Expectedly, the Marquess stared at the sobbing lady before him in confusion.
"Lady Blanchard, have I said something wrong?"
"But it wasn't my fault!" Maggie sobbed. "He came into the bedroom and slept with me last night. I didn't even notice him slipping into the bed!"
Blood drained from the Marquess's face. Before he knew it, he already tightened his fingers into fists.
"Are you... by chance talking about Adrian?" He asked in a hollow voice.
"Yes!" Maggie confirmed, pressing both hands against her face. "I swear, it was not intentional!"
The Marquess slammed his eyes shut, a deep breath hissing through gritted teeth. The muscles in his jaw clenched and unclenched, a silent battle raging beneath the surface of his skin. When his eyes finally snapped open, a flicker of something dangerous glinted within them.
An aura of icy threat seemed to cling to him, swirling around his form like a silent storm. He pivoted and marched back towards the manor, each purposeful stride vibrating with a controlled fury.
"Wait, Your Grace!!!" Maggie cried out. Was he going to do what Maggie thought he planned to do?
The unlucky man in question, Lord Adrian Locksworth, was unfortunate enough to be found in the middle of an innocent flirt with a new maid in the manor. Leaning with one arm pressing against the wall, the handsome man was cornering the blushing maiden at a corner of the entry hall.
"Where did you hail from?" the gentleman was all smiles as he gazed upon the shy maiden. "Wait, don't tell me. Is it Yorkshire? Yorkshire is full of amazing women, their grace unmatched and their beauty without compare..."
"Adrian Finley Gregory Locksworth!!!" the Marquess bellowed.
Lord Locksworth had yet to lock gaze with his elder brother when the latter swung a fist at his face, knocking him off the ground and sending him sprawling across the carpet.
"How dare you!" the Marquess howled, fury contorting his face, raw and unconcealed.
Behind him, tumbling on a cane, was Maggie, who widened her eyes in shock upon discovering Lord Locksworth lying on the floor. The man curled up and groaned in agony.
"Percy, what the hell?" He cried out, not wanting to address the Marquess as his elder brother anymore. "What was that for???"
In response, the Marquess hauled him to his feet by his collar and pointed in Maggie's direction.
"Have you been afflicted with memory loss? Or has your moral compass been so thoroughly misaligned that the plight of these innocent women no longer troubles you?"
Lord Locksworth stared at Maggie, aghast at the ungrounded accusation.
"Exactly what did I do wrong?" he snapped.
"You... you crawled into my bed and slept with me," Maggie said in a low voice, secretly grateful that the entire manor staff already disappeared to grant them a shred of privacy in this mortifying situation.
"Well?"
The Marquess held his younger brother so close that their noses were separated by a mere inch. "Are you going to further deny your involvement?"
"Yes!" Lord Locksworth burst out, to Maggie's greatest disbelief. The Marquess was so ashamed that he contemplated shooting his younger brother to preserve the family's good name.
"No! I mean, yes, I did sleep on her bed, but I didn't do anything that night!" the poor man cried out.
The Marquess slowly turned his head to look at Maggie.
"Lady Blanchard, is that right?"
"Is what right?" Maggie was confused.
The Marquess sighed. He dropped his younger brother onto the floor and rubbed at his aching temples.
"So all he did was sleep on the same bed with you, am I right? Nothing else happened yesterday night."
Maggie became more and more confused.
"Your Grace, it almost sounds like you changed your stance about the impropriety of unwed ladies sharing their beds with men!"
Both Locksworth men stared at Maggie with inexplicable expressions across their faces.
"Apologies, Adrian," the Marquess extended a hand at his younger brother, who slapped his hand away angrily.
"Save it!" he shouted. "I can't believe that you think of your own younger brother so low, that I might seduce any women upon laying my eyes on them the first time!"
Marquess of Canterbury shot Lord Locksworth a look filled with icy needles.
"Is that so? Because Father has received numerous complaints about your irresponsible dalliances all over the world."
Lord Locksworth cleared his throat several times.
"That's a completely different story," he still tried to defend himself. "Anyway, I have not taken Lady Blanchard against her will. If you will please excuse me, I need to put a piece of meat across my face."
The younger man left the room, not without cursing his elder brother under his breath.
"I still don't understand," Maggie frowned. "Does it mean that my social conduct remains unblemished?"
"Yes," the Marquess sighed.
"So unwed ladies may share their beds with men as they like?" Maggie asked again, somewhat in disbelief. She could almost swear that this practice was rather frowned upon by society.
"No," the Marquess glared at her. "Of course not. By God, unwed young ladies like you are not even allowed to hold hands with men, with whom they share no familial ties!"
Maggie fell silent.
But had she not done more than that with the Marquess? The Marquess kissed her hand. The Marquess took her by the elbow, and her hand too, if she was not mistaken. The Marquess lifted her into his arms. The Marquess even wrapped her feet in bandages. Twice, so far.
It was unclear whether the Marquess was able to accurately read her mind or not, but his deep and penetrating gaze sent shivers down Maggie's spine. She decided not to pursue the matter further.
"Anyway." He cleared his throat and gestured for Maggie to take a seat on a sofa. "Your birth circumstances still need to be investigated. Since you were raised as an Earl's daughter from birth, there should be nothing wrong with your upbringing. The remaining aspects to work on are connections, marriage alliances, competence, and social conduct."
The Marquess smoothed the creases of his coat and took a seat opposite Maggie.
"You spoke about a betrothed during our first meeting, Lady Blanchard. Does this man hold a prominent position within the society?"