by Janet Woods
She pulled away. ‘We’d better get back to Madigan House since Sarah is expecting another visit from her family,’ she said.
If he was angered with her response he didn’t show it. ‘Her family isn’t expected until this afternoon. After all this time you haven’t learned to trust me, Adele, and that saddens me.’
He was persuasive … too persuasive. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, declare her love and beg him to forgive her. Life was too cruel sometimes, and she wanted him to be happy. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered.
‘Not as sorry as me, my Del. It seems as though I shall have to find another lady to love. Perhaps I shall meet someone eligible at my social evening.’
The thought almost desiccated what was left of her.
Standing, he pulled her to her feet, his eyes as fierce as those of an eagle. ‘Remember how much fun we used to have together?’
She remembered.
‘You’ve turned into a sad mope now. You rarely laugh. What has that man you ran off with done to you to cause this change?’
‘Nothing … everything.’ She thumped a fist against his shoulder and he winced and took her fist in his palm, uncurling each finger with a kiss. ‘He humiliated me at every turn, made me feel as though I was nothing … a dog in the gutter to ill-treat, a slave to wash and cook for him … someone to abuse.’
She had never been this open before and he encouraged her with, ‘You should have left him.’
‘I couldn’t, he would have killed both of us.’
‘He said so?’
She nodded, fatigue creeping over her like a grey tide. ‘I hated him almost beyond reason and there was nothing I could do about it except—’
‘Except what?’
‘I’m tired, Ryder … I need to sleep.’
Breath hissed through his teeth and he pulled her close, holding her as she slumped against him. She seemed close to fainting, and that concerned him. ‘I’ll take you upstairs.’
Adele felt like a pent-up ball of emotion that needed to be expressed, though she was sure she’d explode if she didn’t keep a grip on herself.
Hefting her into his arms, he carried her up the stairs and into her bedroom.
She was closer to laughter than tears, horrible laughter, bordering on hysteria rather than light-heartedness, closer to frustration than to rage, and totally aware the workmen might hear if she raised her voice. She lowered it. ‘You know I didn’t run off with him by choice … you said you believed me.’
He lifted her onto the bed. ‘I do believe you. If it’s not what he did to you, then what? Tell me, so I’ll understand.’
One of the workmen gave a gruff shout, ‘We’ve finished bringing the furniture in, my lord.’
‘I’ll be there in a moment or two.’
‘It’s something I did to him … to Edgar.’
His eyes narrowed in on her in speculation. ‘Stop playing games, Adele. What exactly did you do to him? Tell me.’
‘I … I killed him.’ She began to tremble and forced the words out again. ‘I killed him before he killed me.’ There, she’d said it.
He pushed her to arm’s length and she watched the expression in his eyes change from annoyance to disbelief, then puzzlement. It was followed by a dawning horror and then an agonized acceptance. ‘Oh God, you don’t mean it. I won’t praise you for such a confession since it’s not true.’
She’d rather have his scorn than his lopsided pity. ‘You practically forced it out of me. Now I’ve done what I vowed never to do. I’ve ruined your life just by telling you. If this gets out I’ll be imprisoned, or worse … they’ll hang me. I’m so scared—’
A finger over her mouth stopped her rush of words. ‘Do you still love me, my Del?’
‘I’ve always loved you. You’ll never know how much, and I’ll feel guilty about the way I’ve treated you, for the rest of my life.’
‘Then my life will be all the better. A worthy cause, to embrace, my dearest Del.’
She felt numb and without purpose in her life when she was away from him. ‘I’ve never stopped loving you, even when I thought you were gone, though I couldn’t bear the thought I was living in a world where you no longer existed. If I hadn’t had Sarah to care for I don’t know what I would have done.’
‘I do …’ He began to open drawers and throw garments on to the bed …
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ‘What are you going to do?’
‘Everything I should have done all those years ago. Didn’t you get all those whispered messages I sent you?’
‘I guess we grew out of such childish games.’
‘You think so? Close your eyes now.’
He whispered something against her ear … something that sent suggestive messages through her body. When she shivered, he laughed and so did she. ‘See … it does work.’
There was the sound of him opening and closing her dressing-table drawers. Was he packing her travelling bag so he could get rid of her?
Curiosity got the better of her and after a short while she opened one eye and found him looking her!
They smiled in mutual recognition of a childhood spent together, and then he indicated the garments he’d laid out on the bed.
‘This looks pretty, just like your eyes.’ He indicated a gold, fine silk pelisse with pale green padded trim on the sleeves and shoulders. A matching bonnet flaunted pale green ribbons and feather trim. Taking her hand in his he kissed it. ‘Whatever I do will only be for your own good, so promise you’ll trust me.’
‘I promise.’
He took her downstairs, saying to the workmen, ‘We’ve got some business to conduct in Poole. I’ll be back in a short time. Perhaps you could put the men to tidying the garden.’
‘Yes, my lord.’
‘Why are we going to Poole?’ she asked when they were underway.
He gave a barely discernible grin. ‘You promised to trust me.’
‘Damn you, Ryder, you tricked me into saying that. You’ve always been stubborn about keeping secrets … I couldn’t get one out of you if I used a hammer and chisel.’ She sighed. ‘As you will. I hate it when you don’t tell me anything, and hate it even more when you sidetrack.’
‘And what have you just done? For months now you’ve had me on tenterhooks, braying like a donkey following after a carrot on a stick. When were you going to tell me about that particular misdemeanour?’
‘Never … I suppose. I thought it might ruin your estimation of me if you found out the truth.’
‘My darling, Del, you should know me better than that. You’d better tell me about it now. And don’t leave anything out.’
Dismounting, he lifted her down from her cart, hitched Henry and Daisy to a post and then turned to her, his eyes softening. ‘Now would be a good time, my love.’
He listened to her faltering account of what had taken place and took her hands in his.
‘That’s not what the witness accounts revealed. They state that Edgar Pelham trod on a piece of holystone left there by the ship’s boy, who was cleaning the deck, and he fell and went over the side. As he slipped Pelham grabbed you for support and his strength pulled you over the side with him. The seaman on deck duty managed to throw a drag net over the side and you became tangled in it.’
‘I remember …’ and her eyes were swimming in tears. ‘It was so hard to breathe.’
‘Pelham tried to climb over your body and he grabbed a fistful of your hair and you struggled to free yourself from the net. You banged your head on the side of the ship and became unconscious. Unable to help yourself you began to slide back into the sea. The seaman could only save one of you, so he cut you from the net and dragged you on board. He said you could have both been saved if Edgar Pelham hadn’t been such a craven coward, trying to save himself instead of helping you.’
‘So I didn’t kill him?’
‘The seaman couldn’t manage the weight of both of you together, and he was forced to take a knife to
the net and cut you free. He pulled you on deck and when he turned to get Edgar, the man had gone. That version was verified by the deck boy and by Sarah, who was up on deck with you.’
‘But … the dreams … I pushed him in. I wanted him to die.’
‘That I can understand after all you went through with him.’ He shrugged. ‘You always had a vivid imagination, my sweet, and you’d had a hard bang on the head that knocked you out. That probably concussed you. Whatever your dreams tell you, you didn’t kill anyone.’ He placed a kiss on her mouth.
She gazed at the building. ‘This is a church!’
‘How clever of you to recognize that, ouch!’ he said to the finger poked in his ribs. ‘They open for weddings between the hours of eight a.m. and noon. I’ve booked ours for ten thirty.’
‘But how could you when you didn’t know for certain.’
‘I simply made several appointments over several likely days, when I knew we’d be in Poole.’
‘I’m awed by your efficiency.’
‘I live only to please you. My love, you’ve confessed to a serious crime that might, or might not, become public knowledge, since Mrs Bryson wrote to the Pelhams with her poisonous suggestions. If you marry me nobody will bother you, because nobody in their right mind would believe that my beloved countess, Lady Madigan, would stoop to such a thing.’
Lady Madigan! She grinned despite her need to cry.
‘I have a bishop’s licence, which you must sign if you agree to become my wife.’ He ignored her snort. ‘This is a matter of trust between us, Del. We can exchange vows now and announce it at the social next week.
‘I’m going inside the church. I’ll wait fifteen minutes for you to decide.’ He held up his hand when she was about to speak. ‘We have reached a point in our lives where we must fulfil the promise we made to one another. As far as I’m concerned you either love me enough to become my wife, or you don’t love me at all.’
She hadn’t expected an ultimatum.
As he strode towards the church grounds she called out, ‘I forgot to mention that I hate it when you walk off in the middle of a conversation.’
His footsteps faltered and he turned and came back, his eyes gathering the dark blue of a summer sky before a storm. ‘You don’t mean it, Del … I couldn’t live with the thought that you hated me.’
‘It’s for your own good.’
‘Don’t ever do anything that’s for my own good again. You’ve put me through hell.’
The vulnerability in him was endearing, and it softened her. ‘I didn’t say I hated you. How can I when it’s not true? I absolutely adore you – and you know it. Besides, we can’t get married without witnesses.’
He turned, and smiled, held out his hand. ‘I’m sure we’ll find someone. Are you coming? I’m not going to ask you again.’
‘Are you sure about that?’
‘No … I was lying.’ Two steps took her towards him and she found herself drawn into his arms.
A man and a women walked by and the man whispered, ‘It’s the earl.’
‘And he’s kissing Mrs Pelham in public … how shocking.’
‘Oh, I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind kissing her in public myself.’
‘Joseph Braithwaite, you behave yourself.’
Laughing, they sprang apart and Ryder managed a sweeping bow for their audience. ‘May I shock you even further by asking you to witness our wedding? It will only take a few moments of your time, and I know I can trust you to keep it a secret before we announce it at the social next week.’
‘Don’t you fret sir, my wife and I can be as quiet as the grave when the occasion arises.’ Laughter boomed out of him.
The woman tittered and curtseyed. ‘Take no notice of his silly jokes, my lord. It will be my pleasure to attend your wedding, my lord, Mrs Pelham.’
Joseph mumbled with a gruff sort of laugh, ‘This will tweak a few noses in the district.’
‘Do be quiet, Joseph, undertakers should keep a suitable mien on their faces at all times. They’re not supposed to be amusing.’ She turned, displaying an ingratiating smile. ‘It was such an honour to arrange the burial of Mrs Bryson, especially with her being so closely attached to nobility.
‘It was my pleasure to attend her funeral, Mrs Braithwaite.’
‘Quite,’ Braithwaite muttered under his breath, and the two men exchanged a faint smile of agreement.
‘Ah yes … about the social,’ Mrs Braithwaite cut in smoothly. ‘I don’t think we’ve received our invitation yet, have we, Joseph?’
Smoothly, Ryder said, ‘An oversight by my clerk, I would imagine, for I’m sure your names were on the list of businessmen.’ Taking out his card, Ryder handed it over. ‘Give this to the doorman and he will announce you.’
Joseph slid it into his pocket. ‘That’s settled then. Shall we go and witness the gentleman handcuff himself?’
A clock chimed the half hour and Ryder picked up Adele’s hand and kissed it.
‘Are you ready?’
She nodded. ‘I sent a whisper on the wind.’
‘You said that you love me, and hope we’ll always be happy together. We will be.’
‘I love you, Ryder.’
‘And I love you.’ When he kissed her again she had never been happier in her life.
Somehow, Ryder had managed to hire some more staff. Adele’s maid, Elsa, was one of them. She was comfortably built, and creative.
Adele had decided against wearing the gown that had been fashioned for their former, doomed union. It would remind both of them of the past, when they should be looking to the future. She wore a new gown of white silk with a diaphanous overskirt of pale green with puff sleeves and touches of sage.
They had managed to keep their wedding a secret except for informing Hal and Sarah. The Braithwaites walked around with smug expressions on their faces. Most rumours were dismissed, since the supposed bride was still living in Duck Pond Cottage with Sarah and her aunts.
Elsa curled the last ringlet around Adele’s face and threaded ribbons through her coppery hair, catching it at the nape of her neck with a posy of green silk leaves. ‘There, my lady, it’s a simple gown that makes you look every inch the bride.’
‘But how did you know Elsa? I didn’t tell you.’
Elsa’s smile was suitably mysterious. ‘It was a whisper in the wind, my lady. His lordship will fall in love with you all over again.’
There was a knock at the connecting door and Ryder entered, splendid in dark blue breeches and satin coat over a silver brocade waistcoat and lace cravat. He carried a jewellery case. ‘I have something for you.’
The something was a string of emeralds. He settled the glowing green jewels in their place and then leaned forward, kissing her behind the ear. ‘Are you ready, my sweet?’
She drew in a deep breath. ‘I’m ready.’
They went down the stairs together, Adele’s hand resting lightly on Ryder’s arm.
The new butler bowed to them and called out, ‘Please clear the stair and stand for your hosts, the Earl and the Countess Madigan.’
The room fell silent as they descended, until Joseph Braithwaite called out, ‘I can vouch for that since I witnessed the ceremony. Congratulations, my lord. I hope you will allow me to bury you when the time comes, only with a little more ceremony.’
There was a hubbub of laughter, then cheering, led by Hal.
‘Oh my, I didn’t even know about it,’ Patience was heard to exclaim above the crowd. ‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘That’s a blessing. I won’t have to put up with your prattle then,’ Prudence retorted.
‘I love you so much,’ Adele whispered, and Ryder whispered, ‘I love you too.’
‘I was whispering to my aunts.’ They grinned at each other, and in case anyone thought they weren’t serious he drew her into his arms and kissed her, to the cheers of the men and titters and loud gasps from the women. She emerged from it blushing. He was certainly rubbing peopl
e’s noses in it.
Sarah stood with her father and grandfather, shining with the excitement of the moment. They had come to an arrangement, where she would spend every sixth week with her kin. Ryder had offered the Madigan carriage and Hal had promised to act as escort.
Hal stood behind them, tall and handsome, and totally reliable. His eyes were on Sarah and he had a faint smile on his face. Adele wouldn’t be surprised if something developed between them.
Her aunts wore new gowns and they both smiled the same smile at her.
Ryder had worked his way around the hall, making introductions, collecting curtsies, bows and best wishes to leave in their wake, and then he signalled to the orchestra and the music began.
Adele’s gaze met Ryder’s and was pulled into their depths and she didn’t have to guess how much he loved her.
‘It seems as though we’ve reached an agreement at last, my Del,’ Ryder said, and they began to laugh.
