While he rode along in the carriage, pretending to listen to everything his mother was saying, Adam’s mind was far away. What, exactly, was he going to say to Magnolia Richmond? He had thought about it all night but unfortunately, nothing that made sense came to his mind.
He knew things would be awkward between them. It was not possible that they would not be. Even when James was alive, and Adam and Magnolia had been caught in an unusual situation where they were both alone in a room, the awkwardness between them was evident.
He could remember the little girl that he grew up with. She was always following him and James everywhere, as though they were both her brothers. Unlike James, though, Adam had always tried to protect her and look out for her while James merely teased her at every opportunity.
Once his friend had left jars of tadpoles in her bedroom. That was some five years ago, and Adam still chuckled at the memory. If he had known in time, he might have tried to remove it or at least tell the servants to get rid of it. He still grinned on remembering how Magnolia had screamed when she discovered the prank.
“You should have told me!” she had shouted at him, knowing full well that he would have told her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know he would do that.”
She’d sent him a scowl and told them both how much she hated them.
Their childhood days were interesting and full of great memories. But as time went by, for some reason, things began to change.
Instead of the usual lively girl that used to disturb him and James, she became this shy grownup who would never speak in his presence.
He once asked James about it, but his friend had only shrugged. “You know ladies change. They are not like us,” James had retorted. “She will come around.”
Since then, Adam had been hoping she would come around, but she never did. Magnolia only became quieter and stopped following them around. He had finally stopped bothering himself about it, until now that his friend was no more.
Adam shrugged. “Here we are,” said his mother, as the carriage pulled over.
The Richmond family home was surrounded with a manicured lawn to give off an infant castle look. Its stones were pale grey and void of the moss that clung to the walls of the other houses around it. There were two stone pillars supporting the porch.
Adam climbed out first before extending his hand to his mother. They could see some men working on the house.
“Miss Dorothy Richmond is renovating the house,” said his mother, as they walked towards the front door. “I am so glad. It will give the house a different look. And oh, look, this used to be a beautiful garden. Katia would spend hours working there. I hope that does not change.”
Adam could remember how Magnolia loved sitting in the garden. Back then, when they were still close and a lot younger, she would force him and James to play hide and seek with her.
“Won’t you just go and find some girls to play with?” James would retort. “We are trying to do something here!”
Then she would turn to Adam. “Please, Adam. Can you talk to James for me? I promise not to hide where it will be difficult to find me,” she would say.
Adam had always thought she was cute while she was younger, and often times he would ask James to be nicer to his sister. He thought James was lucky having a sibling since he himself was an only child.
He smiled at the memory as they got to the front door, which was opened almost immediately by Martins.
“Lord Strickland. Lady Strickland,” he said, with a bow.
“Oh, Martins!” gushed his mother. “What a delight to see you again.”
“How do you do, Martins?” asked Adam.
“Very well, my lord,” the old man replied with a warm smile. “Please come in.”
They both walked in together. Adam felt strange entering the manor again. Ever since James’ death, he had only looked at the place from afar and not set foot inside.
A few years ago, on entering like this, James would have slapped him at the back or thrown a book at his head. That was their normal mode of greeting.
This place used to be his second home but all that was gone now. The manor seemed to him a bit empty, too quiet, and unfamiliar, especially with the drawings and the new arrangement.
“Elizabeth!” shouted Aunt Dorothy from the staircase, upon seeing them.
“Oh, Dorothy!” said his mother, plainly thrilled to see her; and the two friends were soon hugging each other.
“I am so happy to see you!” said Lady Strickland. “I was afraid you were never coming back.”
“Of course I would come back,” replied Aunt Dorothy, and then she noticed Adam. “Why, look at you! You have grown so big in how many years!”
Adam chuckled and kissed her on both cheeks. Aunt Dorothy, his mother, and James' mother were all good friends –indeed, so close that there was no need for formality between them.
“It is good to see you too, Miss Richmond,” said Adam, but he fell silent when he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.
“Oh, my goodness! Oh, my sweet Magnolia. Look how charming you have become!” his mother cried excitedly.
Adam was dumbfounded. This was the not shy girl that used to run away from him or hide anytime he came around. This was someone else entirely, someone he could not even recognize.
She walked down the stairs in a red satin gown that had short sleeves decorated with lace ribbons, and her arms were covered in a pair of long white gloves.
Her brown hair was parted at the center and fell loosely around her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips seemed so sensual.
Never had he noticed her lips before. But as it appeared, this seemed to be the first time he would be paying good attention to them.
“Lady Strickland,” Magnolia said, as she curtsied to his mother.
“Nonsense,” replied his mother, pulling her into her arms. “Do not be formal with me, dear. We are practically a family.”
Magnolia blushed and kissed his mother on both cheeks.
“Come, Elizabeth! I have lots to discuss with you,” said Aunt Dorothy before leading his mother away.
Now it was just the two of them standing alone together.
“Miss Richmond,” Adam said in a low tone, trying hard to smile.
“My lord,” she replied, with a deep curtsy.
* * *
Miss Magnolia Richmond
Adam moved closer to her so that he was just a few feet away. He tried to speak, paused, and then tried again. “I got to know that you were back. I just wanted to see you.”
Magnolia nodded, even though she wasn’t directly looking at him. She could not do so, for fear of betraying her emotions.
“I appreciate that,” she said rather coldly, while waiting to hear what he still wanted to say.
“I know I should have at least tried to write to you all this while. But – I did not know what to say. James was my best friend and you – ”
He stopped, and exhaled loudly. “I cannot imagine what you must have gone through during those times.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that as well.”
Adam stared at her, walking a bit closer. “Are you angry with me?”
This forced her to look up at him. They were standing quite close and she could see that he had grown immensely taller. His eyes were blue orbs, staring at her with despair and anxiousness. He shifted restlessly on his feet, his imposing form momentarily revealed by the dark blue coat that was contoured to his shape.
“Angry? How can I be angry with you, my lord?” she asked, walking a few steps towards the window.
Just then, a servant came in with a tray containing two cups of tea. She placed those on the table, curtsied, and left the room.
* * *
Adam Avery, the Earl of Strickland
Adam was confused. He raked a hand through his hair, pulling the strands too hard out of frustration. He knew she was treating him coldly on purpose and he had no idea how to make thi
ngs right.
He walked up to her. “I understand you have every right to be angry, Magnolia. I was supposed to be there for you, and I wasn’t. For that, I do apologize. I am here now, to make things right.”
Adam watched her gaze out of the window in silence, and sighed. “I must say that you have not been making things easy for me, Magnolia,” he stated, observing her every movement.
She said nothing. She did not even flinch, and so he continued.
“I thought we used to be close. Then, all of a sudden, you just became distant. I asked James to talk to you, but he told me not to worry. And now I do not know how to make it right.”
At last Magnolia began to walk towards him, but she stopped at the table where the teacups waited. “My lord, you should take your tea before it gets cold.”
It seemed she had not heard a word he had said. She made to walk back to the window, but he stepped to her and grabbed her hand. She flinched, surprised at his action.
“Magnolia,” he said, but stopped as she stood gazing at him. There was something mesmerizing in the way she stared at him. Her eyes were dark orbs, thinly controlled by anger. At the same time, there was something sensual about them. No. He could not be thinking that way about Magnolia.
He let go of her hands just in time, for there were voices coming downstairs.
“My lord” she replied in a low tone before looking away from him.
Chapter 4
Adam Avery, the Earl of Strickland
“I cannot believe how quickly she has grown and turned into this beautiful lady that I could barely recognize. Were you not surprised, Adam?” Lady Strickland asked, after some thirty minutes in the carriage on their way home.
“I agree with you, Mother,” he replied. “She was almost unrecognizable. If I had seen her outside her home, I daresay I would never have recognized her.”
His mother chuckled. “So admirable, and with such a warm character as well.”
“I may not fully agree with that,” scoffed Adam.
“What do you mean?” inquired his mother.
“She was not a bit warm to me, Mother. I must say, I found her attitude a bit questionable. I have a feeling that she was cold to me for a reason.”
“She was cold to you? Did you at least try to ask her why?”
He shrugged. “I tried, but she never gave me a reason.”
“I think you would do well to spare that girl. She has lost everything! But all you can think of is that she was cold to you?”
And that was the end of the conversation. Adam never spoke a word about it again until he got home to find his good friend Richard Waterson waiting for him.
He and James had met severally through him before the accident. After James died, Richard was the only friend he had left.
Once his mother retired for the day to her room, Adam and Richard went into the library. Adam took the chance to recount all that had happened to him at Richmond Manor that day.
“And Mother said that I should spare Magnolia – that she was probably cold to me because she lost her family.”
Richard, who sat listening intently on the bed, burst into laughter.
“I do not see what is amusing in what I just said,” Adam sputtered, feeling offended that his friend was amused by what was giving him such concern.
“Why do you give yourself so much worry over this?” asked Richard.
“What are you saying?”
“I am saying you are taking the matter far beyond what you should,” replied Richard.
Adam sat down in a chair. “How so?”
“She is just your friend’s sister. It is not as if you are attracted to her, are you?”
This question got Adam surprised. What in the devil’s name was his friend talking about? “I do not see how my concern relates to what you just asked.”
“From everything you said just now,” continued Richard, “I feel like you are obsessing. Perhaps you are infatuated with her.”
Adam glared at him. “You are such an idiot! Why did I bother telling you my problem in the first place?”
Richard laughed again. “But seriously, is it not possible for you to be attracted to her?”
“No. It is not possible. As far as I am concerned, she is just like a sister to me.”
Richard scoffed. “That would make it even easier to fall for her.”
“I am not interested in discussing this with you,” Adam declared. “Talking about me falling in love with Magnolia is preposterous. I am certain that even James would turn in his grave if he heard that. She is too cold for anyone to fall for.”
“Well, I hear you,” said his friend. “So, how about the ball? Have you made up your mind if we shall be attending or not?”
“You mean Lord Stewart’s ball?”
“Yes, the very one,” Richard replied. “Of course, we shall. Unless you have another plan.”
“Well, I trust you on that. So, with that resolved – tell me what happened with the tenants meeting.”
“It went well, except for the same problem we had the last time,” replied Adam.
“You will still need to evict the man if he keeps causing trouble.”
“I already told him if he does not behave, he and his family will be thrown out. So, I am hoping he will change his ways.”
“Good. Sometimes you have no choice but to threaten people like him before they get your message.”
They talked about other things before Richard came back round to Magnolia one more time.
“You should find time to talk to her, Adam. Who knows? Now that she is back in society, she may even be at the ball. You must be prepared for that.”
Later that night, after Richard had left, Adam thought about everything that happened. He knew his friend was right. Adam should talk to Magnolia, at least because her brother had been his best friend. Aside this, Adam’s utmost concern was to speak to her regarding James’ death. He had a feeling she must know one or two things about the accident.
* * *
Miss Magnolia Richmond
Before Magnolia retired for the night, she went over the incident of that day. She could still recall the surprised look on Adam’s face when he had seen her walking down the stairs.
Though she couldn’t tell why he would be surprised. Had he not expected to see her again? It seemed certain he knew that she was back, or why else would he be there?
She turned to the other side of the bed, staring into nothingness as she kept thinking about everything.
Even though she was very angry at Adam, she could not ignore that she had found him even more attractive than the last time she had seen him. He was taller now, and more built, and he had grown into more of a man. It made her sad that James had never had that chance.
Magnolia was also surprised when she realized that despite how angry she was, she still had some feelings for Adam. She wished that she did not, for it would have made lots of things easier for her.
At one point he had caught her hand and then grew quiet, staring at her. What did he see, she wondered. He must have seen something, and if not for his mother and her aunt coming downstairs, she might have asked him.
Magnolia could not remember the last time Adam had held her arm like that. It had been many years ago, when they were still very young, and she used to follow him and James everywhere they went.
Things didn’t start out being awkward between herself and Adam. It used to be far easier when they were still children. She had loved going out with them because Adam had always protected her from her brother’s pranks.
Adam would always defend her, and she trusted him. But the boys grew up and so did she, and then suddenly, things changed between them. She became quite shy in Adam’s presence and avoided being alone in the same room with him. It was inexplicable.
Thankfully, she had Caroline, who made Magnolia realize she was having an infatuation. According to Caroline it would last only for a while – but Magnolia found that when it came to Adam
, it never lasted only for a while. To that moment, she was still feeling the same way about him that she had felt all those years ago.
Magnolia remembered that he often tried to talk to her, but she always found a way to escape. That had continued for a while… until her brother died.
But Adam absolutely did not see her in the way she had desired. Perhaps that was the actual reason why she was angry. Magnolia was old enough now to understand that what she felt for him was no longer a simple infatuation, but far more than that.
She sighed. She had been so silly to think that someone like him would care about her. Adam had never admired her before he became the Earl of Strickland and there was little chance that he would start now. He only saw her as James’ sister. Nothing more.
A Mysterious Quest of a Seductive Lady: A Regency Historical Romance Novel Page 3