The Faithful Heart by Merry Farmer

Jack kept up the
conversation as they rounded the corner to the top of the High
Tower.
    “Aubrey has me staying in the North Room.”
She raised a tired eyebrow at Jack.
    “Oy! You’re right next door to me then, you
know?” He laughed. “See.” He let go of her arm and strode across
the empty hall to the door of what had once been Buxton’s room,
pushing it open. “Does your father outrank the grandest bedroom in
the castle?”
    Madeline laughed and her eyes lit with sudden
curiosity. She bit her lip. A bolt of fire cascaded through him,
making him want to bite her lip for her. “It doesn’t outrank his
bedroom until you have tapestries on every wall, mahogany carved
furniture, and velvet bed curtains,” she informed him with haughty
grace.
    “Right,” Jack stepped away from the door,
leaving it open. “Tapestries, mahogany, velvet. I’ll get right on
it.”
    He swaggered back to her, stopping to stare
at her beautiful, freckled face. She glanced down, the curve of her
cheekbones, the point of her chin, the fullness of her lips driving
him to distraction. He swallowed and reached out to take her hands
that were once again folded in front of her like a prayer. “I am so
happy you’re here.”
    She blinked when she saw her rosary wrapped
around his left wrist. Then her eyes fluttered up to his. “Did you
get the note I wrote to you?”
    “I had it earlier.” He glanced to his belt as
if it would still be there, patting his tunic in search for it. The
truth was, he hadn’t given it a second thought since Aubrey handed
it to him. He hadn’t known who it was from. “I don’t read things
very well, neither,” he confessed, dropping his arms.
    “Oh, I’m sorry. I should have known-”
    “But Crispin is teaching me,” he added.
    She glanced up again with a bright smile. “I
could help you with that too.”
    “Yeah?” His heart soared. He broke out in a
bright grin. “Oy, and I can teach you to dance.” She laughed. It
filled him with warmth and courage. He went out on a limb. “You
wanna go back down and start learnin’ now?”
    She shook her head, smile melting. “No.”
    Her answer was final but he didn’t want to
leave her just yet. He glanced over to the open door to his room.
“Wanna come in and teach me to read?” His mouth curved into a warm
grin.
    Madeline’s eyes widened and she giggled.
“No.” She knew what he was thinking, bless her. “I really do want
to go to bed.”
    “Well so do I,” his voice dropped to a wicked
growl. His words had the exact opposite effect of what he’d hoped.
She turned bright red and her eyes snapped down to the floor as she
pulled her hands out of his. “Sorry,” he mumbled, confused.
    “No, it’s alright.” She backed up, turning to
grab the handle of her door. “I’m just tired is all. I’ll see you
in the morning.”
    “Right,” he nodded, kicking himself. She
opened the door and stepped inside, turning to wave at him. He
wanted to take her in his arms for a good-night kiss. But all of a
sudden he didn’t have permission to touch her. It was a horrible
loss. He could only smile and wave back before she shut the door
with a light tap. He dropped his hand and his grin dropped with
it.
     
    Lydia waited until Crispin and Aubrey were
distracted before slipping out of the Great Hall and scurrying
after Jack and Madeline. She caught up to them as they started up
the stairs to the High Tower and gathered her skirts to follow.
Hidden around the corner, she overheard their entire
conversation.
    She’d been wrong when she decided that Jack
was an easy target. He had seemed so simple, so easily played. But
from the moment he had looked at that spiky-haired snippet, Lydia
knew that she had a major challenge on her hands. The newly created
Lord John of Kedleridge may have been a moron, but he was a moron
in love. It was decidedly inconvenient.
    Then to her delight the ugly little woman
gave her the ammunition she needed. Madeline was fresh from