The baby would have been born sometime in mid November and as that time came Maude once again started to feel that black cloud of despair coming over her. However, she did her best to keep it from taking hold. She hadn't realized just how down she had been until she started to feel better and that depression wasn't something she wanted to feel again. She also had the benefit of Patrick this time. He had also sensed her returning depression and did everything in his power to keep it from gaining the upper hand. Together they managed to get through the worst of it, but it was his worry that she would completely fall again that made him unable to disguise his happiness when came home one night with news he was sure she would like.

Patrick took the stairs up to their room two at a time, even though Julia had fussed at him for that action more times than he could count. Slamming the door, Patrick leaned against it with a devilish grin.

Maude turned to scold him for making so much noise but stopped when she caught his look. "Might I inquire as to what has you in such good spirits the evening?" She asked warily.

Chuckling he throw his overcoat on the bed. "I got a surprise for you."

"I'm not sure I care for the sound of that." She loved him dearly, but she didn't for one moment trust that grin.

"Stop bein' so gloomy." He ordered before handing her an envelope.

Hesitantly, she took the envelope. The stationary was high quality, the likes of which she hadn't seen since leaving Georgia, and was addressed, in a bold, elegant script, to Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Standish. She gave Patrick a questioning look but he only cocked an eyebrow and nodded toward the envelope. Breaking the wax seal on the back she pulled out an invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Tomas Fallon requesting the honor of their presence at their annual Christmas ball.

Maude's breath caught before a small smile escaped; a Christmas ball. It had been so long since she'd had the chance to attend any kind of social function. She didn't regret a thing about the past year-and-a-half with Patrick but being the wife of a gambler and living in a boarding house was a far cry the socialite status she'd held in Georgia, and there were things about her old life she missed.

"I knew that would bring a smile back to your beautiful face."

"How did you manage to arrange this, may I ask?" She asked her smile growing. Leave it to her conman husband to figure out how to make her smile again.

Patrick looked almost offended. "For your information, I did nothing to arrange it. You may not be aware of it, my dear, but the last few months have seen me making quite a name for myself among some of the city's elite. Today Mr. Fallon mentioned that it would be a pleasure to have us there and he was looking forward to meeting my lovely wife." Going over to the dresser he started to remove his tie and collar.

Maude was surprised by the declaration that Patrick was being accepted into society. She must have been more out of touch than she realized. "Well, it sounds lovely, but I don't have anything to wear."

Looking at her through the mirror Patrick gave her a wink. "I took care of it. Mr. Fallon kindly offered the name of his wife's favorite seamstress; you have an appointment with her tomorrow."

"Can we afford that?" She asked worriedly. Patrick's livelihood kept them comfortable but they certainly couldn't live to well.

"Don't worry about it."

"Patrick ball gowns…"

"Maude," He went back to her and gently cupped her face with his hands. "Don't worry about it. I have a fund set aside for…just in case."

"How large a fund?"

"Well, large enough that you can have any gown you want." He said cocking his head.

"How did you manage that?" She asked suspiciously. It wasn't that she didn't trust Patrick but he seemed to have this all planned out a little too well.

"Well, I tell you one thing, didn't steal a cent of it."

"Patrick! I never said a word about stealing and I'm shocked you would even entertain such a thought about me." She hit him on the arm.

"Your reprimand has been delivered and I'm properly ashamed." He said, trying unsuccessfully to hide his grin.

Maude's eyes narrowed slightly, he was enjoying his teasing a little too much. Well, two could play that game. "Just for your scandalous insinuations I should refuse to go with you at all."

Patrick's grin grew; this was the Maude he knew and loved and it had been far too long since he'd seen her in full force. He caught her from behind as she spun on her heel and wrapped his arms around her. "Hold on now."

"Patrick!" She squealed, half-heartedly trying to pull away.

"You wouldn't abandon me in the cold, hard world of high society would you?"

"I should."

"Yes, you probably should. Lowly commoner that I am."

She turned her head just enough to see the gleam in his eyes. "Commoner or not, you're certainly a cad."

Patrick frowned thoughtfully. "I'm sure your uncle would be glad to know you've finally realized that." Maude rolled her eyes, chuckling in spite of herself. "As I was saying before you had to start asking so many dad gummed questions," He continued. "Tomorrow you are going to Mrs. Fallon's seamstress and you're gonna pick out anything your little heart desires, and then we're going to go to the ball and have a wonderful time. Agreed?"

Maude pretended to think on her answer, even though they both knew what it would be. "Very well, if that's what you want."

"Good." He kissed her quickly on the cheek before releasing her and getting back to the task of undressing.

"Patrick?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we really afford any gown I want?"

"Yes." When Maude didn't reply he looked up and saw a faraway look in her eye. He suddenly got the feeling he ought to have kept that information to himself.


As it turned out, while the gown cost far more than any dress Maude had purchased since marrying Patrick, the final bill wasn't as bad as Patrick had feared it would be. But when it was delivered before the ball, Maude refused to let him see it. She even went so far as to ban him from their room while she got ready, saying it would be worth the wait. Well, he wasn't against surprises and it was good to see Maude acting like herself again but the hours he had to spend in the parlor seemed a little excessive to him. Or it did until she finally came down.

As she walked down the stairs that evening Patrick had to agree the wait had been well worth it. The gown was a dark blue, similar to the shade of the one she had worn the night she'd ask him to kiss her, trimmed in black lace and ribbon, and it did a magnificent job of showing off her shapely neck and shoulders.

"Do you approve?" She asked as Patrick slowly rose from the sofa.

She was beautiful, but than again, beautiful didn't seem to quite cover it. He thought back to their first evening together, she had been beautiful then of course, but looking at her now she was even more exquisite. The past year-and-a-half had matured her, she'd still been a girl that night, now, she was a woman in every respect. And she was his woman. "Yes, ma'am. I surely do."


"Shhh." Maude whispered harshly as Patrick stumbled going up the stairs. "Do you want to wake the whole house?" They had the only room on the third floor of the house and Maude had always assumed Julia had given it to them to provide them more privacy. It was a gesture Maude appreciated but it did mean that they had to climb two flights of stairs and Patrick seemed to be having some trouble with stairs at the moment.

Patrick threw her a wink. "Nah, the fewer people who know we're home the better."

"Come on." She said with a quiet laugh as she pulled on his arm. Despite Patrick taking in a bit more wine than he should have she had enjoyed tonight. Tonight she had felt more like herself than she had in months and it had felt good.

The ball had been better than she had hoped for. Being back in society had been wonderful and Maude had loved every minute of it, having Patrick by her side had only made it better. And dear Patrick had been a gentleman in every sense of the word. There had been no one in attendance who knew of Patrick's lack of social standing or their scandalous elopement. Tonight, they had simply been allowed to be Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Standish and knowing that her husband was thought of as an equal by the others was worth everything to Maude.

Once they got upstairs, Patrick shut the door and leaned against it. "Maude, I think I may have had a little too much to drink tonight."

Maude giggled. "I know you had a little too much to drink tonight."

"But it was fun." He turned serious. "You did enjoy it, didn't you?"

She went over and put her arms around his neck. "Very much. Thank you for making me go."

He gave her a quick kiss and returned the embrace with a sigh. "So am I."

Maude laughed. "What?"

"What?"

"You said 'so am I'."

"So am I, what?"

She giggled again and shook her head. "Never mind. Just thank you, for makin' me get out and act human being again."

She was staring up at him with those beautiful blue eyes and Patrick felt his heart skip a beat. There were times it scared him at how much he loved this woman. How much he needed her, how much he wanted her, and right now all he wanted was her, all of her. "Do you need some help gettin' out of that gown, Mrs. Standish?" He asked suggestively, raising an eyebrow. "All those buttons in the back can't be easy to get undone all by yourself."

"Do you think think you can see the buttons?"

"I'm not drunk." He said defensively. "I may be a little…well, I had too much but I'm not drunk."

"Of course not, darlin'."

"Either way, I'm sure I can manage."

"You never give up do you?" She said with a quick kiss as she pushed away from him.

Patrick sighed dramatically. "You wound me, Maudie."

Chuckling she went to the vanity and began removing her jewelry. Looking through the mirror she saw Patrick still watching her. "As a matter of fact Patrick, I could use some assistance. If you don't mind."

"Mind?" Grinning he went over to her.

While it was true Patrick wasn't drunk per say, he had taken in enough wine to slightly hamper his coordination and it took several minutes of giggles and warnings to be quiet from Maude before the back of the gown was finally unbuttoned. As soon as the task was done, however, she turned away. "Thank you." She said as she took over removing the gown herself.

Sighing, Patrick went to the bed and laid back on it. He had hoped tonight's banter was a sign that Maude was beginning to relax about their relationship again. Apparently he'd been wrong. Wearily he rubbed his eyes. A slight throb was beginning in his temples, and he knew that come morning he'd remember way it was that he didn't drink much.

"Patrick?"

"Hmmm?" He grunted in response. He'd have been lying to say he hadn't been at least a little disappointed when Maude had pulled away earlier but now that he was here…well, maybe going to bed wasn't such a bad idea.

"Are you all right?"

Maude sounded concerned so Patrick pushed himself back up. "I'm fine. I just…." He stopped suddenly. Maude was standing in front of him, her hair unpinned and hanging loosely about her shoulders, wearing a slight look of concern and nothing else. His breath caught and all words were driven from his mind as he hungrily took her in. She was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. And once again she was freely offering herself to him.

"Patrick?" Maude asked with some amusement. She knew he would be surprised by her actions but she hadn't expected to stun him into absolute silence.

He swallowed hard "Ma…" his voice caught. Clearing his throat he tried once more. "Maudie…."

"Shhh." Going over she kissed him gently. When she pulled away Patrick's green eyes were bright. "Well, do you need some help getting out of that shirt, Mr. Standish?"

A/N: Hope y'all enjoyed. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers who have stuck with me this far. This has gone much farther than I thought it would when I started on it but it's been fun. Next chapter will be up soon. And please bear with me a little longer, Ezra's arrive is fast approaching :)