by Tamara Gill
Maddie smiled over at Becky, the village healer and nodded. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. Good luck to you.” The crowd applauded and Maddie caught William smiling at her good-natured banter. Her breath caught in her lungs, as his face softened by the gesture. Hell, he was handsome when relaxed and carefree like this. Her stomach flip-flopped when he grinned at her and she severed the exchange. Nerves fluttered in her stomach and she couldn’t tell if they were due to the contest or her husband.
“Ready, ladies? Go,” Sir Alex said.
Maddie dived into the water and madly tried to bite an apple. She had always enjoyed this game, even when she came away with the appearance of a drowned rat. Having played numerous times as a child, she had a trick or two up her sleeve. The apple brushed her lips; she pushed it toward the edge, held it there and bit. She inwardly laughed as she jumped up with it firmly between her teeth.
Maddie spied Becky’s husband who stood watching and noted his crestfallen visage at her victory. She realized at once how important such a small win was to some people. Determined to be a good sport, she bit through the fruit and allowed it to fall back into the water. She chewed and watched as Becky stood up proud and tall with her own apple between her teeth. Maddie clapped and shrugged in mock disappointment.
“I congratulate Becky, who seems to be the reigning champ one more year.” Maddie picked up the prize and handed it to her. “Congratulations, Becky. Perhaps next year, with some practice, I may beat you yet.”
Becky, whooping her glee, walked toward the surrounding crowd to bask in her winner’s glow. Maddie walked back to her barrel, picked up her apple floating on top and proceeded to eat it.
“You lost on purpose, Madeline,” William said, the warmth of his gaze warming her skin.
She laughed. “Of course not, why would I do such a thing? Becky won fair and square, you saw for yourself.”
“Nay, I disagree. But I understand your reasoning. It was very kind of you.”
Maddie looked at William and could almost forget what a tyrant he’d been to her. The way he had treated her today, as a woman cared for—not loathed—made it awfully hard to be uncivil.
“Well, I can have toffee apples anytime I like, can’t I. And Becky wouldn’t be the only person here fighting for such a delicacy. It would’ve been wrong of me, even if my desire to win is so very great and hard to ignore.”
“Do you always strive so?” he asked.
Maddie frowned and wondered if she was inclined to win at all cost. She supposed, up to her parent’s death, she’d most definitely been competitive. She had striven to fulfil every last wish or dream her parents had ever held for her. Her antique shop in Greenwich was proof of that; her mother had always wanted to open one with her daughter. And eventually Maddie had done so, but without her dear parent to cut the blue ribbon. And now here she was in medieval England, competing against village women for apples and another woman of a different nature for her husband.
She looked away, startled by such a notion. Was she jealous of Lady Veronica having William’s love just because she didn’t? And having thought such a thing, did she want it? William was the most difficult, highhanded Neanderthal she had ever known. His kisses may have made her toes curl, but he frustrated her too much for such a delightful exchange to sway her. No, she silently swore, there was no way, no matter how he smiled at her with his full, devil-may-care mouth, was she going to fall for such charms.
She’d sworn to herself never to be fooled by looks or sweet words. Both were gestures known to hide lies. And William’s past actions had hurt too much for her to forgive and start over. Men of such caliber weren’t to be trusted. She’d learnt her mistake by her unfaithful ex. Maddie wouldn’t be duped a second time. And in any case, she wasn’t staying—that point, most of all, was foremost. She may be competitive, but not so much that she would stoop to win the love of a husband already bestowing his favors elsewhere.
“I believe I may be slightly inclined so, my lord. But there are worse traits a person can have.” She looked into his eyes, murky and swirling with…with… Maddie swallowed. “For instance, I can think of one such trait.”
“Oh, and what would that be, may I ask?” His voice deep and husky reverberated down her spine. She strove not to blush from the all-consuming earth-shattering look he gave her. Why did he have to look at her like that?
“I would think the need to have a mistress who lives under the same roof as a wife as one,” she said, surprised her voice held steady. She watched as his face turned thunderous, the heated look of a second ago quickly dissipating. She almost regretted having to fight with him, especially when they were being civil to one another. But some things in life were just so, and that was the end of it. If he thought to make it into her bed, he had another thing coming. Either that, or William was out to make her a fool; nothing would surprise her when it came to this man.
Over the past weeks, she had watched, and had noticed his moods often swung in extremes. So much so, the staff didn’t know how to proceed with him or go about asking for direction. Well, either way, she wasn’t going to be fooled by a handsome face that camouflaged the harsh man with no conscience beneath. Maddie summoned Mistress Rhode and watched as William stormed across the bailey toward the castle gates before disappearing around the stone wall.
“Oh dear, m’lady, I do believe His Lordship is quite out of temper.”
Guilt pricked at her conscience. Had she pushed him too far? Was she being catty for no good reason? And could William be trying to change? This day was her people’s chance to celebrate their chatelaine’s wedding, and now the happy couple were no longer even together, or on speaking terms for that matter. Maddie looked about and realized some villagers, by their interested stares, may have heard their argument.
She swore before setting out after him. If she had done one thing today, it should have been to let sleeping dogs lie. She chastised herself for being weak, allowing the guilt to rise up within her. Was he up to something? More than likely. It was his fault she didn’t trust a thing he said or did. She swore again as she walked in the direction he had taken. She hated eating humble pie. Damn the man.
She stopped at the gatehouse and asked a sentry where his lordship had passed. The knight pointed and Maddie walked over the drawbridge to see William seated on some outlying boulders staring into open fields before him. He tensed the moment he became aware of her. She sat next to him and looked out over the land, some parts still covered with snow.
“’Twould be wise to leave, wife.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I should not have said what I did, especially today. We need to keep, at least in public, a display of decorum and liking for one another. Even if false,” Maddie added as an afterthought. “Please come back before talk of our public rift dampens everyone’s enjoyment.”
*
William turned and looked at Madeline, flushed and as pretty as ever. He wondered if her rosy cheeks stemmed from the embarrassment of her apology to him, or the cold. More than likely, the latter.
True, he would not deny his anger at her at this moment. But God’s teeth, it did not lessen his attraction to his wife. If anything, it increased it in some way. William ran his hand through his hair to distract himself from reaching out and touching her. She sat beside him, a delicious morsel of everything he desired in a woman. She could be light-hearted and cold-hearted in turn, usually the latter when around him. Even so, he wanted to smash the icy feelings. He wanted her to laugh, engage, and talk with him as she did with all the others who lived within the walls of their strongholds. In truth, she drove him to distraction. Yet he did not want it to be her who evoked these unwanted and unknown feelings within. Why could it not be the Lady Veronica who inspired such emotions?
William didn’t reply; instead, he stood and pulled her to stand, before placing her hand upon his arm and proceeding back toward the castle. Neither spoke as they walked the short distance. William was thankful for the silenc
e. The Lady Madeline was turning out to be more than a dangerous foe. He rubbed his temple as a headache set in.
*
Hours later, Maddie sat with a goblet of ale between her hands and watched, delighted, as the dancing commenced around the bonfire. Some of the knights and their ladies who attended the feast attempted to dance the intricate steps the folk music required. They could dance in stately procession in the Great Hall but their attempts to outdance the common villagers on the green were in vain. Annie and Beth, who were both well on the way to being intoxicated, partied hard. Maddie laughed at some of the antics of people who had imbibed too freely of the mead, ale, and wine.
Sir Alex, for instance, was flirting outrageously with Fiona, a servant from the castle. Maddie inwardly frowned as she watched the pair, their heads close in conversation. She wondered what his betrothed would think of him right at this moment.
The woman was a light skirt and well on the way to ruining herself completely, if not already. She had slept with William—her husband after all. Her eyes narrowed at the thought.
“Dance with me, Madeline?”
Maddie looked at Lord William, who sat beside her on the trestle seat. Firelight played across his face, accentuating the hard angles of his features. He really was gorgeous. She wondered how to answer. After their earlier fight, the day had progressed wonderfully; it was a miracle, really. Especially when she considered that previously the two of them could hardly last five minutes in each other’s company without jumping down one another’s throats. She would love to dance, but if he expected her to dance like a noble lady he’d be sorely disappointed. And more than likely extremely embarrassed by the end of it. She wondered how to go about refusing him, without causing offence.
“My father thought I did not require such delicate teachings, my lord. I’m afraid that unless you want your toes trodden on, you will have to be content with other partners.” Maddie stilled as he took her hand and her heart stopped as his lips skimmed the sensitive skin on her inner wrist. Sexual need thrummed between them and Maddie bit her lip wondering where it came from. They were so close his breath fanned the skin on her cheek. Not to mention, William smelt divine, like leather and the lavender soap he favored. A shiver ran down her spine. Her husband was very good with the act of seduction.
“Dance with me, ma chère.”
Her resolve to deny him drowned in the intensity and heat of his dark hooded orbs. His lips were only a slight lean away and she swayed toward him. She wanted to take all that he offered, taste him again and see where the kiss would lead. He, too, moved and time seemed to still.
A ruckus around the fire startled her and Maddie jumped back, knocking her drink over as she did so. Her cheeks flamed.
“Very well, my lord, if you insist. But I warn you, I really do not know how to dance,” she said, standing quickly to hide her embarrassment.
William smiled and stood. He captured her around the waist and his fingers flexed, kneaded her body as they walked out to other dancers. She bit her lip knowing he’d seen through her bravado. The imprint of his hand left a flame in its wake and her skin burned from the contact. Maddie smelled the alcohol on his breath as they swung into the music. Was his politeness toward her today due to his inebriation? Why did she hope this was not the case?
“’Tis no concern. I’ll teach you how to move.”
His whispered words floated against her ear before his lips grazed the sensitive skin beneath her lobes. Maddie swallowed her shock as the dance separated them and she moved on to her next partner. Even with them dancing with others, she couldn’t tear her gaze from him. What was going on here? She would not be attracted to him. What was he playing at teasing her like this? William had been nothing but awful since the day they met. He had a mistress for crying out loud; one, she reminded herself, he refused to get rid of.
But today, this night, right at this moment, as she danced with a man whose flirtatious manner was kind and gentle, her tightly meshed resolve to hate him crumbled a little. Could there be more to the man she had married? His responsibilities were many and great indeed. That, she never doubted. But could he be willing to change for her? Change this toxic marriage between them for the better? It was something she should consider: to meet him half way. Maybe…
But not now, not this night. Tonight was for celebration. For her people to enjoy themselves, free of errands and expectations. Maddie threw herself into the dance. She relaxed and enjoyed the moment and allowed everything and anything that lay between them to slip away—to be a concern for another time. The night was still young and there was more fun to be had.
The laughter at Aimecourt rang out for many hours after.
*
Later That Evening—Kingston Castle
“You say Lady Madeline thinks herself from the future?”
“Yes, m’lady. I heard her with me own ears say just that. Her maid, you know the protective dark one…”
“Yes, I know which one, pray continue,” Lady Veronica said, annoyed by the girl’s prolonged speech.
“Well, I heard her say to Lady Madeline to keep her mouth closed and not to talk to others about her concern, lest it be misconstrued.”
“Did they see you? Did you keep well hidden as I instructed?”
“Of course, m’lady, no one saw me. I used the gate your mam told you of, just as you instructed. I thinks me could be a spy all the time, if you like.”
Lady Veronica walked over to her desk and pulled out a piece of parchment. Her mother would be happy to hear of this, as she herself was. How dare that lowbred whelp demand Lady Veronica stay behind at Kingston Castle while she galloped off with her lover?
Veronica smiled. So, Mistress Rhode thought the people may think the Lady Madeline a witch if they heard Her Ladyship’s nonsense uttered aloud. Interesting…
She looked up when she realized the girl still stood before her waiting. “What is it now, Laura?” Her servant shuffled her feet in a nervous manner.
“Payment, m’lady. You promised me if I did ye bidding, I’d be paid.”
Lady Veronica took pity on the frightened girl. She had, after all, proved to be a reliable spy on this occasion. She had earned her coin. Picking up a handful, she handed them to the woman.
“Thank you for your assistance, Laura. Do not travel far; I may take you up on your offer.”
“Oh thank you, Your Ladyship. Thank you,” she repeated as she backed out of the room. The girl’s eyes glittered with excitement at having so much coin in her hand.
Lady Veronica picked up her quill and proceeded to write to her mother. Perhaps it was time the lands at Kingston were threatened by the mysterious Scots everyone was afraid of. Perhaps it was time indeed. She laughed.
Chapter Seven
Two days after the festival, Maddie set out to look for her ring in earnest. Why she had put it off for so long, she did not know. They had been back at Aimecourt for two weeks, more than enough time to search.
However, despite her good intentions; something had always sprung up; a problem with the evening meal, a sudden birth of a baby within the village or a sick serf who needed tending. And it seemed the Lady Madeline was the one expected to help, even though most of the time she had no idea what to do. Her steward hounded her every footstep regarding the household accounts, which was something at least she could make sense of.
It all took significant time, time she did not have if she wanted to find a way to return home. The days seemed to pass her by with considerable speed, ended every night with her under the same coarse blankets, staring out glassless windows, in a time not her own. Three months had almost passed since her journey into the nether regions of history. It was time she put other matters aside and found the blasted piece of jewellery that transported her here in the first place.
The air was chill, to say the least, as she stood atop one of the four towers of the keep in the early morning mist. Her inside shoes, slippers made of colored goatskin, were layered with s
now and ice. She looked between the merlons cut into the stone, and surveyed her vast expanses of land. A fact still hard to comprehend. All this wealth belonged to one family. A family that had denied even the basic rights to its workers. The Lady Madeline of old deserved to be horsewhipped over the living conditions of these people.
Some of her serfs were ill, riddled with lice and dying of what she knew of as dysentery. Regardless of her steward’s condemning frown when she mentioned the fact, the working conditions of her people had to change. Not only were they required to work well past sunset, but also their basic dwellings, made from strips of woven wood covered with a mixture of dung, straw and clay, were in dreadful condition. She gave orders for repairs to be undertaken immediately with directions to her carpenters to attend to any matters they deemed necessary.
This Christmas, all the village children were to be fitted with new shoes too. A smile quirked her lips as she thought of the gift she would bestow. Shoes were a well sought after commodity for the poor. Her people, Maddie hoped, would be grateful, and see the gesture as a way of apology for the family’s wrongdoing in the past.
She breathed in the clean chilled air and gestured for her maid to come stand beside her.
“Mistress Rhode, what is the clearing I can see over there?” Maddie asked, pointing. “It doesn’t look natural. Was there some sort of building there once?”
Her maid nodded, pulling her cloak over her head as she stepped up into the breeze that blew over the stone. “Aye, m’lady. That’s the site of the original village of Aimecourt. It hasn’t always been within the walls of the castle.”
Maddie frowned. “Why was it moved?”
Her maid let out a resigned sigh and looked back over the lands beyond. “Fifteen years ago, m’lady, your father and the then Baron Kingston were at war. I believe it was over land and boundary disputes, but I cannot be certain. Both barons were cruel. Neither flinched when swords fell on the innocent under the care of each household.” Mistress Rhode’s eyes clouded with pain. “Was a terrible time, m’lady, one I never wish to experience again.”