This is a mildly modern Wild West were America/Alfred and Fem!Canada/Madeline are well... Hired guns, bounty hunters, and (In a pinch) anything legal that pays. Rest of story explanation to come. Going to be UkUS and Prucan in the future. Enjoy! Modern Wild West AU. Circa late 1950's early 1960's. I own nothing!
Story So Far: After confronting Arthur, Maddie has a lot of thinking to do. But First she has to figure out how she feels about the man who's been giving her so much trouble since she arrived. Will she pummel Gilbert Beilschmidt to a pile of useless smithereens or will she realize that she has feeling for him too?
Madeline entered the kitchen the next morning to chaos. The pits of the underworld were most likely nowhere near as hot as the ovens; the smell of baking bread was nearly intoxicating and the yelling was particularly loud because of who was in charge.
Lovina Vargas, age twenty-two, was criticizing a maid for having, as she put it, "Not a single wit of culinary skill in her body!"
Her more good-natured sister, Daisy, was nowhere to be seen. Nor was Antonio Fernandez, a man who seemed to be determined to follow Lovina to the edge of the earth, hanging around the kitchen.
"Lovina!" Maddie yelled, rather bravely, to get the older woman's attention.
"What!" The brunette whirled, eyes flashing dangerously, to face Maddie. The maid took this opportunity to flee to the ovens, where she busied herself checking on the bread.
"Where's Daisy gotten to?"
Lovina made a dismissive sound and tossed Maddie an apron.
"She took those idiotic bastards and went to get some things in at the market. We're out of flour and sugar, both of which require muscles to bring back. In the mean time you can chop vegetables for me while I make sure we don't lose half of breakfast do to unskilled labor."
The kitchen help stiffened at the insult and Maddie hoped that Daisy would return soon. Else they might have a mutiny on their hands.
(Howdy, I'm a time skip, I help avoid awkward filler. Nobody likes awkward filler!)
Breakfast was served in the big dining room just off the entrance hall. The windows were large and glass, meaning they were expensive and offered a great view of the rest of Royalton do to the fact that the Kirkland Manor was situated among a neighborhood of other similarly large houses on top of a broad flat hill.
The townspeople called it Royal Hill and only those who were wealthy or who's family was old enough lived there.
Despite Lovina's reservations, the breakfast turned out flawless. However, Maddie found it hard to eat anything. Maybe she was getting sick. But it was most likely due to the fact that Gilbert Beilschmidt sat right next to her and through the whole meal, he didn't take his hand off her thigh.
Once all the food had been cleared away, Madeline got to her feet and stalked out of the room. Not surprisingly, Gilbert followed her.
Not wanting to make a public scene, she headed down the hall, fully aware of his presence behind her. She turned the corner into the short hall that led to the cellar door and turned to face him.
He was smirking at her, smirking! Like he had all the time in the world to wait for her to speak.
"What do you think you are doing, sir?" She demanded stormily.
"Standing in a hallway, the same thing you seem to be doing, though you seem a bit angry about it."
That did it, Maddie had never been lacking in men who either wanted to marry her or those who just wanted to frisk in the sheets, but Gilbert Beilschmidt had taken that last too far.
She slapped him, open handed, as hard as she could.
"You are such a bastard!" She gasped as he jerked back two steps, clutching his stinging cheek, "I don't know who taught you to be a respectable gentleman, but whoever it was certainly left out the part about not improperly grabbing a lady in public! I ought to butcher you for that display back there."
"Why it's not as if anyone saw it-" She slapped him again.
"I am an unmarried young lady," Maddie snarled, "I have a brother, might I remind you, who will not take too kindly to you treating me like some-some common tavern girl. And-"
But she never finished that statement. She never finished it because Gilbert pulled her into his arms and kissed her. The kiss was heavier than any she'd ever received before. It was full of hot need and Maddie felt herself becoming overwhelmed by that need. It was only when the cool touch of damp air brushed against the skin of her waist did she realize that her skirt was falling to pool at her feet.
Next went her blouse, all the while she clung to the man who was undressing her.
When she wore nothing but her undergarments and boots, Madeline Williams-Jones realized what was happening.
She pulled away from Gilbert, "W-wait, why are you-"
He took her hand in his and pressed it against his chest, directly over his heart. She could feel it beating under her palm, briskly counting off the lifespan of the man she loved. Wait loved? Was that right? They'd only just met, and she was most likely going to leave this town when the job she'd taken was over. But- yes, she loved Gilbert Beilschmidt. And that was the most shocking realization in the world.
"Madeline. This heart has beat for nearly twenty-five years, awesomely pulling me away from every relationship I've ever had. I have never had much connection to anyone but my brother, and that is strictly brother to brother. Then you come along, with your guns and knives, a fighter, just like me. From the moment I first saw you, this heart has beat more rapidly every time I think of your face. And if you think I'm just saying these things to get me some then you're not the awesomegirl I think you are."
Maddie stood frozen for a minute then she sighed and smiled wistfully.
"I'll believe you because that was the sorriest attempt at a love confession I've ever heard."
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