So with a new sense of purpose, Adam had sat down at the desk, reached for a clean parchment, picked up his quill pen, dipped it deeply into the ink and begun his letter to Diana: the retraction of his proposal. And if necessary, the request for an annulment.
It had been a difficult thing to do, but he knew it was the right thing. For everyone.
Now Adam paced up and down the hall, still waiting for Madeline to come downstairs. He patted the letter in his pocket. He couldn’t wait to hand it over to the ship’s master.
Of course, Adam couldn’t actually propose to Madeline until he’d received a reply from his solicitor, affirming that Adam was free, but he could at least explain to Madeline what he had done, and assure her that Diana would not be coming to Cumberland.
He was eager and impatient to take the first step toward a life with Madeline if, God willing, she would ever have him. He supposed that after today, he would have plenty of time and opportunity tomakeit happen, for he had every intention of fighting for her. By God, he was going to give John Metcalf a good run for his money.
Just then, Penelope came running down the stairs. “Father, may I take Thunder out for a ride on the marsh this morning?”
Adam cleared his throat and cupped his daughter’s soft chin. “Have you had breakfast?”
“Yes. I had two eggs and a slice of corn bread.”
“Then yes, you may take Thunder out, but stay on the path.”
“I will! Thank you, Father!” She bolted past him and out the front door.
He heard a rustle of silk behind him and turned.
There stood Madeline, wearing a fine peach-colored floral gown, her hair pulled into an elegant bun and decorated with pearl combs, beneath a bergère straw hat trimmed with flowers. Her short, tight sleeves were trimmed with a triple layer of lace flounces just above her elbows, and at her neck, she wore a white crossed handkerchief to cover the deep, square décolletage.
Adam could barely speak. How could he ever have imagined she was plain?
“You look exquisite, Madeline. I…”
There were no words to describe how she affected him. All he could do was bow deeply to her, as if she were a duchess and he, her humble servant.
She laughed. “Oh, Adam, you flatter me.”
“The lieutenant-governor will fall over himself when he sees you.”
“I certainly hope not!” she replied, her smile beaming.
Adam offered his arm. “Shall we go then, my lady?”
“As you wish, sir.” She looped her arm through his and they went outside to the waiting carriage.
As he helped her into the seat, he remembered the first time he’d set eyes on her at the fort. She had come here as his intended bride. She had been willing to marry him that day. If only he had known what he knew now. He should have called for the reverend right there. If only he had known how his feelings would change.
He climbed in beside her and flicked the lines. They turned up the road and drove into the woods.
Along the way, they talked about the marshes and discussed which sections to show Lord Blackthorne. They discussed the entertainments they had planned for him, and what songs Penelope should sing first, for she had rehearsed a number of them.
By the time they reached the fort, the wind had picked up. The British flag was snapping noisily atop the mast, and Madeline had to hold on to her hat to keep it from flying off her head. They saw the schooner still a distance away in the basin and decided to wait inside the courtyard until it reached its berth.
There was an entourage at the bottom of the hill, lined up at the wharf—buggies and carriages that must have traveled overland to meet the viscount here.
Adam and Madeline marveled at the pomp and ceremony of it all, and Adam felt a surge of pride to be Lord Blackthorne’s host in Cumberland. Then he thought of the letter in his pocket, and a sense of excitement joined the pride, for he would eventually—soon,he hoped—be free to pursue Madeline.
Finally, when the schooner drew near, Adam and Madeline drove down the cart road to meet the lieutenant-governor. They parked the buggy behind the others and walked to the gangplank, now lowering onto the dock.
The deck of the schooner was crowded with officials and footmen, and Adam could see the bright colors of ladies’ gowns. Good Lord, had Lord Blackthorne brought the entire population of Halifax with him? Adam hoped he would have room for all of them in his home. And food, and enough entertainment. He hoped they weren’t expecting a ball or anything of that nature. Cumberland was a farming community.
Lord Blackthorne emerged from the crowd and was the first to disembark. “Good day, everyone!” he shouted.
He was a portly man with gold-rimmed spectacles and a powdered wig with horizontal rolls. He wore a cream satin coat, trimmed with sham buttonholes and embroidered in blue lace. His breeches were also made of satin, with silk-clocked stockings and a shiny buckled shoe on one foot, but not the other, for it was a wooden stump.
