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Madeleine
Madeleine discovered it was a bit of a challenge to dress for the day when she had to wear a gauze bandage wrapped around her palm. The housekeeper hadn’t been too impressed by the wounds, but she’d applied a smelly antiseptic that hurt far more than the original cuts and advised keeping the whole mess covered for two or three days.
“Gray dress, bandaged hand, and circles under your eyes because you couldn’t fall asleep,” Madeleine told her reflection. “Good thing you have nothing planned for the day, because you donotlook like an attractive young lady of fashion.”
Almost on the words, Ella knocked on the door. “A visitor to see you,” she said.
“Of course,” Madeleine groaned under her breath. She took a final look in the mirror, shrugged fatalistically, and headed downstairs.
She was expecting to see one of her friends who happened to be bored this morning, or even one of her father’s business contacts, but it had not occurred to her that Reese Curval would be the one waiting. She stopped just over the threshold and stared at him.
He stayed where he was—all the way across the room—and offered her a painful smile. “I came to apologize,” he said.
She merely lifted her eyebrows and said nothing.
“I had no right to say any of the things I said. When I stopped by, my intention was to merely visit for a few moments, maybe make you laugh, then leave. I’m sorry that that’s not what happened.”
“I’m sorry, too.”
“I hate that we can’t be friends,” he went on. “I hate that every time I see you, I just cause you to dislike me more.”
She was trying to maintain an aloof expression, but that made her face crease in protest. “I don’t dislike you, Reese. I never have.”
“You just don’t—” He caught himself before he could say more. “Anyway, I couldn’t leave the city again knowing that I had upset you.”
He was so sincere and so wretched that she felt some of her anger melt away. She stepped a little farther into the room. “Thank you. It was good of you to make the effort to mend the damage.”
“I would ask for forgiveness, but maybe I first need to ask for tolerance and work my way up.”
She smiled. “Is tolerance the lowest rung? What’s the highest?” He just looked at her, and she felt herself blushing. To cover her embarrassment, she said, “Well! I think I can manage that much. At least, as long as you don’t say anything else stupid.”
“I’m trying not to,” he said. He gestured at her. “Is it stupid if I ask what happened to your hand?”
She surveyed the bandage with distaste. “I cut it on a broken wineglass last night. It’s most annoying and inconvenient.”
“Injuries generally are.”
“Oh! But not nearly as annoying and inconvenient as something my father has just decided!”
“What’s that?”
“He wants to employ a guard to follow me around. Like you, he’s decided that there are too many dangers in the city streets and I must be protected at all costs.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Reese said.
“I made him promise that I would be able to approve or disapprove of his choice, but I’m not sure he’ll honor the promise. I’m very glum about the whole thing.”
“Pick your own candidate,” Reese suggested. “Pre-empt him.”
She laughed. “As my father pointed out, I don’t know the first thing about hiring a soldier.”
“I could help you with that. I’ve hired the last two captains of my father’s guard, and half a dozen of the soldiers who protect our shipments. So far they’ve all proved to be solid choices.”
She was intrigued. “Really.But—where would I even go to find someone?”
“There are training yards in the southeastern section of town,” he said. “Facilities where mercenaries fight and train. You go down there, you watch them work out, you see if anyone catches your fancy.”
She stared at him helplessly. “And then what?”
