Page 59 of The No Good Irresistible Viscount Tipton
“This yellow was used for your dragon’s eyes. What is it?”
As if she could not recognize it.“Sedum acre.”Maddy sighed at the blank look she received. “Wall pepper.”
“Ah,” Devona said, moving to another flower. “And this?”
“Malva sylvestrisor common mallow.” Seeing through the ploy as an attempt to distract her, Maddy walked over and took the dresses from the viscountess’s arms. “And that isDianthus casius,but I’m certain you know that. After all, I am such the village idiot that I need to go to town to learn all about civil-i-za-tion.”
Devona chuckled at the way Maddy had pronounced the last word and gave her a rueful glance. “You heard that, huh?”
In this household it paid to blend into the walls and listen to the conversations that excluded her. “Your husband has always made himself heard even in his years of absence.”
“Maybe Tipton has finally come to do his duty by you.” She pointed to a spiked-leaved plant with small white flowers. “And this?”
“Don’t you know anything about plants?Ilex aquifoliumor holly.” Maddy tossed the dresses on her bed and sat on them.
“Not as much as you apparently do. Who taught you?”
She shrugged. “Books mostly. Our neighbor on the western boundary, Mr. Hawkpit, has helped me over the years with cuttings.” He and Mama had been carrying on a torrid affair for years, not that she was supposed to know. Sadly, she had not seen much of the man lately. She had overheard Cook tell Mrs. Poole that when Mrs. Hawkpit had learned of the affair she had threatened to split Mr. Hawkpit’s adulterous staff in two so there would be enough of him to go around. Maddy snickered, understanding that when the women had spoken of Mr. Hawkpit’s staff they weren’t referring to the hired help.
Maddy cast a sly look in Devona’s direction. She decided to keep that bit of gossip to herself. Auburn Hawkpit had always been kind to her, a substitute father. The least she could do if he could not have Mama was protect him from Tipton. She shuddered, imagining what her brother would do to him just to add to their mother’s misery.
“How long will you keep me from Mama?”
“Goodness, Madeleina, you make it sound like this is a punishment!”
Oh, it was, but she was quick enough to know who was the pawn in her brother’s little game. Devona was so different from Tipton. She was friendly, her emotions displayed so plainly on her face that Maddy suspected the young woman did not have a dishonest inclination. How in the world did she end up with the monster? “I have never been away from home. At least, not like this.”
The viscountess drew her into her arms and gave her a reassuring hug. “You have nothing to fear from us, my sweet. All we expect you to do is to have fun.”
“And become civilized,” Maddy mumbled against the fabric of Devona’s sleeve.
She drew back, laughing. “It will be a long time before you’ll forgive Rayne those thoughtless words, am I correct?” She smoothed the wild wisps of hair from Maddy’s face.
Her sober expression did not reveal the terror she felt at being left in the hands of her fiendish brother. He would kill her, just like he had killed his older brother. “I suspect my brother is very thoughtful in all things.”
***
It was almost dawn when Jocelyn discovered her daughter’s empty bed. Her first fear was that the girl had run away. Madeleina, despite Tipton’s concerns, was a sensible creature. Running away would only delay the inevitable.
Taking up a lantern, Jocelyn began her silent search of the gardens. There was no point alerting the staff. She would find her daughter on her own. The ground was slick and the heavy odor of wet vegetation made her nose itch. Jocelyn had never understood her daughter’s fascination with the outdoors. She herself preferred the comforts that her favorite rooms provided: well-worn leather tomes, the clink of a china teacup, and the feel of a handmade rug from India. These were items she understood and appreciated. The one child who was hers was long dead, and the two who lived she did not understand.
Ah, the maze. Jocelyn clutched her dressing gown tighter with one hand as she worked her way through the maze. Madeleina thought her mama was not intelligent enough to figure out her clever child. Well, she would be surprised to learn this was not the first time Jocelyn had wandered into her daughter’s fantasy world.
“Madeleina!” she called out.
There was a rustle, then a wary, “Mama?”
“Who else would be playing in your maze at this time of the morning?”
It took another turn to the left and another two turns to the right before she entered the center of the maze. Maddy had had the sense to bring several blankets and a lantern for her outdoor slumber.
“Mama. You never rise this early.”
“You were not in your bed.”
Maddy pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on the small table her arms formed. “I wanted to say good-bye to the maze before I left. Unless you have changed your mind about permitting me to go.”
The hopefulness shining in her eyes made Jocelyn feel ashamed that she did not have a stronger position from which to fight Tipton. “No, you will be departing as commanded.” Commanded. The notion stuck in her throat so much that she thought she would perish from it.
