Lady Beneath the Veil(44)

'Well,' declared Gwen, when the men had departed, 'that at least is good news for you, my dear.'

'I can hardly believe it, after all this time.' Dominique shook her  head. 'I shall take little James into the village later to tell Maman.  It will deflect her attention from my own situation.'

'Ah, yes.' Gwen paused, crumbling a piece of bread between her fingers  while she chose her words. 'Perhaps Papa is right and Gideon has a good  reason for what happened yesterday.'

Dominique put up her hands.

'Do you not think I have gone over and over it in my mind? He told me I  had nothing to fear from Agnes Bennet. And then, at breakfast  yesterday, do you remember how he asked where we would be shopping and  could we call into Irwin's? Why did he not call in himself, if he was  going into town? No, it was all a ploy to keep us from Piccadilly.'

'It is all the fault of your horrid cousin,' exclaimed Gwen, getting up from the table.

'Perhaps, but he could not force Gideon to meet with her, could he? And  he certainly had no hand in Gideon's taking her up in his curricle.'  Dominique drew a long, angry breath. 'I thought I could make him l-love  me, but no. He might take his p-pleasure with me occasionally, but it is  Agnes who owns his heart, and he can never forget that I am the  p-penniless daughter of a F-Frenchman. And even if he could,' she said,  angry colour returning to her cheeks, 'I cannot forgive him for  deceiving me!'

'So what will you say to him, when he comes?'

Dominique's spurt of temper died away.

'I really do not know,' she said despondently.

'Well, you had best think of something now,' said Gwen, looking out of  the window. 'Gideon's curricle is at the door. And-oh, heavens, he has  Anthony with him!'

Dominique had jumped up as soon as Gwen spoke and now she stood beside  her sister-in-law, staring out through the leaded glass. Her throat  dried. She had run away from Gideon, taken his child. How angry he would  be about that. Her Gallic blood surged furiously through her veins. If  anyone had a right to be angry it was she-after all, he had deceived  her, lied to her, and that was unforgivable.

There was the low rumble of voices in the hall. She reached for Gwen's hand and together they turned to face the door.





Chapter Eighteen

Dominique flinched as Gideon strode in, Anthony close on his heels.  Both men looked tired and grim, but fury blazed in their eyes. Gideon  broke the silence.

'Well, ladies. This is a merry dance you have led us.' His voice was hard, his anger barely contained.

Dominique drew herself up.

'Hardly merry, sir. I did not come here out of choice, I assure you.'  She stepped back, as if to hide behind Gwen, when Gideon made to  approach. 'Lord Rotham says I need not speak to you unless I wish to do  so.'

'By God, madam, you are my wife and you will-'

'Yes, I am your wife, sir,' she flashed, 'and you would do well to remember it!'

Turning on her heel, she dashed from the room.

'Dominique, stop.' Gideon ran after her. 'For heaven's sake, woman, hear me out-!'                       
       
           



       

As his voice died away Anthony shut the door and stood with his back pressed against it.

'So, you are teaching little Dominique your flighty ways.'

'I have taught her nothing, my lord.' Gwen watched him warily. There  was something different about Anthony. A tension, like a predator, ready  to spring. The anger still glowed in his eyes, but she noted also the  dark shadows beneath. She said suddenly, 'Have you travelled all night?'

'How else do you think we managed to get here so quickly? And a curricle is not built for sleeping, I can assure you.'

'I suppose you expect me to come back to London with you.'

'Not immediately. You have not forgotten our last conversation, I hope?'

'Of course not, and I really did mean to support you. I appreciate how  hard you have been working these past few weeks, what with the peace  breaking down, and Bonaparte doing all he can to buy more time with his  tricks and stratagems-but you must see that this was an emergency.'

'I see nothing of the sort. I told you I would stand for no more of your games, madam.'

'Flirtations, you called them,' she responded, trying to conceal her  unease. 'This was not like that, I was helping my sister-in-law-'

'Yes, helping her to run away from her husband. It would have been  better for everyone if you had encouraged her to have this out with  Gideon at Chalcots.'

'La, I vow you are grown very censorious, my lord.' She tossed her head. 'I shall not stay-'

'You will stay, madam, until I have finished with you.'

She stepped back, eyes widening with apprehension.

'What are you going to do?'

'Something I should have done a long time ago.'

He turned the key in the lock and advanced towards her.

* * *

Dominique's headlong flight from the breakfast room caused the servants  to jump aside to avoid a collision and she had reached the stairs  before Gideon caught up with her.

'Dominique, listen to me!'

He grabbed her arm, but the fury blazing in her eyes when she turned to him made him release her again.

'Why should I listen to you, when all you tell me are lies?'

'No, believe me-'

'You told me you would not see Agnes Bennet and within days you were meeting her secretly. I saw you, Gideon, in Piccadilly.'

'Yes, but that was because she had news, about Max.' She waved her  hand, dismissing him, and sped up the stairs so that he was obliged to  run after her. 'Will you listen to me, you hellcat? I did this for you!'

She had reached the landing, but his words made her turn, her lip curling in disbelief.

'Oh, yes, that is very likely! You met with the woman you love, the  woman you wanted to wed, for my benefit!' She dashed her hand across her  eyes. 'You should never have continued with the marriage, Gideon.'

'I had to, after what happened on our wedding night.'

Even as the words left his mouth Gideon realised his mistake. He saw the misery flash across her face and reached out for her.

'Dominique, I did not mean-'

She pushed him away.

'Oh, I know very well what you mean. You cannot forget that I am half  French, can you? You abhor that part of me, even though you might desire  my body. But that is how men are, is it not? They c-cannot resist the  temptations of the flesh. Our marriage has never been anything more for  you than a shackle, a yoke that you do not want.'

'No!'

'You were too honourable to put me away quietly.' She continued as if  he had not spoken. 'But how I wish you had done so, for it would have  been better than this!' She took a deep, steadying breath before saying  icily, 'You need have no fear, sir. I know what is expected of me. You  will want more children, of course, but pray give me a little time to  become a-accustomed to your, your diversions before you demand that I  resume my role as your wife.' She shuddered. 'And do not expect me to  take any joy in it. You have killed that. I cannot love a man who thinks  so little of me.'

Stunned, he remained rooted to the spot while she whisked herself away  and into her room. He heard the key grate in the lock, and the  heart-rending sound of her muffled sobs from the other side of the door.                       
       
           



       

Her last words lodged in his heart like a knife. He raised his arm to  knock on the door, but realised the futility of it. Slowly he made his  way back to the empty drawing room, where he sank down in a chair and  stared blankly before him.

* * *

How long he remained there he had no idea, an hour, maybe two. He heard  the door open and looked around as Gwendoline and Anthony entered, hand  in hand. He scowled at his sister, who looked unaccountably cheerful.  Gideon realised Anthony was regarding him and he raised his head, saying  bitterly, 'You were right, Anthony. I should have told her I was  meeting Mrs Bennet.'

'You explained to her the circumstances?' said Anthony, holding up a hand to silence Gwen's questions.

'I tried, but she will not listen. All she can see is that I broke my word. She thinks I see our marriage as a burden.'

'And is it?' asked Anthony quietly.

Gideon dropped his head in his hands

'At the beginning it was...difficult. But now-' He took a breath,  facing the truth. 'Now, I cannot contemplate living without her.'

'Oh, Gideon-!'

Gwen's sympathetic utterance was cut short as the door opened again and  the viscount came in. Lord Rotham nodded to his daughter and son-in-law  and addressed Gideon.

'Ah, my boy. I was informed that you had arrived.'

'As you see, Father.' Gideon rose, nodding at the lawyer following his  father into the room. 'Mr Rogers. I called at your offices yesterday,  but you were already on your way here. Before you go back to town, I  would be obliged if you would see Mrs Rainault and ask her to appoint  you to act on her behalf, then you must call upon Coutts, the bankers in  the Strand. They are holding a considerable sum of money for her,  including a dowry for my wife.'

'A dowry!' declared Gwen. 'But why? How-?'