Chapter 16

Adam stood and watched as the servants cleaned the wall and got rid of the ‘liar' word painted across the stones. The problem with their colour was that the word's outline would still be visible even after being cleaned. They were going to have to bring someone in to paint the entire house just to cover up this one spot.

Adam could afford it. But there wasn't really another way. What if they painted it with a fresh coat, and the one terrorizing his family returned and covered it with that offending red paint? They just couldn't afford that all the time.

He moved to look at the edge of the house, at the chipped stone and the blood dried on there. It looked stark and worrisome in the sun, the blood having trickled down before it was dry. How Ben hadn't completely taken a leave of his senses after smacking his head that hard, Adam had no idea. He wouldn't have been able to cope himself. His head must be throbbing badly.

While Adam wanted to get his physician to the house to check Ben over and ensure he was safe, he knew it was best that they went home. Mr and Mrs Hay could look after him better in their own environment.

Those words weighed heavily on him. Adam had been ignoring things regarding him and Maggie, but now it was very clear. He and Maggie were very different. It didn't matter how much they loved each other; the class difference was always going to be there. Maggie would not be accepted no matter what they did, and his own family would suffer for him supposedly bringing shame.

It did give him some doubts about going through with it all. Adam didn't want to hurt Maggie more than she already was. He still wanted her in his life, but the obstacles to getting there and making sure everyone was happy were big. He couldn't have what he wanted and keep everyone happy at the same time. It was not easy to have what you desired when everyone else had an opinion on it.

Adam didn't care about the opinion everyone had of him. He did care about his family and Maggie getting the brunt of his actions. The only way to stop that was to do something Adam didn't want to consider.

So much for this getting easier. It felt like steps towards getting what he wanted were even harder than he anticipated.

It wasn't going to stop. Adam wasn't about to back away because of some issues expressing his love. But he would never hurt Maggie. If Maggie wanted him to leave her alone, that's what he would do.

Even if it killed him.

A movement out of the corner of his eye had Adam looking around, and he saw the Hays' cart being brought around to the front. He knew they were leaving this morning, but seeing it actually happen was making it sink in. Adam felt cold and alone.

For the first time in a long while.

Maggie came out of the house carrying a couple of bags. She looked solemn as she put the bags onto the back of the cart, and then she went to the horse and started tending to it. The stable lad who had brought the cart out nodded at her and headed back to what he was doing. Adam took this as an opportunity to speak to her. Crossing the grass, he joined her.

"Maggie?"

Maggie looked up, but nothing in her expression showed that she was happy to see him. If anything, she looked worried. Especially when she glanced past him and up at the house.

"Do you think we should be talking in the open like this?" she whispered. "If someone sees us …"

"They will only see us talking, nothing more." Adam peered at her. "How's Ben?"

"In pain all over. He reinjured his leg again and now says he can't walk properly. He just wants to go home." Maggie sighed. She sounded sad. "Of all the times for that man to come back, why did it have to be now?"

"I know."

Adam wanted to touch her, to assure her that things would be alright. He wanted nothing more than to put his arms around her, but they were out in the open, and people would be watching. Now was not the time to ruin Maggie's reputation.

He wouldn't do that to her, even as his fingers itched to touch her.

"I can't apologize enough for this happening," he said quietly. "I had no idea …"

"It's not anyone's fault that this occurred, Adam." Maggie looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Except maybe the person who did this. It was bad enough when they attacked me, but they went after Ben. I can't lose him."

"I know, Maggie."

"I'm surprised that he even confronted the man about it. He thinks he's capable of standing up for himself, but he's not as strong as he thinks he is. Ben isn't …" Maggie shook her head. "He isn't as he used to be. His injuries from his time in the army are worse than he makes them out to be. He can't defend himself properly. If he had …"

"He might have apprehended this person for us," Adam finished.

"Then we might, at the very least, get some answers about what's going on and why." Maggie closed her eyes. "This is getting too much. I'm beginning to wish that I hadn't agreed to come here. Then maybe my brother wouldn't have got hurt."

Adam stared at her.

"You think you shouldn't have come here? Do you regret it all?"

"I …"

Maggie faltered, and Adam's heart sank. She was beginning to regret this. Was it because of what happened to her brother, or had she been like this all along? Adam could feel the panic brewing.

Just then, voices drew his attention, and Adam looked around to see Mr Hay and Morrison bringing Ben out. Ben had a bandage around his head, and he still looked pale. He was limping badly as he was led down the steps and to the cart. Mrs Hay ducked around them and put the remaining bags in the cart before opening the back and lowering the wooden steps.

"Can you get up here, Ben?" she asked.

"I don't know." Ben grimaced as he took his arms off Morrison's shoulders. "I'll try."

Mrs Hay got onto the cart first and beckoned her husband over.

"Bring him here. I'll pull him on if you can help lift him."

"Alright, dear." Mr Hay glanced over at Adam. "Your Grace, do you mind if we have some help?"

"Of course."

Adam hurried around the cart, and between the four of them, they managed to get Ben onto it. Ben cried out and flinched as he was manhandled up and secured against the side of the cart. Mrs Hay packed the bags around him.

"There. At least you won't fall over this way. Maggie, you sit up front with your father. I'll stay with Ben."

"Yes, Mother."

As Maggie climbed up onto the front seat, the whole cart rocked. Ben groaned as it jerked him, and he clutched his shoulder.

"Ouch! Careful, Maggie! I swear you're like a farmyard animal lumbering around. I just jarred my shoulder."

Adam was about to defend Maggie, who looked miserable, but then he saw Ben's hand. That stopped him from saying anything, staring at the long, weathered-looking fingers of Maggie's brother.

Something began niggling in his head, and it wouldn't stop.

"I think we'd better get going now," Mr Hay said. He turned to Adam. "My apologies for our sudden departure, Your Grace, but thank you for your hospitality. My wife and I will remember your kindness towards us as well as our daughter."

"It was my pleasure, Mr Hay." Adam took the outstretched hand and shook it firmly. "I feel awful that it was cut short so suddenly, but I understand."

Mr Hay nodded and gestured at his wife.

"You'd better sit down, dear. We'll be heading off shortly."

Mrs Hay had been fussing over her son, but she now sat down properly to save herself being tipped off the cart. She gave Adam a nod.

"Thank you, Your Grace. And I hope you find whoever did this to our son."

"I'll do my best, Mrs Hay." Adam looked at Maggie, who was still watching him. "Maggie. Safe journey home."

Maggie's mouth twitched, but it didn't get any further. She turned away and sat with her back to him. And she stayed that way as her father climbed onto the front seat and took the reins. Adam stepped back, watching the cart head down the drive towards the gate. He didn't move until it was out of sight, hoping that Maggie would turn around and look back. But she didn't. She remained where she was, her head bowed as she clutched onto the seat.

His heart heavy, Adam headed back into the house, Morrison just behind him. Then the niggling that had started came back again, giving Adam a bit more clarity. He stopped in the doorway.

Now he knew why he felt something was suspicious.

"Your Grace?" Morrison frowned at him. "Are you well?"

"I … I'm fine." Adam turned to the butler. "You know a few people who served in the army, don't you?"

"My brother currently serves with them. He's on leave at the moment."

"And the rumour mill among soldiers is just as fast as between members of the ton, isn't it?"

"From what he says, yes." Morrison tilted his head to one side. "What do you need?"

"I need information on Benjamin Hay when he was in the army. I doubt they served together, but you get to know about soldiers from other regiments, from what I'm aware of. Would he be able to figure something out?"

Morrison looked dubious, but he nodded.

"I think I can ask him that. I can't promise you'll get anything out of it, though. These things take time."

"If he knows anything, that will help."

"Why do you want to know about Benjamin Hay, anyway, Your Grace? Did he do something to make you suspicious?"

Adam didn't answer. He just walked away, heading to the study. Eleanor and Sabrina had gone out on their morning ride, both of them upset with what was happening. They had already said their goodbyes to Maggie, and Sabrina had been in tears. She hadn't wanted Maggie to go. So Lady Banbury had suggested taking them on their ride to distract them, and she had gone along with them to make sure they were safe.

His family was also upset about this occurring, and Adam felt like everything he had been trying to work on was coming apart.

Now was a time for his father to be here to help make things better.

Adam went into his study and slumped in a chair by the fireplace, trying to get his head around what he had just seen. When Ben had clutched his shoulder, Adam had seen stains on his fingers. They looked like they had been scrubbed, but they were still there.

Red stains. That looked like paint.

Adam wondered how he could have missed that. Then again, Ben had been wearing gloves the whole time they had known each other, so he never saw them bare. But the paint splotches looked old, not fresh. Except for a splash of bright red paint on his wrist near his sleeve.

Adam thought that Ben hadn't got any paint on himself. He made sure to say that earlier. And yet there was paint on him. Especially around the nails, making it look like he had been bleeding.

Thoughts were coming into his head, and Adam didn't like them. He was beginning to think that maybe he had found who was causing the mayhem to his family. The one who had stolen his ring, his horse, and who had been splashing red paint everywhere. Adam didn't want to believe it, but it was beginning to look bad for Ben.

He needed to find out for sure, though. Although how he was going to do that, he wasn't entirely sure. He would have to play it by ear.

For Maggie's sake, he could only hope that Ben wasn't the vandal and that it was just a coincidence.

But, as he sat there staring at the empty fireplace, Adam felt this wasn't the case.

#

Ben got better, and Maggie was relieved about that. She had been worried seeing him like that, and it had made him disorientated and even more grouchy. She was scared that it could cause him problems later on. But Ben seemed to perk up pretty quickly after spending most of the day sleeping once they returned.

She wanted to fuss over him some more before she left, but Ben told her to stop, and she needed to get back to her place of employment. He reminded her that she needed to go back by a certain day, and it was rapidly approaching.

Maggie knew she had to, but she didn't want to leave him. Seeing him in such bad shape was scary, no matter what Ben said. But he seemed to be getting better, and their mother said it would be more productive to return to the baron's estate. Maggie knew she was right.

But she couldn't shake that something was wrong. She knew something bad was on the horizon, and it was rapidly approaching. The unpredictability of this situation was horrible, and Maggie just wanted it to stop. Would it stop once someone else got hurt, or even worse? Maggie didn't know.

All she knew was that she was in too deep, and the idea of floundering like this when everything was so precarious was not a good thought. Maggie liked having her feet firmly on theground, and it felt like Adam had swept her off her feet. Now, she was trusting him not to drop her.

She trusted him, but this predicament was pushing that to the limit. How were they supposed to find whoever did this when there were no clues? It was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Maggie didn't mind puzzles, but this was too much.

"Maggie!"

A sudden smack to the back of her head made Maggie jump. She looked up to see Lady Phoebe glaring at her. She had been kneeling on the floor, finishing off the last stitching to the hem so she could walk around without tripping over. For some reason, the seamstress had made the hem too long, and Lady Phoebe complained about it.

Although from what she could see, it was absolutely fine, and Lady Phoebe was just doing something to make Maggie's life more difficult.

"Yes, My Lady?"

"Are you finished yet? I'm going to be late for the ball!"

"The ball isn't going to start for another half-hour, My Lady."

Lady Phoebe sneered at her.

"Did you just talk back to me? Do you think you have a right to do that to me?"

Maggie didn't respond, the back of her head smarting. She had been back a few days, and Lady Phoebe had turned her abuse up a notch. She would demand things of Maggie that weren't possible and scream at her if she tried to point it out.

She made sure Maggie didn't sleep much, expecting her to sleep in the same room and cater to her demands – Maggie was surprised that this was allowed. And if Maggie didn't move fast enough, Lady Phoebe resorted to hitting her. Those hits were getting harder.

Maggie wanted to snap back and attack her in return. But that would result in her getting dismissed. The baron and baroness wouldn't listen to her side if their precious daughter had been hurt.

She wanted to go to the baron, let him know that her position had become unsafe, and ask if she could be moved to another duty in the house, but from the cool way the baron and his wife were treating her since she came back to the house, she didn't think they would be supportive or put their daughter in line.

They were all unhappy that Maggie had been asked to visit Adam for a week, and Maggie guessed they saw it as a sign of disrespect. True, it had been unorthodox, but their reaction towards her was horrible. Maggie wasn't a harlot or anything; she was just doing as she was told.

Adam was right. She was going to need other employment, and very soon. But where? She couldn't go and work for him, not with the rumours that were guaranteed to fly around. And while her parents' business was doing well, Maggie wanted something different. Maybe that was her only option, even if the pay would be less.

She needed to figure it out. Hopefully, while Lady Phoebe was at the masquerade ball, Maggie would be able to decide what she was going to do. Perhaps someone in the household would know where she could get a good job. At this point, except for working for Adam, Maggie would take anything as long as it got her out of this.

She was fed up with being smacked around. No one deserved to deal with that.

"I can't believe the Duke of Banbury thought you were attractive," Lady Phoebe grumbled as Maggie finished stitching the hem and tied it off. "A maid is more attractive than me! How insulting!"

"I was there for another reason, My Lady," Maggie reminded her.

Lady Phoebe scoffed.

"As if I'm going to believe that. You went to have an affair right under everyone's noses."

Maggie's mouth fell open as she stared at the girl.

"That's an outrageous accusation!"

"So you deny it?"

"Of course I do! I would never do something like that." Maggie gathered the sewing kit and got to her feet. "I know my place, My Lady."

Lady Phoebe rolled her eyes.

"Now, I don't believe that at all. You're a slimy little snake who wants to get in where you can. And you got the duke to turn his head away from me. That was your plan, wasn't it?"

"No! I'd never …"

"You can protest all you want, but we both know that you and the duke had a little … illicit rendezvous." Lady Phoebe shuddered. "You're a whore, Maggie. A pathetic little harlot. I hate how I have to put up with you when we both know you've been close to my duke."

Maggie bristled hearing that. Adam was never going to be hers. But he was never going to be Maggie's, either, no matter what he promised. She swallowed and tried to hold onto her temper.

"I am not someone who has an affair with a member of the ton, My Lady," she said tightly. "And I object to you calling me something like that when I've done nothing to warrant it."

"You haven't done anything to warrant it?" Lady Phoebe scoffed, her eyes blazing as she advanced on Maggie. "You know that he's mine and that I'm going to marry him. And yet you stepped in between us."

"You and the duke aren't even courting!"

"We're going to be very soon. I know he will be asking me to court me officially tonight. But with you in the way …" Lady Phoebe looked her up and down. "I know you're going to ruin it for me. You're just a jealous little witch."

Maggie gritted her teeth. The girl was pushing her to lose her temper and was doing a good job about it.

"How am I a witch? I've never tried to ruin anything for you."

"I've seen the way you look at me. You're jealous, and you want what I've got." Lady Phoebe barked out a laugh. "Well, you're not going to get anything I want. You're a low, pathetic little maid who deserves to be at the bottom of the ladder. Your attempts to seduce the duke are not going to work."

Maggie almost blurted out that Adam loved her and had admitted so, but that would just make things worse. In her head, she counted to ten.

"I have no desire to take anything from you, My Lady," she said as evenly as she could. "I know my place."

"I don't think you do. You've never known your place since you worked for me. I know you want to strike me and do something horrible."

"That's not true."

Lady Phoebe sniggered, her face now close to Maggie's. Maggie wanted to step back, but she wasn't about to show her fear.

"You're not a very good liar, Maggie. You're just as bad at lying as you are at seducing people." She pulled away suddenly. "Anyway, I don't want to see you tonight. While the ball is going on, I don't want you to be on the same floor as the guests."

"I have no intention of being around the guests, My Lady. I have jobs to do."

"No, you don't. I am making sure that you will not bother me or my duke." Lady Phoebe smirked. "You're going to be locked in your room. I'm having you stay put until the guests have gone. Then I know you're going to be in one place and away from me."

Maggie stared. Did she hear that correctly?

"You're going to lock me away? Make me a prisoner? Because you're worried over something you don't need to be concerned about?"

"I don't want the duke's head to be turned again by you. It's clear when he's around you that there's something there. I don't care if it's a passing fancy or if it's serious. You have crossed the line, and I'm not about to have you ruin me becoming the Duchess of Banbury." Lady Phoebe tittered. "You're not going to get in the way of what I want."

"But … the baron … he wouldn't allow you to do it."

"He said that I should do what I thought was best to keep me busy if I was worried, and this is the perfect solution."

"What?"

"So I'm going to call for the servants to escort you to your room now that you're done." Lady Phoebe went over to the bell pull, never taking her eyes off Maggie. "I won't feel comfortable until you're locked away tonight. If I had my way, I'd keep you locked away for the rest of your life. It's what you deserve."

"But … this is inhumane!" Maggie cried. "You can't do that!"

But Lady Phoebe didn't take her hand off the bell pull, giving it a firm tug.

"I can, and I will. You are not going to ruin my future for me, little whore. I'll make sure of it."