She hadn’t saved him out of a desire to see him throw his life away, after all. She didn’t want to see him lose everything. She wanted him to live. And if he got too close to her, he might not.
Whatever happens, just don’t let him come looking for me. Let him go on about his business and forget that we ever met that night.
It was probably the best thing for both of them, and Madeleine wouldn’t hope for anything else.
CHAPTEREIGHT
Madeleine spent the rest of the day in her room, but by noon, she knew that she could no longer hide.
Hiding had never been her style anyway. She didn’twantto stay secreted away, hoping that her absence would go unremarked upon. Her life was to be very different now, and she knew that, but that didn’t mean she had to be sad and lonely. She could spend time with Uncle Joseph, who she was sure would soon learn to accept the fact that things were going to be different than they had hoped.
He’snotangry,she reminded herself as she ventured out of her room.He’s only a bit disappointed.
She found her uncle in the sitting room reading a book, but he put it down when she came in. “Madeleine,” he said. “Good. I was worried I wouldn’t see you at all today. I must admit, it was beginning to look as though you might spend the whole day up in your room, so I’m glad you decided to come down.”
“I didn’t want to hide,” she said, blushing a little.
“Well, I’m glad,” he said. “There’s really no need to.”
“After what happened last night…”
“I told you that I wasn’t angry about that.”
“Yes, you did…but you’re not happy, either. I can tell.”
He signed. “It’s very complicated.”
“I know.”
“What you need to understand is that I’m on your side, no matter what,” Uncle Joseph said. “No matter how things might have changed for you now, I’m still your uncle and support you. You and I are going to figure this out together.”
She nodded. “That really means the world to me, Uncle Joseph,” she said. “But I can’t help feeling like I’ve let you down.”
“Understand me,” he said. “You didn’t let me down at all. You explained what happened. I know that it wasn’t your fault. You were caught in a bad situation, yes, and that’s difficult, and it’s caused a terrible outcome for you. But to blame you for it would be ridiculous.”
Madeleine felt shaky and almost like crying. “I really was being careful,” she told her uncle. “When I went out into the garden, I made sure that I wasn’t on my own, that there were other ladies around. I knew that no one would miss an opportunity to spread gossip about me if they could.”
“Of course they would,” her uncle said. “Come and sit down, Madeleine and let’s talk about the future.”
Madeleine crossed to the chair opposite his and sat down.
He folded his hands and looked at her seriously. “You know that I love you as if you were my own daughter,” he said. “It’s been that way from the moment you came to live with me.”
She nodded. “I know,” she said. “You’ve always cared for me, and it’s always meant the world. Without you, I would be on my own.”
“You’ll never have to worry about that,” he assured her. “I’ll always be by your side.”
“Even now that my prospects have been destroyed?”
“I meant what I told you last night. Worse things have happened to you and me, haven’t they? The loss of your parents and your siblings’ deaths…Of course I love that our lives have brought us together, Madeleine, but that was a high price.”
She looked down. He had never blamed her for it. He had never mentioned the idea that she might be cursed in her presence. She was almost certain he didn’t consider her at fault—almost.
“So now it falls to us to decide what we’re going to do next,” Uncle Joseph said.
“No one is going to want to marry me.”
“Well, we don’t know that,” Uncle Joseph said. “I think the best thing for us to do is to keep you at home for the remainder of the season, and then we can try again next year if things seem right. You never know—people might forget what’s happened if they don’t see you for a while. And if that happens, there’s every chance you might find someone.”
