Receiving money for basic courtesy was insulting to someone like her. Lady Rose and her friends had given her enough insults to last her lifetime. Did this man know about her and her family? Or did he just look at her and judge her based on her appearance? Her clothes were sodden and would not even show their age. The man just made assumptions.
“Take it,” he insisted. “And stay as far away from my family as possible.”
“Keep your money, sir,” she spat, her face burning with a combination of rage and humiliation she had never felt before, even though Lady Rose hadjustpushed her into the Serpentine. “I do not need a reward for doing what any sensible person would.”
Madeline stepped forward, even though her wet gown clung to her hips and legs. She was aware that she might smell like grass and mud. Earth, if she had to wax poetic. On the other hand, the despicable man smelled like leather and cedar. Everything about him seemed to reek of authority and, perhaps, days inside his study or library. Normally, she would have admired the trait in a more gentlemanly man. But this brute was rattling on her last nerve.
He raised an eyebrow at her, as if he could not quite believe anyone would do anything without expecting compensation.
“Did you not do all this expecting monetary reward?”
“I have no need for your money, sir, and I will not take a single farthing from you. Not everything can be rewarded with a purse. Simple human decency and gratitude would have sufficed, but I doubt those values mean anything to you.”
The man stopped, his hand gripping his money. He slowly put the coins back in his wallet, albeit with his eyes still on her face as if waiting for cues that she needed them after all. Something flickered in his eyes, something more than the usual icy indifference in those ocean blues. She did not know what to feel with his gaze raking her up and down in a slow, deliberate way. The feeling was strange and unfamiliar, yet everything around them seemed to have disappeared. What was left was his scrutiny. It should annoy her, and she was, indeed, annoyed and indignant, but she felt something else. A prickle.
“You look as if you are in desperate need of several things,” he said, in a dangerously low voice. “Money and a sense of propriety included.”
“How dare... How could you?”
“Furthermore,” he murmured, leaning close to her so that his face was mere inches from hers. His warm breath contrasted with her chilled skin. “You may not have noticed that your dress is transparent. I am not complaining about the view, but I doubt you should be displaying it to the rest of the park. Although, do you actually care about it?”
The last question was also an insult. He assumed she was not a member of society.To be fair, it no longer felt like she was part of theton.
Madeline looked down at her clothes and gasped. She was so focused on her fleeting emotions—shock, concern, and anger—that she forgot to inspect herself. The lake had soaked her completely, and the thin fabric of her gown felt like a second skin. Even with some mud and lace covering her body in places, the lake water revealed most of her curves, from the swell of her breasts to the flat of her stomach and the slope of her hips.
Oh, heavens!
“Keep this,” the man said, his voice dropping as he placed his coat over her shoulders. It might have been her imagination, but his hands seemed to linger there a moment longer than was strictly necessary. The warmth of the wool, still carrying his body heat, was a sharp contrast to her chilled skin. Her heart hammered in her chest. “Consider it a thank you for helping my niece and nephew.”
“I…”
Unfortunately, nothing else came out of her mouth. Before she could embarrass herself further, she turned on her heel and took several steps at a time to reach her carriage.
What in the world just happened?
By the time she reached home, she was shivering in earnest. Her teeth rattled together. All she had to protect her from the chill was the disgruntled man’s coat, which she wrapped around herself.
Madeline exhaled a sigh of relief when she entered the foyer and became enveloped by the warmth inside.
“Madeline! Good heavens! What has happened to you?” her grandmama cried, rushing from the drawing room toward her.
Portia and Selina followed their grandmother, their eyes wide. Madeline could only wonder what was first on their minds whenthey saw her. As was usual with her, her lips broke into a reassuring smile.
“Oh, Grandmama! You will not believe what happened!” she chirped, using her lightest voice. It was the one that Cathy said was almost musical to people’s ears. “I swam with the ducks in the lake. Oh, I have become so clumsy. I was chattering with some of my friends, and did not notice that I was so close to the edge, but the water was lovely this time of the year.”
Selina’s hands flew to her mouth. There was no humor in her sister’s eyes at all. They probably knew her too well, or they just found her drenched dress too horrifying. She was dripping on the floor, even though she had already made a puddle in the carriage itself.
“Whose coat is that?” Portia asked. Her eyes were narrowed. She even stepped closer to inspect the wool. It was obviously expensive, even though it was already spotted with water. “That is a man’s coat, too big to be Papa’s.”
“And too new to be your grandpapa’s,” mumbled Lady Marlow.
“Oh, this? A gentleman saw me in the lake and insisted I take his coat,” Madeline said, telling herself that it was only half a lie. At this point, she had already turned her body to face the staircase and escape the rest of their interrogation. “He was concerned for my well-being. If you will excuse me, I really must change into something dry.”
“What was the name of the...” her grandmother asked, but Madeline was already rushing up the stairs.
Her smile never wavered, keeping the pretense up until she closed the door behind her in her bedroom. Her shoulders sagged, and her fingers traced the expensive fabric. It did notfeel right to take it from a man who had insulted her in front of his nephew and niece, but she knew she had needed it to save what was left of her dignity and reputation. What made it worse was that the coat smelled like him.
She caught sight of herself in the mirror. She looked wrecked, with her hair a tangled, muddy mess. Her skin had turned pale and blotchy, and her dress, already an expense they could barely afford, was a ruined mess.
