…”Phoebe had been about to leave but stopped.

  “I used to make all my own clothes too, and those for my sister. We were ridiculously poor, you see, Maddie. I’m married to a marquess now, which is nice, and I love him to distraction, but I will never forget how much I loved creating.”

  “You made your own clothes?” Maddie looked at the elegant dress she wore.

  “I did. Now my suggestion to you is to stop thinking about the past and enjoy this moment, because there really is nothing quite like being fitted for new dresses. I promise you will enjoy it. And remember, your brothers are obscenely wealthy, and you will not cause their coffers any distress by having a few dresses made.”

  Maddie could do nothing to stop a nervous giggle at those words.

  “Not all nobility are snobs. Some of us can be a great deal of fun.” Phoebe then winked, and left with Maddie’s dress.

  She was fast coming to that realization, considering who she was now related to.

  The materials were so soft, and the styles suggested beyond anything Maddie had ever believed she’d wear. Her clothes would not be serviceable but stylish. She could not stop the little shiver of excitement that ran through her.

  Rose, Kate, and Emily were called upon to look as Maddie was draped in fabrics. Laces and trims were produced, and the number of dresses that were ordered was astonishing.

  She tried to protest, but her heart was not in it. Phoebe had been right; this was fun.

  “Oh, dear.” Lady Levermarch appeared in the dressing room with Maddie’s dress in her hand. There was a tear down the back of her dress now.

  “What has happened, Phoebe?” Kate asked from beyond the curtain.

  “What will I wear?” Maddie looked at the dress in horror. Visions of her walking about London in a chemise filled her head.

  “Fear not, Maddie. I have a dress that a client ordered. It was the incorrect sizing.”

  “I can’t—”

  Phoebe disappeared before she could finish the sentence.

  The dress was pale gray, almost silver, and had a black satin ribbon that tied beneath the bodice. Black flowers were embroidered into the hem and cap sleeves. It was so beautiful, she dared not touch it.

  “I-I can’t have that.”

  “You can, as the woman no longer wants it,” Phoebe insisted. “Raise your arms, Maddie.”

  “I really don’t think—”

  “Thinking is vastly overrated.” Phoebe cut her words off as she lowered the dress over Maddie’s shabby chemise. It fell in a soft fall of cool, expensive material and settled around her body.

  “Just a little loose, but hardly noticeable.” Phoebe studied her. “But the color suits you.”

  She refused to cry as she looked in the mirror. How could a simple dress change the way she looked?

  “Those boots need to go, and you need new bonnets, stockings, and undergarments also.”

  “They are next, Phoebe,” Rose said from beyond the curtain.

  Her brown bonnet looked so drab with the beautiful creation that Maddie didn’t want to put it on, and yet knew she must.

  “Now you go on, and I’ll get the girls working on the rest of your things,” Phoebe said, bundling her old dress into a ball and putting it under her arm. “This will be disposed of. And remember, Maddie, it is all right to enjoy what we’ve never had.”

  “I don’t know how to thank you. I have said that so much lately.” Maddie sniffed. “But I mean it, this is the most beautiful dress I have ever worn, Phoebe.”

  Phoebe simply patted her arm and swept the curtain aside.

  “Oh my,” Kate whispered.

  Emily and Rose looked at her in awe.

  “It’s beautiful, Maddie, but you really must have a new bonnet to go with it,” Kate said. “Come along.”

  After saying goodbye to Lady Levermarch and Mrs. Hetherington, they left Madame Alexander’s and took the carriage to Bond Street.

  Wide-eyed, Maddie allowed Rose, Emily, and Kate to take her into the milliner’s next. She choose a simple straw bonnet with a wide black satin ribbon that matched the ones on her dress.

  “Change is good, Maddie,” Rose said. “When you have been without, it does not mean that has to always be the way.”

  “Absolutely. There is no point in suffering just for the sake of it,” Kate added.

  “Is that what I’m doing?
”

  “Well, you are clinging to what you were when there really is no need. It’s all right to embrace this change in your life, Maddie. You deserve it, and there is no reason not to,” Kate added.

  “I never dreamed of owning anything as beautiful as what I now wear.”

  She stood there looking in the mirror with her sisters and Kate, a soon-to-be sister, and thought that maybe some change was a good thing.

  They went from shop to shop ordering clothes, undergarments, boots and shoes, and things for Fleur.

  “No more. I will leave my brother with little money if I continue,” Maddie said when she felt it time to stop. She’d purchased so many things, her head spun.

  “He will not even notice it,” Emily said.

  “We are to visit that store there.” Rose pointed to a shop that had lace fans in the window. “And then I promise you will have tea.”

  “Would you mind if I went there?” Maddie pointed to the one across the street. It had so many things in the window, but she’d seen a doll and some books. Her daughter had never owned any toys other than what she’d made her. She just wanted to look; one day she’d ask her brothers to buy Fleur something.

  “Of course, and here is some money. Rory gave it to me this morning, but I was waiting for the right moment to give it to you,” Kate said, opening the small bag she carried on her arm. A reticule, she’d heard Rose call it in one of the shops they’d entered.

  “I don’t need it. I was just going to look.”

  Kate simply removed the little bag from her wrist and handed it to Maddie.

  “Go, and stop arguing.” She made a shooing motion.

  Clutching the bag, Maddie walked across the road, but now her eyes were raised. She looked as others did, and it was a good feeling.

  Entering the store, Maddie saw it was crammed full of cabinets and shelves.

  “Good day to you.”

  “Good day.” A man stood behind the counter polishing a pewter mug.

  “Please feel free to browse, madam.”