The next few days were torture for Logan and Marie. Even with effervescent Jean Grey to distract him, he still missed his Marie terribly. In the meantime, she buried herself in her studies and keeping the household organized.

Just because she and Logan were not currently on speaking terms didn't mean she could allow Nora's legacy of a well managed household fall by the wayside. One afternoon, while she was in the library, reading, Jean approached her, "Bonjour, Miss D'Ancanto..."

Marie tried to keep from rolling her eyes as she looked up at her, "Oh. Hello, Miss Grey. How are you?"

"Quite fine. I was actually hoping to go for a ride, but the stable boy says that Rogue is the horse you ride. Would you mind terribly if I took her for a quick gallop?"

She smirked, remembering Rogue's tumultuous temper, "Not at all. Enjoy your ride."

Marie couldn't help but laugh as Jean rushed out of the mansion. An hour later, Logan returned home to a chilly reception from her.

She barely looked up from her books, "Oh...hello Logan."

"Marie..." Logan looked around before rushing further into the library and whispered urgently, "...is this really necessary...this punishment? What will you have me do? Kick her out on the street? Send her to stay at a boarding house? I have a past, Marie. For that, I do apologize, but I thought you were my future...it's a shame you don't feel the same..."

Just as Marie was about to reply, Jean staggered into the house. Her normally perfect coif was completely undone and strewn with leaves and her expensive riding dress was stained with mud.

"My God...Jean, what happened?"

The red head began shrieking in French and pointing at Marie, "Sournois roturier anglais! Ce cheval est le mal! Vous l'avez fait exprès!" (Sneaky English commoner! That horse is evil! You did it on purpose!"

Logan furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean? You tried to ride Rogue?"

"Oui! Thanks to her!" she screamed as she pointed accusingly at Marie, who was desperately trying not to smile.

He exchanged looks between the women, completely unsure as to what to say or whose side to take. Marie stood and sighed, "I apologize if I may have omitted a few tiny details about Rogue, but your accusations make no sense. Why, in heaven's name, would I want to put you in harm's way?"

"Because you're jealous! It's obvious! I've seen the way you look at him!"

Marie crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. The look must have alarmed Logan because he suddenly stepped between the two women to diffuse the situation, "Rogue may be a temperamental horse, but I'm sure Marie never thought she was dangerous. Now Jean, please fetch one of the servants and have them help you clean up before dinner."

Jean gave Marie one last menacing look before turning and stomping out of the room. Seconds later, her shrill voice was calling for a servant. After hearing her stomp up the stairs, Logan put his hands on his hips and turned back to Marie, who was now covering her mouth to stifle giggles.

"I fail to see the humor in this, Marie. She could have been seriously injured!"

She clenched her fists at her side and narrowed her eyes, "Of course that would be heart breaking for you..."

Logan let out an exasperated sigh and watched as she stormed out of the room.

The tension around the estate was so thick, one could barely walk into the room without being overwhelmed by the immediate desire to flee.

Jean and Marie avoided each other.
Logan avoided Jean.
Marie avoided Logan.

During one rainy afternoon, Marie was hiding out in the kitchen with the servants, tasting the various pastries they were busy baking for a brunch the following day.

"Mmm! Judith! This danish is perfect. I'd eat a million of these over the scones."

Judith smiled, "Those are my favorite as well, ma'am." The servant raised a brow as she turned back to the kitchen window to wash off some fruit in the basin, "Oh dear...looks like the rain is picking up again...oh my! There's Master Logan with that Miss Grey...she's quite a piece of work, isn't she?"

Marie stood and walked over to the window beside Judith. Her heart sank when she saw them attempting to shield themselves from the rain underneath a tree. They were just far enough from the house so that they couldn't make a run for it in the downpour, but close enough so that Marie could clearly see them talking.

As Judith walked away and busied herself rolling dough on the island, Marie continued to watch the two. Jean seemed to be talking rather animatedly and Logan seemed to be more interested in watching the rain as he removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair.

She took heart in the fact that Logan seemed completely disinterested in the conversation. Marie was briefly distracted by Judith's voice, asking her a question about going into town.

When Marie turned back to look at Logan and Jean, their lips were locked in a kiss. She gasped and covered her mouth as tears began welling in her eyes, blurring her vision.

Before anyone in the kitchen could see her state of distress, she rushed from the room. She didn't stop until she reached her room and closed the door, which she quickly locked and crumpled to the floor in front of. She covered her mouth to muffle her sobs as they poured from her throat like a miserable river of sorrow.

As she cried, she didn't realize that Jean had caught Logan completely by surprise. He'd been looking up at the rain and when he turned back to Jean to say something, she caught his lips in an invading kiss.

Barely a second after Marie had run away, Logan detached his lips from Jean's, practically shaking her off, "What are you doing?"

"Kissing you, you silly man...or have you forgotten how it's done?"

"Jean...I thought we were friends...I know we may have shared a few kisses after too much wine, but I didn't think it meant anything..."

Jean furrowed her eyebrows, "You can't be serious, Logan...I know you want me...I see the way you look at me."

"I look at you as a friend...nothing more. I am sorry if I ever gave you a different impression."

Jean huffed, "I thought you would be looking for a wife now that you are to become a Duke..."

"I am."

"Then...who?"

Logan sighed, but before he could answer, Jean glared, "It's HER isn't it?"

"That is none of your concern."

"But she's just a girl. Surely you can't be interested in some little plain commoner!"

Logan crossed his arms, then looked back at the house, "I believe you've overstayed your welcome, Miss Grey. I'll have travel arrangements made and you can be picked up before dark. Good day."

And with that, he rushed out into the rain, no longer caring that he would probably be soaked to the bone by the time he reached the house.

Just before dinner, Marie opened her room door to see Jean setting one of her bags outside of her door. She raised a brow curiously and cleared her throat, "Going somewhere, Miss Grey?"

Jean grumbled briefly, then looked at Marie and haughtily raised a brow, "I have to head back to Paris to make some preparations before the big day..."

Marie blinked and stuttered, "B-b-big day?"

The red head smiled dreamily, "Yes...Logan's quite excited...but I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to move out soon...we'll need the extra room for whatever little ones we might have..."

A sudden surge of nausea made Marie quickly excuse herself and rush back into her room.

She missed dinner that night.

The next day, after Jean left, Marie went to campus to talk with her psychology professor. He'd mentioned that he was going to be transferring to Cambridge. She liked him because he was one of the few professors who treated her more like a student than a woman.

He smiled upon seeing her enter the classroom, "Good morning, Miss D'Ancanto. I'm quite surprised to see you today."

"Hello Professor...I am sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could speak to you about your transferral to Cambridge..."

He nodded, "Certainly..."

By the end of their conversation, he'd agreed to take her on as his graduate assistant. She would be allowed to stay with him and his family until she found more suitable arrangements near campus.

He would be leaving within two days, so all she had to do was avoid Logan until then. Because it was nearing the end of the semester, that didn't prove to be too hard. He was consumed with the work that went into planning for and grading final exams.

Marie began packing her bags in secret, but knew she couldn't simply slip out under cover of darkness. The day before her departure, she told Charles of her plans to leave and swore him to secrecy.

Charles shook his head, "I don't understand why you have to leave..."

She sighed, "Cambridge is a bit more progressive. There will be more opportunities for me there."

The older man paused, "Does this departure have something to do with a certain young man?"

Marie turned away so that he couldn't sense the tears that were pricking at the edge of her eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about..."

"You may not. But Nora did..."

She looked back at him, "What?"

"Nora knew you two shared something special. Less than a week after your arrival, she swore that you would be the woman Logan would marry...and I agree with her."

Marie sighed, "I'm afraid you both lost that bet...he's to be married to Miss Grey."

"Nonsense! He can't! She's awful!"

She smiled and put a gentle hand on Charles' shoulder, "As true as that may be...it's who he chose. I will miss you..."

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow. First light of dawn."

Charles sighed, "Well then...I wish you safe travels."

Marie smiled and favored him with a big hug before returning to her room to finish packing.

The next morning, Marie placed a note on the floor in front of Logan's door. She carried her bags to the carriage herself, then climbed in. She took one last look up at the house and sighed, "I'm ready..."

An hour later, Logan opened the door to his room and nearly slipped on the note Marie left him. He slowly picked it up and read:

Dearest Logan,

I am writing this letter to inform you that, at the request of your betrothed, I am vacating your residence. I would like to congratulate you on your impending marriage. Miss Grey will be a fine Duchess.

I wish things had been different between us, but I have come to the realization that I do not regret our time together...not one second of it.

I will miss you, always.

Love,

Anna Marie

Logan ran full speed down the stairs, calling for Charles. He ran into him just outside of the house, "Charles! She's gone!"

The old man nodded, "Aye, sir...I am sorry."

"Did she talk to you?"

Charles sighed, "She didn't want me to say anything."

"Charles! Please! You must tell me where she's gone!"

The old man looked into Logan's frantic, fearful eyes, "She left for Cambridge this morning...probably just over an hour ago..."

Logan's eyes darted about, "Cambridge...that means she must've taken the road west...if she's traveling by carriage, I can catch up to them!"

Before Charles could say anymore, Logan rushed to the stables. He found that the stable boy had taken the shoes off of his horse, "Bloody hell! How fast till you can shoe him again?"

"It'll be an hour at least, sir, but Rogue is ready to go."

Logan turned his eyes toward the wild, white mare, "Rogue..."

Both he and the stable boy knew that the only person who could ride that horse without fear of death was Marie...but at this point, Logan had to take the chance.

He slowly approached the stall and held up a hand, "Steady girl...I need your help. I'm not going to hurt you. We've got to go find Marie."

The horse let out a nay before taking an unsure step back. Logan gently took a hold of her reigns, "I just need a quick ride...we need to go get Marie so that she can come back and ride you..."

He slowly climbed atop the horse. One gentle nudge of her side launched the horse into a full-on gallop that was so fast, Logan practically had to hold on for dear life until he got used to the pace.

For a half hour, Rogue ran as hard and as fast as she could, with little prompting from him...almost as if she sensed the urgency in his heart.

Soon, he spotted a carriage up ahead. He rushed beside it in an attempt to signal the driver to stop. After a couple of attempts, he was finally able to get the man's attention and breathed a sigh of relief as the carriage slowed to a stop. He hopped down off of Rogue and was immediately greeted by an angry Marie, "What in God's name are you doing?"

"I should be asking you the same thing! You were going to leave without telling me?"

Marie crossed her arms and looked down, "I left a note."

"And that, to you, is a fitting goodbye...after all we've been through?"

She tried not to look in his eyes as she shrugged, "I was simply making sure I didn't anger the lady of the house any further than I already had by heeding her request at the earliest possible convenience."

"My God...Marie...There's nothing between Jean and I. Not even a courtship. She lied to you."

Marie looked up at him in surprise, "B-but...you kissed. I saw you-"

"You saw her kiss me. I'm sure if you had witnessed the whole thing you would have seen me reject her."

She shook her head in disbelief, "You don't care for her?"

"No. I've been trying to tell you that we were friends who may have shared a harmless flirtation, but nothing ever happened...I care for you...I love you. I want you by my side. Now, forever and always."

Marie smiled as tears formed in her eyes, "Are you certain? I mean...I know how headstrong I am and how much I argue...and let's not-"

Logan cut her off with a hungry, searing kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up and spun her around, making her giggle against his mouth as they broke the embrace to look at each other.

Marie stroked his cheek, "I love you too..."


Review please! I hope you enjoyed the melodrama!