Secrets of the Heart (18 page)

“Follow them.”

“Follow them?” She was not certain if he was teasing her or not. “Then what?”

“We’ll know when we get there. But be absolutely certain of one thing,” he said. “The pistol remains with me.” He pocketed the weapon.

Madeline nodded, surprised that he was willing to accompany her and shocked at her own behavior. “I don’t know why I did that.”

“Desperation, I imagine.”

“I imagine,” she echoed his words.

“And one more thing.” He touched her hand. “Your mother has not been taken against her will. She has a mind of her own.”

“Her mind is not working logically.”

“She appears perfectly in control of the situation.”

Madeline mentally wrestled with the words. “Unlike me?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Her mind instantly filled with thoughts of Ravensmoore and their morning ride in the meadow. He always seemed to be there for her. “Why are you helping me?” she asked.

“I agree with you. I think you and your mother need the opportunity to talk before they wed.”

“Perhaps I can still change her mind.”

“I don’t think that outcome likely.”

The trip had proved to be more difficult than Madeline had imagined. They’d had to leave their horses at one of the inns along the way. Ravensmoore paid for the use of a coach and four and the care of their horses until they could return. Madeline’s arm ached from her stubborn decision to ride Samson. In the coach she had the leisure to think about what she would say to her mother when they reached their destination.

By the time they reached Gretna Green, the full moon gleamed in the star-filled sky, a brilliant jewel guiding their way. Madeline forced herself to concentrate when she saw the look of total astonishment on Vale’s face when he and her mother quit the coach.

“What are
you
doing here?” Vale asked. “This is too much.”

“Madeline, really.” Her mother looked at her daughter as if she had just committed an unthinkable act. “I cannot believe you followed us. What can you be thinking?”

“I am thinking only of your welfare.” Madeline knew her mother. Although she protested, there was a measure of relief in her tired blue eyes. “If you insist on getting married, I am going to be here.”

Grace’s face lit with joy. “Did you hear that, my lord? She is not opposing the marriage any longer.” The countess went to her daughter while the stable boys tended to the horses. “I am so
very
glad you are here, my dear.” Grace kissed Madeline’s cheek and wrapped her in a hug.

“It is too late to be wed this night,” Ravensmoore said. “We will just have to get some rooms and wait until morning. I will share a room with Vale, and you and your mother share another. That will give you more time to talk.”

Vale came face-to-face with Ravensmoore. “I have no intention of sharing a room with you, sir. I can certainly understand the countess wishing to spend the night with her daughter. Lady Madeline is overwrought. Everyone knows she’s never recovered from the death of her father. She’s going to try and convince her mother not to marry.”

Grace intervened. “Nonsense, my lord. I am most tired. Madeline and I will speak plainly tonight, and tomorrow all will be as it should.”

Vale bristled, “But—”

“If you and the countess are in love,” Ravensmoore said, “I am certain there is nothing Lady Madeline can do to change that. Now let’s find our rooms and get some rest.”

“A splendid idea. It has been a very long day.” Grace linked arms with Madeline, and together they entered the Welcoming Maiden Inn.

Ravensmoore arranged for a room for Madeline and her mother. “Since you refuse to share a room with me, Vale, I shall leave you to make your own arrangements. Pleasant dreams.”

“Bah.” Vale shook his head. “This was completely unnecessary. Goodnight, sir.”

Ravensmoore accompanied the women to their room. “Goodnight, Countess. Goodnight, Lady Madeline.” He bowed formally. “I trust you will sleep well.”

“Thank you,” Madeline said, grateful that she’d actually been able to stop the wedding thus far. She knew she would not have been able to do it without his help. “Sleep well.”

His eyes lingered on her. “I doubt I will sleep at all.” He touched her hand gently, then briefly raised it in his own.

Madeline swayed forward and for a brief beat in time thought he would kiss her hand. Instead he smiled gently and walked away. A shadow of disappointment crept into her heart.

She softly closed the door after watching Ravensmoore disappear into his room. She felt secure knowing he was close.

Turning, she confronted her mother, who stood watching her with a warning look in her eye. “I know what you are going to say, dear, and though it may appear that I don’t know my own mind, I do plan to marry Lord Vale on the morrow.” Grace removed her bonnet and gloves and laid them carefully on the bed.

“I thought you would give the notion of marriage to him more than a night’s sleep.” Madeline paced the room. “What can you be thinking? He’s not right for you, Mother. Can you not see that?”

“Hush now,” Grace ordered. Her shoulders straightened with determination.

Madeline must have made that same precise movement a hundred times herself when she was determined to have her own way. Now what was she going to do?

“Why?” she asked, refusing to give up. “Why are you so determined to marry this man so quickly? Why not announce your intentions and marry in the church? With a special license from the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Office you need not wait. Or better yet, purchase a regular license and have the banns read.”

“Madeline, there are some things that a young woman like yourself cannot understand. It is more than loneliness. It is the need to connect with another human being on a level that surpasses everything else.”

“Are you saying you desire him?” Desire. Isn’t that what she’d thought about Ravensmoore earlier that day? Did she desire him?

“Of course I desire him. I wouldn’t marry him if I didn’t, but I love him too. That’s what marriage is all about. Desire without love is simply lust. My feelings for Lord Vale go beyond that.” She sat down on the side of the huge poster bed and sighed. “You don’t understand, dear. You’ve never been in love.”

Madeline thought of her father and what a grand couple her parents made. She thought of what loving someone meant, of what losing someone meant. She had never lost a husband or been in love. But she’d seen what Mother and Hally had suffered. “I imagine you are lonely at times.”

“Very.”

She wondered what tomorrow would bring. “If only Father—”

“Stop it, Madeline. That will do no good. You know he’s not coming back. He’s dead, and there’s nothing any of us can do about that.”

Madeline nodded silently, feeling numb. Her shoulders drooped. Tears stung her eyes. “I do know that Father’s dead and that he’s not coming back. I’m not insane. But I am heartbroken. I don’t understand how you can fall in love with someone else so easily.”

“I’ve told you my intentions, dear.” Her mother rose and went behind Madeline to massage her shoulders. “You really mustn’t worry. Nothing will change for you. If that is what’s on your mind, put it to rest. Now, do try to be happy for me. Please.”

“You will be leaving Richfield to live on his estate, and you say nothing will change? Everything will change.”

“No, dear, you don’t understand. We won’t be living at his home. We will be living at Richfield. That is the way I want it. Lord Vale has agreed to it.” She came around to face Madeline. “I want you to be happy too.”

Madeline cringed inwardly at the thought of Vale living with them at Richfield.
Nothing will change?
Love must be blind if her mother refused to acknowledge that
everything
was changing and was spinning madly out of control.

“I would prefer that you take more time to think this through,” Madeline continued, hoping her mother would come to her senses. “We really don’t know enough about Vale. Have you ever been to his home?”

Grace pursed her lips. “It is not necessary, Madeline. I trust him.”

“If he really makes you happy, then I will
try
to be happy for you.” She stood and embraced her mother but couldn’t stop feeling as though she were losing her mother, her last remnant of family, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

“Thank you, dear. You’ll see. Everything will work out beautifully.”

The following morning dawned dark and drear, a reflection of Madeline’s inner turmoil and mood. She’d tossed and turned most of the night dreaming of Ravensmoore and of her mother’s decision. If she allowed herself to feel any emotions, she might become as vulnerable as her mother.

Madeline helped her mother dress in a beautiful red silk gown. “You are stunning,” Madeline said with admiration.

Grace kissed her daughter’s cheek, then stood back as if closely evaluating her. “How did you sleep last night, darling? You look tired.”

“I’m fine, Mother, really. I wish I could fit into one of your gowns. I’m afraid this riding habit isn’t well suited for a wedding.”

A rap on the door startled her. She opened it to find Ravensmoore standing in front of her. He was impeccably dressed in black with a white cravat knotted perfectly at the neck. And in his arms was draped a lovely green dress, her favorite color, with a matching but dark shade of green pelisse. “Good morning, Lady Madeline.” He bowed formally. “I thought you may want to change. I apologize for being late, but it took a bit longer than I imagined finding the shopkeeper.”

The man positively oozed genius, and that annoyed her. She dipped into a deep curtsy. “How wonderful. It’s very kind of you, Lord Ravensmoore. More than kind, actually.” She decided to pretend she was in control of her emotions and the situation. Nothing was further from the truth. “I’ll change quickly.”

When Ravensmoore returned, she opened the door.

He scanned her figure, seeming to approve as much of her as her dress. “I have exquisite taste,” he pronounced.

Madeline blushed. “You, sir, are a rogue.”

He ignored her charge and looked past her. “I must say, Countess, that you are a picture of beauty itself. I hope Vale realizes how lucky he is to have captured your heart.”

“Thank you, sir. That is most kind.”

“It is merely the truth. Lord Vale is waiting downstairs. I have come to escort you.” He held out his arm to Grace, who accepted it graciously.

Madeline found herself jealous of her own mother. She followed them downstairs and couldn’t help wishing it was she herself getting married this morning. That a dashing gentleman had whisked her off to Gretna Green and that they would be sharing their lives together. She shook off a sense of loss.

The remainder of the morning rushed by as she watched her mother and Vale exchange their wedding vows with one another. No church nor minister was needed. Only a pledge and a kiss in the tradition of hurried weddings at Scotland’s Gretna Green in the presence of two witnesses. To Madeline’s chagrin, she had to admit that Grace and Vale made a striking couple. Her mother’s alabaster complexion glowed against her red wedding gown, and Lord Vale’s blond magnetism stood out against his black clothes and tightly knotted cravat.

“I hope you will be very happy, Mother.” Madeline hugged her. “I will miss you.”