Chapter 14

Adam heard Maggie's voice, but he didn't get up to go to her. If he had jumped up as he wanted, his family would have noticed immediately that something was going on. They were not stupid. They would suspect that something was happening between him and Maggie.

How was he going to talk with her about what would happen if everyone watched them? Despite their class gap, Adam wasn't to be in the room alone with Maggie. His mother had insisted on that. How was he going to talk to her now?

Lady Banbury came back into the room and shut the door. Maggie was not with her, and Adam hated that he felt sad about that.

"Is Maggie alright, Mother?" Eleanor asked around a mouthful of bread. "I thought she was going to remain in her bedchamber."

"Eleanor, don't talk with your mouthful." Lady Banbury sat down again. "Maggie said she wanted to go for a walk, that's all. It's a lovely day, so she might as well make the most of it."

"On her own?" Sabrina frowned. "You won't let us go out on our own."

"Maybe because you and Eleanor are still children. Maggie is a grown woman, and if she wants to go for a walk, then she should be allowed." Lady Banbury shook her head. "She has far too many restrictions on her, so allowing her this bit of freedom should be enough."

Adam couldn't agree more with that, although he wished that Maggie wasn't a servant. That would make his feelings for her easier to handle.

He couldn't deny it anymore, not after their kiss. He loved her. Her smile, her laughter, her beauty, those incredible eyes … everything about her had Adam falling for her long ago before he realized what was going on. And he didn't want anyone else, no matter their status.

But the fact that she wasn't even a member of the ton would cause more than an uproar. Adam didn't want to ruin anyone with what he did, but he couldn't help himself. Maggie was the woman he wanted in his life.

He just wished that he could do something about it. And if Maggie rejected him once he worked up the courage to tell her …

Adam couldn't think about that. But it wasn't something he could keep to himself. Not for long, anyway.

Finishing off his tea, he stood up.

"I'm going to head to my study. I'll be busy this morning, so …"

"You don't want to be interrupted," Lady Banbury finished with a smile. "Don't worry, we won't bother you, Adam."

Adam squeezed his mother's shoulder as he went past, leaving the room. It was good to see the dowager duchess smiling more than she used to. Maybe Maggie's presence was doing something for her as well. His mother was certainly interacting more with them, and she had added a bit of colour to her clothes. There were still some black garments, but it was better than before. Lady Banbury was slowly coming out of mourning, and that was good.

Adam had a feeling that his mother was going to enjoy widowhood. Unlike married women and single ladies, widows had much more freedom, and the rules seemed to be much more relaxed. He hadn't thought about it like that, but when Maggie had mentioned it to him …

God, everything was turning back to Maggie again. This couldn't keep going on. But things would certainly go wrong if he told her how he felt about her. Maggie might not feel the same way and could run away from him again. Now, that would hurt.

But this wasn't something he could keep away from. Adam had to tell her. This couldn't be allowed to fester between them.

Making his way through the house, Adam left the house by the side door. He didn't want his family to see him leave by the front door after saying otherwise. Breaking into a jog, he navigated around the back of the stables and into the gardens alongside the house. If he was lucky, he could catch hold of Maggie before she disappeared.

Sure enough, he saw her walking along the path by a copse of trees. Her head was bowed, her hands shoved into her pockets. She looked lost in thought. Adam quickened his pace and ducked into the trees, getting ahead of her and waiting behind a tree. From here, no one at the house would see them. He couldn't risk anyone seeing them now.

As Maggie walked by, Adam grabbed her by the arm and yanked her into the copse. Maggie let out a scream, and Adam instinctively pressed a hand over her mouth as he pulled her against him.

"It's me, Maggie! It's only me."

Maggie stopped her muffled screaming, her eyes wide as she stared at him. Adam slowly took his hand away, and Maggie was gasping for air.

"Your … Your Grace. What do you think you're doing?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"And you couldn't do it in the house or be a bit more gentlemanly about it?" Maggie stepped back and dusted herself off, absently adjusting her sleeves. "I thought it was that man again coming back to find something else to steal."

"My apologies."

Maggie frowned, stepping back further to lean against a tree. She was putting space between them, and Adam felt cold. That was not right. He didn't want to feel cold around her, but Maggie was wary. Given how he had just accosted her, it was no surprise.

"What is it?" Maggie asked. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I …" Adam cleared his throat. "I wanted to apologize for how I behaved last night. I shouldn't have kissed you, certainly not without your consent."

"Oh."

Was it him or did she sound disappointed at that? Adam hurried on, not wanting to think too much about it.

"I shouldn't have crossed a line. If anyone had seen us …"

"Nobody saw us," Maggie said quietly.

"But if they had, you would have faced so much backlash. Despite me being the one at fault, you would have taken the brunt of it all. That's not fair on anyone." Adam rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I was not trying to take advantage of you. God, I would never do that."

Maggie bit her lip, and Adam had to look away. If he stared at her mouth even more, he was going to think about kissing her again, and he needed to focus on what he was doing.

"I wasn't uncomfortable, Your Grace."

"What?"

Maggie gulped.

"I wasn't uncomfortable with the kiss. Surprised, yes, but not uncomfortable. And as for taking advantage of me …" She licked her lips, a natural gesture rather than a conscious movement. "I know you would never do that."

Adam slumped.

"That's something. I'm glad to know I'm doing something right."

"Why did you kiss me, anyway? Was it relief that I was not hurt?" Maggie frowned. "Or was it something else?"

"It was mostly relief that you were not hurt." Adam hesitated. "But …"

"But what?"

He needed to tell her. Adam knew it was going to turn everything on its head, but he had to say how he felt. Maggie deserved to know. Why was it so difficult to tell someone they loved them? Adam could say it to his mother and sisters without a problem.

Was this how things went when they were in love with another person who wasn't family? It felt a lot harder to say than he anticipated.

"But what?" Maggie prompted. Now she was looking worried, straightening up from the tree. "What is it, Your Grace?"

"Adam."

"What?" Maggie blinked. "What did you say?"

"My name is Adam." Adam strode towards her. "I hope you can call me that when it's just the two of us."

Maggie gasped as he kissed her, but after a moment, when her hands pressed against his chest, she melted into his arms. She kissed him back, and Adam groaned. This time, he wasn't going to let her break away. He wanted Maggie to know that she was his now.

He had never been territorial over anyone, but Maggie was different. She was special.

They were both breathless when they broke apart, Maggie staring at him like she had never seen him before. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen, and her eyes were bright. Adam didn't think he would ever see anything lovelier.

"I …" Maggie swallowed. "I take it that's supposed to mean something?"

"You think I would just kiss any woman?"

"Well …"

"I'm not the type to do anything for fun of it. Not when it comes to something like this." Adam pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaning his head against hers. "I'm in love with you, Maggie. God help me; I didn't go out into Society looking to have an affair with someone who wasn't a member of the ton. I certainly didn't expect someone like you to capture my attention. But you did, and I can't help myself."

"Your Grace?"

"Please, let me finish. I need to get this out." Adam cupped her head in his hands and urged her to look at him. "I love you, and while I know this is inappropriate and we've got … obstacles … you need to know how I feel. This is not in jest. I'm not doing this because I'm bored or anything. This is me talking, and I'm being honest here. I love you, Maggie."

As soon as the words finished leaving his mouth, Adam wanted to grimace. It felt like they were not words that came naturally. He'd made a mess of it all, but they were out now. He didn't want to take them back.

Now it was Maggie's turn to say if she wanted him in the same way or if she would slap his face and say she would not be around him any longer.

"I … I didn't think …" Maggie shook herself, still looking bewildered. "I didn't think you would … return … those feelings."

"Return?" Adam picked up on that. "Is that your way of saying that you …"

"That I'm in love with you as well?" Maggie bit her lip again and managed a shy smile. "It does mean that, and knowing that we could never do anything about it even though the feelings are reciprocated really hurt."

Adam barely heard the second part of that. He simply grasped Maggie to him and held her tightly, his heart racing in his chest. Maggie loved him back. This had to be a dream, one that he didn't want to wake up from.

Maggie loved him.

"Your …" Maggie smacked his arms. "You're choking … me."

"Oh!" Adam let her go quickly. "Forgive me, I …"

"Well!" Maggie gulped in air and smoothed down her dress. "That was … an experience."

"Which part?"

"Getting squeezed nearly to death by a duke, for one."

Adam groaned and drew her to him, being more gentle with his touch this time.

"I didn't mean to do that. I got excited when you said you felt the same way."

"I gathered that." Maggie reached out and touched his chest, leaning into him. "This feels very strange. I never expected this. And that you and I … we can't."

"Can't?" Adam froze. "Do you mean …?"

"Your Grace …"

"Adam, please."

Maggie took a deep breath and started again.

"Adam. It doesn't matter if we love each other. We're completely different social classes. Once people find out about this, our families will be destroyed by the gossip and the implications. My family, certainly, will be dragged through the mud."

Adam knew that. He was aware of the situation. But he didn't think his mother and sisters would care; they all liked Maggie and would accept their position once they got over the shock. But with Maggie's family, that was something else. Especially with her grumpy brother, who clearly had an issue with him.

"I'll see what I can do with that. I'll make sure that things are good between our families."

"What? How are you going to manage that?"

"You'll find out." Adam tilted her chin up and kissed her softly. "I promise."

He would make sure that things were right for the woman he loved. It was the least he could do.

#

"Are you sure this is going to be a good idea, Adam?" Lady Banbury asked as she joined Adam at the window. "You don't think you're going too far with all this?"

"I don't think there's anything about this where I'm going too far, Mother." Adam turned and leaned against the windowsill. "I'm just getting two families to interact with each other and get along, that's all. And seeing as Maggie doesn't get to see her parents very often, I thought it would be a good opportunity for her to see them for the weekend before she had to go back to the baron's household."

The dowager duchess frowned, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I feel you're up to something, and this is not just about Maggie missing her family."

"You're very suspicious, Mother."

"Given what you're doing, I think I have a good idea why you're inviting Mr and Mrs Hay to the estate for the weekend." Lady Banbury's eyes narrowed. "You're up to something, aren't you?"

Adam hadn't told his mother the truth about his love for Maggie, mostly because Maggie had begged him not to say anything. She didn't want their families to know about anything yet, so she didn't have the good moments ripped away from her so suddenly.

Adam could tell that it was because she was scared that everyone would react badly to their love, even those she was close to. He understood that, so he kept it quiet for now. But Lady Banbury could figure something out without him saying anything.

Had she figured it out already? Did she know? Adam hoped that he wasn't going to go through that embarrassing conversation right now. Admitting to Maggie that he loved her had been awkward; it would be worse telling his mother the truth about his feelings for the girl.

And Lady Banbury could react badly. Adam didn't want her shouting at him and ruining the moment. He wanted things to be good until Maggie had to go back to Baron Atterbury. If his mother started getting upset at what he was doing …

"I wouldn't think I was up to anything, Mother …"

"Well, I would. I know you, Adam, and I know when you're up to something." Lady Banbury folded her arms. "Are you really not going to tell me the truth, or will I find out on my own?"

"It's the truth. I know Maggie doesn't get much of a chance to see her family, so I wanted to do something nice for her. As a thank you for helping me try to figure out who the thief is."

"Even though you haven't found the thief, and there have been no incidents beyond the two nights ago?" Lady Banbury shuddered. "It's scary that someone like that could have been sneaking around the house while we were sleeping."

"I know. It was rather daunting to know that someone was creeping around."

"I'm glad Maggie wasn't hurt. She shouldn't have been traipsing around the halls trying to be a hero."

Adam was glad as well. He had told his mother about the intruder but not about what happened after. That was definitely not something she needed to know.

"At least you've got your horse back," Lady Banbury went on. "How is he?"

"Fine, as far as the stable manager can tell. He's not been harmed physically and seems quite relieved to be home."

"I'm surprised that whoever stole him let him go again. Or maybe he got out and managed to find his way back?"

Adam didn't know. All he knew was that his prized horse was back and settling in his stable again. And there would be a heavy guard around him until the thief was caught; Adam wasn't about to let this happen again. Whoever did this was trying to prove a point, and Adam knew he was treading on thin ice. This needed to be dealt with quickly and delicately.

Although Adam was certain if he found the culprit, he would be beating the man to within an inch of his life. No one stole from him and got away with it.

You were a thief, and you got away with it. Maybe he should have the same thing happen with you.

But I stopped. I haven't done that in years. I don't think there will be any stopping this time until he's caught.

"It's a shame that horses can't talk," Lady Banbury went on, looking out into the gardens. "Then maybe he could tell us what really went on."

Adam chuckled.

"Imagine if animals just started talking. That would be frightening and incredible at the same time."

"Well, you're an animal, and I'm frightened and fascinated by your talking abilities."

"Thank you for that, Mother," Adam said with a slight sneer.

The dowager duchess laughed.

"What are mothers for, dear? We're always here to tell you that you're all pains in the backsides, and we'll embarrass you whenever we feel you need it."

"Now I'm worried about you meeting Mr and Mrs Hay. I shudder to think what you're going to say to them."

"I'm a dowager duchess, Adam. I know how to behave in proper circumstances."

Adam frowned.

"After what you've just said, I beg to differ."

"You don't need to worry about me, dear. I'll be the impeccable hostess."

Adam regarded his mother thoughtfully. She was certainly in a better place than she had been a few weeks ago. It was hard for him to remember that she was the same person.

"Your spirits have certainly lifted in recent days, Mother."

"I like to think so."

"Did you have an epiphany or something?"

Lady Banbury shrugged.

"Maybe I had a few conversations that I didn't know I needed, and I realized that sitting around being sad while you and my daughters are moving forward was not going to be productive. Much as I miss your father, I don't want to be left behind. Besides," she tapped the side of her head with the palm of her hand, "he would do this to me and tell me to stop being so stupid and start getting on with life again. If he knew I was mourning him still, that's what he would say."

"That and he would roll his eyes at you, I'm sure," Adam commented with a smile.

"Pretty much. I don't want you and your sisters to move along and leave me running to catch up." The dowager duchess smiled. "While I'm not quite ready to go into Society again just yet, I'm looking forward to having a lot more freedom. Being a widow should be invigorating."

Adam didn't know about that. He hadn't lost a spouse, so while he knew that the pain had to be bad, he couldn't possibly put himself in his mother's shoes. And Lady Banbury had to make up her mind what she wanted to do. If she thought this was the right time to step back out into Society, then Adam wasn't going to stop her. From her demeanour recently, he was sure that she would be absolutely fine.

He didn't want to credit it to Maggie, but her presence had certainly brought his mother out of her shell, and she was smiling more. But he was biased towards the woman he loved.

"I am pretty sure that there's something you're not telling me, though, Adam." Lady Banbury tilted her head to one side as she regarded him thoughtfully. "You're certain that you're not planning something."

Adam sighed.

"For the last time, Mother, nothing is going on. I'm just doing a nice thing for Maggie. A thank you for helping me out."

"Even though you haven't made any headway."

"It's a bit difficult when there's no proof. Whoever is doing this is very sneaky."

Lady Banbury shook her head.

"At least we haven't had anything else stolen. Or paint on everything. Unless we've missed something."

"Whoever it is probably wants to wait until our guard is lowered and then do something else. That's what I would do."

Adam winced at that. Now, he had to say something similar to what he had done. There were days when he completely forgot what he had done when he was younger and how he had been a thief. He and George had certainly waited a few days sometimes until they were sure the people guarding the supplies thought it wasn't going to happen again before they stole some more. Most thieves were sly and waited for weak points.

He felt like a hypocrite thinking badly about this thief when he had done it himself, but Adam had never hurt anyone. And he had done it for a good reason. People were starving without him and his friends doing something about it. Who was starving enough that his horse was stolen?

This was something he needed to tell Maggie about. She deserved to know what he had done. Adam knew that she wasn't approving of things like this. She didn't think crime fitted any situation, even in dire moments. Maggie would not be impressed with what he told her, especially after they confessed their feelings for each other. There should be no secrets between them, and this was something she needed to know.

Even then …

"There's a cart coming now," Lady Banbury said, her voice pulling Adam out of his thoughts. "It looks like them now."

"I'll go and let Maggie know."

"Is she aware that they're coming? Or are you making this a surprise?"

"I did tell her what I was planning, and she was happy about it." Adam looked out of the window and frowned. "Although I wasn't expecting her brother to come along too."

Ben sat in the back of the cart, his back to his parents as the cart trundled along. Adam couldn't see his face, but he was sure he was scowling. It seemed to be his regular expression.

"Oh, don't be silly," Lady Banbury tittered. "He's Maggie's family, and we should be accepting of all of them."

"Well, fair enough, Mother. But I will say that he's got a … prickly personality. If I'm honest, I don't think he likes anyone with a title."

"You're talking about when you met him that day? I'm sure he was a little uncomfortable because a duke was standing in his family's kitchen."

"I think it goes back further than that." Adam shook his head and pushed away from the window. "I'll go and find the girls. I know Sabrina is keen on meeting them."

Lady Banbury laughed.

"Well, she does love meeting new people." She fell into step beside him. "I'll greet our guests for now, but I think you should be there as well. You are the duke, after all."

"Yes, Mother."

But Adam couldn't stop thinking about Ben. Having Maggie's brother present might not be a bad thing if Maggie was happy to see him, but Adam had a feeling that this wouldn't go well.