Chapter Three

To have direction was such an exciting thing. Maggie had not realised just how motionless her life had become.

To an outsider she had everything. Her father was titled. Her family were very wealthy. She was the niece of the Duke of Ascot, a man whose fortune rivalled that of the Queen herself. She had endless connections to make a good marriage and her dowry was enormous.

But Maggie did not desire those things. While she knew she was very fortunate, she coveted simpler things. What she would give for a stranger to smile at her. How she desired a dance partner that was not related to her. It was as if men in ballrooms believed she’d walked into the wrong place. If they even noticed her, holding her hand, a hand so much darker than their own, would most definitely mean they would catch some sort of awful illness.

But this trip was direction. She had a destination, something to aim for. She had a plan. She was not merely floating about, wasting her youth on a society that would never accept her.

She would be going to the Lavelle Cotton Plantation as the master’s only child, the heiress. America was the New World after all.

Maggie was very curious about her father. How could she not be? She was not so naïve as to believe that they were to immediately have the perfect relationship, nor did she intend to replace Nate with Isaac Lavelle. Nate had saved her life all those years ago, but not even his love and devotion could quell the questions she had about a life she never knew. She had to know. She had to see for herself. In Maggie’s eyes, she did not have a choice.

Max would be there for her, like he always was. She knew she did not deserve a friend like Max. He was far too good to her. Although only a few months older than her, he was a wonderful older brother figure.

“Is it true?”

Maggie jumped, unaware that she was not alone in her bedchamber. She was sitting at her writing desk, and was in the middle of writing her aunt and uncle at Ascot to invite them to dinner that evening.

Both Georgie and Lizzie had entered her bedroom unannounced. Or perhaps they had knocked. Maggie had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she probably wouldn’t have heard them. Her sisters appeared very distressed.

“Is it true?” Georgie persisted. “Edward says you are going far away.”

Lizzie’s lower lip trembled as she ran across Maggie’s bedroom to throw herself in Maggie’s lap. Maggie placed a comforting hand on the back of her head. Georgie quickly followed suit and knelt down beside Lizzie.

Maggie was not going to lie to her sisters. While they were young, they deserved honesty. “I am going on a trip,” she confirmed, “with Max. We will be going on a ship and I will be away for a little while.”

Before Lizzie could start to cry, Georgie whispered, “It is alright, Lizzie, we shall go too.”

“You cannot come with me because Mama and Papa need you with them,” Maggie replied, smiling sympathetically as she pulled little Lizzie onto her lap. “What would they do without you?”

Lizzie snuggled into Maggie’s chest while Georgie wrapped her arms around her hips.

“I will write you as often as I can,” she promised, “but that means you must practice your reading with Papa.” Nate was patiently teaching the girls how to read as he had done with Maggie when she was young. So often in the evenings he would have them sitting on his knees reading The Sleeping Beauty, the first story that she had read when she’d first arrived in England. “I love you both dearly,” she said sincerely. She even loved her brother. She would explain her reasons to him at another time.

“I am going to miss you so, so much, Maggie,” Georgie whispered.

“Me, also,” Lizzie added.

She would miss them more than words could say. She did not take her family for granted. She knew that having parents who loved each other was a rarity. She adored her siblings and she did feel guilty for wanting to leave. It would not be forever. A piece of her history was missing, and she was going to find the answers. Once she had them, all would be well.

“Can you read this?” Maggie asked, handing Georgie the half written letter addressed to Bess.

Georgie nodded and began to concentrate. “Dear Aunt Bess,” she began, “I write to ask you and our family to an impromptu, but very important, dinner this evening. We are eager to host everyone, my dear cousins included, and I ask that you all arrive famished ready for a divine feast.” Georgie read well, and her eyes lit up when she reached the end, or where Maggie had written to. “Aunt Bess is coming to dinner?” she asked excitedly.

Maggie nodded. “Aunt Bess, Uncle Emmett, Grandmamma, Grandpapa, Aunt Rose, Uncle Derek – everyone.”

“Are we allowed to eat in the dining room?” Lizzie asked curiously.

Children were not usually permitted in the dining room for formal dinners. They ate away from the family, usually with their governess.

Maggie’s childhood governess had left the family to marry six years earlier. Charlotte had not hired another, and had instead elected to teach her daughters herself. Edward, along with his cousin David, would attend Eton, just like his father and his Uncle Emmett. It was already quite evident that Edward and David would be a repeat of their fathers. While Edward would be attending in three years, David was set to go to school in a few weeks, ready to start the term in September.

As a child, it was a treat for Maggie to eat in the dining room with the adults. It was rather a glamorous affair. She loved watching the footmen arrived with another dish that smelled just as amazing as the last. While it did take one awhile to understand the rules regarding the use of silverware, it was all worth it to be able to participate in one of her family’s meals.

“Now, I must finish writing Aunt Bess,” she told her sisters, her tone indicating that she wanted them to leave, “or else she shall be late. The letter must travel five miles as you well know.”  

“Come along, Lizzie,” Georgie urged, holding her hand out for her younger sister to take. “We shall see you at dinner, Maggie,” she chirped, the idea of dining with the family had improved her mood dramatically.

“See you, girls,” Maggie farewelled and she watched them open her door.

When the door opened, Maggie saw that Max was standing on the other side, his hand raised ready to knock. He greeted the girls happily and allowed them to pass before letting himself into Maggie’s bedroom. Maggie smiled at him and quickly finished writing to her aunt, signing the letter and folding it in half. She wrote her aunt’s name on the front, not bothering to heat wax for a seal, and then rang her bell for a maid to come and collect it.

“You do not have to go to America if you do not wish to, Max,” Maggie said after a moment. “I know Daddy was a little forceful. He usually is,” she added, causing Max to chuckle.

“I don’t mind,” he replied, “neither will my father or Rose. It will be a good experience, I think.”

Maggie heartily agreed. “You do understand why I have to go, don’t you?” she checked, raising her eyebrows. “You do not think me selfish? Impulsive?” She pursed her lips. “Silly?” she asked fearfully.

“Yes, to all except selfish,” Max replied. “Maggie, it is not a crime to want to know where one comes from. You just have to be careful. You have known the man for all of five minutes.”

“I have known myself for eighteen years and yet I do not really understand myself. What harm ever came from a little blind faith?” she challenged.

“Famous last words,” he murmured. “I understand you, Margaret Anne Wheeler Swift … or have you chosen to adopt Lavelle as your surname already?” Max’s tone was a little cynical. He was not afraid to bestow tough love on Maggie when he felt it necessary. He would tell her when she was making a mistake, and more often than not, she would listen to him.

But not today. Maggie glowered at him. “I shall always be Swift,” she snapped, “I would never insult my father by adopting another’s name.”

“But you would insult him by leaving his home for another’s before you are married?” he retorted.

Maggie scoffed. She had not expected such a comment from Max. They spent their days in tress, after all. She had never seen him as a proper aristocrat. “For how long have you been a secret aristocrat?” she barked. “Because you are standing in and unmarried lady’s bedchamber. You will be travelling with an unmarried lady on a ship. I do not have to be married to travel, Max. Are you suggesting that I should be?”

She could see the anger building up inside of him, the anger that only she could bring out. “Perhaps I am,” he shot back.

“And who do you suggest that I wed?” She placed her hands on her hips. “You?” She raised her eyebrows.

Max pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders. “Yes,” he replied simply, “it is what’s proper.”

Maggie stared at him for a good minute. He was teasing her. He had to be teasing her. He was trying to make her laugh as he knew she hated it when they quarrelled. And so she did. Maggie burst into a fit of giggles and she clutched her sides. “You are funny, Max,” she wheezed. “You never cease to make me laugh.” She closed the gap between them and she placed a hand on his slightly dazed cheek. “I do not expect this journey to be without trouble. I expect to encounter my fair share of stiff old ladies who have their corsets laced too tight. I expect to experience the consequences when I tell these ladies what I think of them. I have a step-mother, one who probably will not like me as I am the bastard child of her husband. I am also an acquired taste than not everyone has a fondness for. I expect to realise that my father is not the wonderfully misunderstood man that I hope him to be. But I also expect to adore my oldest friend even more than I do now when we return. I expect that he shall find love in Georgia because he will have his choice of the Southern Belles. I expect that I will weep on more than one occasion and I expect that at some point in the coming months I will realise that my going to the Plantation will be a horrid mistake. But it will be my mistake. Not yours, not my father’s, not my mother’s, mine. There is a hole inside of me, Max, and I think this might just mend it. I need you to trust me.” Maggie pulled her hand away but Max caught it between his.

“I do trust you,” he replied sincerely, “but if you ever fear for your reputation, we can find a reverend and we can marry.” His voice was serious but Maggie knew him well enough to know that he was joking.

Maggie rolled her eyes. “Stop teasing me,” she scolded comically, playfully slapping his chest. At that moment there was a knock on her door. “Come in!” she called.

The door opened and a small maid entered, curtseying to both Maggie and Max. “Afternoon, milady, sir,” she said politely.

“Good afternoon,” Maggie replied, walking over to her with the letter. “Could you please ensure this is delivered to Ascot immediately? It is a dinner invitation and the deliverer’s haste is essential.”

The maid took the letter from Maggie and curtseyed again. “Of course, milady,” she promised. “Will there be anything else?”

“No, thank you,” Maggie replied. “You may go.”

The maid nodded and swiftly left Maggie’s bedchamber.

“Just promise me that you will be careful,” Max insisted, reverting their conversation topic back to that of her father.

“Max, I spend my days climbing trees at risk of breaking a limb. You are careful enough for the both of us. Perhaps you could stand to be a little reckless,” she hinted.

She noticed the slight reddening of Max’s face at the mention of recklessness. “If I were ever reckless, Maggie, we would no longer be friends.”

The statement was mysterious and Maggie could not understand his meaning. She decided not to enquire. She had no wish to learn of anything that would mean the end of their friendship.

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Don't worry, Max will decide to be reckless in good time ;) 

I went down to Port Melbourne today. If you've never been there, it's by the beach, a stone's throw from Melbourne city, by the pier where all the cruise ships dock. It has to be one of my favourite places in the world. It is so beautiful, and it was sunny today and the water just looked gorgeous. If you ever go, buy some fish and chips from D'lish Fish by the water and then eat on the pier. The seagulls hound you but it is seriously such a fun thing to do. 

Damn, I'm hungry now :P It's 1:32am. I have to be up in 6 hours. Food or sleep? Food. Priorities ;) 

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