He wanted more than anything else, to talk to her. Not seeing her for nine days had been torture. Today he had to see her.
Dirk had no idea what this woman had over him, but she had completely captured his heart.
***
He was here again. Maggie hadn't thought he would turn up, but there he was, sitting in the front pew again, just as he had done the week before. And the week before that.
Last week Maggie had been lucky and managed to escape before Dirk went looking for her. It had caused Mrs. Trainor some amusement, but Maggie was determined to avoid Dirk. The feelings that kept coming up whenever she thought of him were too confusing, and she didn't want to try and figure them out. The best she could do was keep out of his way.
No matter what she dreamed about, nothing could ever happen. He was a duke, the highest peer there was. She wasn't even on the peerage scale. She was struggling to earn money for her family. Even though her parents were well again, her father was still out of work so it was all on Maggie to bring money home so they could eat.
They were at each end of the scale. What could he possibly see in her that he found attractive? Maggie was not naive; she knew when Dirk looked at her that he found her attractive. Men didn't look at her like that, not with the stigma around her. She was not used to it.
She liked being considered attractive, but she wasn't used to it. It terrified her.
"Maggie, dear?"
Maggie was jerked out of her thoughts when Mrs. Trainor touched her arm. She jumped and looked round, focusing on the old woman. Her employer looked concerned.
"Are you well?"
"I'm perfectly well." Maggie lied. "Why do you ask?"
"You've been staring off into the distance ever since we stepped inside the church. I don't think you've listened to the service." Mrs. Trainor touched her hand. "I thought you were ill."
"I'm fine," Maggie assured her.
She wasn't fine. But Maggie didn't want to worry her employer more. Plus it would be great gossip for Mrs. Trainor if she knew Maggie had feelings for Dirk Stowers. She wouldn't hear the end of it.
The service ended, and Maggie stood up quickly. She could see Dirk standing and turning to look at her. The expression on his face said he was going to talk to her whether she wanted it or not. Maggie turned to Mrs. Trainor.
"I'm just going to check on Mama and Papa, and then I'll come back to your place to sort the lunch out."
"Don't rush, love. Mrs. Thompson has asked me to lunch, so I'll be out." Mrs. Trainor smiled. "I won't be back until two."
Maggie didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed. But she needed to deal with whatever was going on between her and Dirk. They had only met once and seen each other at a distance, but something was growing between them. Maggie didn't know what to do, but she wanted to face Dirk and demand to know what was going on.
Hopefully, it wouldn't end with her running away in a fit of panic.
Maggie left the church, ducking away from the other churchgoers. This time, she made sure Dirk knew where she was going. She hurried away through the trees and made her way to the river. After growing up in the village, she knew the best places where they wouldn't be disturbed.
Reaching the river moments later, Maggie moved behind the trunk of a large oak, stepping onto the high roots as she leaned against the bark. No one would see her unless they looked up. She didn't have long to wait. Sure enough, Dirk appeared round the tree and stopped by the river. Maggie could imagine the surprise on his face that she had disappeared into thin air.
She heard him curse and bit back a smile.
"Do you normally chase women?"
Dirk spun around. His eyes fell on her, and they widened. Then he gathered his composure and folded his arms.
"Do you normally walk without a chaperone?" He shot back.
"Only when I'm confronting a man about why he's following her."
Maggie wanted to stay where she was but knew she would lose her balance eventually. She climbed down, trying not to look like a new foal trying to find its legs. She got onto firm ground and joined Dirk by the river. She kept out of reach, but she didn't back away. Dirk's eyes looked over her, a heated expression in his eyes.
"I find you fascinating, Maggie." He reached out for her face. "I wanted to see you again."
No man had said that to her before. Maggie turned her head away from his hand.
"I won't do what my sister did." She gritted her teeth, memories flooding back. "She was known around the village for being 'friendly.' I won't do the same."
Dirk's hand fell away. He stared at her, realization dawning. Maggie knew he was figuring out the reason for the rumors were because of him.
"I'm not asking you to do that." He protested. "That wasn't on my mind."
"Liar."
Dirk raised an eyebrow, giving her a look of bemusement.
"I bet no man can get near you when you're this prickly towards them."
Maggie felt a lump in the back of her throat. He had no idea. She turned away and stared at the river in an effort to compose herself.
"When men find out that Dawn is my sister they run the other way. Dawn may be married now, but she left a reputation behind. And it's tarnished my chances of having a husband at all."
Not that she had a chance of getting a good marriage anyway. People thought she was a little strange anyway after Dawn had talked about her strange, annoying little sister. She had gone out of her way to make fun of Maggie, and everyone had picked up on it, particularly boys her age.
Maggie hated her sister.
"You sound very bitter about it," Dirk said quietly.
"I've learned to live with it." Maggie turned back to him. Dirk had come closer but hadn't touched her. She was grateful for that. "And I don't believe a man like you should even be remotely interested in me."
Dirk was silent for a moment. Then he reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand. He smiled, and that smile warmed Maggie all the way down to her toes.
"Then you don't know men at all." He whispered.
"I don't pretend to." Maggie knew she should move away. Anyone could come upon them, and then things would really be ruined for her. But right now she didn't care. Having him touch her like this felt good. "I'm ostracized before I've even been given a chance. I might as well act differently from the get go."
Dirk's expression had softened. His thumb brushed across her lips.
"And that's what makes you fascinating."
"But you barely know me."
"I know enough about you to find you fascinating. You're intelligent, kind-hearted and sweet. Not to mention beautiful."
Maggie snorted.
"I bet you say that to all the girls."
"Can't you take a compliment for once?"
"Not really."
Dirk grinned.
"Maybe we need to change that. Come to tea with me tomorrow."
This time, Maggie did step back, Dirk's hand falling away. She stared at him in stunned amazement.
"What?"
What had just happened?
"Come up to my house and have tea with me. I'm sure Mrs. Trainor will give you the afternoon off if you say who you're with." Dirk sounded so confident about it. "Then we can sit down and get better acquainted."
Maggie's head was spinning. Had Dirk, the man who had given her sister the reputation she still carried around, just asked her to come to his house? She had to be dreaming.
She wanted to say yes. But it seemed too good to be true. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"What's the catch?"
Dirk blinked. He looked surprised.
"There's no catch. I just want to get to know you better. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"Just the fact that you're of the nobility and I'm much lower down the class ladder."
"But I'm the duke." Dirk winked. "I can be outrageous."
Maggie knew about that. She had heard stories of his antics from Mrs. Trainor when Maggie was a captiv
e audience. Her employer cared for Dirk Stowers and thought he was a good person.
Maybe Maggie needed to listen to her instead of throwing cold water on it. It was only an afternoon with the local duke present.
What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter 7
Finding Out The Truth
"Y ou're in a good mood, Maggie."
Maggie couldn't help but grin as she moved around the parlor, clearing away the tea tray. Mrs. Trainor had just had three friends around for morning tea, and they had spent a lot of the morning gossiping and trying to act as matchmakers for the younger people in the village. Maggie was glad they hadn't moved on to her just yet although it was only a matter of time before that happened.
Normally Maggie was nervous about whether they would match her without somebody but today she didn't care. As soon as she had sorted lunch for Mrs. Trainor, she was going home, changing into a new dress, and going up to the big house on the hill. Dirk was expecting her at three-thirty. They were going to have tea and talk. Talk about their lives and get to know each other.
Knowing that she was going to see the man she was falling in love with made Maggie feel like she was walking on clouds. The night before, when she lay in bed thinking about it, Maggie had realized that she was falling for the handsome duke. It shouldn't happen, not in their society, but Dirk didn't seem to care. He was seeing her as a desirable woman, something none of the men in the village saw her as.
She couldn't wait to see him again. She couldn't wait to see that smile of his, the way his eyes lit up with his emotions.
Would he kiss her? Maggie hoped so.
But she had to finish her work first. And fend of Mrs. Trainor's questions.
"I guess I've just had a good morning."
Mrs. Trainor looked amused. She sat in her usual chair, a blanket over her lap as she held her cup and saucer.
"I've never seen you this happy. What's happened to make you this cheerful?" She winked. "Come on, darling, out with it. Humour an old lady."
Maggie laughed. Normally she would divert, but she was too much in a good mood to do that.
"I've been invited to tea this afternoon."
"That's lovely, dear. It's about time someone took an interest in a lovely lady like you." Mrs. Trainor raised the cup to her lips. "Who's it with?"
"Dirk Stowers."
Maggie jumped as Mrs. Trainor gasped and dropped her cup. It bounced off her knee and splashed tea across her dress before falling to the floor. Maggie gasped and hurried to her, grabbing a napkin off the tea tray.
"Mrs. Trainor! Are you all right?"
She started to soak up the tea dripping off the blanket, but Mrs. Trainor grabbed her wrist in a sudden iron-like grip. Wincing, Maggie looked up. Mrs. Trainor had gone almost as white as her hair. She stared at Maggie.
"Did you just say you were having tea with the duke?"
"Yes."
Maggie suddenly felt nervous. Something was wrong. What was she missing?
Mrs. Trainor let out a shuddering breath. Maggie realized that her hand was shaking. She took it in hers.
"Mrs. Trainor, what's going on?"
"You have no idea, do you?"
"About what?"
Mrs. Trainor was silent. Maggie shook her hand.
"Duckie, what aren't you telling me?"
"Dirk's engaged."
Maggie felt like she had been hit over the head. It didn't seem to sink in. She stared at Mrs. Trainor.
"He's what?"
"He's engaged. It's been all around the village for a week now. Their wedding is this coming weekend." Mrs. Trainor turned her startled expression to her companion. "I thought you knew."
Maggie hadn't. This was the first time she had heard anything about it. She sat back and slumped onto the floor.
"He's engaged."
"I'm so sorry to have to tell you, honey, but you needed to know the truth. You were going to have your heart broken if you got up there and you encountered the dowager duchess and the fiancée. Neither of them would be kind to you at all."
Maggie stared at the floor. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Dirk was getting engaged. He had lied to her. There wasn't anything special between them. She would simply be something for him to play with.
She could feel the tears clogging at the back of her throat.
"Why didn't he say anything?"
"I'm sure he had his reasons." Mrs. Trainor swallowed. "I love him like my own son, but I'm not defending him on this. This isn't like him at all. He wouldn't play with a woman in this way." She gave Maggie a beseeching look. "I love you, too, Meghan. You're a lovely girl who deserves a good man. I don't want you to get hurt by him."
Maggie didn't know what to say. Everything seemed to have come crashing down on her. The gay mood she had been in all day had now crumbled.
Maggie buried her face in her hands and burst into tears.
***
Dirk looked at the clock for the fifth time in ten minutes. Maggie was supposed to have been here twenty minutes ago.
"She's not here."
"Yes, Your Grace."
Dirk glared at Slater, who stood by the fireplace. His face was impassive, but Dirk could tell he wanted to roll his eyes at his master stating the obvious. Dirk stood from the chair he had just sat in moments before and began to pace the room.
"I don't get it. She was looking forward to coming."
It had taken a little persuading, but Maggie had agreed to come. Dirk could tell she was excited about seeing him again. He was excited as well; there was something he had to tell her, and he couldn't wait for her to get there.
But now he was beginning to worry. Something was wrong. Dirk could feel it.
"Maybe she's got a problem with her parents," Slater suggested. "Or Mrs. Trainor has kept her with her incessant chattering."
"For all her gossiping, Slater, Duckie Trainor has a heart of gold. In hindsight, I should have invited Duckie to accompany Maggie as her chaperone."
Slater smiled, his expression softening into something close to affection.
"That she does, Your Grace."
Had he not been so concerned Dirk would have grilled Slater about him and Duckie Trainor. The two of them had had something between them when Duckie was teaching Dirk. Dirk wouldn't be surprised if he heard a marriage proposal from Slater in the near future.
"Something's wrong, Slater." Dirk glanced at the clock again, which still said the same time as it had done thirty seconds ago. He moved towards the door. "I'm going to find her."
"There may be a reason."
Dirk stopped. Something about the way Slater said it had alarm bells ringing in his head. Dirk turned back. Slater looked uncomfortable, doing his best not to look at his master. Dirk moved back towards him.
"What aren't you telling me, Slater?"
"Miss Kerry from the kitchens came back from the village this morning and said everyone is talking about your pending wedding to Lady Clarke." Slater finally looked at Dirk with a quizzical look. "Did you tell Miss Reynolds you were engaged?"
"No, because I'm not."
"That's not what's being said."
Dirk didn't need to be a genius to put two and two together. Maggie must have heard the rumors of a wedding that was never going to happen. His mother had made sure people knew about it. He growled and resisted the urge to throw something.
"I'm going to kill my mother."
"With that ice heart of hers? You'll be lucky if you scratch the surface."
Dirk grunted. He wasn't going to argue with that. Setting aside his anger for his mother, Dirk hurried towards the door.
"I'm going to Duckies. Serve tea to Mother and Lady Emma but don't bother for me."
"Yes, Your Grace."
Chapter 8
Getting Her Back
B lack-Briar flew through the village, making a beeline for Duckie's home. Dirk knew Maggie would be there. Somehow he knew that Duckie would be comforting her with the news that h
e was supposedly engaged to Emma Clarke. This was something she wouldn't share with her parents.
He hoped his anger wouldn't show when he spoke to Maggie. His mother had gone too far this time. Letting the village know that he was going to marry Emma was the final straw. Once he got confirmation from Emma's father that the marriage was not going to happen, he was going to pack both women off and hopefully never see either of them again.
Dirk loved his mother, but he couldn't look at her anymore.
Black-Briar had barely stopped outside of Duckie's house when Dirk dismounted, nearly stumbling on the ground. He hurried up the path, raising his hand to pound on the solid oak door. It had opened before he got there and Duckie was standing on the threshold. Dirk slowed. Duckie was holding herself upright, her whole body stiff. Her mouth was twisted in displeasure and expression was barely contained anger.
"Go away, Dirk."
Dirk knew he was going to have to try and get past his former governess if he was going to have the chance to talk to Maggie. Duckie was loyal and caring. It was clear that she had a soft spot for Maggie, and she would defend her companion to the hilt. Dirk couldn't fault her for that.
But he still needed to get past her.
He stopped before her, bracing himself for the attack.
"I am the duke, Mrs. Trainor."
"I haven't forgotten that young man," Duckie said stiffly.
"Then I can make you move. Don't make me force you."
"Oh, really?" Duckie sneered. Her eyes flashed. "When were you going to tell her you were engaged? And why did you lead her on pretending you weren't?"
Dirk could feel himself flushing.
"I'm not engaged."
"That's not what the village have been saying. The dowager duchess has been very insistent that you're going to marry someone you've known for years and that the match is perfect."
Dirk groaned.
"Lady Emma is not a perfect match. She's been obsessed with me for years. She thinks I belong to her. I can't even tolerate her presence!" Dirk took a deep breath, fighting back his frustration. He needed to see Maggie. "And Mother can't make me marry her. Work is in progress to tell Lord Clarke that the wedding between us will never happen."
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