The Six Month Marriage by Grange Amanda

Author:Grange, Amanda [Grange, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2012-04-09T21:00:00+00:00

‘Will you be so good as to tell the Earl I must speak with him urgently when he returns?’ Madeline asked Crump as she swept in to the hall. ‘I will be in my room.’

‘Yes, my lady,’ said Crump.

Madeline went upstairs. To her annoyance, she found that she was shaking.

Why had Philip been so angry? Why had he given her orders? Why had he behaved like her father and her uncle, when she had thought he was different?

He is different, said a small voice inside her. He is not angry with you because he wants to hurt you. He is angry because he cares.

But that thought was too disturbing to contemplate, and she pushed it from her mind.

Once in her room she rang for Jenny. The accident had left her dirty, and she wanted to clean and freshen herself before going downstairs to see Philip.

She removed her cape and bonnet, then noticed that her dress was torn. Really, it was not surprising. She had been thrown about so much in the carriage it was a wonder the damage was not worse.

Jenny soon arrived, gasping, ‘Oh, my lady, what has happened?’ as she entered the room.

‘Nothing,’ said Madeline reassuringly. ‘A slight accident that’s all.’

‘I’d best fetch hot water,’ said Jenny, suiting her actions to her words.

She returned not long afterwards with a jug of hot water and poured it into the basin, then set about helping Madeline to undress.

‘Your arms!’ exclaimed Jenny.

Madeline looked down. A number of bruises were beginning to show.

‘I’d better have another gown with long sleeves,’ said Madeline, relieved that the weather was cool so that she would be able to disguise the bruises. ‘The spotted muslin, I think.’

‘Very good, my lady.’

Jenny laid the spotted muslin on the bed. She helped Madeline to sponge herself down and then eased her into the pink-spotted gown.

‘That’s much better,’ said Madeline with relief. No one would now guess she had been in an accident.

‘I’ll just see to your hair, my lady,’ said Jenny. She unpinned Madeline’s chignon, which was already falling down, and then said in concern, ‘Your forehead, my lady.’

Madeline looked in the glass. There was a long cut on her forehead. It was not serious, but it needed to be bathed.

‘How did it happen?’ asked Jenny as she poured a clean basin of water and then sponged away the dried blood. ‘I thought you went out in the carriage. Did it overturn?’

‘Unfortunately, yes.’ Madeline described how the horses had bolted, without, however, mentioning the shot as she saw no need to alarm Jenny.

Jenny had fortunately heard nothing about the accident in the servants’ hall, as it had happened so recently, and so she did not ask any awkward questions. She simply busied herself with seeing to Madeline’s cut, and then announced that she had done.

Madeline examined her forehead in the mirror and was relieved to see that it was no longer bleeding.

‘If I tease out a few more ringlets,’ said Jenny thoughtfully, ‘they should cover the cut, my lady.’

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