Chapter Four

Maggie’s beloved extended family arrived for dinner later that evening, unbeknownst to them that she planned on divulging the news that she was to journey to her father’s Georgia plantation in an effort to find herself.

She did not expect them to take the news well. Like Max has mentioned earlier in her bedroom – it was very unusual and almost unheard of for an unmarried woman to venture away from her father’s home.

Maggie had decided that she would travel to Pendleton Park the next morning to speak with Isaac again. She did want to know him better and she thought his hotel stateroom would be a better environment than her father’s manor.

“Aunt Bess, Uncle Emmett,” Maggie greeted cheerfully as their butler opened the front door for them. Their new butler, Mr Lowell, had recently accepted the position at Montrose as their previous elderly butler had resigned, deciding to spend his remaining years with family in Bath. Mr Lowell was about her father’s age and was a very dedicated household leader. Montrose had never been so efficient.

“Hello, dear,” her Aunt Bess replied, leaning in to kiss Maggie’s cheek. Bess was most definitely the matriarch of their large family. Even though her grandmother Marie was older, she happily relinquished the reins to Bess. She kept them all together, particularly when it came to special occasions. Nobody knew how to make a person feel special more than her Aunt Bess.

Bess was joined by her husband, Emmett, who was supporting their nearly eleven year old daughter, Imogen, as she walked. Imogen and her twin, Alexandra, could not have been more different. While Alexandra was tall, energetic and strong, Imogen was small, weak and more often than not, very tired. She could not walk great distances without the support of either one of her parents and she could not manage the stairs at Ascot House. Either Emmett, Bess or her brother, David, had to carry her up and down. Numerous doctors, both in Derbyshire and London, had assured Emmett and Bess that Imogen was in good health, but the traumas she had suffered at birth would compromise her growth and strength throughout her life. Maggie often felt very sad for Imogen. While she could climb trees and run about the grounds with her siblings and cousins, Imogen’s strength required her to stay by her father’s side. She could see it in her hazel eyes, her little cousin felt trapped inside a body that did not work for her. She only prayed Imogen would find happiness in her future.

Next came her Aunt Rose and Uncle Derek along with their six year old daughter Grace and Max’s elder sister Rebecca. Rebecca, at one and twenty, was one of the most strikingly beautiful women that the aristocracy had ever seen. She was poised, slim and graceful. Her hair was soft and chestnut coloured and her honey coloured stare was hypnotising. Rebecca was not without admirers and suitors, but she had no desire to be married. She was far too head strong to belong to any man and financially she had no need to marry. As she and her father were American, upon Derek’s death his fortune would be divided evenly between his three children. Rebecca could marry if and when she chose. Maggie envied her for all of those reasons.

Maggie was happy to see her aunt and uncle smiling again. The dark days of three years earlier had nearly broken the heart of every member of their family. Rose had been with child for the second time and she was due to give Rebecca, Max and Grace a younger brother or sister. But sadly, Rose developed eclampsia. The symptoms were recognised quickly by Bess who was able to save Rose’s life, but not her son’s. The poor boy was stillborn. The mourning was awful as a child had not been lost in their family before young Matthew. The reality of death had become very apparent. Rose and Derek had not been blessed with another child since, but they cherished the three they already had nonetheless. Maggie did her best to care for Max during his sorrow. There had been great sadness, but they were happy again.

Her grandmother was regally dressed, as always, and was accompanied by her husband, the always cheerful and ever teasing Stephen Montgomery. They were a good match, Maggie thought. If ever Marie became sour for any reason, Stephen was quick to act, and vice versa. If Stephen’s comedic behaviour ever went a little too far, Marie would rein him in. Together, they enjoyed touring the country searching for other buildings that could join the Montgomery hotel empire, but in recent years they enjoyed staying at home and spending time with their family.

“Where is Edward?” David asked boldly, stepping out from behind his father. David was handsome young man of thirteen years. He and Emmett were startlingly similar. His dark hair was rather unkempt no matter how many times Bess tried to tame it with a comb. His eyes were also the hue of the Wilde blue and he was already his mother’s height. He was sure to grow to be his father’s throughout his teenage years.

“Davy, manners,” his mother scolded.

“Good evening, Maggie,” he corrected himself, obliging his mother.

Maggie muffled a giggled. “Good evening, Davy. He is upstairs in the sitting room with Georgie and Lizzie. Listen out for the dinner bell, won’t you?”

“Come on, Allie, Imogen, Grace,” David encouraged, crouching down before Imogen. Emmett helped her to climb onto her strong older brother’s back.

“Be careful,” Emmett instructed his son.

“We will be,” David replied as he, Grace and Alexandra started up the stairs.

Emmett and Bess watched the children until they were safely on the landing. David helped Imogen off of his back and he allowed her to lean on him as they walked in the direction of the sitting room.

“I am curious as to the nature of this dinner,” Rose said after the children were away. “When Bess showed me your letter you mentioned that it was important.”

“Are we convened in the drawing room?” Marie asked, gesturing to the doors of the drawing room.

“Yes,” replied Maggie.

Mr Lowell opened the drawing room doors for the party. Inside, Nate and Charlotte were sitting on one of the settees while Max sat on the piano stool with his sketch book, completely immersed in whatever he was drawing.

Charlotte and Nate were quick to greet the family while Max immediately joined his father. Max would also have an announcement to make as he would be leaving for a time also.

Maggie decided to announce her news now, rather than wait several hours through the meal. She also did not want to reveal her plans in front of the children.

Nate caught Maggie’s eyes and he gave her a look that told her that he would begin the discussion. She was grateful.

“Alright, sit down everyone,” Nate said loudly, interrupting the many conversations that had started. Every available settee and chaise was then occupied by the ladies while the husbands stood behind their wives. Maggie elected to sit down beside her mother. Charlotte promptly took her hand and squeezed it tightly. “Before we go into the dining room there is some new information that we need to share with you.” Nate’s tone was quite sombre. Maggie’s guilt increased. She hoped that Nate knew that he would never be replaced. He would always be her father. But regardless of his feelings on the subject, this was what Maggie had to do.

The expressions on each one of her family member’s faces changed. They all looked very concerned, as if they were to hear dreadful news, and in a way they were.

“A man came to see Charlotte and me today,” Nate began, “a man named Isaac Lavelle.” He took a calming breath. “The visit was unexpected and from where I was sitting, unwelcome. The man claimed to have fathered a child eighteen years ago.”

The realisation crossed everyone’s faces as they made the connection to Maggie.

“He has knowledge of Maggie’s mother that only someone who truly knew her would be aware of. I realise that now,” Nate directed his last sentence to her. Maggie appreciated his faith even though he was still worried.

“How did he track her down?” Emmett demanded to know. He didn’t seem to like the fact that a stranger was able to find them.

“And why now?” Bess added.

“He is probably in need of money,” Marie murmured.

“Grandmamma,” Maggie said exasperatedly, “he has his own fortune.”

“Darling, men lie,” Marie replied sadly. “It is a truth all young ladies must acknowledge at some point in their lives.” Stephen, who stood behind her, looked down, clearly quite hurt at her statement. “Not you, dear,” she added, aware of his feelings without even seeing his face. “You are shockingly honest.” Stephen rolled his eyes and placed a hand on Marie’s shoulder to let her know that all was well.

“When Caroline told me about Maggie’s father she said that he was from a wealthy family which was why a marriage between them was impossible,” Nate explained. “I suppose I was angry and thinking irrationally when the man was speaking to me this afternoon.”

He’d never told Maggie that he knew anything about her father before. But then, Maggie supposed, she had never asked. Nate had saved her life when he had adopted her. She was a mixed race bastard child. Her destiny was the work house. But Nate had saved her. He’d educated her and cared for her and loved her. She owed him her life.  

“So Mr Lavelle is not after financial aid?” Rose checked.

“Are we sure there is not another sort of ulterior motive?” Derek added. “Mr Lavelle is from a wealthy family, yes, but are they still wealthy? Is it possible he is in financial strife?”

Maggie huffed. “Is it at all possible that the man might just want to know me?” Their suspicions of Isaac were a little insulting to Maggie, as if the simple desire to know his own daughter was preposterous. “I can be quite charming, you know,” she added, “once one gets know me.” Charlotte rubbed the back of Maggie’s hand comfortingly.

“Maggie, we are not insinuating that the pleasure of your company is not desirable,” Bess said tenderly.

“Were are simply worried about the fact that he has waited eighteen years for the pleasure of your company,” Emmett concluded.

Their reasons did not quash her anger. She stood up quickly, releasing her mother’s hand. “Well he shall have several months to enjoy the pleasure of my company,” she said angrily, “for I have agreed to go to America with him to visit my future inheritance. His ulterior motive, Uncle Derek, is that he and his wife have no children. He does not deserve to be hung, drawn and quartered for wanting to pass on his one hundred year legacy.” Maggie looked to her father who looked very surprised and quite disappointed at her sudden tone. It was not very ladylike. “Excuse me, Daddy, but I am not very hungry anymore.”

“Maggie, you will eat with your family and we will discuss this calmly,” Nate said firmly.

“Forgive me, Daddy,” Maggie replied. Continuing her unladylike behaviour, she broke into a run and headed for the drawing room door. The last thing she heard before exiting through the front door of Montrose Manor was Max saying “I know where she’s going.” Of course he did. And even though she knew he was following her, Maggie did not change her destination.

The full moon was projecting a mystical silver light across Montrose Manor’s green. She knew the path well and she was heading for her favourite tree. Granted, climbing trees in the dark was not her brightest idea, but it was where she wanted to go to calm down.

“Maggie, climbing a tree in the dark is a direct action that will land you in bed for weeks with a broken leg!” Max called from thirty feet behind her.

Maggie stopped running, knowing that he was right. She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling several long pieces from their pins. Maggie sunk to the ground, settling herself on the grass. Max arrived at her side a few seconds later and sat down beside her. “Was I naïve to think that explaining my leaving to my family would be easy?”

“That is the point of families, Maggie,” chuckled Max, “they tell us if and when we are doing something wrong. They also worry about us like no one else ever could.”

Maggie leant her head on his shoulder and he put a comforting arm around her. “They don’t understand me,” Maggie said quietly.

“They don’t understand you because you don’t let them understand you,” Max countered. “Maggie, we will go to America, but I won’t let you go if you’re running from your life here.”

“I’m not running from my life, Max,” replied Maggie, “I’m running towards it, or what could be a part of it.” Maggie laid down on the grass and stared up at the clear night sky. That was the wonderful thing about summertime – the sky was clear for a change. Max followed suit and they both looked at the stars.

They lay their quietly for some time. That was the beauty of great friends. Sometimes they did not need words. Maggie just breathed, slowly and deeply.

“I still wonder about my mother, you know,” Max said finally. “I wonder where she is and what she’s doing. I wonder if she’s still alive. It’s quite upsetting that I don’t know her.”

Maggie rolled on her side and peered at Max. He rarely spoke of his mother, Claudia, mostly because his father detested the subject. But Maggie knew that Max would always have a small void where his mother should have been, much like her.

“Rose is wonderful and I do love her like a mother, but it is not the same. I feel as though I have been deprived of something,” he confessed, “as if other children are flaunting the fact that they have it in front of me and it is just out of my reach.”

Those were Maggie’s exact thoughts. Her younger siblings were growing up with married, loving parents. Her cousins had the same. Her childhood was spent in hotel dining rooms along the North Carolina coast. She had been illiterate and illegitimate.

“Does it make me selfish to envy my six year old sister for having what I craved?”

“Every child deserves a mother and father who love them. Some are just unfortunate to be born to people who are unprepared for such a task,” Maggie decided. Isaac Lavelle has been unprepared to stand up to his family. Isaac Lavelle had been unprepared to bring a woman of another race into his home. Maggie could understand that. He was prepared now, but she would keep both eyes open. “I should not have stormed out of the drawing room in that fashion,” Maggie admitted, “it was not very polite. I should have stayed and listened patiently.”

“And then you would have stormed out,” Max teased, a cheeky grin spreading across his face.

Maggie laughed and rolled back onto her back. “I lied before. I am famished, but I do not think I am ready to go back and face everyone.” 

“As am I,” admitted Max. “Shall we venture around back and enter through the kitchen?” he suggested. “I am sure we could pinch some bread and cheese from the larder without detection.”

As if on cue, Maggie’s stomach grumbled, indicating that Max’s suggestion was a welcome one. They climbed to their feet and started to walk around Montrose Manor in the direction of the small servant’s courtyard. It was secluded socialising area which contained a door leading into the kitchen and the servants’ sitting and dining rooms.

“Thank you for following me, Max,” Maggie said gratefully, smiling up at him.

“I will always follow you,” he simply replied.

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I am so excited for them to get to America. There's a few characters that I am desperate to introduce. I'm even itching to write the jaw dropping OMG moment climax but that's a while away :( I wish I could write all day every day.

Thanks to everyone who bought "Rescuing Emilia" on Amazon. Within 1 day of it being on Amazon I was already in the top 800 historical fiction novels! Considering there are thousands I was pretty stoked!! If you want a copy, just go to www.amazon.com and search "Rescuing Emilia" and you'll find it :) I'm currently editing and rewriting bits and pieces of Taming Jane which I'm hoping will be published in the next month or so. Editing is so tedious lol.

Anyways, it's just gone 3 in the morning. I should probably go to sleep or something and stop watching infomercials and being tempted to buy things :P

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