Chapter 19

Maggie couldn't begin to describe how she felt seeing Adam like this. Hearing the magistrate talk to her father about Ben's crimes and that they needed to speak with him felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. Adam was adamant about this. He really believed that Ben had committed the crimes.

Was that even true? Why would Adam lie about Ben like that? Maggie couldn't see it as a manipulation tactic; what would he gain from that? Separating her from her family when he was trying his best to get both families together felt a bit ridiculous in her eyes.

And what about the accusation Ben threw at Adam? Was that true as well? It didn't make any sense. Maggie felt like everything was swirling around in her head, and she couldn't grasp anything to stop it from moving so much.

On top of that, she had lost her position with the Atterbury family. While Maggie had expected it, the fact it had actually happened was still shocking. She was going from angry to sad to relieved and then back to angry. Lady Phoebe Cavendish had got what she wanted. She had got away with treating Maggie as she did, and Maggie had paid the price.

While talking back to the baroness was not a good idea, Maggie was glad she had done it. Someone needed to push back on the woman for allowing her daughter to abuse the staff. Maggie had been taking it for a long time, allowing herself to be called stupid and slow, but her patience had worn so thin it was only a matter of time before she snapped.

Having Adam confess that he loved her and knowing that Lady Phoebe was expecting a courtship from him had just made that patience disappear altogether.

Would he still be courting her after this? Were they going to be going around like nothing had happened? Adam had said he didn't care for Lady Phoebe with her attitude, but he could have been saying that to make her feel better. He had a duty to uphold, after all.

They could never be together, no matter what they wanted. The fact that she was not a lady at all immediately exempted her from doing anything. Maggie knew she would have been deluding herself if she truly believed all of it.

In the back of her mind, she was perfectly aware of her place. No matter how much Adam professed his love for her, it would never happen. They were worlds apart, and Maggie wasn't about to tear his family apart because of this.

She was scared. This was not something she was comfortable with at all. Her life seemed to be cracking open, and Maggie didn't know what to do.

At least Adam hadn't come into the house with the magistrate, who sat with her parents in the kitchen to talk to them. Maggie didn't join them, not wanting to hear what she knew deep down. Ben was a thief and a vandal. He was not above lying to protect himself and wasn't about to stop because the law was after him.

Ben was in so much trouble. Hopefully, if what she heard was true, Adam would also get into trouble.

"Maggie, dear?"

Maggie looked up to see her mother in the doorway to her room. She had sagged onto the edge of her bed, unable to get her head around things. How long had she been sitting there? She swallowed.

"Has Lord Bailey left?"

"He has. He told us about Ben's … actions." Maria looked upset. "I can see Ben wanting to take revenge on whoever wronged him, but I can't see him doing this. That just doesn't seem right."

"I think he would do that," Maggie said quietly. "He would want to get back at the person who walked away with no repercussions. In his mind, it would only be fair."

"But he was attacked himself, wasn't he? Because the alternative to what could have happened in …" Maria shuddered. "He would hurt himself to divert attention away from himself?"

Maggie had thought about that. If Ben had been the one painting on the side of Adam's house and had heard someone coming, he would have made it look like he had been caught in a scuffle with the culprit. He had hurt his head, which meant that he did it to himself. That her brother would go that far gave Maggie a chill.

"I think, Mother, anything is possible when it comes to Ben."

"I wish that you weren't right about that. Ben is capable, but …"

"But you don't want to think about him being able to do that."

Maria nodded. She looked as distressed as Maggie felt. Maggie could understand; this was her son, and Maria never wanted to see the worst in her children. They would always ask where they went wrong and what had happened. Knowing that their son was never a criminal in the first place but this had turned him into one had to be a shock. They wouldn't be able to believe it.

If only Maggie had told her parents about this first. This should have come from her when she came back in the middle of the night, not from the magistrate the next morning. Maggie felt sick, wishing that she wasn't mixed up in this.

"Your father and I are going out to look for Ben," Maria said. "We need to find him and figure out what's going on."

"Do you think you'll be able to find him, Mother? He's very good at disappearing when he wants to."

"We know a few places where he could be. If not, I'm sure there's a mutual friend who can point us in the right direction." Maria peered at her daughter. "Are you coming, Maggie? We could do with the help."

Maggie knew that she should, but she knew Ben too well. He would have hidden himself away, and whoever was helping him wouldn't give him up. Just because his parents were looking for him didn't mean he would be found. She knew that about him.

But she had to do something, and sitting around twiddling her thumbs was not a good idea.

"I think I'll have a look around his room. See if I can find something."

Maria sighed.

"I don't know how much that will help, but go ahead. Let us know if you find anything."

"I will, Mother."

Maggie found herself wanting to apologize for bringing this mess to her parents' door, but she stopped herself. It wasn't her fault that this was happening. The fact that Ben was targeting Adam and that Adam ended up meeting Maggie was a pure coincidence. It was all fate, although Maggie could understand if people saw it differently.

After her parents left to look in the usual places where Ben went when he needed space, Maggie went into her brother's room. When they were small, they had to share a room, but once Ben returned from the army, their parents changed one of the storerooms into a room for him so he could have privacy and wouldn't need to share a room with his grown sister.

He spent a lot of his time there when he wasn't walking around the countryside, so it was the best place Maggie could think of for hiding something.

There had to be some clue in there pointing to where he is.

Maggie ducked her head as she opened the low-hanging door, her eyes taking in everything around her. Ben's room was very simple, a straw bed in the corner, perfectly made with no creases on the sheets. There were shelves along one wall, which held a lot of Ben's possessions. They were tidy; nothing seemed to be out of place. A trunk was in the corner, presumably for his clothes.

Maggie started with the trunk, going through each of the clothes individually, trying to find a secret pocket or something not meant to be there. Nothing. She refolded the clothes before returning them and then checked the bed.

A few of her friends at the Atterbury house had kept some of their most secret things – like love letters or something that could get them dismissed – under the bed tucked between the slats, sometimes in the mattress itself. Maggie checked all along the underside, her back sore from lying on the hard stones, and found nothing there.

Knocking her head against the edge of the bed as she got out, Maggie gritted her teeth and got to her feet.

There had better be something here that would help after she nearly split her head open.

Her head throbbing, Maggie looked at every item on the shelves. Ben kept a few trinkets, along with some books. The books themselves showed nothing, and most of the trinkets were out in the open. If he were going to hide something, it would make sense to put it in plain sight. Nobody would be looking at something right in front of them.

There was a small box by the books, intricately carved. Maggie remembered Ben getting that from their grandfather when they were children. Until he passed, their grandfather was always on the go and loved carving. Maggie had a similar box in her room. Ben treasured his, saying he would always have a safe place when he had it around. It was an odd thing to say, but Maggie didn't read too much into it.

Maybe there would be something that could help inside.

Maggie brought the box down and hesitated as she was about to open the lid. God, this felt uncomfortable. She was prying into her brother's private things and felt guilty for doing it. But Ben had more than likely done something criminal, and they needed to find him. She couldn't think about how this was violating his belongings.

She opened the box and saw a gold ring nestled next to some other gems and stones Ben had collected over the years. That did not look like something that Ben would hold onto and hide away. It was far too dear. Why hadn't he taken it to someone and returned it? Given how beautiful it was, he would have got a handsome reward for it.

Maggie picked out the ring and turned it over. Where had this come from? Then she saw the small coat of arms stamped on it and suddenly felt cold.

It was the coat of arms of Adam's family. This was his ring, the one Adam told her about.

And Ben had it in his possession.

Her legs shaking, Maggie sagged onto the bed, staring into space as she tried to get her head around what was happening. So what Adam had said was true. Ben was the one who was doing this to his family.

Which meant that what Adam had done, according to her brother, was true as well.

Maggie felt sick. She didn't know what to do anymore. It felt like she was being dragged into a hole and didn't know how to get away and get out.

#

"Your Grace?"

Adam turned away from the window. Morrison was standing by his desk. He hadn't heard the man come in, but Adam wasn't surprised. He had been in a daze since he went to Maggie's home earlier.

"What is it, Morrison?"

"Flynn is getting everything sorted with the stable lads about tonight. He's getting them up to speed with what you want."

"Good."

Morrison hesitated.

"Do you think it's going to work, Your Grace? What makes you think Hay will be coming back here tonight? Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

"This is something we're going to do until Hay is caught. I know he's going to come back and do something to get back at me." Adam rubbed the back of his neck. The muscles were tensing up so much that it was painful. "He believes that he isn't done with me, and he wants me to feel even more hurt."

"Or he could have disappeared for good and run away," Morrison suggested. "Coming back would be making things worse. If it were me, I wouldn't do something so insane."

Adam grunted.

"Well, not everyone is as level-headed as you, Morrison. I just know that Ben Hay will come back here to do something. I just don't know when."

The butler didn't respond, and Adam knew that he was thinking this would be futile. They were going to be lying in wait for someone who might not even come back. To everyone else, he had been found out and would not risk coming back again. But Adam knew that Ben would return. He would do something to hurt Adam even more, especially now he knew there had been something between Adam and Maggie.

He would try to put a bigger wedge between the two of them. Adam wouldn't blame him for that, but he didn't want that to happen.

It was going to happen anyway. Ben would be thrown in jail for his actions, and Adam would be the reason behind it. Maggie wouldn't be able to forgive him for that, even if it was justified. Adam was perfectly aware of what it meant for them, especially if Maggie still believed her brother's innocence.

He was going to lose the woman he loved because of this, and Adam hated that.

"Would you like me to fetch you a tray, Your Grace?" Morrison asked. "You haven't eaten anything today."

As if on cue, Adam's stomach growled. Groaning, he pressed a hand to his belly.

"Maybe that would be a good idea. Ask the cook if she can fix something for me."

"Very good, Your Grace." Morrison bowed and headed towards the door. "I'll bring something in shortly."

He left, and Adam slumped into a chair, closing his eyes with a heavy sigh. It felt like he was stuck in a nightmare. This shouldn't be happening. In a moment, he was going to wake up and find out that this was a hideous dream, that this hadn't occurred at all and that his imagination was playing tricks on him.

This was not what Adam wanted. He had hoped to find out who was targeting his family, but not in this way. Of all the people it could have been, why did it have to be Ben Hay? Why couldn't things be simple?

Adam wondered if Ben had been found yet. Lord Bailey had said they would have people out searching for him, and there was a warrant for his arrest. So far, he had heard nothing, but it was only noon. Adam didn't think they would be that fast.

Maybe by sundown they would have found him. There was that possibility.

But there was also a chance that he would never be found. He could have managed to get to a boat to leave the country by now. Adam didn't know if that was possible, but Ben would certainly be able to do that.

Adam barely reacted to the knock on the door, and then he heard the door open. Slumped against the chair with his eyes closed, Adam heard the clinking of china against china. Morrison had arrived with the tea tray.

"Just put it down on the table, Morrison. I'll sort myself out."

"Very well, Your Grace."

The sudden female voice made Adam's eyes snap open, and he sat up abruptly. It wasn't Morrison but Maggie holding the tea tray, which she was putting on the nearby table. She looked as pale as she had been earlier, her hair scraped back from her face and tied at the nape of her neck. She didn't look at him as she placed the tray down.

Adam thought he was seeing things. Rubbing his eyes, he looked again. It really was her. She was in his house.

"Maggie?"

Maggie glanced at him, and Adam saw how bloodshot her eyes were. She had been crying. She took a deep breath and straightened up.

"Forgive me for coming in like this, Your Grace …"

"Are we back to formalities now?"

Adam hadn't meant to blurt that out, but he couldn't stop himself. Maggie swallowed.

"Given everything that's going on, it might be best that we don't speak so informally."

"I …" Adam sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. She was right, and he hated that she was. "What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn't want to see me again."

"I didn't think you would want to see me, but I have something you need to see."

"What?"

Maggie hesitated, and then she dug into her pocket. Her hand came out, clutched around something, and then she uncurled her fingers slowly, her hands trembling. Adam saw the ring nestled in her hand and immediately recognized it. It was his family ring.

Maggie had it? What did that mean?

"I was looking in my brother's room for anything to help find him. This was in a box he owns." Maggie bit her lip. "I recognized the coat of arms. At first, I didn't want to believe it, but … it's yours."

Adam stared at it. So it hadn't been sold. Ben had had it all this time? He wished he had pushed to search the house, but given the scene, Adam hadn't thought this was a good idea.

"You … you found it?"

"I also found these." Maggie reached into her other pocket and pulled out what was there. "They had the same stamp on them. I didn't need to guess that they were yours."

The cufflinks. Adam was sure that his eyes were popping out of his head. He didn't reach to take any items, staring at them like they had materialized out of thin air. Maggie made a small noise, and Adam looked up to see she was crying, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"I can't apologize enough for … for not believing …" Her shoulders began to tremble. "I didn't think he could be capable of this."

That snapped Adam out of his daze, and he took the ring and cufflinks, putting them on the tray. Then he stood up and pulled Maggie into his arms. Maggie went to him, sobbing against his chest as he put his arms around her. Adam rocked her gently, rubbing her back as she cried. He didn't know what to say or how to comfort her.

She had gone through a lot, and Adam hadn't made things any better. To find out that her brother was a criminal and had done it as revenge had to have pulled the rug out from under her. If the roles were switched, Adam would feel exactly the same.

After a while, Maggie calmed, and she was huddled against his chest. She hadn't put her arms around him, leaving Adam feeling like he was holding a tailor's dummy. But he couldn't bring himself to let go.

"I want to help."

"What?"

Maggie looked up at him, her eyes shining but the determination clear.

"I want to help find Ben. I need to see him, and I'm sure he will come back here."

Adam released her.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Maggie lifted her chin. "You think I'm going to warn him, and he's going to run away before you can catch him."

"That's not …"

"I just want to talk to him before he goes to jail, Your Grace. Isn't that too much to ask? And if he does come back here, it might be more peaceful if I'm present. He will listen to me."

Adam grunted.

"I don't see how that's going to work. He's not listened to you so far."

"He will. I just know it." Maggie touched his arm. "Please, Adam. I need to be there. I want to hear directly from him about what's going on."

"You don't think he's just going to tell you the truth, do you?"

"It's worth a try. I owe it to myself to find out, at least." Maggie bit her lip. "Please?"

Adam knew he should tell her no, that she needed to go home, but he couldn't bring himself to do that. Despite everything, he wanted to keep her by his side, even if for selfish reasons. This wouldn't end well for both of them; he knew that, yet …

Yet he couldn't stop himself from nodding with a heavy sigh.

"Alright. But he's got to be arrested, Maggie. He can't keep doing this. Don't hinder what we're doing."

"I won't. I promise." Maggie blinked back more tears as she gave him a tiny smile. "Thank you."

Adam didn't know how to respond to that. She wouldn't be thanking him once the dust had settled over this. In fact, he would be lucky if he ever saw her again. Maggie wouldn't be able to look him in the eye after all this mayhem.

He needed to think about his family and put them first. Even if it meant not pursuing Maggie anymore. That would break his heart, but it was the best thing to do.

Adam hated himself at this point.