Betrothed to the wrong gentleman: Historical Fiction

CHAPTER 24

Madison wrapped a scarf around her head and draped a huge woollen travelling coat over her shoulders.  Beth would not be expecting her to be up for another hour.  Her parents would be having morning tea in their chamber, only the kitchen staff would be up to prepare the morning meal.  The cook was busy making pastries.  Madison greeted her and slipped out the back door.

The wind was howling.  Its chilling effect slapped against her face, bringing tears to her eyes.  The dark grey clouds looked ominous.  It was not the most ideal weather for one to be taking a walk, let alone an unchaperoned lady.  Propriety be damned, Madison thought to herself.  Who invented such a stupid protocol anyway?  Why did a gentleman have the liberty to do as he pleased, yet a lady was treated as if she did not know how to apply her mental faculty?

Madison barely noticed the early morning farmers in their carriages on the way to the market. Some vendors were setting up their businesses for the day, cobblers were unpacking at the intersection of the two dirt roads; another selling fresh produce, another with the morning’s newspaper, and the blacksmith, pounding away with his hammer and chisel on metal fittings.  She found herself walking into the woodlands.  Only when she came up to the spot where she last saw Chadwick lazing on the grass, did she realize how far she had walked.  Madison shut her eyes, half hoping when she opened it, she would see him.

When she opened her eyes, she was welcomed by a deafening silence and her own solitary companionship.  Lowering herself onto the grass, she pulled her coat closer against her neck and wrapped her arms around her chest.  She wondered where Chadwick was.  It was four days since she had boldly went to see him at his home.  Surely he was back?  Was he still annoyed with her?  He probably was, for he was a man who did not suffer fools gladly, and she was a fool she knew it.  Madison longed to see him again.  If only he could just put his arms around her, and smile that mischievous smile of his, if she could only see it, just once.

When the sun made a surprise entry a while later, Madison figured she should head back home.  By now Beth would be frantic with worry.  She would have taken her morning chocolate to her chamber and assumed Madison was taking breakfast with her parents and would be most upset to discover Madison had left home unchaperoned.

       'I say, have you had bad news Rochester?’ a gentleman at the bar asked?

‘Excuse me?’ Chadwick downed his fourth glass of whiskey and slammed the glass on the counter, requesting a refill from the bar tender.  His father was rather ill, other than that, he had not received any bad news.  Unless you considered an image  of a waif with hypnotising chocolate brown eyes and silky strands of brown hair haunting you day and night as bad news.

‘It seems like you’re trying to drink yourself into oblivion,’ the gentleman laughed.

‘I am celebrating old chap,’ Chadwick announced.  ‘My horses have just made me a small fortune.’  He was telling the truth, his horses did win him a large sum of money.  Though his drinking binge was more him drowning his sorrows that him celebrating.

‘I know just the place where you could spend your money rather pleasurably,’ the man laughed, and the ladies need no lessons,’ he winked.

‘No thank you,’ Chadwick gulped from his glass.

‘What can be of greater pleasure than being wrapped in the arms of a luscious lady who knows how to please a man?  Personally I favour the buxom blondes with well rounded bottoms,’ he laughed softly, his eyes trained at a waitress fitting that description, who was serving drinks at another table.

‘Perhaps you are correct,’ Chadwick met the man’s lusty eyes, his own subconscious vehemently disagreeing with the passable merits of the blonde lady.  He won’t admit it, but the only colour hair that would appeal to him now would be that of a fiery brunette, and the eyes had to be as dark.