Page 41 of Maid for the Marquess

He nodded, waiting for my instructions.

“I wish to know everything there is to know about Barnett. Dig deeper than before. His past, now. Finances, holdings, consorts.” I paused. “His dead wife.”

“I shall begin immediately.”

“Use great discretion. I do not wish for him to catch wind of this.”

“Of course.” He regarded me. “What will you do with this information?”

I smiled without warmth. “Ruin him. Completely. He will pay for the transgressions against my wife.”

He looked pleased. “Consider it done.”

I pulled down my sleeves and adjusted my collar, wanting, for some reason, to look nice for my wife.

“I am taking Maddie for a picnic,” I announced.

Edward startled. “A picnic? Alexander, I have never known you to have a picnic.”

“You have never known me to have a wife either.”

His countenance changed. He almost beamed at me.

“Enjoy yourself, my lord.”

“I plan to.”

Maddie had changed into a linen dress, the soft yellow of the gown complementing her dark hair and lovely eyes. She wore a bonnet perched on her head at an angle that covered her face unless she lifted it to me. I frowned at it, and she paused.

“My lord?”

I tutted, and she smiled hesitantly.

“Alexander,” she corrected herself. “Is something amiss? My gown displeases you?”

“Your gown pleases me very much, but that hat hides your face. I like to gaze on your loveliness. It brings me pleasure.”

She blinked, appearing shocked at my words.

“It is to protect my skin,” she explained.

“If we sit in shade, then you will remove it for me?”

“Yes.”

I crooked my arm. “Let us be off, then. I am suddenly anxious to venture into the dimness of the forest.”

Her pleasant laugh was an ample reward.

So was the feeling of her arm crossed with mine. I liked how it felt. How she felt.

We strolled toward the forest, the perfect destination already in my mind. A small brook was nestled not far into the trees, surrounded by flat boulders and grasses. I had spent many an hour there as a child and after returning here later in life. It was one of my favorite places on the estate.

The basket I carried was heavy, and I hoped the cook had included items Maddie liked. I was still concerned with how thin she was and how little she seemed to eat. I wanted to tempt her appetite, make her comfortable enough to express her desires and wishes.

To my satisfaction, Maddie removed her hat quickly, staring around in obvious fascination and delight. She reached out to touch the leaves on the bushes and trees, stopping once to bend at a flowering shrub, remarking on its loveliness.

“You have such beauty here,” she breathed out.