Chapter Twenty-Four

Before Maddy even opened her eyes the following morning, she had a wide smile on her face.

Laying in bed lazily, she remembered the evening before, that firelit time in the parlor with Jamie, those long minutes were the world fell away and it was only the two of them together.

She knew she had been missing something in her previous relationship with Henry, but she’d had no idea until last night.

She smiled again, thinking of the caress of Jamie’s hands down her body, of his lips all over her skin, and the feel of him filling her completely – and remembering the look in his eye when they came together.
Henry had always looked mildly bored, and never took an interest in her pleasure.

Jamie had made her pleasure his number one priority.

She giggled a bit, remembering the caress of his tongue, and the scorching pleasure it had wrought, showing her a new kind of lovemaking.

She stretched languidly, strangely liking the soreness of her body, feeling as though her lips were still bruised from his kisses, and wished again that he hadn’t had to leave for two days.

Two whole days without even seeing Jamie, much less repeating last night’s passion.

She was glad to see that Jamie was willing to trust her, to love her – God, he loved her! He’d said so before he took her, she thought happily.

Her only niggling doubt was that she hoped it was true – that now that he’d had her, he wouldn’t just move on to another conquest, feeling he’d satisfying some itch.

Surely not.

Maddy had loved Jamie since they were children, and if Jamie’s whispered confession last night were true, he had always felt for her as well.

She could hardly believe it.

The only clouds on the horizon of this sunny situation were how Fitz would react were she and Jamie to announce themselves as a couple… and her station as a war widow and the affect it could have on his standing.

Jamie had prestige and standing in society, and for his own benefit, should marry someone with the same station in society.

Someone like Lady Amelia Drake, Maddy thought with a frown, remembering how pretty and elegant she had looked the night before while dancing beside her and Lord Blakely.

She thought she knew Jamie loved her, but the reality was that the gentry had to protect their position in society, had to produce an heir that could inherit the title, and making the proper marriage was everything these days.

Though Jamie had thrown Lord Blakely in her face the other night, she knew the reality was that the son of a Marquess may enjoy her company, but would never make her his wife.

She wondered if Jamie had the same reservations.

And she understood – truly she did – but that didn’t change her feelings for Jamie.

She’d long ago accepted that she would never make a happy match again, but all her roiling emotions for Jamie had disguised the fact that they were doomed never to be a true marriageable match.

Maddy finally crawled out from under the covers and walked over to the window, seeing that it was a gray, gloomy day, which suddenly matched the mood of her doubts.

No doubt it would be a day of sitting in the parlor reading or sewing, and knowing Jamie wasn’t even around the house would make it ten times longer.

With a small sigh, Maddy turned to her wardrobe just as her lady’s maid rapped lightly at the door.

###

Jamie couldn’t seem to stop smiling like a fool.

No matter than rain kept dripping in his eyes and that he was chilled to the bone – all he had to do was think of the night before to feel warm through.

Finally being with Maddy was just as he imagined – passionate, wanton, satisfying.

And she trusted him, and didn’t care about his past passions.

That made his normal reserve and embarrassment with women crumble away to dust.

With another smile, he and Thunder leapt over a log and caught up with his steward, Cleary. He knew he must look a fool, smiling and murmuring to himself, but Cleary was smart enough not to question his lord.
Or so he thought.

“Lady Madeline has grown into a fine lady, has she not, my lord?” Cleary said, as though reading Jamie’s thoughts, and Jamie jolted a bit in the saddle at the sudden matching of his thoughts and Cleary’s inquiry. Cleary had been his father’s steward for many years, and had ably managed the estate during Jamie’s absence. He’d often thought of him as a surrogate father, and because of their close relationship, Cleary had always been free to speak his mind – a trait Jamie valued. Cleary often brought clarity and forthright thinking to any situation.

“She has indeed, Cleary,” Jamie said, unable to stop himself from grinning, remembering how very fine she had looked last night, half undressed, her hair a tumble around her shoulders and his cries of passion in his ear.

“I remember her as a slip of a girl, chasing after you and Lord Stafford around the estate. I would never have imagined her to be so refined and lovely now,” Cleary said easily. “It’s surprising to me that she didn’t make a better match in society.”

Jamie’s expression darkened slightly at the thought of Maddy being pushed into a loveless marriage, particularly one that did nothing to elevate her standing in society.

She deserved so much more, but as a young lady, was at the mercy of her father, who, though he wanted what was best for her, had failed miserably in finding her a better match. “Yes, I believe it was arranged by her father, though I think she could have done much better as a gentleman’s daughter.”

“Agreed, my lord,” Cleary said. “But her father was ill for a long time, and desperately wanted to see his children settled before he passed from the world.”

“He had been ill?” Jamie said, surprised that neither Maddy or Fitz had mentioned it.

“Oh yes, my lord,” Cleary said. “While you were away in France, his health declined rapidly. I know he was disappointed that Lord Stafford didn’t find a wife, but he was bound and determined to see his daughter well taken care of, one way or another. What a shame it was with that officer – and then he up and got himself killed in the war, leaving her alone.”

Jamie nodded absently, absorbing this.

“I’m sure Henry was a gentleman, but I heard tales of his gambling away his little fortune, and that he was less than kind to his servants and wife. Not physically abusive, mind, but just emotionless and cold. He lost a great many servants during that time, despite Lady Winchester’s attempts to placate him.”

That perfectly echoed what Maddy had told him, Jamie thought, though she had obviously glossed over Henry’s faults. True, she had admitted his lack of prowess in the bedroom, but to think he was cold and emotionless to everyone around him all the time – it made his heart ache.

Madeline Winchester deserved a life full of laughter and happiness, rather than spending the last few years first trapped in a loveless marriage, and then trapped by a society that looked down on her. It made Jamie’s blood boil to think of the ill treatment she might have received at the hands of others.

“Shame she won’t ever marry well again,” Cleary continued easily as they cantered along the lane towards another farm. “Not with her first marriage so low in station.”

“You don’t believe she could marry well?” Jamie inquired, his voice neutral.

“Take yourself, my lord,” Cleary said. “If you were to marry her, you’d lose the respect and standing of society – particularly in London. You need to find a wife that can handle a large estate and staff – which Lady Winchester has never done – and produce heirs – which Lady Winchester hasn’t done, and many assume that is her fault, not his – and that would elevate your standing in society, which she could never do with her past marriage. Based on those assessments alone, Lady Winchester is doomed to be either an old maid or the wife of someone who isn’t a gentleman,” Cleary added. “But that’s just my opinion, my lord.”

Jamie glowered at the trees surrounding them, absorbing this. “I’ve always had great affection for the Staffords, and it would pain me to see her or Fitz unhappy. Perhaps a gentleman would look past though previous faults and see all her good qualities, which, I assure you, are many.”

Cleary looked at his master hesitantly, hearing the fire in his words, and wondering if perhaps his lord had fallen for Lady Winchester himself. “Of course, my lord. That could always happen, but in my experience, rarely does.”

“Then perhaps it’s time society changed,” Jamie said, digging his heels into Thunder and pounding off at a gallop, leaving Cleary in the dust behind.

33315/50000