Page 44 of Maid for the Marquess

She frowned.

“I do not wish to frighten you.”

“You did not. I liked it.”

I smiled, running my hand along her cheek. “As did I. What I want to do to you would frighten you very much, I fear. But we will take our time. Get to know each other. And I will teach you everything.”

“There is more?” she whispered.

“So much more, my darling girl. And I will show you everything. And you will tell me what you like and what you don’t.”

“And you will do the same?”

I laughed quietly. “I doubt there is anything you can do I will not enjoy, but yes, my love. I will tell you too.”

I pressed another kiss to her tempting mouth. “But for now, we will enjoy the day and our new closeness, yes?”

She nodded.

“Let us take a walk. Maybe we can find more flowers for my mantel.”

“You like them?”

“I do. In fact, I expect fresh ones all the time now.”

She smiled eagerly. “I can do that. I love to work in the gardens. Father thought I hated it, so it became one of the tasks I had to do every day. But I loved being out and away from his sight. And I loved to grow things.”

“Then we will get the gardener to give you a plot and help you.”

She threw her arms around my neck, holding me, her emotions getting the better of her. I hugged her back, loving her affectionate nature.

She drew back, smiling at me. “Thank you.”

I pressed her hand to my lips, turning and kissing her scarred palm.

“You are welcome, my wife.”

We strolled, coming to the edge of the property. I stared across the barren land, shaking my head.

“It is so overgrown,” she said with a frown. “Your land puts it to shame. Who does it belong to?”

I sat on a large rock, drawing her beside me. “Me now. I won it back from your father.”

She turned to me. “Oh?”

I sighed, unsure how to explain. “That part of the land was my mother’s favorite spot. We would ride and play there. I loved her dearly. She was an incredible mother. Warm and loving. She even made my father smile.”

“What happened?”

“She held such affection for that piece of earth that my father purchased and gifted it to her from the original owner of Milton Manor. It was quite barren aside from the orchard. She added gardens, trees, and she planted and shared her crops with the village. She was so loved by so many,” I explained.

Maddie slipped her hand into mine, and I held it to my chest.

“One day we were there—over in the orchard.” I indicated the remains of what had once been a large planting of trees. “She climbed too high, trying to get the apples she saw. She fell out of the tree and broke her neck.”

“Alexander!” she gasped. “How horrible!”

“My father went wild. Burned down the orchard and crops. Built a fence that has long since fallen over. Gave the land to your father over a card game.” I lifted her hand to my mouth and kissed it. “He never got over her death. He stopped living. Stopped being my father. He drank and gambled. Put us in debt. Sold pieces of this estate that were not entailed and other land he had purchased himself. Then he died, and I inherited the mess he left.”