The Price of Deception (21 page)

“Madame, this just arrived by courier,” he
announced.

Suzette stood to her feet, worried terrible news
arrived from Philippe.

“From whom?” She snatched it from his hand. No return
address had been penned in the upper left-hand corner, but Suzette
recognized the handwriting immediately.

“Oh, an old friend.” She dismissed the sense of
urgency as if it were nothing. “No doubt an invitation for lunch.”
She folded the letter in her hand and discharged her butler. “Thank
you, Monsieur Leroy. That will be all.”

She waited for him to leave, and quickly closed the
door for privacy. Suzette broke the seal and ripped the envelope
when she pulled out the letter in Robert’s handwriting.

My Suzette,

I cannot tell you the joy that my heart contains
having spent time with my son. You must know how deeply touched and
moved I am over the life we created out of our love.

Though I must return to England in the near future,
I cannot and will not depart without seeing you again. We have much
to speak of in regard to our son and future. Do not deny me the
exhilaration of being with you once more—I beg you.

On Wednesday morrow, I shall send a private growler
to pick you up at your residence. Please, my love, find it in your
heart to take the carriage where it will lead you.

I only ask you to believe, Suzette. Just
believe.

I am forever yours,

Robert

Suzette’s eyes filled with tears as she read his
closing. He would not give her up—not now, not ever.

“Oh, Robert, what have you done? I cannot deny you
have stolen my heart. God forgive me for loving you.”

* * * *

Jacquelyn, impatient and aggravated, waited for the
return of her husband. To pass the time, she had involved herself
in redecorating the dining room at his suggestion. However, her
heart wasn’t into the project. Nevertheless, the wallpaper did need
replacement. The pattern had always grated upon her nerves, but not
as much as her current situation.

While they held up samples to the wall, she finally
spewed out her frustration to her mother-in-law.

“I don’t understand why he hasn’t returned,”
Jacquelyn shrieked. “What could he possibly be doing for the past
four weeks in Paris? I thought this was supposed to be a quick
trip.”

She slammed down the sample on the table and started
to pace back and forth the length of the dining room.

“You know how he is, Jacquelyn, always busy with the
Frenchmen that take him to the casinos and theatre. I had hoped my
son would shake off these desires to play, but he seems to be
digressing from his duties again. I’m very sorry.”

She spun around and glared at Robert’s mother. “Don’t
patronize me, Mary. You know very well you can add to that list
brothels, cabarets, and God knows what else. It’s a wonder I
haven’t caught some dastardly disease from all the beds he’s
visited.”

Mary gasped in dismay over her daughter-in-law’s
scandalous comment. “Jacquelyn, control your tongue! We shouldn’t
speak of such horrid acts that only happen to those who frequent
the gutters of Paris society. I’m quite sure Robert would do no
such thing!”

Suzette airily flipped her hand. “You defend him, but
you haven’t smelled the exotic perfume on his shirts, as I have,
after he’s returned from a night out with his Parisian friends. I’m
no fool. He strays from our marriage bed, while I’m relegated to
live here in this cold, damp estate until I’ve redecorated every
room within its walls!” Her chest heaved with anger. “I’m tired of
it, Mary. Tired!”

“My dear,” she protested. “I implore you not to say
such things.”

Jacquelyn ignored her plea and stormed off,
determined to take matters into her own hands. It had been exactly
one month since Robert left and not a word of his whereabouts or
when he would return had arrived by post. He had effectively cut
her off, once again, to pursue his pleasures. Jacquelyn would have
no more of it.

As she stormed up the staircase to her bedchamber,
she screamed for Dorcas.

“Yes, Duchess?”

“Get the footman to deliver a trunk to my room
immediately. We’re packing for Paris.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she complied, with a hurried curtsy as
she left the room. If Robert would not come to her, she would go to
him. One way or the other, she’d expose his treachery. Her ranting
stirred the entire household, and Mary soon came to her door to
investigate the ruckus.

“What are you doing, Jacquelyn?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m going to
Paris.”

“You cannot do this,” she vehemently protested.
“Robert will not approve of your traveling alone and showing up
unannounced. Have you lost your senses?”

“Indeed, I have.” Her words were laced with an
ominous air that she knew would alarm her mother-in-law. She picked
up a note on the nearby nightstand and shoved it into Mary’s
hand.

“Read this. It’s from our head housekeeper in Paris.
I wrote to check on Robert. Apparently, my dear husband is not even
staying at our townhouse. She has not heard or seen him, and as far
as she is aware, our residence is closed for the season. What do
you make of that?”

“How strange indeed,” Mary replied, confounded by the
revelation. “Perhaps he is not in Paris because he has traveled
elsewhere on business. That is possible.”

“Rubbish. He’s up to something, and I damn well
intend to find out what it is.”

“Jacquelyn, please, do not do this. It’s
inappropriate behavior for a Duchess to go traipsing from country
to country to search out her husband’s whereabouts. You must remind
yourself of your place in society. How will this look?”

Angered over Mary’s scolding, she glared at her
wide-eyed. “Just because you accepted your dead husband’s
mistresses as a way of life, do not expect me to do the same. I
will not be treated in such a despicable fashion by Robert. He
already has denied me a child. To hell with you, and to hell with
him. Now get out while I pack,” she hissed through her teeth.

Mary backed out of the room, with a frightened look
upon her face, and Jacquelyn turned toward Dorcas.

“Where in the hell is that trunk?” she demanded.

Intent on arriving in Paris by the end of the week,
she gruffly pulled dresses out of her armoire and threw them on her
bed for Dorcas to pack. After she had finished, she turned and
glanced at the dresser and her jewelry box. For a moment, Jacquelyn
stood thinking of the wealth of diamonds, rubies, and sapphires
that had been given to her as family heirlooms.

Thoughtfully, she walked over to the box filled with
riches and began picking out the most expensive items. “One never
knows when I might need some cash,” she mused aloud. While her mind
mulled over various ways to punish Robert Holland, a wicked smile
spread across her face.

Chapter Seventeen

Suzette agonized over whether to accept the carriage
that Robert would send to pick her up. She struggled over the moral
rights and wrongs of succumbing to temptation. Prayer did nothing
to dissuade her, because she soon learned her flesh ruled stronger
than her spirit. Robert had succeeded in awakening the intense
desire she always held for him as a man. She could no longer resist
and yearned to see him again.

Without a second thought, the day the transport
arrived, Suzette climbed inside. When the horses began trotting
down the street, she knew their destination headed for Robert’s
empty townhouse. When they slowly pulled to the back of the
residence and stopped, her stomach churned into a ball of nerves.
The driver jumped down, opened the door, and waited for her to
exit. At first, she stayed seated and stared at the servants’
entrance. Robert stood waiting in the threshold.

“Madame, are you getting out?”

“Oh, yes, I’m sorry.”

Suzette exited. A moment later, the driver urged the
team of horses down the alleyway leaving her to stand alone. Her
hesitation continued, and then she guardedly stepped toward the
gate. Robert came forward to greet her. “Tell me that no one will
see us here, Robert,” she pleaded, while glancing around at the
surrounding homes.

“It’s fine, Suzette. I’ve checked. My neighbors are
away, my servants are on leave, and we are alone and safe.”

“But we are taking such risks,” she protested.

“Stop worrying,” he assured her, as he took her hand
and led her inside. He closed the door and locked it, then escorted
her toward the parlor. They entered, and Suzette couldn’t believe
how many bouquets of lilies adorned the interior.

“You’re a stinker,” she teased. “You remembered.”

Robert laughed. “Of course, I remembered. I’ve not
forgotten one moment of our time together or the things that bring
you pleasure.”

Suzette walked over to a bouquet and bent down to
inhale the fragrance. Afterward, she glanced around the room.
Robert had removed the coverings from the furniture and brought the
room to life with electric lights. A bottle of chilled wine sat in
a bucket of ice and two crystal glasses stood nearby.

“Do you plan on loosening me up?” she jested, in a
carefree tone. “You know, I don’t handle alcohol well.”

“As if wine alone could do the trick.” He uncorked
the bottle and poured two glasses of Merlot. Robert handed Suzette
a glass and grasped her free hand, leading her to the divan.

“Sit and relax. You remind me of the first night we
met at the brothel.”

Suzette obeyed and made herself comfortable.

“You can remove your hat.” Robert reached over and
pulled out a hatpin, loosening its secure hold upon her hair.

“Robert!” she giggled. Suzette released the second
hatpin and then set her hat down on the arm of the divan.

“Finally,” he said. His ran his slender finger
through the strands of her hair. “I so missed the color of your
hair and its scent of perfume.”

Suzette looked at him and pondered curiously.
Finally, she asked a question, which had plagued her since he had
come back into her life.

“Do you still go?”

“Go where?”

“The brothel.”

“Good Lord, I have not set foot inside the door of
the Chabanais since the day I took you away. I told Madame Laurent
I wouldn’t be back; and I haven’t.”

“I often think about where I would be today if you
hadn’t rescued me, Robert. I’d probably still be there, selling my
body to survive. I will never be able to repay you for your
kindness.”

“But you did repay me,” he said, with his heart
bursting in adoration. He looked at her hands and then gathered
them into his own.

“Don’t you remember?”

“What do you mean?”

“
You gave me your virginity,
sweetheart. At that moment, I truly believe our souls were knit
together.”

Suzette shook her head. “You’re such a romantic and
idealistic man, Robert.”

“Don’t make light of it,” he begged. “You have no
idea how consumed my life has been with regret. Now that we are
together, even for a brief moment, and I count each passing second
as a precious gift.”

Suzette’s smiled faded. She had jested and made light
of Robert’s feelings, but she knew she had done so to conceal her
own. He asked her to release her heart back into his hands to do
with as he pleased, but their lives were bound to others.

“Robert . . .” She grasped his hand tightly in
return, “I’m sorry for making light of your love.”

As soon as the words fell from her mouth, Robert
swooped upon her with ardent kisses to catch her apology between
his lips. Suzette clung to her glass and tried to keep the sloshing
wine from spilling. He pulled back, retrieved her wine, and set it
down next to his.

“Now you have two hands,” he said, breathing heavily
along her neckline. “Use them.”

Suzette felt the warmth of his love flow through her
body like an intoxicating drug. His touch awakened the buried
passion in her body to such an extent, that Suzette felt her
consciousness flow into a blissful state she had forgotten existed.
His hands felt like fire upon her flesh. Robert’s kisses tasted
sublime, and his passion for her body aroused her own aching
need.

The realization of where they were headed increased
her heartbeat tenfold. She couldn’t breathe. Their appetite would
soon drive them into the sin of adultery. Suzette wondered if that
had been Robert’s purpose in bringing her to his townhouse.

His cunning plan to send Philippe away and weaken her
resolve for sexual pleasure all made sense. Robert Holland planned
to seduce her and take her to the brink of social ruin to make her
his own. Suzette choked. She couldn’t allow herself to cross the
forbidden path.

“Robert,” she cried, as she pushed herself away from
his chest. “Please, we can’t. I told you that I would not be your
mistress.”

Robert ceased his kisses and caught his breath. His
adoring face turned from delight to distraught in a matter of
seconds.

“I don’t want you to be my mistress, Suzette. I want
you as my wife.”

“But the road to that end frightens me, Robert. Must
I be brought to ruin to attain that position?”

Suzette gasped for air as her throat continued to
close with emotion. Her body tingled from Robert’s touch, while her
soul questioned her principles of right and wrong.

“My love. My sweet, sweet love,” Robert whispered.
“My heart is in anguish. I do not want to seduce you for my selfish
pursuits. I only wish to pour my heart into your spirit and my
expression of love into your body.”

Robert’s frame trembled next to her own. Suzette
feared the consequences of relenting to his heartfelt entreaty.

“Do you truly think that our love will only bring you
ruin?”

“No,” she answered thoughtfully. “No.”

Robert slipped the palm of his hand around the back
of her neck and drew her back into his lips. As soon as their flesh
touched, Suzette’s resolve melted like the winter’s snow. Her cold
fears turned into heated desire. She grew weak as Robert’s mouth
searched out the depth they had once shared. The ache for his body
intensified, and Suzette shuddered while in his embrace.