The Six Month Marriage (27 page)

Telling Jenny that she was going out to run some
last-minute errands she selected a large basket from the kitchen whilst Jenny
fetched her outdoor things. She was just about to don her pelisse when there
was a knock at the door and Jenny went to answer it. A minute later the little
maid returned.

‘Miss Bligh, miss,’ she said woodenly.

‘My dear Madeline,’ said Letitia, walking into the room
a second later looking every bit as elegant as usual. Her cloak was made of the
finest wool and was lavishly trimmed with fur. Beneath it she wore a
fashionable pelisse and underneath it a glimpse of her silk walking dress could
be seen. On her head was perched an exquisite feathered bonnet.

Madeline felt herself grow hot and then cold. What was
Letitia doing here? ‘Miss Bligh,’ she said with a calmness she was far from
feeling.

Letitia looked round the room. ‘This really is a
beautiful house,’ she said. ‘And how well you have settled in.’

Letitia’s tone was patronising, and Madeline wondered
once again how Philip could be so determined to marry her. Letitia would not
make him happy . . . Madeline caught herself up for thinking about things that
were not her concern.

‘But you were about to go out,’ said Letitia, seeing
Madeline’s pelisse and cloak.

‘Yes.’ Madeline gave an inward sigh of relief that her
cloak and pelisse were in the room. A prolonged visit from Letitia would have
tried her self-control to the utmost. ‘I was about to go and collect some
greenery to decorate the house.’

‘What an excellent idea. I know a good spot on the other
side of the river. There is a holly bush, and plenty of ivy. There used to be
mistletoe as well. In fact, I think I will go with you. I need a little more
myself. Besides, it is on the way to my carriage.’

It was the last thing Madeline wanted, but she could not
prevent Letitia from accompanying her. She put on her outdoor clothes, pulling
on her gloves and catching up her basket, and then the two women went out into
the winter’s day. A soft covering of snow lay on the ground. It was beautiful.
If she had been alone Madeline would have been enjoying the scene. As it was,
she felt on edge.

‘I expect you’re wondering why I have come,’ said
Letitia, breaking off a moment later to guide Madeline towards a tributary of
the river. ‘But I just had to thank you for all you’ve done for us. Without you,
Philip would not have been able to claim his fortune and we would not have been
able to marry.’

Madeline said nothing. Letitia clearly wanted to torment
her but she was not prepared to let her unhappiness show.

The sky darkened, and more snow began to fall. Soft
large flakes drifted lazily down from the sky.

‘We go across the bridge,’ said Letitia, pointing out
the narrow wooden span. It was not designed for horse traffic, and was wide
enough for only one person to walk across at once. It was covered with a thick
layer of snow, and more flakes were falling all the time. Letitia looked up at
the dark sky. ‘Perhaps we had better quicken our pace.’

They had almost reached the bridge when Letitia gave an
impatient exclamation. ‘My boot lace has come undone. No, don’t wait. The
weather is growing worse. I will catch you up.’

Madeline went on ahead, hurrying through the worsening
snow to the bridge. She began to cross, meaning to wait for Letitia on the
other side. But she had hardly gone halfway when there was an ominous
splintering noise and the wood beneath her gave way. She tried to jump to the
sound wood beyond but the bridge was slippery and she missed her footing,
dropping through the gaping hole that had opened in the middle of the bridge.

The basket fell out of her hand and plunged into the icy
water racing below, but she managed to catch hold of one of the bridge supports
with her right hand. For a moment she hardly dare breathe as she hung suspended
above the fast-moving waters, but the support was strong and bore her weight.
The first shock of the fall over, she swung herself a little, trying to build
up enough momentum to carry her other hand close enough to the bridge to gain
another handhold.

She tried and failed, but to her relief she saw that
Letitia had tied her lace and had reached the bridge. Even now, Letitia was
making her way carefully across, testing her footholds before committing her
full weight to a new plank, until she stood almost directly above Madeline.

‘Hold onto the handrail,’ called Madeline, ‘and then
give me your other hand.’ For the first time in her life she was grateful for
Letitia’s presence.

But instead of making any move to help her, Letitia
looked down at her with cold, hard eyes. ‘Give you my hand? Why would I want to
do that?’

Madeline’s face registered her shock, and Letitia gave a
cold, mirthless laugh.

‘How sad!’ she said. ‘The noble Countess swept away by
the current on Christmas Eve! It quite breaks my heart.’

‘Help me up,’ cried Madeline in desperation.

‘Help you up? So that you can steal from me everything
that is rightfully mine? Oh, no, Madeline. I am not going to sink into poverty
and obscurity whilst you run the Manor. Stonecrop is mine. I am going to be the
Countess of Pemberton and neither you nor anyone else is going to stand in my way.’

‘But you already have it,’ said Madeline, her arm aching
with the strain of hanging beneath the bridge, wondering what Letitia could
possibly mean. ‘In a few more days Philip will be able to claim his fortune and
then he will have the marriage annulled and you will have everything you want.’

‘Everything I want?’ Letitia’s voice was amazed. But
then she began to laugh. ‘How rich! You don’t know, do you! Oh! It’s too rich,
it really is! You still think Philip means to marry me.’ Her laughter
degenerated into giggles. ‘It is too fine a jest! Philip has no intention of
marrying me. He is in love with you. He has been in love with you for months.
And you haven’t even realised it!’

‘In love with me?’ asked Madeline in astonishment. But
then her astonishment faded as she realised that what Letitia was saying was
true. ‘Philip is in love with me,’ she said. A smile washed over her face. She
was hanging from a broken bridge with the icy waters of the river running
beneath her and her tormentor above her, and yet life in all its strangeness
was giving her the happiest moment she had ever known. Philip was in love with
her. For one wonderful moment that thought blotted out everything else.

‘Yes.’ Letitia’s ground out word brought her back to the
reality of her situation. ‘In love with you.’

‘Then . . . he didn’t go to you?’

Letitia’s smile was malicious. ‘That was a good touch,
was it not? It was Danson who thought of it. He kept the note that Philip wrote
for you, explaining where he had gone and why. After that, it was a simple
matter to make you think he had gone to me. A few choice words to your maid,
and the damage was done.’

‘But Mr Greer . . . ?’ asked Madeline.

‘Ah yes. Mr Greer. Mr Greer has been very useful one way
and another. It was an easy matter to persuade him to take you the keys of the
York
house so that you would think Philip
wanted you to move out of the Manor. Mr Greer will do anything for money.’

‘But why?’ gasped Madeline.

‘Isn’t it obvious? I knew you would be much more
vulnerable here than you would be at Stonecrop, where you had a house full of
servants, to say nothing of the faithful Jenkins, watching over you.’

Jenkins! If only she had not told him she would no
longer be needing him now that she was moving to
York
, thought Madeline miserably.

‘Besides, I knew this bridge was rotten,’ went on
Letitia. ‘It was the perfect way to dispose of you.’

‘But when Philip returns —’ protested Madeline.

‘He will find you are dead. Leaving the way open for him
to marry me.’

‘No!’ Madeline thought desperately for a way to dissuade
Letitia. ‘The marriage hasn’t run its course. Philip won’t be able to claim his
inheritance if you let me drown.’

‘I’m sure the lawyers won’t quibble over a day or two in
the face of your sad demise. But if they do, well, Philip will still be able to
make me a countess, if not a fabulously wealthy one. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I
can’t stand here all day. Goodbye, Madeline.’

‘No!’ called Madeline.

But Letitia was already making her way back across the
bridge, and was soon swallowed up by the whirling snow.

Alone again, Madeline realised that no one would be
coming to help her. Steeling herself for the effort she tried to pull herself
up onto the bridge. Once, twice, three times she tried, but her arms were not
strong enough, and on the fourth attempt she slipped and fell into the icy
waters below.

But even as the river closed over her head she did not give
up. Philip loved her. And she was determined to fight with every last ounce of
her strength for life.

A
feeling of foreboding overcame Philip as he strode towards the river. He had
ridden to the
York
house on
leaving the Manor but once there he had found that Madeline had just gone out.
And worse, he had discovered that she had just gone out with Letitia. His
conversation with Jenny had filled him with unease. Why had Letitia visited
Madeline? To make mischief? His mouth set in a grim line.

His strides became longer as he followed the path
Letitia and Madeline had taken. Thank goodness he could not be too far behind
them. He had learnt from Jenny that Letitia had told Madeline there was a good
spot for greenery on the other side of the river, and by dint of questioning
the few people who were out on the streets in the snow, finishing their last
minute purchases for the festive season, he was able to discover exactly which
way they had gone and then to follow.

He was drawing near a tributary of the river now, and
could see the bridge that spanned it. And on it - could that be Letitia? Yes.
Despite the swirling snow he recognised her by her height. But she was hurrying
back across the bridge and was swallowed up by a sudden flurry. Philip did not
give her a second thought. It was not Letitia he wanted to find, it was
Madeline. But where was she? He quickened his step, just as he heard a loud
splash and looking into the fast-flowing waters saw her surface for a split
second before being carried away.

And then he was flinging off his greatcoat and dragging
off his boots and plunging into the water after her. Conditioned as he was he
still felt the icy water numbing him and struck out with strong, powerful
strokes, knowing that even if she did not drown Madeline could not long survive
the cold. He saw her up ahead of him, making a valiant effort to catch at the
protruding branch of a tree, but it was rotten and snapped in her hand.

But it had slowed her enough for Philip, with one strong
kick of his legs, to reach her. He caught her arm, pulling her towards him as
he trod water until he could get a more secure hold, then, fighting the rushing
river, he swam with her to the bank and lifted her out.

She had just enough strength left to haul herself further
up the bank, away from all danger of being dragged into the water again, before
she collapsed.

She had swallowed a lot of water and was numb with cold
but she was alive.

Following her out of the water Philip wrapped her in his
coat and then, sweeping her up into his arms, he strode back to the house.

As Jenny opened the door and saw Madeline lying so still
in Philip’s embrace she let out a gasp of horror, but then responded quickly to
Philip’s commands.

‘Bring me blankets,’ he said as he took her into the
parlour, ‘and then fetch Dr Morris.’ Quickly he gave Jenny directions for
finding the doctor and Jenny, barely stopping to put on her cloak, ran out into
the snow.

‘Madeline,’ said Philip, chafing her hands and feet. ‘Madeline.
Come back to me.’

At last the doctor arrived and examined her whilst
Philip paced up and down the room.

‘Well?’ he demanded as the doctor rose, looking grave.

‘It’s difficult to say. Her pulse is steady and with
care she should recover but there may be problems to come. Pneumonia, fever -
but then we will face that if, and when, it happens.’

‘Bring her back to me, Doctor,’ said Philip, his face
etched with worry.

‘I’ll do all I can. Now this is what I want you to do.’
He spoke to both Philip and Jenny, giving them instructions for Madeline’s
care, saying to Philip, ‘And you must get out of those wet things yourself, at
once. You may have a strong constitution, but you won’t escape unscathed if you
delay.’

Philip nodded.

‘You’ll be needing some help from the Manor, I don’t
doubt. I’ll send my lad. You should have someone here before night falls.’

‘Thank you. This house isn’t equipped for emergencies.’

‘I’ll see myself out,’ said the doctor.

And then Philip carried Madeline up to her room and left
Jenny to undress her whilst he stripped off his wet things, returning wrapped
in a blanket to keep a watch over his beloved wife.