The Price of Deception (27 page)

Philippe stopped and turned around. He glared at
Robert. “Agreed, but it will never happen,” he replied, with
confident smugness.

As soon as the words left his lips, he turned around
and headed out the door. Giles returned at the same moment with the
news of the waiting carriage. Philippe gruffly pushed by him,
nearly knocking Giles off his feet. He grasped the doorjamb to
steady his footing.

Robert walked over to the side table and poured three
fingers of cognac in a crystal glass and hastily gulped it down his
throat. His hand, visibly shaking, caught the attention of Giles’
surprised eyes.

“Duke, what has gone on here?” he asked, coming to
Robert’s side and watching him drink in a frenzy.

“Despicable things, Giles. Despicable things,” he
answered, while he choked down the burning alcohol. Robert finished
the cognac and then turned and looked at his assistant for support.
“I’ve been challenged to a duel by the chap who just left.”

“A duel? Surely, you didn’t accept the
challenge!”

“Blackmail will cause you to do rash things,
Giles—rash things, indeed.”

Robert dragged himself to the divan and flopped down.
He loosened the ascot around his neck so he could breathe. His
Adam’s apple still hurt from the pressure exerted against it, and
his head felt as if it would burst from stress.

“Sir, please tell me that you’re not going through
with this senseless encounter? Why does the man wish to harm
you?”

Giles, faithful and somewhat ignorant of all of
Robert’s recent activities, stood dumbfounded before him.

“Sit down, old friend, and I’ll tell you why. I’m
afraid I’ve not done the wisest of things, since I met up again
with my French mademoiselle.” He shoved the glass back at Giles.
“Get me another, and I’ll tell you what has happened and about my
son.”

Giles took the glass from his hand. “Your son!” he
exclaimed, dropping his jaw.

“Pour the drink, Giles. You better pour one for
yourself.”

Giles did as told and came back with two in hand.
Robert took the glass, and his assistant sat in a chair opposite
his employer eager to hear the details.

Truth be told, he had underestimated Philippe Moreau.
In his zeal to win Suzette, he never considered the means to the
end. Payback for all of his scheming had arrived. He’d be damned,
though, if he’d allow Philippe to take away his son and not allow
him to see Suzette again.

Robert recounted his affairs of the past month and
then looked at Giles. “To top it off, I’ve separated from Jacquelyn
and asked for a divorce.”

“Oh, no,” he moaned, clearly saddened over the
news.

“I wouldn’t worry, Giles. The woman hates me anyway
and has for some time. It’s obvious now that the problem of her
inability to conceive is not with me, but with her. That fact, in
itself, has broken our bond. I’ve asked her to divorce me for
adultery, but she refuses in spite.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Giles admitted, taking a
well-needed drink. His face flushed with worry. “Your reputation,
sir, is at stake should you go ahead with this duel.”

“Damn my reputation,” he angrily replied. “I cannot
let the man take all that I love. There is nothing more to say. Now
you know, and now I need your help. The faceoff is Friday morning.
I want you there.”

“Of course, I shall be at your side. Will it be by
sword or pistol?”

“Pistol. Thank God, I’m a fairly good shot. I have no
idea about Moreau, though, but I suspect he’s an expert due to his
naval background. The outcome unquestionably will be dire for one
of us.” Philippe paused for a moment. “I want you to witness the
duel, check the pistols beforehand, and assure all is above
board.”

“I cannot let you go through with this,” Giles
protested. “Your mother would be appalled that you have accepted
this challenge.”

“I must. Moreau has threatened that if I do not he
will send away my son, and I’ll never find him. Surely,” he
reasoned, “I have no choice.” Robert stopped abruptly making a
quick decision. “There is something else you must do, Giles, no
matter what the outcome.”

“Yes, my lord, what is it?”

“You must protect my son. If I am shot, then you must
leave immediately and let me bleed and die. Forget the physician.
Go, get the boy and Suzette and take them back to England,
posthaste. Make sure you arrive at their residence before Philippe
has time to return and stop you. I’ll make sure that Suzette knows
to be ready. I will see a solicitor before Friday and have a new
will written that will provide for them both in case of my
demise.”

Robert reached out and grasped Giles by the arm
sternly. “Swear to me that you will do this!”

“Yes, yes, of course, whatever you wish.” Giles’
face, drawn tight with worry, demonstrated his loyalty to
Robert.

“Good. Is the carriage downstairs?”

“Yes, it should be waiting for you.”

Robert stood to his feet. He grabbed his hat and
headed out the door. “I have things to tend to and will be back
later.”

He left Giles in the suite and proceeded downstairs
to the hotel lobby. His world had suddenly turned into a nightmare
from Hades, yet something inside his spirit told him all would be
well, in spite of the challenges that lay ahead.

Chapter Twenty Two

Philippe tread heavily down the hallway to the
staircase that led to the lobby. The hatred he had nursed for years
toward Robert Holland had reached its boiling point. His challenge
to end things through violence had been bred into his psyche from
the many duels he had witnessed throughout his military career. Not
a shred of remorse tainted his decision. He would kill the man and
be done with it. Then life would return to normal.

Too upset to return to his office, he had decided to
confront Suzette about her unfaithfulness. Fueled by the heated
jealousy that burned in his veins, he would give her no mercy. He
had one goal—to rid her love for Robert Holland from the depths of
her heart, even if he had to dig it out with his bare hands.

As the hansom cab rolled toward his estate, he
thought of the Duchess and her statement that she would not release
Robert from his marital commitment. If he aimed his shot to kill,
Philippe would simultaneously relieve the scorned woman of her
husband and do her a favor. However, he knew if he killed Robert,
Suzette would never forgive him. He’d take the risk nevertheless.
With the knave dead, her love for him would eventually die too.

His thoughts drifted toward her son. The affection he
once held for the boy seemed poisoned now. His presence in their
family ate away at him like lye upon his flesh. If it continued,
nothing would remain except hatred. He had cared for the boy for
years, provided for him, accepted him as his own; but when
Angelique was born, he admitted the majority his affections had
shifted toward his daughter. Certainly, a father’s love for his
natural offspring held precedence. She was his own flesh and blood,
not a half- bred bastard from his wife’s days as another man’s
mistress.

The cab slowed, and Philippe’s demeanor soured
further over the impending confrontation. He paid the driver and
entered his residence. As usual, his conscientious butler greeted
him at the door.

“My wife, where is she?” he demanded in a gruff
tone.

“I believe the Madame is resting in her
bedchamber.”

Philippe looked up at the staircase. “No matter what
you hear in the next few minutes, I do not want any of the staff
interrupting me. Do you understand, Leroy? I have personal matters
to discuss with my wife, and my staff is not to be involved under
any circumstances.”

Leroy’s eyebrows rose, and he shook his head
affirmatively. “Of course, sir. I’ll see to it that no one in the
household interferes with your private affairs.” He bowed at the
waist and left Philippe alone in the foyer.

Philippe stepped toward his wife with determination
and purpose. He had been pushed to the brink. As much as Suzette
had hurt him, he vowed to remain her husband. Her betrayal, though,
would reap painful consequences.

More than ready to teach her a lesson, he did not
bother to knock upon the door, but pushed through it quickly. He
locked it behind him and slipped the key into his trouser pocket.
Suzette sat on the window seat looking outdoors, but turned around
to face him upon hearing his approaching footsteps.

“Philippe, you startled me.”

“We have things to discuss, Suzette.”

“Oh? Is everything all right with your business?”

“With my business?” Philippe gave a husky, sinister
laugh. “I thought you knew that my business was half owned by
Robert Holland. Do you really think everything is all right?”

Philippe watched the color drain from Suzette’s
cheeks. Her bottom lip quivered when he took a bold step toward her
and hovered over her petite body.

“I don’t—I don’t know what you mean.”

Philippe, angry with her answer, grasped her by the
upper arm and pulled her roughly to her feet. He stared into her
brown eyes and with his other hand toyed with her auburn hair,
feeling a sense of obsessive ownership over the woman he had loved
for years.

“I always thought you special, Suzette. I redeemed
you from the filthy clutches of Robert Holland. But instead of
remaining faithful to me, you crawled back into his bed. Like a
sow, you returned to wallow in the mire.”

Philippe felt the trembling of her body while he held
onto her upper arm. His long fingers wrapped around her flesh and
squeezed harder as the words hissed from his lips.

“I’ve learned much today,” he continued. “Duchess
Holland came and exposed your infidelity to me, along with Robert’s
conniving claim on my business. What do you have to say for
yourself?”

Suzette’s body shook violently as tears streaked down
her pale cheeks. Her eyes pleaded for mercy, but Philippe, at that
point, felt very little except contempt. The more he thought of
Suzette in Robert’s embrace, the more his stomach became nauseated
as he pictured their lovemaking without any remorse or regard for
his feelings.

“Philippe, I didn’t plan for this to happen.”

“You didn’t do anything to stop it, either,” he
dismissed.

“Robert came back into my life while you were away
and demanded to know his son.”

“Did you allow him to see him?” he pressed harder
against her flesh.

“Philippe, you’re hurting me!”

“Did you?”

“Yes, yes, I let them be together,” cried Suzette, as
she tried to slap Philippe’s hand away. “Please, you’re hurting
me.”

Philippe released his grip and stepped back. “You
bitch! After all I’ve done for you and the boy that wasn’t mine!
This is how you repay me?”

“It just happened. I could not help myself.” She
briskly stepped back behind a chair for protection. “All the love I
thought was buried resurrected in my heart, and I was powerless to
fight it, Philippe. I tried—I really did.”

“Bullshit,” he spat in her direction. “You betrayed
me in the worst possible way.”

“I’m sorry for hurting you, truly I am. You have
every reason to divorce me for adultery. I will take little Robert
and leave.”

Philippe threw his head back into the air and roared
with a guttural laughter. “Oh, my God, you two are pathetic! You
think it’s that easy to forget the vows that you made to me before
God and the priest? You are my wife, and my wife you will be until
death we do part. I shall never divorce you, and neither will
Jacquelyn Holland divorce your lover. The two of you will stay
where you belong.”

Suzette gasped. “Philippe, please, I beg you. I’m
willing to take the shame of divorce. Just free me. Why keep me
here as your wife after all I’ve done?”

“Why keep you? Did you forget in your lust for that
man that you and I have a daughter together? We have a bond in our
flesh, and she needs you as her mother. You have obligations,
Suzette, to me and to Angelique.”

Philippe took an angry step in her direction,
disgusted that she would so easily leave behind their child.

“Do not set your heart upon Robert Holland, as I plan
to cause him great harm in the days ahead. You are to never see him
again, do you hear me? Never!”

“Philippe, what do you mean to do?” she cried.

“That is none of your concern. You will stay here in
this residence and will not leave until I say that you can.”

“You can’t keep me prisoner, Philippe. You can’t
force me to love you!”

Philippe knew that unless he put fear into her heart,
she would defy him. With one more aggressive step in her direction,
he lifted his hand to strike her across the cheek hard enough to
burn his message into her flesh. Suzette flinched, but he stopped
short of making contact with her face. He wanted to see her
drenched in tears and pain, just like his heart drowned in tears
and pain at that moment.

He looked at her in disdain. “As much as I wish to
hit you, I won’t give you cause to divorce me. Perhaps one day I’ll
take my own mistress to make up for it.”

“How—how could you think of being violent toward me?”
she sobbed uncontrollably. “I will never love you! Never!”

“You’re my wife, and you’ll do as I say. If I need
to, I’ll lay a hand upon that bastard son of yours. Don’t tempt
me.”

Philippe spun on his heel and headed toward the door.
He unlocked it and slammed it behind him finding his way
downstairs. The household staff that he passed averted their eyes
as soon as he neared, and once he found Leroy he pulled him aside
to give him further instructions.

“Under no circumstances is my wife to leave this
house until I say so. None whatsoever.”

“Of course, Monsieur, I will see to it.”

“I will need you to accompany me on business Friday
at dawn,” he instructed.