CHAPTER 24

Madison wrapped a scarf around her head and draped a huge woollen travelling coat over her shoulders.  Beth would not be expecting her to be up for another hour.  Her parents would be having morning tea in their chamber, only the kitchen staff would be up to prepare the morning meal.  The cook was busy making pastries.  Madison greeted her and slipped out the back door.

The wind was howling.  Its chilling effect slapped against her face, bringing tears to her eyes.  The dark grey clouds looked ominous.  It was not the most ideal weather for one to be taking a walk, let alone an unchaperoned   Propriety be damned, Madison thought to herself.  Who invented such a stupid protocol anyway?  Why did a gentleman have the liberty to do as he pleased, yet a lady was treated as if she did not know how to apply her mental faculty?

Madison barely noticed the early morning farmers in their carriages on the way to the market. Some vendors were setting up their businesses for the day, cobblers were unpacking at the intersection of the two dirt roads; another selling fresh produce, another with the morning’s newspaper, and the blacksmith, pounding away with his hammer and chisel on metal fittings.  She found herself walking into the woodlands.  Only when she came up to the spot where she last saw Chadwick lazing on the grass, did she realize how far she had walked.  Madison shut her eyes, half hoping when she opened it, she would see him.

When she opened her eyes, she was welcomed by a deafening silence and her own solitary companionship.  Lowering herself onto the grass, she pulled her coat closer against her neck and wrapped her arms around her chest.  She wondered where Chadwick was.  It was four days since she had boldly went to see him at his home.  Surely he was back?  Was he still annoyed with her?  He probably was, for he was a man who did not suffer fools gladly, and she was a fool she knew it.  Madison longed to see him again.  If only he could just put his arms around her, and smile that mischievous smile of his, if she could only see it, just once.

When the sun made a surprise entry a while later, Madison figured she should head back home.  By now Beth would be frantic with worry.  She would have taken her morning chocolate to her chamber and assumed Madison was taking breakfast with her parents and would be most upset to discover Madison had left home unchaperoned.

       'I say, have you had bad news Rochester?’ a gentleman at the bar asked?

‘Excuse me?’ Chadwick downed his fourth glass of whiskey and slammed the glass on the counter, requesting a refill from the bar tender.  His father was rather ill, other than that, he had not received any bad news.  Unless you considered an image  of a waif with hypnotising chocolate brown eyes and silky strands of brown hair haunting you day and night as

‘It seems like you’re trying to drink yourself into oblivion,’ the gentleman laughed.

‘I am celebrating old chap,’ Chadwick announced.  ‘My horses have just made me a small fortune.’  He was telling the truth, his horses did win him a large sum of money.  Though his drinking binge was more him drowning his sorrows that him celebrating.

‘I know just the place where you could spend your money rather pleasurably,’ the man laughed, and the ladies need no lessons,’ he winked.

‘No thank you,’ Chadwick gulped from his glass.

‘What can be of greater pleasure than being wrapped in the arms of a luscious lady who knows how to please a man?  Personally I favour the buxom blondes with well rounded bottoms,’ he laughed softly, his eyes trained at a waitress fitting that description, who was serving drinks at another table.

‘Perhaps you are correct,’ Chadwick met the man’s lusty eyes, his own subconscious vehemently disagreeing with the passable merits of the blonde lady.  He won’t admit it, but the only colour hair that would appeal to him now would be that of a fiery brunette, and the eyes had to be as dark.

‘I have passed the stage where the only pleasure I derive in life is chasing a woman’s skirts,’ Chadwick stated with a trace of annoyance.  ‘I find pitting my skills against the wiles of Arabian thoroughbred horseflesh equally satisfying,’ he smiled wickedly, an agonizing knot twisted in his stomach at the lie he’d just told.

      When Madison returned home from her walk in the near death cold weather, her maid had been quite ready to give Madison an earful, but she had to wait in line for Madison’s father was most annoyed at his daughter’s atrocious behaviour.  Especially as nobody had known her whereabouts when Rankin’s seamstress had called to take Madison’s measurements and had unravelled a display of  morning and evening gowns; fans; shawls; pelisses; bonnets; satin slippers and reticules.  Amongst the array of fashionable items for her trousseau were rather revealing negligees; sheer stockings; corsets; stays; shifts; camisoles and silk drawers.  Madison had only previously seen such inappropriate designs in a magazine she should not have been looking at, thanks to Sarah.

Madison apologized unreservedly to her father and the seamstress.  Lady Rachael watched in astonishment at her daughter’s subdued behaviour.  She put it down to pre-wedding nerves.  Madison politely accepted everything the seamstress displayed without any interest whatsoever and after an appropriate time, she served the seamstress tea and refreshments, then rushed up to her chamber, throwing herself on her bed and sobbed uncontrobaly.

She did not look up when a gentle hand brushed her hair away from her face and kneaded the knots in her shoulders.  Neither did she open her eyes when Beth pressed a soft cloth to her face to wipe away the tears.  After sobbing her heart out, Madison drifted into a deep sleep, after staying awake for much of the previous night.  She did not go down to lunch.  Her parents thought it was because her father had given her a dressing down in front of the seamstress.  Beth took a tray up to Madison.  She was not at all interested in the nourishment and Beth had to force feed it to her.

Lady Rachael had come to see her just before dinner.  Madison was relieved she was not lying when she told her mother she had a headache.  Rachael embraced her daughter lovingly and offered her daughter some soothing words of encouragement.  She told Madison  she did not need to come down to dinner, that Beth would bring her a dinner tray.

She allowed Beth to give her a bath and wash her hair.  Beth tried to sing to her and relayed some anecdotes of the amusing arguments between the cook and Buttons, but nothing brought a smile to Madison’s face.  Beth brushed Madison’s soft hair until it shone and left it opened as Madison climbed straight back into bed.  She instructed Beth to wake her up at seven in the morning.  That night Madison thought sleep would evade her again, seeing she had spent almost the entire afternoon in bed, but she instantly fell into a deep sleep.  It must have been the refreshing hot bath, the scent of lavender bath salts and rose oils that Beth had added.

              Madison stirred and pushed at the heaviness that seemed to be weighing her down.  When she felt little pine needles poking at her face she woke up in a fright.  Madison opened her mouth to scream, but a strong hand closed tightly over her mouth.  Her eyes widened with shock.  When she discovered the identity of her assailant, she threw her arms around him.

‘Chadwick,’ she sobbed, kissing his lips, and cheeks and hugging him.  ‘Where have you been?’ she cried hysterically.  ‘I missed you.  I wanted you.  I love you.’

‘Hush my love,’ his lips lit a fire down her throat.  ‘I am sorry,’ he whispered.

‘Kiss me,’ she demanded, tearing at his clothes.  Chadwick, obeyed, taking possession of her lips.

‘Wait---how did you get in?’ she whispered.

‘Some engineering at the window,’ he looked up.  Madison followed his eyes.  He had removed the entire window frame.