Chapter 2

 

Maddie had tried to stay awake long enough to greet the Mathisons when they arrived, but she’d fallen asleep before their carriage had pulled into the drive. Breakfast the following morning was her first chance to see her old friends and she fairly bounced down the stairs.

A wide variety of foods had been laid out on the sideboard and Thomas was the only person seated at the table, reading her father’s weeks-old newspaper, when Maddie entered the dining room.

“Good morning.”

He glanced up from the newspaper and clambered to his feet when recognition dawned. “Miss Hayward.”

She shut the door behind her and crossed the room, holding her hands out to him. “So formal,” she replied with mock solemnity. “You’d never know we once fished barefoot together in the brook.”

His large hands were cold when he clasped hers, but he grinned. “It was more than once, if I recall correctly. And Kit was put out the last time because you caught the biggest fish.”

Maddie laughed at the memory. “Yes he was. He didn’t speak to me for two whole days after that. Fortunately, you were nice enough to keep me company until he came to terms with my fishing abilities.”

“It was a lovely, quiet two days,” Thomas quipped, dropping a kiss on each of her hands before releasing them to pull out a chair for her.

“Is that what you’re hoping for during this visit?” she asked, settling onto the hard wooden chair. “Peace and quiet?”

He seated himself and propped his elbow on the table, resting his chin on his palm. “Some.” His blue eyes shifted to the cream and pale blue wallpaper behind her. “Edinburgh is lovely, and my uncle has made me feel very welcome. But I miss the serenity of the country.”

“Does that mean you won’t be attending the assembly in the village this evening?” Disappointment filtered through her at the thought.

His gaze moved back to her, but she couldn’t read his expression. Was that a half smile on his lips or a grimace? “Yes, I’ll be attending. It’s been a while since I’ve danced, but I am looking forward to doing so.”

“I’m sure the local ladies are looking forward to partnering you, too.” She winked, slouching back against her chair for a moment as an idea formed in her mind. “Would you, perhaps, want to dance with me tonight? Just once,” she added hastily, straightening again and regretting her sudden burst of daring. She’d put Thomas in the awkward position of having to dance with her or risk hurting her feelings, and she knew he’d choose her comfort over his own if pressed. “I wouldn’t want to keep you from your adoring public.”

His brows rose for a blink-and-you’d-miss-it moment, then his lids dropped and his mouth curved into a smile. “I think the adoring public will be more interested in Kit than me. But I would be honored to dance with you, Maddie. As often as you like.”

His eyes met hers as he spoke the last phrase, and she felt...something. She broke contact before she could inspect the feeling too closely, and pushed back her chair.

Thomas was on his feet in one graceful movement before she could fully get to hers. “May I fix you a plate?”

Maddie rose and pushed in her chair, touching her fingertips to his shoulders—broader and more muscled than she remembered—as she passed him on the way to the sideboard. “Thank you, but I can manage on my own. Can I fix you a plate while I’m up? Or are you content with tea this morning?”

“You can fix me a plate,” a voice boomed as the door swung open.

“Kit!” Maddie changed course and headed for the door, arriving there just in time to be engulfed in Kit’s brawny arms. “I thought you’d be sleeping late this morning.”

“Not me,” he laughed, releasing her. “I prefer to keep country hours, just as Thomas prefers to keep clerk’s hours, even when he is not on duty.”

Kit winked at his brother, following Maddie to the sideboard and filling a plate for himself.

“Good morning to you, too, brother,” Thomas responded mildly.

Kit grinned and carried his and Maddie’s plates to the table when they’d made their selections, settling in beside her. “I’m going over to the old house this afternoon if the snow holds off. Would the two of you care to accompany me?”

Maddie returned his grin. At five-and-twenty, Kit was finally old enough to take possession of his inheritance, according to the terms of his father’s will. He’d spoken of little else in his last few letters, anxious to re-open the house in which he and Thomas had spent their boyhood. “How exciting! I would love nothing more than to go with you, but I’m afraid my mother won’t allow it. I’m to rest today, so I won’t look tired at the assembly tonight.”

“You’ll look lovely whether you ‘rest’ today or not,” Kit scoffed. “Won’t she, brother?”

Was it her imagination, or were Thomas’s cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink? “Of course,” he answered, his voice slightly gruff.

Maddie felt her own cheeks warm unexpectedly. Kit had complimented her more times than she could remember, and certainly with more enthusiasm—why did this bland remark from Thomas provoke such a reaction?

“Thank you both.” She picked up her fork and focused on her breakfast, brushing away the thought. “But as long as I reside with my parents, I must comply with their wishes. I expect you boys will have a grand time reliving your past, though. And making plans for the future.”

With any luck, Kit’s plans would involve finding a wife and Maddie would be free to find her own happiness. What would Thomas do? He had begun working for his uncle, who was a barrister in Edinburgh, after finishing university—did he plan to do so always? Did he hope to strike out on his own some day? Did he, too, plan to marry?

Maddie was surprised to discover she didn’t know. She was even more surprised to discover that she wanted to know, though that revelation shouldn’t have been so shocking. Thomas was her best friend’s brother, and her friend in his own right. It made perfect sense that she’d be curious about his wishes and goals.

“As long as we return in time to go to the assembly,” Thomas said, smiling gently at Maddie. “I have a promise to keep.”

~*~

“Come, brother, we must be getting back.”

Thomas acknowledged Kit’s words with an absent nod. He was staring into the frozen brook that cut across the property—the same brook Maddie had pulled her ire-inducing fish from—purposefully delaying their return. He was nervous about dancing with her, even though he’d never been so before. What if he tripped over his own feet? What if he stepped on hers and crushed her toes? What if she had only asked him for a dance to be polite?

“Yes, of course,” he replied, tearing his gaze from the ice and heading toward the stable with Kit.

They readied their horses in relative silence, but once they were both in the saddle and on their way back to the Haywards’ home, Kit got chatty.

“You’ve promised Maddie a dance this evening, have you?”

“I have,” Thomas said as matter-of-factly as he was able.

“She told me after you’d gone in search of your boots.”

Of course she had. She told Kit everything. “Did she also mention that she asked me for the dance?”

Kit nodded, pulling his beaver hat down lower over his ears. “Yes. She’s afraid only we will pay her any attention and she’ll be stuck sitting with the matrons and wallflowers all evening.” He paused, throwing Thomas a pointed look. “This could be your chance.”

“Chance for what?” Thomas hoped his brother would change the subject if he played dumb. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk about Maddie, but the more they discussed her, the more he let himself imagine a future with her.

“Your chance with Maddie, you dolt,” Kit chuckled. “She’s asked me to stay away for most of the evening in the hopes other men would speak with her.”

“Am I ‘other men’?”

“You certainly could be. And you’ve already secured a dance with her.”

Thomas licked his dry lips. “It’s just a dance, Kit.”

“And that is how many happy courtships have begun.”

The wind picked up, blowing frigid air down from the north and requiring them both to pull their scarves up over their faces, which halted any further conversation. Thomas was grateful for it, and for his brother’s silence on the subject of Maddie once they’d returned to the Hayward house with just enough time to ready themselves for the evening.

The families took two separate carriages to the Flying Horse Inn, the tallest building in the village and the only place with a room large enough for a gathering of so many people. Once they were all together in the dooryard, Mr. Hayward offered his arm to his wife.

“Shall we?”

She smiled and laid her hand on the sleeve of his coat. “By all means.”

Thomas turned to his mother, about to make her the same offer, when Kit swooped in and beat him to it.

“This way, Mother,” he said, glancing at Thomas for the briefest of moments.

That left Maddie standing alone.

“May I escort you in?” Thomas asked, hoping his voice didn’t sound as hesitant to her as it did to him.

It was dark, but her brown eyes were sparkling in the light of the carriage lanterns. “You may.”

He’d expected her to formally place her hand on his sleeve, as was the custom. But instead she threaded her arm through his and rested her hand on his biceps. It was likely for show, but it was an intimate gesture all the same and Thomas had to remind himself that tonight was a favor for Maddie, not a prelude to something more.

He had to remind himself again once they were inside to counter his brother’s words ringing in his ears. Thomas helped her remove her winter cloak, revealing a wine-colored gown with tiny ruffles along the sleeves and neckline. The rest of the gown was unadorned—some might even call it plain—but she needed nothing else to take his breath.

She glanced at him over her shoulder, then turned her body to face him. “What?”

His eyes widened. Had he gasped aloud? “You, erm, you look beautiful. That color suits you.”

“Thank you.” She poked a finger into his chest as he shed his greatcoat. “It looks well on you, too.”

Thomas’s eyes followed her finger and he grinned. Under his chocolate brown cutaway coat, he’d worn a cream waistcoat embroidered in claret red roses. “We’re a match.”

The words were barely out of his mouth before he realized the double meaning and clamped his mouth shut. Fortunately, Maddie didn’t seem to notice and Thomas allowed a small sigh to escape his lips, of both relief and frustration. Was this how he was going to spend the entire evening? Tripping all over himself around Maddie, then chastising himself for it?

No, he wasn’t. He was going to enjoy himself and relish a dance with the woman he loved. Tomorrow morning their relationship would return to its previous state, and in a few weeks’ time he would be on his way back to Scotland.

“Are you well, Thomas?”

Maddie’s words snapped him out of his woolgathering and he nodded. “I was wondering if it might be best to have our dance first or if we should wait a little.”

“First,” she said resolutely. “The sooner I’m seen with someone other than Kit, the better. And,” her pink lips pulled into a smile, “I have been told the first dance is to be a minuet.”

“You like minuets?” They were old fashioned and falling out of favor with the younger generation. Thomas couldn’t remember the last time he’d danced one.

Her lashes swept down as her gaze dropped for a moment. “They make me feel rather stately and elegant,” she confessed in a low voice, leaning close enough for Thomas to notice she’d chosen a different scent for the evening—roses. “Something I tend not to be otherwise.”

He bent his head to speak softly in her ear as he offered her his hand. “Then let’s go and be elegant.”

She took his hand and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor, a slow smile spreading across her face that sent his heart off at a gallop. The small orchestra began to play and Thomas moved through the steps of the dance with Maddie, to-ing and fro-ing, parting and coming together again. They both wore gloves with their evening wear, of course, but he cataloged every handclasp, every brush of shoulders, every accidental touch so that he might recall them all when he’d returned to his life in Edinburgh. If he could never afford to ask Maddie for her hand in marriage, he would at least remember this dance with her.

The song came to an end and another gentleman approached to ask Maddie for a dance. Thomas bowed and slid away into the crowd, trying with little success to keep from turning and watching her. She moved through the dance with a lightness not so much of body—she managed the steps as one who had practiced them often but not necessarily with any great love for the action—but with a lightness of spirit. His own heart lifted and found himself smiling. He made for the refreshment table, hoping to find himself a cup of good, strong punch to further the warm feeling that had begun to grow in his chest. The music changed once again and Thomas turned back one last time, catching a glimpse of Maddie laughing with delight as she hopped her way through a Scotch reel. Good. Her plan had worked, then, and he’d have memories of her to cherish always.