The Broken Daylily

CHAPTER THIRTY: Aflame

As Madilyn went to bed that night, she had some thoughts on her mind. And she shared them with her husband once he came out of the dressing chamber.

"Do you think it is dangerous that Arthur knows we are on to him?"

He climbed in the bed in silence, thinking about her words. Finally he said: "I do not know. My brother has changed so much, I felt like I was sitting in front of a stranger."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled the blankets over them as he said: "but I do not think he would mean to hurt us. We do not have any prove yet, and he knows that. All he will do now, is hide better."

She dropped her head on his shoulder with a sigh. "Do you think Adelaide is in danger?"

Thomas stiffened, but quickly covered it up by planting a kiss on her head. "She has been living with him for so long now. I do not believe he will behave differently toward her. And Arthur does not know she knew of our coming. Surely he will not harm her."

She lifted her head and look him in the eye. "He harms her every day. But he makes certain the bruises are where clothing hides them."

With a sigh, he planted another kiss on her forehead, then said: "if we catch him, we might find a way to break off her marriage."

They remained silent for a while. All Madilyn could do was hope. Hope that Adelaide was safe, hope that Arthur would not come after them, and hope that in the end, all would be well.

Thomas suddenly pulled her down so that she laid flat on the bed. "Let us not worry about it now," he said while he climbed on top of her. "Allow me to distract you for a while."

Then he bend down to kiss her lips, and Madilyn knew that she would be distracted for hours indeed.

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Finally the winter had come to an end and the sun started shining. It had been almost a year since Madilyn met Thomas for the first time, and though her life had changed drastically and she had felt quite depressed, she could finally say she was truly happy. She had a husband she loved and who loved her, and together they had two beautiful and healthy girls. And if they kept making love like they had done the past two days, Madilyn was certain a third child would not be far away.

With the rays of sun trying to warm up Madilyn's face, she enjoyed the happiness and silence. She still feared for Adelaide, but she also knew her sister was strong. She had been living with Arthur for a while now, and so far she had managed. As long as Arthur was not too frightened, Madilyn believed he would not hurt her sister.

She walked back to the house, ending her morning walk, when she could not stop the smile from spreading across her face. In the doorway, Thomas was waiting for her. He was holding Hazel in his arms, while Gwendolyn was in Iris' arms. Madilyn took her oldest daughter from her lady's maid's arms and put her thick blanket right.

"Shall we walk?" Thomas asked. With a smile and a nod from Madilyn, they ventured into the large garden of Lindenberg. Twas still quite cold for the babies, but they were wrapped into thick blankets and were wearing thick clothing. And since they were not crying, Madilyn trusted they were not cold.

"Have you heard anything from Adelaide?" Thomas asked.

Madilyn shook her head. It had been only two days since they had visited Everton, but she had not been able to hide her worries. She feared Arthur might throw his anger out on his wife, and she was not certain he would know when to stop.

She had wanted to visit Adelaide again, or invite her to come. But if she did that, Artur would only become more suspicious than he already was. And when he was suspicious, he would only be more dangerous.