To Tame a Dangerous Lord (Courtship Wars)

Love. He didn’t mean the endearment, of course, she knew as he shut the door. It was merely a figure of speech for Rayne, one he used frequently.

The coach moved on, leaving her feeling excruciatingly lonely and alone. There was a great, deep emptiness inside her that she feared would never go away.

How does one survive heartache, Maman? Madeline thought bleakly … although she was unsurprised when her mother failed to answer.

Chapter Nineteen

The emptiness is unbearable, Maman.

Faith, but she was miserable, Madeline thought as she drove herself home from the Freemantle Academy the following afternoon. Not even the lively enthusiasm of her pupils during a French grammar lesson had been able to dispel the gloom that covered her like a shroud.

Her heart was a leaden weight in her chest—a weight that only increased when she glanced over her shoulder and recognized the barouche bowling down the drive behind her gig.

Apparently the dowager Countess of Haviland had come to call again at Riverwood.

“Wonderful,” Madeline muttered, inwardly wincing. “Her visit will doubtless cap my misery to perfection, Maman.”

She drove the gig around the manor to the stables, where she turned the vehicle over to a groom. Then, reluctantly, she entered the house and found Bramsley at the front door, admitting the dowager to the entrance hall.

The elderly noblewoman’s lips pinched when she caught sight of Madeline.

Madeline, however, forced herself to curtsy politely upon reaching her visitor. “My lady, welcome to Riverwood.”

Lady Haviland’s expression only darkened. “I wish to speak to you in private, Miss Ellis.”

Madeline winced again at the mistaken form of address. Evidently Rayne’s grandmother refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of her marriage. “May Bramsley take your bonnet first? Or offer you refreshment?”

“No, he may not. I shan’t be staying. Please conduct me to a parlor at once.”

After shedding her own bonnet and pelisse and turning them over to Bramsley, Madeline obeyed Lady Haviland’s command, all the while gritting her teeth.

As expected, her ladyship refused a seat when it was offered. Instead, she launched into speech as soon as the door was shut behind them.

“I shall come directly to the point, Miss Ellis. What sum would convince you to leave England for good?”

Madel

ine stared. She had braced herself for some form of attack, but not this utterly unexpected question.

Lady Haviland continued brusquely. “I am prepared to offer you a small fortune if you will relocate to the Continent or any other country outside of Britain.”

“Why would you make me such an offer?” she asked in bewilderment.

“So that my grandson’s unacceptable marriage can be annulled and he can begin anew with a more suitable choice of brides.”

Madeline felt her heart jolt. When she remained speechless with dismay, her visitor expounded.

“Haviland regrets wedding you and wishes to dissolve your union, but he is too honorable to seek an annulment.”

“But you are not?” Madeline retorted reflexively.

The countess’s mouth tightened. “I want what is best for my grandson. He has come to realize his mistake in marrying you, and I have the wherewithal to resolve his problem. I will give you fifty thousand pounds if you agree to disappear from his life, Miss Ellis. After a proper interval, Haviland can have the marriage annulled and find a countess who befits his noble station.”

He has come to realize his mistake in marrying you. The words tore through Madeline.

Shaken, she moved over to the settee and sank down. Rayne’s grandmother was bribing her to leave his life for good?

Her hand stole to her heart as she stared blindly down at the Aubusson carpet. She only vaguely heard the dowager speaking again.