To Train A Heart: A Victorian Romance by Shaela Kay

Author:Shaela Kay [Kay, Shaela]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blue Water Books
Published: 2023-06-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

As expected, Madeline found Thomas in a state of great agitation. He calmed down rather quickly once Madeline arrived, but Mrs. MacLeod said he had been crying and wailing since sundown. “I am glad ye were not detained,” she said.

“We were,” Madeline said, hugging her brother to her chest. Thomas had not let go of her since her arrival. “The axle on the carriage broke while we were driving home—we had to ride one of the horses back to the manor.”

“Merciful heavens,” the housekeeper cried. “I better see what has been done about it.” She bustled off, leaving the siblings to themselves.

“You rode a horse?” Thomas asked, looking up at her with wide eyes.

“I did.”

“Were you not frightened?”

“Terribly so,” Madeline said, stroking his hair. “But I was more frightened of not returning home to you.” She pressed a kiss to his forehead, and he snuggled closer. “Now come—it is time you were in bed.”

Madeline awoke the next morning aching all over. She stretched, rubbing her sore arms and wondering if the horse felt as awful as she did. The events of the previous evening slowly filled her mind, like spilled tea seeping across a tablecloth. The carriage accident. The horseback ride. And Arthur. He asked me to call him Arthur.

A rush of feeling filled her breast, but she could not identify exactly what it was. Embarrassment? Camaraderie? Friendship? Whatever it was, it was new and unexpected; not altogether unpleasant, but a bit unnerving nonetheless.

She dressed and went down to breakfast, but found that the only other person in the breakfast room was Arthur. A flutter of nerves settled in her stomach as he looked up at her entrance, and she forced herself to smile.

“Good morning,” she said, making her way to the side table spread with food and drink.

“Good morning,” he replied. “I trust you slept well?”

“Yes, thank you. Although I feel as if I had been hit by a carriage rather than riding inside one.”

Arthur chuckled. “Yes, I thought you might, having never ridden a horse before. Ask Mrs. MacLeod if you can have a lavender bath drawn up—it helps relieve some of the ache.”

Madeline nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Vanguard, I will.”

“Arthur.”

She glanced over at him. He was not smiling, but his look was mild. “Please, call me Arthur,” he said.

She nodded again but said nothing. Sitting down with her tea and toast, Madeline tried desperately to think of something to say. Did he expect her to give him permission to call her by her Christian name as well? That felt far too intimate, and Madeline balked at the idea. She was not even sure if she could call him by his first name. He was her employer, after all, and doing so would remove the safety their respective addresses and positions afforded. It would move their relationship from one of business to one of friendship, and she was not sure how she felt about that. The ride back to the manor had changed things between them, but whether the change was a welcome one had yet to be seen.

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