In the morning Maddie still had not come down from the clouds she was floating on. Daniel said they would marry. Now she did not have to worry about the token Cuthbert had put on her. She decided not to tell the Duchess until she and Daniel talked more about their engagement. After all he could have had a moment of insanity and did not mean his words. If that were true, she would not be able to live she would throw herself into the Thames.
That afternoon A new set of guests arrived. Jensen Everleigh came to talk to Daniel. He needed to let him know what he had learned about the marker. Jensen was not surprised to see the party going on. Johanna had told him the Duchess had set up a honey trap so Maddie could find herself a husband. He was led to Daniel's office while Johanna was led outside to where the fun and games were being held.
Daniel was pleased to see Jensen and without a word, he poured him a glass of his finest whiskey.
The two men sat across from each other sipping their drinks. They had known each other for years. They had worked together on many occasions.
"What did you find out?"
"My information is Cuthbert owes quite a bit of money to a lot of people. He thought marrying Maddie would be his best and only option. It is rumored he has been infatuated with her since she was extremely young. My runner said without her money he could not pay off any of his debts. He is flat broke to the point of tarnishing the name of the Earldom. I have Mac keeping an eye out for the marker. If it shows up ad Madams, I will put it in my care until I can get it to you."
Daniel teased Jensen.
"You planning to place a claim on it?"
They both laughed.
"That would not be prudent since I already made a claim on Lady Hartford. Seems that taking a few liberties with charming's niece gets a man engaged quickly or quartered. Since I found I love the girl an engagement was in order but at this moment she is the only one who is not aware of it. It's a long story but I will be married soon. Any chance you will claim the marker?"
Daniel laughed again,
"I decided to claim the girls' heart and kill the man who put the marker out on her."
"I see a wedding will be the outcome for you as well. Have you asked the young lady, or did you push her into a mud puddle to propose?"
"You have heard about that have you. I asked her properly last night and she consented. Now to get all these bloody men who are here to woo her out of my house."
"Back to the reason for my visit. Simon has put the word out and has men looking for Cuthbert. It appears he had gone underground and is not in the usual places one finds a man who is a notorious gambler. Simon has someone staked out at Madams waiting for him to show up there."
"I learned he made a visit to the town here. I am not worried he will even get close to her. Seems the villagers have claimed her for their own and swear he will not get near her. I do need help with another matter. Someone tried to brand her when she was a babe. I think it was Cuthbert since he happened to be at the Marquis at the time. I do not have proof. Can you look into it, and find out what you can about anything before the time she went to live with Matthew?"
"I can do that. I will keep you updated. How long will you be staying in the country?"
"We will be returning to London in two days. When this bloody party is over."
The men finished their drinks then went to go collect their ladies. They arrived in the garden Johanna was standing near Honeywell. He was not happy to see him near Johanna.
"Johanna it is time for us to go, so you do not miss making your debut tonight."
She turned to Lord Honeywell to bid him good day, but not before she saw the look on the Duke of Bedford face. It was a mixture of anguish and anger. She had to wonder if Maddie might get what she had always wanted and that was the love of the duke.
Maddie was trying to escape Jeffries and was having no luck. Why did the Duchess invite him? He was bloody persistent. She saw the look on Daniels face and wonder if one of them would end up in a mud puddle.
Daniel excused himself from Jensen and Johanna.
"Excuse me I need to go and kill someone. Thank you for the news, Jen. I will take the information and well you can imagine."
"I can Daniel, and I am sure you would do the same for me."
"You know I will if ever I am needed."
He followed the path he had seen Jeffries follow Maddie. He was not sure he would be able to hold his temper when he saw how Jeffries had Maddie pinned to the wall.
"Lady Jacob, just a little kiss here in the garden would not hurt anything there is no one around to see us?"
"I do not want to kiss you, my lord. I have made up my mind on who I will marry, and it is not you. I am truly sorry."
"I have heard that it is a token that will choose your husband and not you. I have men out looking for that marker as we speak."
Daniel could see the horror in Maddie's eyes. He lost all control of all rational thought. He pulled Jeffries off Maddie and punched him in the face.
Jeffries, who had not seen Daniel sat on the ground rubbing his chin. When he looked up, he saw flickers of light in Daniels eyes. He knew he had provoked him more than he should have. He was not lying about the token; he did have people looking for it to collect it for him. He had talked to Cuthbert about marrying her. But he told him without the token or money he would not agree to give her away.
"What did you do that for? I meant the girl had no ill intent. I do plan on marrying her."
"Stand up Alvin so I can knock you down again. I want you out of my house within the hour. You can go tell Cuthbert about your plan and see if he tells you the truth. He has not claimed to give Maddie away. I am her guardian not Cuthbert, and we both know I would never give you, my consent. I have changed my mind you have thirty minutes to get out of my house and on your way back to London. Never darken mine or Maddie's door ever again."
With his lecture finished he grabbed Maddie's hand and dragged her off to his study. He wanted to be alone without any interruption. He was giving Jefferies time to get out if he did not distract himself, he would kill the man for what he planned for his Maddie. When they were alone in the study, he thought they would spend a little time doing some kissing and hugging. The look on Maddie's face told him if a mud puddle had been within sight he would have found himself in it. What had he done wrong? He had rescued her from the cur.
"What are you mad about? Did you want that man to treat you that way?"
"Of course not. But if I took in the meaning of your words in the garden. You knew I was running from the token and all this time you knew Cuthbert had no hold on me or my money? You let me suffer the humiliation of lowering my standards and trying to pick someone who would just be nice to me? You are the cur sir. How could you not tell me you were my guardian?"
"Maddie, I swear I did not know I was your guardian until you gave me the letter. I did not see you until you came down the stairs dressed for a ball, and I told you we were leaving. There was never an opportunity. I did not want to spoil the day we had in the village with talk of Cuthbert. I am sorry my love I did not tell you sooner. Will you forgive me?"
He smiled that damn smile of his got him out of a lot of trouble when he was a kid, and it would get him out of trouble now. He could see the color of her eyes change they were no longer tempered with anger. She had forgiven him. He pulled her to him and kissed her senselessly until Mathis knocked on the door interpreting their tender moment.
"Lord Jefferies has gone. I also thought you should know your mother is looking for you. Said she has someone you should meet."
"Who pray tell would my mother want me to meet?"
"It is an old friend of hers. She thinks he has useful information for you."
"Show them in. Maddie you will need to go and get ready for tonight's ball."
She did not want to fight him, but she was curious who his mother was going to introduce him to and not her. It made no sense. He was right there a ball tonight and she should look her best since the ball was for her.
After Maddie left his mother entered his study with an older gentleman. Stella and the older man sat down without being invited. He must be someone with a title because he certainly had an arrogance about him. He walked around and sat behind his desk. Daniel could see the older man seemed amused by this action. He was convinced he was of a high-ranking nobleman.
"Daniel this is the Duke of Cornwall Percival Dayton. He is better known as The Sparrow. He is a trainer of assassins for the crown."
Daniel was impressed he was a legend at the home office. He had been married to an agent who was killed in the line of duty. The man could have something to say that would indeed help him. He still had to wonder how his mother would know the assassin. He would find out when they were alone.
"Your grace, what information do you have?"
"I was friends with Bennet and Winifred. I happened to be visiting him right before he died. He gave me a letter for safekeeping. Told me to open it if he were no longer around, and Maddison was in trouble. Simon told me you were investigating Bennet's death. He also mentions Maddison was no longer safe."
He handed Daniel the letter. Who ripped it open immediately and read?
"Percival you and Matthew were the closest thing I had to brothers. If something happens to me and my little Maddie is in trouble, I need you two to find out how to keep her safe. Stella will have the child if something were to happen to me. I am not worried for her in that regard but let me tell you what I do worry about. In this group of boys I have been screening there is one boy who I think means her harm if not harm something vile. I did not tell you about this since other than observing her and going into the nursery to be near her. The boy's name is Cuthbert Irving. The nanny has told me she has caught him caressing the babe when no one is looking. I do not know if it means anything, but I worry she is all I have left. There was something else I worry about. I found something looking like a crude iron but the Smith was teaching an apprentice so it could be his work, and I am worrying for nothing. Since my beloved has left me alone and made me promise to take good care of our girl, I worry all the time but I know in my bones this boy wants to harm my little girl. The last thing you should know about this boy is yesterday I found him lighting a fire in the stable. If I had not been in there to put it out there could have been casualties. I talked to him about it but he showed no remorse at all. I have sent a letter to Big B to let him know the boy needs to be removed for the safety of the other boys. He should be gone within the week. I will be vigilant until he is gone. Your brother at heart. Bennet"
"I take you did not know she was branded. That is why the Marquis left in the storm to get her away from Cuthbert."
Stella knew she had been branded but Percival did not.
"If I had known I would have had the letter opened right after Bennet died. I would not have waited till now to bring this to the home offices' attention."
Stella was a bit to silent for Percival he had never known her to be the silent type.
"What are you thinking Stell?"
"Matthew and I always wondered who had branded her. Wesley was fit to be tied when we brought her to him for the exam. We thought he was going to go off and find the person who hurt the baby."
"I can imagine Wesley not being happy about such a thing. Why did he not launch an investigation?"
"He did. They did not let Matthew and I be a part of it because she needed constant protection. We did the best we could, no one ever came close to hurting her until now. The sad part is the same person is after her. Cuthbert's fascination with her is not understandable. He was always obsessed with her. I do not know if you remember when you were about fifteen Cuthbert went on holiday with us. He never left Maddie's side. Once Matthew found him standing over the cradle with a pillow in his hands. He was not doing anything but even before his death he swore Cuthbert was going to smother her with it. He could not prove it, but it was the last time he ever let her be alone when Cuthbert was around."
Percival shook his head there was only one thing he could do for Bennet and that was to get rid of this Cuthbert. It was his specialty.
"I will handle this problem after all Bennet left this letter to me knowing I would take care of the bastard."
"I am sure that was true then, but I will personally kill the bastard. She is my ward, and this is my mission."
"I am sure you would not hesitate to kill the man, but why get blood on your hands? I am deadly and can sleep quite well knowing I have killed bad people."
Daniel had killed in his service, and he never regretted it not once. But it was true this man was a legend and never second guessed killing for his country.
"What if we worked together to bring him down? I cannot in good conscience leave this to someone else?"
"I am alright working together. Understand if I come across him and we are not together I will take the kill shot."
"I agree if you agree to the same. I will not hesitate to kill the bastard."
Percival stayed for the ball after all Ada was attending and the thought of her dancing with another man always made him angry. Even when he was married his thoughts were of Ada. She refused to marry him, but they had been together since he was a boy. The only time he could remember not being with her since he was twenty was when he was married to Nora. That had been four short years. Even in her sixties, she was a beautiful hot-blooded woman.
Maddie walked into the crowded room searching for Daniel. She had plans and they did not include dancing with a group of men she did not find interesting or had any interest in. She was Daniels and she wanted no other so why pretend? She spotted him over with Lucas.
Lucas laughed when he saw Maddie coming towards them like a tigress on the hunt.
"God help you old man she is on the prowl."
Daniel searched out where Lucas was gazing out at, and saw Maddie with a quite grown-up look on her face. Once of seduction and the promise of pleasure. What was the girl thinking they were in the middle of a party. She stopped right in front of the two men they both laughed. It was Lucas who gave her the compliment and opening that she wanted.
"You look beautiful tonight, Maddie."
"Thank you, Lucas, the Duchess, picked this dress out she said it was sure to catch one of the men she invited."
She saw Daniel bristle at this statement. She continued.
"I told her I had already picked out the man I was going to marry, and he was already in agreement. She told me she knew of no such arrangement because they would have had to talk with Daniel, and he had not told her of such an arrangement. Mind telling me why you did not tell your mother? Are you just toying with me? If she is prepared to be tortured your grace."
She walked off and he grabbed her hand. In the background, Lucas could be heard laughing and under his breath, he could be heard saying.
"Be careful your grace for mud puddles."
Maddie turned around and walked back and stood in front of her best friend in all the world.
"I am sure I could show you a mud puddle or two My Lord,"
He wiped the mirth off his face and the last person other than Abigail was Maddie. Maddie and Daniel walked on to the dance floor knowing they would be causing a scene. The desire on his face was not something one could hide, and the glow of being in his arms was something none of the other men could miss. She was making a bold statement.
Stella watched the two of them with joy in her heart. They finally came to their senses and fell in love. But when did it happen? Was it the day in the village, she did not think so Maddie came home upset. She heard her ranting in her room that night about what a thick-headed baboon Daniel was. When have they acted together? She was not sure and would be surprised to know they had always loved each other but there were circumstances that had needed to be cleared up before they could say the words out loud.
Daniel was looking into Maddie's eyes and noticed they were a color in between light blue and dark blue when she was angry. Could this be the color of her eyes when she was passionate? He could not wait to find out. He decided to make a bold announcement after all this was the Honey trap and he had been snared. Little did he know the announcement would cause plans to be rushed up and put her in danger.
At the stroke of Midnight Daniel brought Maddie to the stage and made the announcement that sealed their fate and bound them together for eternity. He had Mathis pass out champagne to all the guests and then made his speech.
"I would like to announce that Lady Jacobs has consented to marry me. I am the happiest man alive."
Their fate was now sealed, for good or bad it was sealed.