by Vella, Wendy
“Why is it you must bang your head like that when things do not go as you planned, grandson? Even as a boy you did it. I find I like it less now.”
He watched his grandmother walk to the chair opposite him and fold herself into it.
“I am busy, Grandmère. Perhaps you should go to your cabin, and I will come to you once we have left London.”
Ignoring him, she settled herself and the skirts under which he knew she had many layers of petticoats and other things ladies these days rarely wore, but his grandmother still insisted upon.
Maddie had worn a chemise made of the finest lawn against her silken skin, and her stockings had small rosebuds embroidered on them.
“It means that now I know what happens when I take my next lover.” She’d spoken the words before she left his cabin and driven a nail through his chest while doing so.
The thought of another man touching her made him want to strike at something.
“Why is it you are desperate to leave them, grandson?”
“Pardon?” Harry folded his hands one on top of the other on his desk and took every emotion but polite enquiry from his face. His grandmother could sense weakness; it would not do to let her see he was unsettled.
“I know you better than anyone, Harry. You came to me as a babe, and I have watched you grow. I watched that man poison your mind against your kin. Watched a bitter man try to ruin you. He loved my daughter, I never doubted that, but with her gone, there was only hatred.”
“He was a good man.” Harry did not like to talk about his father. The man had been cold and unapproachable, but he had provided for his only son. Harry had told himself he’d needed no more.
“I never said he wasn’t,” she snapped. “But he was bitter, and I heard him many times telling you never to trust a Sinclair. Forcing you to make a promise to obey his wishes. So much so, that now you are running away from where you belong. Running from love and the chance of a family. Why, grandson?”
“My home is in France.”
“Is it? Which home is this?” She stomped her cane on the floor twice. “The one I live in? Because you are rarely there. Or perhaps this boat filled with men who drink and curse.”
“I drink and curse, Grandmère.”
“Do not interrupt me!”
“Your pardon.”
“Or do you speak of those rooms you own that are empty of love and laughter? They are your people, boy. Don’t run from them or her with the little girls. The one with no sight who sees so much, and the other ray of sunlight.”
“Maddie,” he rasped. “Her name is Maddie, not her!”
“What do you care? You are leaving them alone, to be preyed upon by strangers.”
“She has family to protect her.” What strangers? Surely no one would get near Maddie and the girls now? But then, she had just moved out of her brother’s house. Why had they allowed her to do that? Surely she was better under Max’s roof?
“Family that have their own to care for. No, that woman is alone with those little girls. Some man will realize what she presents and take advantage of her.”
Everything inside him rebelled at that, but he kept the anger from his face.
“Think with your heart, grandson. Do you want to live your life alone without love? Without them, your family?”
“Love?” was all he could manage to get out around the lump in his throat.
“I spoke with her. Madeline Caron. I saw the girls as they talked of you. They all love you; it was there in Madeline’s words and the look in her eyes, and then that Cambridge Sinclair confirmed my thoughts.”
“What did he say?”
“That you were meant to be here with your people. Here with Madeline, the woman you love.”
Harry looked at the only person who had really cared for him. Fierce and strong, she had been his savior many times, keeping him on the right path, not allowing him to be what he could so easily have been.
Their eyes met, and it was as he looked at her that he realized.
“Christ,” he whispered. “What am I doing?” Suddenly the blindfold he’d been wearing was ripped away. He didn’t want to leave them. Not his family. Sinclairs, Ravens, Huntingtons, or the rest of them. They were a part of him now, and he never wanted to let them go.
“Hell, I am a fool, Grandmère.”
“You will not blaspheme in my company!”
“Your pardon.”
“You are also not leaving London. I will, however, as I have several events planned. But I shall return in three weeks and expect you to be nestled in the bosom of your family with the woman you love, grandson. Do not disappoint me. I want those grandbabies as my own, and then many more, if you please.”
“I love you, Grandmère.”
“As you should.” She rose, hugged him, then stomped from the cabin.
Now he’d let himself feel, it landed on him with a vengeance. His heart felt exposed and raw, and his eyes stung. He loved them and could not leave.
For so long, he’d convinced himself his life would be lived a certain way and had fought to stand by those beliefs. His grandmother had shaken those foundations, and now he knew differently.
His father had been wrong. Sinclairs could be trusted, and they’d been showing him exactly that since he arrived in London. Finally he believed it.
Leaving his cabin, Harry found his friend on the lower deck.
“I am staying here for a while, Faris. I shall return soon, but until then I will run the business from here.”
“I wondered when you would see reason. Your grandmother spoke to you, I presume?”
“Does everyone but me know I should be staying in London?” Harry felt light inside, like the vise that had been clamped around his heart was released. He wanted to laugh; he wanted to find Maddie and hug his girls. God, he even wanted to hug his family… all of them!
“I thought we’d established I am far more intelligent than you,” Farris said, looking smug. “Go now, and pack. I shall return in three weeks with more cargo and pay you a call.”
“Thank you, friend. I will need a new business partner to oversee things in France. Would you be interested?”
He was likely getting ahead of himself. He had to speak to Maddie, but she had said she loved him. He would need a place to live and somewhere to run his business. There were so many things to contemplate, and yet he wanted this.
Farris held out his hand, and Harry shook it. “I would be honored.”
“You know this business better than me anyway. I will be waiting when you return—”
“With your bride?”
“Is there anyone who doesn’t know about Maddie too?”
“I believe Barney is oblivious. Now go, and I will see you at the end of the month. I will miss you, my friend.”
“And I you.” Harry gripped his friend’s hand.
He packed and loaded everything into a hackney. It was now laden with books, belongings, and things from his cabin. He only hoped his reception would be a warm one.
The trip seemed to take an inordinately long time, and by the time he’d arrived outside Dev’s house, the sun was setting.
Asking the driver to wait, he knocked on the front door, and the butler answered.
“Please have my things brought inside, Tatters, and then find a room to store them in.”
“Of course, Mr. Sinclair. I will see to it at once.”
“Is the family from home? It seems quiet in here.”
“They are, Mr. Sinclair.”
“Very well. I will speak to them upon my return. Good day, Tatters.”
He ran to Max’s house, as he had no idea which house on the street was now Maddie’s.
“Good day, George,” he said when the butler opened the door. “Is Mrs. Caron here?”
“She and the family are not at home, sir.”
Harry wanted to gnash his teeth. Now his head and, yes, heart had finally cleared, he wanted to tell Maddie what was inside him.
“Is she with the othe
r family members?”
“As to that, Mr. Sinclair, I am unsure.”
And just like that, he was tense. Every muscle clenched. He’d thought what was running through him was simply the release of the tight rein he’d had on his emotions; now he knew differently. Something wasn’t right.
Harry was soon running to James’s house, where he pounded his fist on the front door.
“Where are the family, Buttles?” Harry asked when the door opened.
“Only the children and Misses Dorset, Somerset, and Kate Sinclair are in the nursery, Mr. Sinclair. The duke and duchess are from home.”
Something was very wrong… very wrong. Harry could feel it now he was thinking clearly.
“I will speak to Dorrie, Somer, and Kate.” One of them would know what was going on. Running up the stairs, he heard someone reading a story as he approached the nursery. Opening the door, he found a man seated on a chair and the children on the floor around him listening as he read from the book in his hand. The three older Sinclairs were seated behind the children.
He found Fleur, and Daisy next to her. In fact, all the children were here, even the older ones. What was going on? Dorrie saw him and pressed a finger to her lips, telling him she wanted him to stay silent. She then hurried to greet him, waving him out the door.
“What’s going on?” Harry said once the door had closed.
“Come, we will move away from the nursery, as yet we’re not entirely sure which of the next generation are gifted with what.”
He followed her down the stairs to a small parlor.
“Dorrie, tell me what has happened?”
“Rose and Emily went to meet Maddie and do some shopping. None of them have returned.” Her pretty face was pale, and Harry could tell she was close to tears.
He did something then that until that moment had never come easy to him. Harry hugged his cousin. She collapsed against him.
“They were due to return hours ago, and then when the tension started, we all knew something was not right. Wolf and Cam are desperate, as are the others. Kate, Somer, and I are with the children keeping them calm. We have told them their parents have gone to the theater.”
“Where are the others?”
“Looking. They’re out there riding about trying to find them. I’m so scared, Harry. How is it three women can have gone missing?”
“I don’t know, but I need to go now and help search, Dorrie.” His head was spinning. Maddie was missing, as were Rose and Emily. Why?
“I need a horse,” Harry said.
“Buttles will get you one.” Dorrie grabbed Harry’s hand, and they ran to find the butler.
He rode away from the street his family all lived on a short while later and had no idea in what direction he should head. It would be dark soon, and they must find the women before then. He had to find Maddie and tell her what was in his heart. She’d left him believing he didn’t love her, and the thought of her out there somewhere in danger, still believing that, was not to be borne.
She was his now, and he would not stop until he found her.
Chapter 34
They’d been waiting in her house. Emily and Rose were placing flowers in vases when she arrived. They’d taken one look at Maddie’s face and bid her to put her bonnet back on, as they were going out to take tea and eat cream cakes to celebrate her new home.
She’d argued that Daisy and Fleur needed her. Emily had said they were at the park with their cousins and happy.
She’d relented, and they’d soon been traveling to a tea shop.
Numb over what had taken place, and still telling herself she was strong enough to withstand a broken heart, she’d attempted to chat with her sisters and failed miserably.
Heartache, it seemed, was an extremely painful thing.
The tea shop was not large, and they found a table in the rear. Once seated, Emily ordered tea and the promised cream cakes.
“Now, why do you look sad?”
“How can I be sad when I have so much?” Maddie replied to Rose’s question.
“Your eyes are sad, and that smile would frighten anyone.”
“I am not like you and smile all the time.”
“But lately you have smiled more. Now how about you stop trying to fob us off and tell us where you went and why it made you sad,” Rose said.
Emily patted Maddie’s hand, and this, she realized, was what it would have been like to have sisters growing up.
“I-I really don’t want to talk about it.” She could feel the tears choking her.
“Too bad,” Rose said. “You are unhappy, we are your sisters and love you, so we will simply keep annoying you until you tell us what we want to hear. It’s how sisters work.”
“It really is,” Emily said. “I was like you, reserved, and—”
“And shut tighter than that box Wolf keeps under his bed he thinks I can’t open.”
Emily giggled.
“I went to see Harry.”
“And?” Rose poured the tea that had just arrived.
“And we talked.”
“I hope you kissed him too,” Emily shocked Maddie by saying. “Harry looks like he would kiss well, don’t you think, Rose?”
“Oh, definitely, and he is a Sinclair. We know they kiss well.”
“He did kiss me, and it was wonderful.”
“But?”
“But he is leaving today, and I will n-never see him again.” Maddie sucked in a large breath.
“And you love him.” Rose took her hand.
“Oh Lord, I really do,” Maddie wailed. She’d never wailed in her life before.
“And did you tell him?” Emily asked.
“I did, but he does not return that love.”
She sat there drinking tea and eating cakes and thought that if her heart wasn’t shattered into a million pieces, she’d have loved this moment with her sisters. They made her laugh and told her Harry would come to his senses soon, as they had seen how he looked at Maddie.
“He loves you. I know he does,” Emily said when they left the tea shop. Maddie didn’t reply. She knew that Harry may care for her, but he’d never act on that.
Stubborn fool.
“Where is the carriage?” Rose looked about her.
“Here it comes,” Emily said as it rolled toward them. “Does Max have a new driver?”
“I don’t know,” Maddie said, wondering if Harry’s ship had sailed yet.
“I don’t recognize either of those two.” Rose was looking at both men up in the driver’s seat. One leapt down as the carriage stopped, and with a bow, opened the door.
“Why are the curtains closed?” Maddie asked.
“I’ve never seen you before,” Emily said. “How long have you been with Mr. and Mrs. Huntington?”
“Get in the carriage please, ladies.” The man held a pistol, and it was aimed at Rose. “No noise, just step up and inside now or I will shoot.”
They did as he said, because if he fired at this close range, he’d kill whoever he aimed at. Another man waited for them inside. He quickly gagged them, then bound them hand and foot. Soon the carriage was rolling away from the tea shop with Maddie and her sisters inside.
…
Maddie wasn’t sure how long they traveled for, but the trip was not a short one. Rose and Emily leaned against her, which gave her strength. She was not in this, whatever it was, alone.
When the carriage stopped, their feet were untied and they were blindfolded.
“Step outside. Someone will lead you. Any attempt to escape, and I will not hesitate to shoot.”
They did as they were told. Stumbling in the darkness, not knowing where they were, or what was about to happen.
“You are stepping down now.”
She followed the directions given and listened for Emily’s and Rose’s footsteps behind her. Finally they stopped, and their blindfolds and gags were removed.
“You’ll be sorry you did this!” Rose spat.
The
men who had led them said nothing, simply motioned for them to sit on the floor and bound their feet again.
“They will come, and you will be sorry!” Her Scottish accent was thick as she yelled at the men.
“You can’t simply kidnap three women. We are the sisters of a duke,” Maddie said as the men left the room.
“Oh, I know who you all are, especially you, daughter.”
“Dear God!” Maddie looked at the woman who walked into the room.
“After all, I slept with your father when I worked in his castle. He gave me a nice little house until I was of no further use to him. And isn’t that just like a man. Turns away when he no longer has a need for you.”
“Why have you done this?” Maddie cried.
Estelle Huntington was still a beautiful woman, at least on the outside. She’d had her children young and somehow managed to maintain her youthful veneer. It was just the inside that was poisonous.
She had thick brown hair showing no signs of gray and a heart-shaped face, but her cold brown eyes were always calculating what she could get out of any situation.
“Why not? Your brothers have money, and I want my share.” Her smile was as cold as the rest of her.
“They’ll come, and you’ll be sorry,” Maddie said. She wouldn’t show fear in front of this woman again. She’d spent her life doing that. She wouldn’t allow that scared girl who’d only wanted her mother’s love to surface. She had love now and was stronger for it.
“No one will find you here like they did that fool Raynor. I told him to forget you, but he wouldn’t.”
“Why are you in London?” Maddie would never call this woman Mother again.
“When I found Raynor bloodied on your floor, I tended him. I was quite impressed with your strength, Madeline. I had no idea you had that in you. You were always such a pathetic child.”
“Don’t speak about her like that,” Emily growled in a voice Maddie had never heard before.
“He vowed revenge,” Estelle said, ignoring Emily’s words. “I said I thought I knew where you had gone, and he decided to take me with him to London to see my children.”
“Why? We all know you’ve never had a maternal moment in your lifetime. After all, I gave you a room, and you betrayed me by taking that man’s money and letting him abuse me.”
