Nicholas grimaced. “That any parent would sell their child to such ashe. ... But I wonder. Luce, where all his money comes from. I wonder, infact, whether he didn’t manage to beat Therese at her own game.”
“Cheated the Madame out of her lucre?” asked Lucien with a grin. “Youmay say revenge isn’t sweet, but I could relish that.”
“Justice, not revenge,” said Nicholas with a matching grin.“Fiat justicia et pereat mundus.It’s not complete, though. Idon’t see why Deveril should enjoy the ill-gotten gains.”
“Nor do I, by God. What shall we do about it?”
Nicholas looked at him. “Nothing for the moment. He’ll keep. You aregetting married, which takes a certain amount of concentrated effort. As Ifound out to my cost. You also have some reading to do.”
Lucien looked at the books. “You expect these to make a difference. Ithink I understand Elizabeth perfectly. I just don’t approve.”
“And I took you for a man of sense. We never understand another humanbeing and to think we do is the most dangerous illusion of all.” Nicholaswas completely serious and when that happened it was wise for all to payattention. “I wish,” he said thoughtfully, “we’d come back sooner and hadan opportunity to meet your Elizabeth. I suspect she could use a friend ortwo.”
Lucien was guiltily aware that he’d never considered his betrothed’slack of friends. “I could bring her over one day.”
“If you wish, of course. But it’s only three days to the Wedding of theSeason, and she’ll doubtless appreciate peace and quiet rather than morestrangers. Bring her around after your honeymoon. I think, in view of thisDeveril business, we will stay here for a few more weeks.”
They walked towards the drawing-room door, but there Nicholas stoppedwith his hand on the knob. “Giving advice is rarely a good idea, Luce, butI can’t resist. No matter what problems there are between you andElizabeth, the marriage bed is no place for them.” He looked up. “Fight ifyou have to, but in bed just love her. And if you can’t do that yet, waituntil you can.”
Chapter Thirteen
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The wedding was to be held in the ballroom of Belcraven House and onher wedding eve Beth found herself drawn there. The large room with itsgilded pillars and arched ceiling was illuminated by only a cold touch ofmoonlight which reduced its magnificence to shades of silver and gray. Theflowers were already in place ? in huge urns, on trellises, and hanging onthe walls. The moist perfume weighted the air and made it hard tobreathe.
She was for once quite alone. The servants had finished their work hereand were in their beds, resting before the long hard day they would havetomorrow.
In the pale light, the room looked rather like a chapel, but Beth wasglad she was not to be married in a church. There was nothing spiritualabout this enforced joining. Though it was sugared by civilized behavior,it was as brutal as the calculated abductions of ages past, where theaffections of the woman mattered not a whit, only her fortune.
“And my fortune is just my misbegotten blood,” she murmured. “Wealthbeyond measure to the de Vaux.”
She had to admit that the marquess had mostly been kind and consideratein recent weeks, particularly so during the past few days. She could evenconfess that she was not immune to his charms. He was a beautiful man andviewed only as anobjet d’artthere was pleasure to be found. He was intelligentand, after his own fashion, sensitive. She could have enjoyed his companyif they weren’t in this terrible situation.
After all, she would never have known his company if it weren’t forthis terrible situation. With a caught breath Beth realized that even ifshe were given the chance she might not be able to find satisfaction anymore in her old life. Without him.
He had the power to move her. The formal touch of his hand was oftenmore than a touch; the sense of his body nearby could catch her breath; alook in his eyes could set her skin to tingling.
Perhaps this more than anything caused her to face her marriage with dread. By this time tomorrow she would betotally in his power, in the grip of these wanton sensations. And yet hefelt nothing.
She wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered. She desperatelywished the duchess had left her in misty ignorance of where the marquess’power over her might lead. She remembered that horrible encounter on theterrace at Belcraven and the way he had been able to set fire to her bodywhile his expression stayed cold as ice. Now she was constantly assailedby the vision of him cold-bloodedly manipulating her into some franticstate, a state she knew was just a few touches away . . .
The duchess walked into the room carrying a branch of candles. Leapingflames picked out the red walls and the gilding and made them dance. Theroom became gay instead of mysterious.
“Is something the matter, Elizabeth?”
“No,” said Beth, unable to fabricate an explanation for her presencehere in the dark.
The duchess put down the candles and came over to take Beth in herarms. “Oh, my poor child. Please do not be afraid. Truly, there is nothingof which to be afraid in Lucien.”
“Nothing?” Beth queried, pulling herself out of the comforting embrace.“Nothing? After tomorrow he could beat me half to death and no one wouldcare!”
“What?” exclaimed the duchess, “Has he ever struck you Elizabeth? If hehas I will flog him myself.”
“No,” said Beth hastily, for the duchess was truly enraged. Sheswallowed the response that he’d twice threatened to.
“Thank God,” said the duchess and calmed. “There is something ofviolence in Lucien, I will admit, but there is in most men. Let us behonest, Elizabeth, we are glad of it when we want them to defend us orfight for our country as so many of them will have to do very soon. Lucienis a gentleman, however, and can control himself. You must not fear him.If he ever hurts you, you must tell me, and I promise he will regret itbitterly.”
There was some reassurance to be found in this, but Beth was surprisedto find she was ambivalent. She pinned down her reluctance to accept helpand realized she preferred the battle between the marquess and herself tobe an honest fight, just the two of them. How strange.
