“It is just as I have said, mon amour. The Earl is to arrive at first light tomorrow. What are we to do now? There is no possible way that we can acquire a carriage at that hour!”
Giles continued to scratch his chin in deep thought.
“No,” he eventually said. “It is too late notice to arrange for the carriage to come earlier, but perhaps there is something else that we can do.”
Maria’s smile came quickly as she stepped closer to her husband and fondly touched his face, removing the dirt that his hands had left.
“I knew that you would hit upon something, Husband. I told Madelene as much. What do you suggest we do?”
“We will leave on foot tonight,” he said. “We will carry the lightest of luggage and purchase whatever else we need in London. I have a friend who owns a lodging house – we will make it there by evening tomorrow at best and hire a carriage from there that will take us into town.”
The notion of travelling on foot, and at night unsettled Maria.
“Are there not bandits on the road? What of our Madelene? I am old and past my years of beauty, but Madelene continues to blossom. Who knows what may befall a young woman on the road?”
Giles smiled then, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Surely those bandits should fear Madelene? She is gifted with the art of knife throwing, and her father took the time to teach her how to use a pistol. I remember that he gifted her with two Manton pistols just before we arrived in England.”
Maria knew that to be true, but she was still unconvinced. She did not wish to meet any dangers on the road ahead, but she supposed that there was more danger to be found by staying put. They would have to take their chances and depart once the household had settled down for the night.
“D’accord, mon amour. I will tell Madelene of your plan. I have a notion that she will be greatly pleased – she does love an adventure.”
Maria left her husband and hurried back to the house, eager to inform Madelene of their new plan. If they were to leave tonight, then they would need to make haste.
*****
Madelene tried to sleep, but her thoughts would not let her. Instead, she anxiously waited for news from Maria. When she heard the knock at her door, fear gripped her with the thought that her aunt would summon her again and lock her up this time.
“You are being ridiculous!” she scolded. “That could be Rebecca with your dinner.”
The knock sounded again, and she took a deep breath before answering.
“Come in!”
Sure enough, Rebecca carried a tray on her hands laden with a dinner meal. The tray was so plentiful that Madelene marvelled that Rebecca had carried it up the stairs without dropping anything. The meal almost seemed celebratory in nature. What does Aunt Cordelia mean by this?
“Rebecca, the cook has created a stunning meal this evening. What is the occasion?”
The maid carefully placed the tray on the bed, making sure to balance everything just so. She stepped back and clasped her hands before her.
“I’m not entirely sure, Miss Madelene, but cook said that the Mistress is in good spirits. She ordered a celebratory dinner to be prepared and to bring up a tray for you with only the best pickings.”
Fattening me up before the kill, I gather. A notion entered her head.
“And did my aunt inspect this meal before you brought it to me?”
Rebecca nodded. “Yes, Miss Madelene. Mistress said that she wanted to ensure that all was perfect before it came to you. I trust that everything is alright?”
The maid frowned, clearly trying to deduce what was going on. Madelene knew that all the servants of the house must be confused about her aunt’s sudden attention to her needs. It was most uncharacteristic of her, and no doubt caused some whispering among the servants.
“Everything is perfect, thank you, Rebecca. I will have Maria bring the tray down – you need not worry about fetching it.”
She didn’t need the maid coming back and realising that Madelene had no intention of eating the food. She had a strong notion that her aunt had placed a sleeping potion in her food. The maid nodded.
“You may go now, Rebecca. Oh, and please give my thanks to my aunt – I greatly appreciate her kindness.”
The maid’s eyes widened for a moment before closing her expression. It was a well-known fact that Madelene did not get on well with her aunt.
“Yes, Miss Madelene.”
As the maid left the room, Maria came in. Madelene looked at her with hope, believing that a solution to her predicament had been reached. When Maria smiled, Madelene let out all the tension she had been holding.
“Oh, thank goodness!” she said.
“Yes,” Maria said. “You may say that. My Giles has come up with a plan that may just work, but there are risks.”
“I do not care about the risks, Maria. I want my freedom.”
“Very well. Just a moment.”
She held up her hand, silencing whatever Madelene was about to say. She crept towards the door and put her ear against it, listening. After a few heartbeats, she opened the door and in fell Rebecca. Madelene gasped when she saw the maid’s crumpled figure on the floor.
“Rebecca! What is the meaning of this? What do you mean by listening at my door?”
The maid stood up and smoothed out her dress, her cheeks reddening. She refused to look up and fixed her gaze on a knot in the wooden floorboards. Maria reached out and grabbed her by the ear, twisting. The movement earned her a howl from the young maid.
“Please, Miss! My apologies! I only did what Mrs Brumley told me to do. Please release my ear!”
Madelene had some sympathy for the maid when her eyes filled with tears. Mrs Brumley, the housekeeper, was her aunt’s right-hand woman and often snitched to her Mistress about the goings on of the house. Her aunt must have ordered her room to be watched.
“Maria, release her if you will. She is just a pawn in the workings of this house. It appears that my aunt does not trust me, but there are no surprises there.”
Maria released her, but reluctantly so. Madelene had the notion that Maria could have very well boxed the young woman’s ears for good measure. Madelene looked the young maid straight in the eye.
“I trust that you will inform Mrs Brumley that nothing has taken place, that you have heard nothing that is untoward or out of place. If not, I’m sure that Maria will find you again.”
Rebecca took in the threat with a hard swallow. Her hand went up to her reddened ear, and she nodded.
“Yes, Miss Madelene. I have heard nothing, and nothing out of the ordinary has happened.”
Her eyes darted to Maria who continued to look upon her with narrowed eyes. Most of the house servants were intimidated by the Frenchwoman who answered to no one except Madelene. It was only out of concern for Madelene that she paid heed to the Mistress of the house.
“Make sure that you do, Rebecca, or else you shall hear of it,” Maria warned.
Rebecca quickly curtsied and left the room, still holding onto her ear. Madelene laughed.
“Oh Maria, must you be so stern with her?”
Maria pursed her lips. “I cannot abide by snitches, ma cherie. They are the bane of our existence.”
“How did you know that there was someone at the door? I did not hear a thing!”
Maria crossed to the door once more and peeked outside. Satisfied, she closed it gently.
“The girl lumbers around like an elephant. It would be hard not to hear her approaching from miles away!” Maria looked at the tray. “You have not touched your food yet.”
“And I will not. I fear that my aunt may have put a sleeping potion in my food.”
Maria inspected the food, picking up each dish to sniff.
“You may be right, ma cherie. Better to quietly discard of this food – we would not want your aunt to become suspicious.”
She took the tray away and placed it on a nearby stool.
“I will dispose of t
he meal myself. Now, let me tell you of our plan because we do not have much time. Giles is waiting for our signal.”
Intrigued, Madelene patted her bed, insisting that her abigail sit down.
“Yes, tell me, please. I am eager to hear of our plan of escape. What did dear Giles say?”
“We leave tonight, ma cherie,” said Maria. “Once the house has settled in for the night, we will escape on foot with the bare essentials. Giles says that we will reach a lodging house by evening tomorrow and hire a carriage from there to London. From there we will secure passage to America and purchase whatever we may need in town. Giles and I have some money set aside that we will use.”
Madelene clapped her hands in glee. “This sounds frightfully exciting! It reminds me of our life on the ship, Maria. Do you remember? The adventures that we had were simply wonderful.”
She sighed in remembrance, but this only seemed to anger Maria.
“Foolish girl! Do you not know of the dangers that await us on the roads? You are a beautiful young woman, and although Giles is big and strong, he could not possibly fight every bandit that crossed us.”
Madelene was not in the least distressed by Maria’s angry tone. Others may see her as being insolent, but she knew that it was out of love. She shared a special bond with her abigail, the type of relationship that she imagined a daughter might share with her mother. In private, Maria addressed her informally but made sure to maintain formality in the presence of others. Madelene reached for Maria’s hands.
“Dear Maria, how is it any different to the dangers that we have faced before? Remember those young men in Jamaica? What about the women that had cornered us in India? They soon knew who Madelene Huntington was!”
Maria sighed. “Yes, child. Those events are forever etched in my mind, but that is not to say that a favourable outcome will happen all the time. I hear that these bandits are ruthless.”
“Then I will make sure to carry my pistols and knives.” A notion popped into her head and excited her. “Maria! I have just thought of the greatest notion! I shall pose as a boy!”
Maria looked at her with a stricken expression.
“I beg your pardon?”
Madelene laughed. “Yes, Maria. Just think on it! I could be yours and Giles’ son!”
Maria shook her head. “That will not work, Madelene. You are no longer as straight as you used to be. Your body has matured into that of a young woman – how will you hide your assets? And no boy has long hair like yours.”
Madelene became thoughtful again, twisting a lock of hair around her finger. She got up and crossed to the looking glass, studying her reflection. She turned around and fixed her abigail with a great smile.
“I’m going to cut my hair, Maria.”
“What?!” exclaimed Maria. “You will do no such thing. Your hair is your crowning glory, ma cherie. We cannot hack into it on a whim.”
“It is not a whim, Maria. This is a necessity. You will cut my hair short, bound my breasts, and I will don the loosest of men’s clothing that I have. No one will know the difference.”
Maria moved from the bed and came to stand before her, taking her face into her hands.
“And this beautiful face? Who can mistake this face for a man?”
Madelene placed her own hands over those of her abigail.
“There are boys who are feminine in appearance, Maria. I can dirty my face with soot to further obscure my features. I’ll even take on a deep voice.”
She practised her voice, making Maria laugh.
“Very well. I do not agree with this, but if you are certain, then I will support you. I will be sad to see all this hair go.”
She touched Madelene’s hair, stroking the golden tresses.
“Well, I will not. I shall be glad to be rid of it. I daresay that my head will feel lighter.”
A knock on the door made them both jump. Thinking that it was Rebecca again, Maria flew to the door and yanked it open, only to find her cousins.
The two girls filed into the room, neglecting to wait for an invite from their cousin.
“Cousin!” Letty exclaimed. “I hear that you are to leave us on the morrow? What exciting news!”
She carefully looked at her cousin, wanting to see her reaction. A ghost of a smile flitted across her lips.
“Well,” Madelene said. “It certainly is news.”
Letty was disappointed with her lack of response. She had been hoping to get her cousin riled up. She turned to her sister who was currently occupied with scanning the room.
“Seems awfully bare in here, Cousin Madelene,” Netty noted. “Have you packed already?”
“Miss Madelene is currently in the midst of preparing herself for tomorrow, and she needs her rest,” Maria cut in.
The twins narrowed their eyes at her, not appreciating the dismissal. They had hoped to find out more about her departure. The news that their cousin was leaving to be married to an Earl was surprising indeed. They were sure that Madelene was not acquainted with any Earl, let alone any other gentleman. Their mother had withheld vital information from them, stating it unnecessary to explain the entire situation to them.
“Very well.” Netty sniffed. “We shall see you off tomorrow, Cousin.”
“Yes! We both want to see the man that you are to marry!” Letty added. “One can only hope that he will be as wonderful as my David and Netty’s Lawrence.”
Madelene smiled. “Yes, one can only hope. I am quite tired, Cousins.”
She gave a yawn and rubbed her eyes for good measure. The girls reluctantly left the room, and when Maria had made sure that they were not in earshot, she made a positively scathing remark.
“Those two girls will be the death of their husbands. I shudder to think of their offspring.”
“Oh, Maria, let’s not be horrid. After all, I am about to escape this wretched place with my freedom, while they will be tied down to two men of odious character. Did you know that the one tried to pinch my bottom when he was last here?”
Maria raised her eyebrows. “You neglected to tell me of that. What else did those young men try to do?”
“Let’s leave that for another day, shall we? We have an escape to execute.”
Chapter 3
Two sheets filled with a few pieces of clothing, some money, and jewellery were all that Madelene could carry. Giles insisted on taking one of the tied sheets, flinging it behind his back as he walked ahead of them. Maria carried her own little bag filled with the bare essentials. She was uncharacteristically quiet, lost in deep thought. Madelene would catch her looking around nervously, worried about who or what could jump out of the shadows. Giles decided that it was safe enough to walk on the road, but once daylight broke, they would need to take cover in the woods and continue their journey there. Eventually, the woods would clear, and the lodging house was said to be nearby after that. Madelene was excited about their little adventure and chose to look on the bright side. The night was cool, but certainly not cold. The moon, round and brightly shining, lit their way as well as any oil lamp could.
“Isn’t this wonderful?” she said. “Even the weather is kind to us this starry night! And look at the moon – it appears close enough to reach out and touch it.”
A Lady for the Forsaken Earl: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 5