The Unknowing Heiress

Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Max dressed early the next morning and worked quietly with Nora to tend to Maggie’s wounds while she slept. They were careful to be very delicate with her. While her physical wounds would heal in time he was unsure of how long it would take for Maggie to return to her old self.

He felt a burning rage in the pit of his stomach when he thought of that bitter, jealous man who could not handle rejection. Just the thought of Zachary’s name brought him to a murderous rage. If he ever saw the man again they would both be leaving in wooden boxes. Zachary by his hand and Max by the hand of a hangman. 

He also felt a great sense of pride in Maggie. She was concussed and yet she still managed to fight him off. She was strong, stronger than he was.

But then he felt an overwhelming sense of failure, failure to protect. Her father had entrusted him with caring for her, with ensuring her safety, and he had utterly failed in every way. Max had no idea how to make amends.

“Do not punish yourself, sweet boy,” Nora said quietly as she carefully fixed the bandage on Maggie’s head. “It ain’t nobody’s fault but his. Trust me, I know.”

Max had wondered at the father of Nora’s sons. There was his confirmation. So, this was not the first time that the rotten bastard had forced himself upon a poor woman. “I can’t help it,” admitted Max. “She is my responsibility.”

“I haven’t know Miss Maggie for long, but I can say for certain she doesn’t want to be anyone’s ‘responsibility’.” Nora smiled comfortably. “There will be many more battles to fight, sweet boy, both together and alone and she won this one.” She placed her hand on his cheek. “Let it go. Don’t hold on to this and allow that man to ruin your young lives.”

“I can’t just let it go,” growled Max. Just looking at Maggie’s wounds made him angry and vengeful.

Nora sighed. “Well, then you risk losing her,” she said simply.

Max’s head snapped around and he glared at Nora. “Why?” he snapped.

“Would she want you to be angry every time you look at her?” Nora asked him. “She will want to forget this in time, Max, and if you can’t let it go, if you are reminded of what happened every time you see her then she won’t want to spend any time around you. If you continue to look at her like you are now, your Maggie will disappear.”

Max could see the sense in Nora’s words. What was scary was that he could picture Maggie pulling away from him. If he did dwell on this, if he did behave vengefully and angrily whenever he was reminded of the attack then she would surely never want to be around him.

Which did he want more, to marry Maggie or to see Zachary in the centre of the dining table with an apple in his mouth?

“I love her,” Max said softly, “more than anything.”

“More than revenge?”

“Everything will be alright when we return to England,” Max decided. “I will not let anything else happen to her for the remainder of our stay and as soon as Mr Lavelle dies we will be on the first passenger ship home.”

“What?” gasped Nora.

Max realised that that little piece of information was obviously sensitive and private. “Do not repeat that.” Not that he cared much for Isaac Lavelle at that moment. He had not exactly leapt to Maggie’s defence, nor had he reprimanded Zachary for his appalling behaviour. If it had been Nate that had walked in on that scene, Zachary would have been castrated on the spot with a teaspoon!