Moonlight on the Millpond (36 page)

“And your wedding night?” Cathy wasn't done. “Did you have a wedding night?”

“In my bedroom,” Maddie said quietly, her sober eyes causing Cathy to calm a bit.

“Do you remember it, Maddie? Were you able to enjoy it at all?”

“I don't remember. Jace has apologized again and again, and I'm still a little angry with him, but I can't remember a thing.”

The question was in Cathy's mind, but she debated asking it. It really wasn't her business, but she wanted to know whether there was a night Maddie did remember. After all, they'd been married for five days.

“I don't want you to be angry with him,” Maddie suddenly said. “I feel guilty about the way I've treated him, and he feared that you would not even welcome him here after I told you what happened.”

“I'll not hold it against him, Maddie. If you're upset with him, that's punishment enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“You're newlyweds, honey. The last thing a man wants is for his bride to be angry with him.”

Maddie felt terrible. Jace was as hurt in all of this as she was. Maddie thought about how cold she had been to him. She thought now that that might have been wrong but wasn't sure how to fix it.

“I'm going to head to the store,” Cathy said. “I assume Jace is there.”

“Yes.” Maddie rose as well. “I'll go with you.”

Maddie woke to a quiet room Monday morning, the other side of the bed empty. Most of Saturday had been spent with her uncle and aunt, and even part of Sunday. Jace had been a complete gentleman, kind and solicitous. Nevertheless, there was a wall between them that only Maddie could take down—something she had not done just yet.

For a time Maddie lay there and then remembered that Cathy was not downstairs taking care of things. It was her job now. Maddie was up and out the bedroom door a short time later. It was time to get to work.

“Clara, do we have any ginger?” Maddie asked midmorning, studying the recipe for pumpkin pie in front of her.

“In the spice chest on the wall. Try the top left drawer.”

Maddie actually found the spice in the next drawer down. She had cooked the pumpkin already, careful not to scrape the inside, since the sweetest part was closest to the seeds, or so the recipe said. The crusts were ready, and the batter was almost ready to fill them.

Jace had gone to the mill, and Clara had arrived to work. It had taken Maddie a moment to get her bearings, but she kept reminding herself that these jobs were hers now. She had set to work in the kitchen, in the mood to bake. Sometimes Clara was next to her and sometimes she was off doing something else.

“Maddie,” Clara said, suddenly arriving back, her voice thoughtful. “Are you and Jace going to stay in Jace's room?”

“I think so. Why?”

“Have you looked at Woody's room? It's much larger.”

Maddie stopped mixing and stared at the other woman.

“I was trying to be respectful,” she admitted.

“Death is a part of life, Maddie.” Clara's words were matter-of-fact, but her voice was serious. “It makes no sense for the two of you to stay in the smaller room when you have a larger one available.”

Maddie liked the idea, and Jace said she could redecorate. She assumed he wouldn't mind. She had brought some things from Boston. A number of things, in fact. Even without touching the walls or painting, she could make some very nice changes.

“Let me get these pies in the oven,” Maddie told Clara, “and we'll go to work.”

Jace came in around dinnertime and found the downstairs quiet. Food was ready in the kitchen, but not on the table. Jace was moving to the stairs to find Clara or Maddie when he noticed the furniture stacked in the small room off the kitchen. His heart sank as he saw it was furniture from his bedroom.

What type of statement was Maddie trying to make now? He knew he was still in trouble, but at least they were sharing a room. He realized all was not going well, but why was their bedroom furniture down here? That room was too small to hold it.

Jace was at the bottom of the stairs, headed up to look for answers, when both women came down.

“There you are,” Clara said as if he were late. She planted herself on the bottom step and said, “Dinner's on. You should wash up.”

“Dinner's not on. It's still in the kitchen.”

“But it will be on by the time you wash.”

Maddie peeked around Clara, her look much too innocent.

“What are the two of you doing?”

“We're trying to get dinner on,” Clara stated, “but you won't wash up.”

Jace gave up. With a shake of his head, he went back to the kitchen. Obviously they didn't want him to know something, but nothing in Maddie's speech or demeanor said that she was more angry or upset than she had been.

Jace left it alone. He had to get back to the mill right after dinner anyway. Whatever they were doing would have to wait until evening.

“Jace Randall got married,” Hillary told her mother after school on Monday.

“Do I know Jace Randall?”

“You might not, but you know his new wife, Maddie Shephard.”

Alison looked as surprised as she felt.

“I didn't realize there was even a wedding,” she commented.

“They were married in Boston. At least that's what Greta and Mercy have heard.”

“Well, we'll have to make them a gift.”

“I think they're having a party, so maybe we should wait.”

Had Jace and Maddie heard the conversation at the Muldoon house, they would have been confused. Doyle and Cathy had just decided that a Tucker Mills reception was in order. They had begun to spread the word from the store but not seen the couple to tell them.

Indeed, word would be all over town before they were informed.

When Jace came in that evening, he washed in a quiet kitchen. It smelled as though someone had been baking, but tea was not on the table. He wasn't irritated by this, just intrigued. It wasn't until that moment that he remembered how odd the women had been acting earlier when he came home for dinner.

Without calling for Maddie, Jace started toward the stairs again. This time there was no one there to stop him. At the top, he went toward his own room. The bed was nearly torn apart, and the furniture had all been moved. Indeed, there was little to recognize about it, but then he heard movement next door.

He walked to Woody's doorway and just stood there. Maddie's back was to him. She was fixing lace curtains at the window, curtains he'd never seen before. She adjusted the valance just the way she wanted it and then turned.

“I didn't hear you,” she said after she started, a hand going to her pounding heart.

“You must have been preoccupied because I wasn't very quiet.”

This said, Jace went inside. Woody's room had been transformed. The quilt on the bed was full of color, both elegant and inviting. Little lacy cloths lay on the dressers, and beautiful pictures hung on the walls. Jace was very pleased, but the effect was far beyond simple pleasure. He was certain Maddie didn't realize.

“You said I could redecorate,” Maddie said, sounding nervous and wringing her hands a bit. “So I didn't think you would mind.”

“I don't mind,” Jace said, still looking around and then at her.

“So you think it looks all right?”

“It looks beautiful.”

Maddie nodded, looking relieved.

“In fact,” Jace said, eyes still on her. “It gives a man ideas.”

A hush fell between the couple. Jace's gaze spoke volumes that Maddie couldn't help but read. It was too bad for both of them that she wasn't ready.

“I think I'd better get tea on,” she said softly and watched as he nodded. “Is it all right if I do that?”

“It's fine,” he said, having tempered his reaction to hers.

“I'll go and do that now,” she explained unnecessarily, scooting past him in a bit of a hurry.

“I'll be right behind you,” Jace said, moving much slower. He hoped she would forgive him soon; either that, or stop being so inviting. If one didn't happen, he didn't know how long he could survive.