The Soft Whisper of Dreams

by Christina Courtenay

  ‘Maddie cwoss?’ Jago repeated with a worried look on his little face.

  Maddie smiled and hugged them. ‘No, I’m not, not really. Just a bit annoyed. I’m going to tell you a secret.’ She bent closer to whisper to them. ‘Today is my birthday.’ Absently she leaned forward to remove a stone from Edmund’s mouth. He had a tendency to put everything in there at the moment, whether it was edible or not.

  Nell jumped up and clapped her hands. ‘Oh, great, does that mean we get cake?’

  ‘I don’t think so. No one seems to have remembered. Although I suppose I could bake one myself later.’ She had thought Kayla at least would have known what day it was, or Jessie. After all, they’d always sent her a card and even a gift before. Not that she cared about it, but a simple ‘Happy Birthday’ would have been nice.

  ‘Maybe they will later.’ Nell gave her another hug before skipping off.

  ‘Maddie not cwoss now?’ Jago enquired, still looking worried.

  She smiled at him. ‘No, Jago, I’m not cross. Let’s play, shall we?’

  What difference did it make what day it was? Birthdays weren’t really that important anyway, she told herself, but she still felt glum and the day seemed endless.

  The little party arrived back late in the afternoon, as agreed, and Kayla and Jane met them by the door.

  ‘There you are. I was beginning to think you were lost,’ Kayla exclaimed, relieving Maddie’s aching arms of Edmund. Although still a baby, he was quite a hefty little thing, and to carry him for any length of time required strength. Maddie was exhausted. ‘Have you had a nice time, everyone?’

  ‘Oh, yes,’ Nell assured her.

  ‘Uh-hmm,’ Jago agreed, ‘but Maddie cwoss.’

  ‘Cross? Why? Have you been naughty then?’

  ‘No,’ the two children chorused.

  ‘Oh, it was nothing,’ Maddie disclaimed, embarrassed that the children should bring the subject up. ‘I just happened to be thinking of something. Now if you don’t mind, I think I’ll go and have a shower. I need to wash the sand out of my hair. We had a sand-fight.’

  ‘Oh, dear. Yes, go ahead. I’ll see you later. And thanks for taking them.’

  ‘No problem.’

  Kayla put her head round the door a while later when Maddie was resting on top of her bed. ‘Are you finished with your shower?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes. I decided to have a little kip before dinner. I’m absolutely exhausted.’

  ‘Good idea. I just wanted to give you this. It’s from me, Wes and the children.’ Kayla came into the room and held out a card and a small parcel. ‘Happy birthday, Maddie.’ She grinned.

  ‘Oh, Kayla, you remembered!’ Maddie jumped up and ran to hug her friend.

  ‘Of course we remembered, silly. And we’re planning a little surprise for you later on, so would you mind staying in your room until we tell you to come down?’

  ‘Sure, but you didn’t have to go to any trouble on my account.’

  ‘We wanted to, so no protests. Why don’t you make yourself beautiful and I’ll bring you a special dress to wear a bit later on.’ Kayla was wearing a smug expression which Maddie knew signified plotting of some kind.

  ‘A special dress? Kayla, really, that’s not necessary. What are you up to?’ Maddie was becoming suspicious.

  ‘Nothing.’ Kayla attempted an angelic look of innocence such as the one normally to be seen on her children’s faces. ‘Now don’t spoil the surprise, just do as I ask, all right?’

  ‘Oh, okay then. Can I open my present now?’

  ‘Yes, go ahead. I’ll see you later.’ With a quick wave Kayla was gone and Maddie settled down to open her gift.

  First she turned it over in her hands, trying to guess its contents. That was part of the fun, but on this occasion she failed to come up with even the faintest idea as to what it could be. The shiny pink paper could only have been chosen by Nell and it appeared the parcel had been wrapped by her as well, possibly with the help of her little brothers, as it was covered with so much sticky tape Maddie had to resort to using scissors. She finally managed to open it and found that inside the package was a beautiful leather case. Maddie opened that too.

  ‘Oh, my God!’ she gasped. On a bed of white velvet nestled an exquisite necklace made of twisted strands of gold with a tiny emerald suspended in the middle. The design was old-fashioned and intricate and it was exactly the kind of jewellery Maddie would have chosen for herself, had she been able to afford it. ‘Blimey, this must have cost a fortune,’ she exclaimed out loud. Had Kayla and Wes gone mad? It wasn’t even a special birthday like twenty-one or thirty; she was only twenty-eight. Surely they couldn’t have miscalculated?

  Stunned, she sat and stared at her gift for ages before going over to the mirror to try it on. She had to admit it looked just right on her long neck – elegant and chic, but understated. And expensive.

  ‘I can’t possibly keep it,’ she muttered.

  ‘Of course you can.’

  Maddie jumped and swivelled around. ‘Jane! You scared the life out of me.’

  ‘Sorry.’ Jane grinned apologetically and held out a tiny parcel and a card. ‘Just came to give you these. I was tiptoeing in case you were asleep. Happy birthday, big sis.’

  ‘Oh, thank you so much.’ Maddie cast another look in the mirror. ‘Has Kayla gone completely mad, though? She’s never given me anything like this before. It must have cost a bomb. How can I accept such a thing?’

  Jane smiled again. ‘I’m sure she knows what she’s doing. I think they felt that you deserved something special after what you’ve been through this summer. Anyway, I’d better run along and get ready for the surprise. By the way, that’s from Mother too.’

  ‘Thank her for me will you please until I see her later? I’m not allowed out of this room at the moment apparently.’ Maddie shrugged.

  ‘I will. Bye for now.’

  Maddie sank onto the bed once more and opened the card and the little present. When she saw the contents, she gasped again.

  ‘No, this is crazy. Has everyone gone bonkers around here?’ Another leather case had been revealed, albeit considerably smaller, and this one contained a pair of earrings to match the necklace. Maddie shook her head in disbelief.

  ‘Well, I suppose I might as well try them on,’ she murmured to herself. ‘I’ve got nothing else to do for a while.’

  ‘Right then, are you ready for the dress?’ Kayla came bustling into Maddie’s room carrying a long plastic clothes bag which she deposited on the bed. She was wearing a huge bathrobe still, although her hair had been put up on top of her head in an elegant style.

  ‘Ready? I’ve been ready for hours. What’s going on here?’ Maddie exclaimed. ‘Oh, and have you gone crazy giving me things like this?’ She pointed to the necklace, which she was still wearing. ‘I can’t possibly accept such an expensive gift.’

  ‘Do you like it?’

  ‘Of course I like it, it’s divine, but that’s not the point. The point is I can never buy you anything like that in return, so really ―’

  ‘So nothing. I hope I never have to go through a summer like you’ve just had. I’m sure you deserve it and that’s what we want to give you. You’re not allowed to refuse. Now come here and close your eyes please.’

  ‘Well, thank you, Kayla. You and Wes are far too kind, you know.’ Maddie came to stand beside the bed and closed her eyes.

  ‘Take your bathrobe off and lift your arms up,’ Kayla commanded. Maddie obeyed, then felt a dress being lowered over her head. The soft material made a swishing sound as it slithered over her body and, although cool at first, it felt very comfortable. She could feel that it had three-quarter length sleeves with something ruffled around the edges. Kayla told her to lower her arms and fiddled around with some buttons at the back. Then her arms went around Maddie’s waist and suddenly she pulled something so tight that all the air went out of Maddie’s lungs in a whoosh.

  ‘What the ...? What are you doing, Kayla
?’

  ‘Nearly ... done ... just hold ... on,’ Kayla panted, fighting with something behind Maddie’s back.

  ‘I can’t breathe, Kayla,’ she complained. ‘No way is this my size! And you’re not supposed to torture people on their birthday.’

  Kayla giggled. ‘You can look now,’ she said, sounding very pleased with herself. Maddie opened her eyes and turned towards the mirror.

  ‘God almighty! What on earth is this?’ She was wearing a mint-green eighteenth century style silk dress with a matching corset which pushed her breasts up to an almost indecent level. ‘You didn’t say we were having dinner dressed up in costumes. But wait a minute ...’ She narrowed her eyes at Kayla suspiciously, but her friend interrupted her.

  ‘No time for chatting now. We have to go downstairs. Let me just fix your hair quickly.’ She shrugged out of the huge bathrobe to reveal an almost identical dress to the one Maddie was wearing, but silver-coloured.

  ‘Good grief,’ Maddie muttered, but submitted to having her hair piled on top of her head and secured with pins into a cascade of curls. Kayla stuck a couple of ostrich feathers into it for good measure, handed Maddie a silk fan and pronounced them ready.

  As they left the room Maddie thought she could hear voices. ‘Kayla, please tell me what’s going on,’ she begged, grabbing her friend’s arm.

  ‘Sorry, no can do. Come on. Everyone’s waiting. It’ll be fun, you’ll see.’

  ‘Everyone?’

  But Kayla didn’t answer.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  They reached the staircase and Maddie realised the voices were coming from the huge hall. As they rounded the corner of the stairs she stopped dead in her tracks and simply stared. The whole hall was full of people dressed in eighteenth century costume. She guessed there must be at least fifty guests. An icy hand groped her stomach, turning it numb.

  ‘Go on,’ Kayla whispered, giving her a little push in the small of her back. ‘They’re all waiting for you.’

  Maddie couldn’t find her voice to answer. Instead she spread her fan out to cool her heated face. She thought she might faint.

  Kayla clapped her hands and urged her friend to descend a few more steps. A hush fell on the crowd.

  ‘Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the birthday girl in whose honour this ball is being held. Ms Madeline Browne.’

  To Maddie’s astonishment everyone began to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The entire scene was so amazing. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that Kayla’s ‘little surprise’ would consist of a fancy dress ball. She scanned the hall for familiar faces and found some.

  There was Jane, radiant in a shimmering burgundy dress and wearing make-up for once, which enhanced her pretty features. Nearby, her mother was sitting down, but still looking regal in purple. She spotted Wes leaning against a potted palm with a very smug expression on his face and although he sang for her, he had eyes for no one but his wife as usual. To her astonishment she also discovered her father towering over the crowd together with his brother, the giant pair both wearing Scottish outfits complete with kilt and sporran which suited them very well. As the song came to an end, Maddie blinked back tears of happiness and smiled at them all.

  ‘Thank you very much, that was wonderful,’ she managed in a rather shaky voice. ‘I-I don’t know what to say.’

  ‘Well, I do,’ shouted Wes. ‘Let’s get to the food, I’m starving.’ He waved everyone in the direction of the big reception rooms where huge tables were laden with mountains of food. Murmuring broke out as the guests made their way out of the hall. Maddie glimpsed uniformed waiters hovering with trays of champagne. She took a few more steps down the stairs, but Wes stopped her by holding up his hand.

  ‘Just one moment, my lady. I will call your escort for the evening.’ He gave an ear-piercing whistle and Kayla giggled. From behind the palm tree stepped the handsomest man Maddie had ever seen. He walked up to her and bowed from the waist with a flourish before holding out his arm to her.

  ‘My lady, if you please?’

  ‘Alex! Why you look ...’ Words failed her. She stared at him helplessly.

  ‘Like my ancestor Jago? I should bloody well hope so. The dressmaker worked herself to the bone for you.’ His gaze rested on her and she blushed at his scrutiny. She felt almost unclothed. ‘I said I’d wear this for you if you’d wear a corset, didn’t I?’ He grinned and this time he most definitely resembled his smuggler ancestor. Her heart did a massive somersault.

  ‘Yes, well, I didn’t have much choice. Kayla sort of bundled me into this thing. As a matter of fact, I can’t really breathe.’ She didn’t add that his presence made her feel even more breathless. She descended the last steps and put her hand on his arm. ‘And God knows how I’m going to eat.’

  Alex leaned over to whisper in her ear, ‘I’m sure I can help you loosen that thing a bit later on.’ Maddie shivered. ‘Now, let’s go and have some champagne. We have some celebrating to do I understand.’

  ‘Yes, let’s.’

  The canapés were out of this world and Maddie sincerely hoped there would be some left over since she could only manage a few with the tight corset constricting her torso. The champagne went down smoothly, however, and she was soon floating on a cloud of happiness. She greeted her father and uncle, thanked her mother and Wes for the wonderful presents and mingled with the other guests. Through it all Alex stayed by her side like the perfect escort he was meant to be.

  Maddie noticed several local beauties eyeing him up and asked if he shouldn’t do the polite thing and talk to some of the other guests.

  ‘No, I only want to talk to you,’ he replied. ‘Besides, I promised Wes I would be your beau this evening. He’d beat me black and blue if I didn’t stick to that.’

  Maddie didn’t believe him for a second, but gave up protesting. When he swept her into his arms to begin the dancing she forgot about everyone else in the room. Only he existed. How I have missed him! He whirled her around expertly and she closed her eyes and savoured the moment. The feel of his hard body against hers, the smell of his aftershave, his soft hair brushing her cheek. It was heaven and she never wanted it to end.

  Halfway through the evening Alex walked her towards the huge French windows, which had been thrown open, and out onto the terrace at the back of the house.

  ‘I need some air,’ he declared and pulled her along to the farthest corner where there was a stone bench conveniently situated. They sank down on it.

  ‘Are you having a good time?’ he asked and put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head against him and closed her eyes.

  ‘Oh, yes. It’s wonderful. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a lovely birthday before.’

  ‘Good. I’m glad.’ He was silent for a long while and nothing could be heard except the distant roar of the sea.

  For some strange reason, Maddie suddenly remembered the gypsy’s predictions for her, and the woman’s words came back in snatches. ‘I see a tall, dark, handsome man. He shares my blood, and he will try to help you.’ She glanced up at Alex’s profile, then closed her eyes again. That part had come true anyway. Alex was of the gypsy’s blood and he had helped her fight Blake-Jones.

  ‘I see danger. There is another dark man, he is evil and there is a red-haired man, he is good. You must face them both before you can find happiness. But take care, the danger is strong.’ Maddie shuddered. Yes, the danger had been exceptionally strong. Four times she had come close to death, but she had survived. ‘You will find a way when the time comes.’ She had. Somehow she’d found the strength to fight the deranged man and now he was gone. There was nothing more to fear. But what was the last thing the woman had said?

  Maddie pondered this for a while, then out of the blue the gypsy’s words popped into her mind. ‘... and do not worry, there will be happiness, as long as you let yourself believe in it.’ What had she meant by that? Of course Maddie believed in happiness, didn�
��t everyone? The words didn’t make sense.

  ‘Are you cold?’ Alex’s question brought her back to the present.

  ‘Sorry? Oh, no, I’m all right.’

  ‘I should have brought some champagne. Shall I go and get you some?’

  ‘No more, thank you, or I’ll disgrace myself. Are you trying to make me drunk so you can have your wicked way with me again?’ She giggled.

  Alex grinned. ‘No, I’m trying to break down your barriers. I thought perhaps champagne might do the trick.’

  ‘Barriers? What are you talking about?’ Maddie was sure she was still fairly sober, but she didn’t follow him at all.

  ‘I can never seem to make you even talk to me, I mean really talk, properly, let alone penetrate the fences you have put up against me. And there’s something I want to ask you.’ He seemed very serious, all of a sudden, and Maddie waited for him to continue.

  ‘Maddie, do you think I’m a bad person because I’ve been to prison?’

  Maddie’s eyes opened wide and she sat up to look at him in the moonlight. ‘No, of course not. Why should you think that? Oh, I know, that stupid argument we had. You should have let me finish and not jumped to conclusions. I wasn’t going to say that at all.’

  ‘You weren’t? What were you going to say then?’

  ‘I only wanted to tell you that I don’t date players. I don’t like being toyed with and as I’ve said before, I most definitely don’t like one-night stands. Although I suppose we sort of went beyond that, technically speaking …’

  ‘Players?’ Alex looked incredulous. ‘You think I’m a player, now?’ He started to laugh.

  ‘What’s so funny? You are extremely handsome, as I’m sure you’re aware, and I’ve learned from experience that men like you don’t have steady relationships with women like me. I’m not going to make that mistake twice, believe me. Besides, there was that woman who was all over you in Dartmouth and Annie told me all about how you used to bring home different girls every weekend. Then there was Wes’s ex and ―’