‘You must send for your husband’s lawyers,’ Hal said. ‘Rochdale must be obliged to show the notes Lethbridge gave him...and then you can pay what is available. You cannot do more. No court in the land would expect it.’
Madeline gripped his hand. The marquis had destroyed the magic of their dance and that sweet kiss, making her remember the last dark days of her marriage.
‘I do not care for the estate. My settlement should be safe and that is all I need. If the estate is mine, I will arrange for him to be paid—but if there is another claimant...’
‘Then it will be his decision whether or not to pay.’
‘If he is not paid, he will make everyone believe that we were lovers. He might spread a rumour that it was you that had my husband murdered.’
‘He could never prove it, for it is a lie,’ Hal said grimly. ‘I have witnesses that I did not even fire when it was my right to do so had I chosen. You must not let Rochdale distress you, Madeline. He cannot harm us if we stand firm.’
‘He can and will ruin both our reputations,’ she said. ‘He is welcome to what he is owed but...’ Tears trembled on her lashes. ‘I am a curse on those who love me. Forgive me, Hal. I have brought so much trouble on you.’
‘Do you think I fear his threats?’ Hal said. ‘I meant what I said to him, Maddie—if he comes near you again I shall kill him. As for the money, I have no personal desire or wish for you to inherit it, but it would have made you independent.’
‘I do not need a fortune to be happy,’ she said. ‘Truly, all I want is to be your wife, Hal.’
‘I had thought we might make our home at my estate in Cambridgeshire,’ he said, ‘and perhaps we shall one day. But...’ He paused and shook his head. ‘It might be best if we went abroad soon, Maddie. If there is a scandal, we can live quietly somewhere we are not known until talk has died down.’
‘Oh, why did he have to see us?’
‘It does not matter. Let him do his worst,’ Hal said and took her hands, holding them firmly. ‘We shall be married quietly here and then go away. Our friends will not believe his lies—and the others do not matter.’
‘I must contact the lawyers as soon as possible,’ Madeline said. ‘I do not wish to tear you away from your family and friends if a scandal can be averted. Perhaps enough money may be raised.’
‘I shall go to London in the morning,’ Hal said. ‘You must promise me not to go anywhere alone and to be very careful while I am away.’
‘Yes, I shall remain in the gardens near the house or the house itself,’ Madeline promised. ‘You must go to London and see your business done, Hal—and ask my husband’s lawyers what my situation is regarding Lethbridge’s debts.’
Hal smiled at her. ‘Have courage, my love. Even if he does his worst, words cannot truly harm us. If need be, I shall sell all my property in England and we shall make a new life abroad.’
‘Yes.’ Madeline smothered the sob rising in her throat.
How could she let Hal sacrifice everything for her?
Somehow Madeline managed to control the tumult of her feelings as she allowed Hal to take her back into the ballroom. She declined supper, excusing herself by saying that she needed to tidy her gown, smiled, touched his hand, and then went upstairs to her bedchamber.
What was she going to do? Her mind was tumbling with doubts and anxiety. The marquis was a spiteful man and would delight in taking his revenge on them. Lethbridge had promised to give Madeline to him and he’d been thwarted not once but twice, perhaps even three times if it was his men who had tried to abduct her—and she did not believe that he would be satisfied with spreading malicious lies.
She could scarcely believe that Lethbridge had lost so much money to the marquis. Madeline had always believed her husband to be a rich man—but twenty-five thousand pounds...could the estate in Hampshire and the London house together be worth so much? She did not know for sure, but she suspected that there might be a mortgage on the country estate for she’d once heard a few words of it when Lethbridge was speaking to his lawyer.
Of course there was also the strongbox that Thomas had smuggled out of the house and brought here to her. Nothing that remained in the box meant anything to her. She would give the jewels to the marquis gladly in part settlement, yet somehow she did not believe that even if she could pay every penny of the debt he would leave them in peace.
Having splashed her face in cool water and tidied her gown, she looked at herself in the elegant dressing mirror. She was very pale, but her face showed no sign of the tears she’d shed as she prepared to go down again. A knock at the door made her start and freeze with fear, but then Jenny’s voice asked if she were all right.
‘Yes, I am just coming down,’ she said and opened the door.
Jenny looked at her in concern.
‘Are you well? I was anxious because Hal said it had upset you seeing the Marquis of Rochdale here. I wanted to tell you that he has gone. You may come down now without fear of being forced to speak to him.’
‘Thank you,’ Madeline said. ‘I am sorry to have cast a shadow over your dance, Jenny.’
‘You have not done so. I can see very well why you distrust that man. I should have liked to refuse to receive him, but could not. However, he left before supper and I was relieved to see him go. Are you sure you wish to come down, dearest?’
‘Yes, I shall come,’ Madeline said and smiled at her. ‘Please, do not be anxious for my sake. This is your dance and you should enjoy it.’
‘Well, I shall now that that awful man is not here to distress you.’
Madeline linked arms with her and they went back down to the ballroom. Jenny stayed with her for a few minutes and then Adam claimed her for a dance. Madeline decided to circulate the rooms and spent an hour and a half talking to the other guests as if she had not a care in the world, but when the company began to disperse, she said goodnight to Jenny and Lord Ravenscar, then went in search of Hal. Both he and Adam had left the ballroom half an hour earlier and she wanted to say goodnight.
She decided to investigate the library, which was one of their favourite haunts. Approaching, she saw that the door was partially open and, as she hesitated, she heard their voices.
‘What else can I do?’ Hal was asking. ‘Madeline is in danger, Adam. I must take her somewhere she will be safe. If that means going abroad, then so be it.’
‘You will give up everything—your family and friends—for her? She is beautiful, and Jenny likes her, but she seems cold to me. Have you forgot that she broke your heart by marrying Lethbridge? I have never once seen her look at you with love, Hal. Are you certain this marriage is what you want?’
‘Yes, of course. I love her. I always have. Damn it, Adam, I don’t want to leave England, but I do not see that I have a choice.’
Madeline backed away, feeling sick. Hal was ready to give up everything for her, but Adam thought he was wrong. He did not wish to see his friend sacrifice his life for her sake, and who could blame him?
He was right that she had never allowed her feelings for Hal to show. Indeed, until he kissed her in the garden after their dance, she’d not been sure that she could bear to wed him, even though she loved him. His kiss had been so sweet and gentle that her fears had fled and she’d wanted him to go on and on kissing her. In that moment she would have given herself to him—and then the marquis had destroyed the spell that held them.
Tears stung her eyes as she fled back the way she had come, nearly tripping over the stairs as she ran up them, hardly able to hold back