Nash laughed. “Done.”
Eighteen
“Are you packed?” Nash asked Maddy as he reentered the cottage with his brother. His brother indeed. Maddy was still annoyed with the earl, though much of her annoyance was now directed at herself.
She should have known. Seeing them standing side by side, the family resemblance was obvious. She shouldn’t have lost her temper so easily, should have asked more questions at the beginning.
But he’d swept in like a lord and spoken to her with such icy disdain, making threats in the same breath before he’d even introduced himself—he hadn’t introduced himself at all, just demanded to see his client and, in the same breath, threatened her with the magistrate. And all the while clutching those boots in his fist as if he might hit her with them.
She caught his eye. He gave her a curt nod, and a stiff, “I apologize for the misunderstanding, Miss Woodford.” His gray eyes were as cold as ever. Maddy was not deceived into thinking the apology was anything more than a polite form.
She inclined her head. At least he’d apologized. Many men could not, would not bring themselves to ever admit they were wrong.
Nash was wearing the boots the earl had brought.
Her lips twitched. Had the earl really believed she’d held his brother to ransom in exchange forboots? It was ridiculous. She felt a bubble of laughter rising and tried to squash it.
“What?” Nash asked.
“J-Just thinking that your ransom looks very s-smart. I must say, you’re a very cheap hostage.” A giggle escaped her.
The earl stiffened. Nash glanced down at his boots and gave a crack of laughter. “You must have thought you were rescuing me from a lunatic, Marcus.”
“Nothing new in that. You’ve spent your whole life falling into scrapes and usually talking your way out of them. I believe I am to wish you joy, Miss Woodford.” The coldness with which he said it contradicted his words. He was not reconciled to their marriage in the slightest. He thought her a scrape from which Nash hadn’t been able to talk his way out of.
Too bad, Maddy thought. Nash had made the offer of his own free will. She wasn’t going to renege on her promise simply because his brother thought she wasn’t good enough.
She’d show him.
Nash glanced at the bed. “I thought you would have finished packing by now.”
“Why? There’s no need for us to leave now.”
“But I told you to pack.”
“You told me to trust you, but you didn’t explain why, or where we’re going, or for how long. If you think I’m moving to Whitethorn Manor—”
“I want to get you and the children away from here, to safety. Tonight.”
“Why? We’re perfectly safe here.”
“That swine might come back—”
“I told you, he’s done nothing against the children or me. I’m certain his aim is to frighten us away, and I don’t intend to give him the satisfaction.”
“When he burned your beehives, he went a step further than merely frightening, so I want you out of here.”
“No.” Maddy folded her arms. “I won’t be frightened out of my home by a coward who dresses up in silly costumes and wails around the house to scare children at night.”
Nash gave her a frustrated look. “It is not a matter of running away. If it’s Harris, he’s my responsibility. I want to catch the fellow and find out what he’s up to.”
“Good, then you can catch him with me here.”
“And endanger the children?”
“If you and your brother are here, they won’t be in danger. And the children will learn to stand up for themselves and not be intimidated by cowardly bullies.”
The earl seated himself at the table. “I can see this is going to take some time,” he said to nobody in particular. “Is that pot of tea still hot, by any chance?”
