It seemed like ages had passed since that day, she thought, for they knew each other so much better now.
Hoofbeats came thundering behind her. She turned. Adam sat astride his big horse, his black coat flapping in the wind, looking for all the world like a prince riding toward her. His white shirt was clean and his neckcloth tied in a perfect knot at his collar. There was no dirt or dust on his riding boots today. Even the brass buttons on his coat were polished and shiny.
Her belly swarmed with a fluttering sensation that she tried to beat down.
“Good afternoon, Madeline.” He pulled his horse to a halt beside her.
“Hello, and welcome back.”
“Was everything all right while I was gone?”
“We were fine. How was your trip?”
“Very good, thank you.”
Adam knew he had been avoiding Madeline lately, and had hoped his time in Halifax might have cooled his unwise attraction to her. A part of him had also hoped that his feelings had been induced by John Metcalf’s visit and a basal manly competitiveness that had nothing to do with Madeline specifically; perhaps it was merely a hankering to be young again.
But as Adam gazed down into Madeline’s clear, wide eyes and regarded her gentle, innocent beauty, he felt his body quicken and knew that with or without John Metcalf, this was more than a fleeting infatuation. He had been dreaming if he’d thought a few days in Halifax would eradicate it.
His horse restlessly stomped his hooves. “May I join you? I have much to tell you about my journey.”
“Yes, please, Adam. I’ve been wondering about your progress. Were your ideas well received?”
He dismounted and walked beside her, and told her of his meetings at Government House. Adam had been a guest at two formal dinners, where at one, he sat next to a future English duke.
“Oh, Adam, when you left Yorkshire, did you ever imagine such a thing?”
“No, I did not. I must say, however, that I was pleasantly surprised by the young man’s genuine interest in Nova Scotia and his eagerness to converse with local citizens, regardless of rank or wealth. Life is different here, Madeline. A man without rank can rise to become whatever his ambitions will allow.”
Adam felt a surge of pride for the decision he had made and the risks he had taken bringing his family to an unfamiliar land.
“And what about the marsh?” Madeline asked. “Did you discuss it with Lord Blackthorne? Was he sympathetic to your concerns?”
“He was, indeed. He intends to come soon to see the Tantramar, and I invited him to be our guest.”
Madeline stopped on the road. “Adam! Aviscountwill be staying with us? My word! What will I feed him?”
Adam laughed. “You’ll have plenty of time to think about it. He won’t be here for at least a week.”
“A week! Oh, you’re teasing me now!”
“How can I resist, when you squeal with such sweet charm.”
It was a joke—they both knew it—but Adam could see the blood rushing to Madeline’s cheeks and knew that the compliment had unnerved her. The fact that she was not accustomed to compliments yanked at his heart, and he wished he could spend the next decade of his life showering her with them.
He attempted to fill the awkward moment with conversation. “I do know that he enjoys our local fiddleheads, as well as corn fritters and brandy snaps, and anything made with blueberries.”
“Well, that gives me something to work with. How long will he stay?”
“Only a few days, long enough to see the marsh and meet some of the local farmers. Then he’ll continue on to the Petticodiac and the Saint John River Valley.”
They spoke more about the events during Adam’s visit to Halifax, and he enjoyed this time alone with Madeline, for he knew he could never conquer how much pleasure he derived from their conversations, nor was there any point in conquering that particular aspect of their relationship. They were supposed to be friends, after all.
Then he had to broach another subject, one that was a little less pleasurable for him. “By the way, I met John Metcalf this morning, on my way by the fort. He was riding to Jollicure. He’s still looking for land.”
“Oh?” By the tone of her response, Adam guessed that Madeline didn’t know anything about Metcalf’s current comings and goings, and Adam couldn’t help feeling a little glad.
“You didn’t see John while I was gone?” he asked.
