The Price of Deception (34 page)

“Don’t worry, love. It will go well. Mother is
practicing the art of civility.”

* * * *

Suzette nervously entered the parlor and immediately
understood why it bore that name. Its décor of a soft red rose hue
with gold trimmed furniture looked stunningly beautiful. Red
rosebuds in porcelain vases adorned side tables, filling the room
with fragrance.

Robert’s mother sat on a divan, bejeweled in her
finery. Her brunette hair, sprinkled with streaks of gray,
accentuated her harsh appearance. Her makeup drew attention to her
complexion that resembled granite stone. Suzette, however, could
barely look into her eyes, which reflected her deep
displeasure.

“Duchess.” She gave a quick curtsy. “Thank you for
your invitation to tea.”

“Sit,” Mary replied. She wiggled her finger at a
chair across from the divan where she lounged like a regal queen of
the Holland domain. A servant arrived with a silver tray filled
with tea and finger cakes for their consumption. She poured a cup
for the Duchess, handed it to her first, and then turned to
Suzette.

“Madame, do you prefer milk and sugar?” She shot a
sympathetic glance in Suzette’s direction.

“Yes, milk, please. No sugar.”

Suzette received the cup in her hand and looked over
at Mary, who quickly sipped her tea.

“You may leave, now,” she briskly informed her
servant. Speedily, she complied and closed the door behind her.

“I assume Robert is off with your son showing him the
horses,” she began.

It bothered Suzette that she did not acknowledge
Robert as her grandson. “Yes, I believe they are. Our son,” she
corrected, out of irritation, “is quite excited to learn about
horsemanship.”

“No doubt,” she replied, coolly.

It was obvious by the thick atmosphere in the room
that Mary’s attempt at civility had gotten off to a poor start.

“I apologize,” Suzette offered remorsefully, “if our
arrival has upset you, Duchess. I do hope that one day you’ll
forgive me for intruding into your life through such an unexpected
turn of events.”

Suzette clung tightly to the handle of the tea cup,
instantly regretting her awkward apology. She thought it was
prudent to come to the point of matter, for the sake of politeness.
Yet when she saw the Duchess’ displeasure written across her face,
she wondered if her frankness had caused more damage than good.

“Unexpected turn of events,” she repeated. “Yes, that
is one way of describing it, I suppose.”

She set her half-empty cup down on the tray and
lifted her eyes to Suzette. “You should know that I was quite fond
of Jacquelyn. We got along very well. I respected and admired her,
though these past few years she fell into deep melancholy over the
fact that she could not bear Robert children, as well as his lack
of love and suspected infidelity.”

“I am very sorry,” Suzette offered
sympathetically.

The Duchess looked at Suzette warily. “I told Robert
last eve that for his sake I would attempt to be civil with you,
though I don’t necessarily approve of this entire situation.”

“Understandable,” Suzette offered. “I can only assure
you that I am deeply in love with your son.”

“Love, my dear, may not be enough. Both of you will
pay a greater price for your actions as the years progress. Society
will look unkindly upon this relationship. I can only hope my son
will be able to handle the rebuff that awaits him. There will be an
excessive price for love, which neither of you may have
considered.”

“I’ve already suffered some of that price myself.”
Suzette lowered her head trying not to cry as she thought of
Angelique.

“You’ve apparently given to him an heir, which he
intends to recognize, so he tells me.”

“Hopefully, you will get to know our son better and
will love him as we do.”

“And what of your daughter?” she pressed with a
slight irritation.

“My daughter is in Jacquelyn’s care now. I can only
hope that one day she’ll be recovered.”

Suzette’s eyes filled with tears even though she
tried to suppress the hurtful emotions. She had not forgotten
Angelique. On the contrary, every day she thought of the baby she
had given life to only a few months prior. A part of her heart
contained a very special corner for the little girl she would
probably never know.

“I apologize,” the Duchess offered. “I can see that
Jacquelyn’s actions of kidnapping your daughter have affected you
deeply.”

Suzette wiped away a tear trickling down her cheek,
thankful that a bit of sympathy had come from Robert’s mother.

“Thank you.”

The two women sat quietly for a few moments. Mary
appeared to be pondering the act of civility, and Suzette struggled
with the pain of loss. Finally, the Duchess presented an offering
of gracious acceptance.

“Well, would you like a tea cake?” She lifted the
china plate in Suzette’s direction. “There’s nothing like a sweet,
with a cup of tea, to cheer a lady up.”

Suzette could tell in her eyes that she offered more
than an afternoon treat. She attempted to bestow acceptance for
Robert’s sake.

“Thank you.” Suzette reached forward and chose a
lemon bar.

Mary did the same. She took a nibble and looked
kindly into Suzette’s eyes. “An excellent choice.”

No other words came from her lips; but Suzette knew
in her heart that the Dowager Duchess had just welcomed her into
their home.

Chapter Twenty
Nine

Surrey, England – Fall 1886

Robert stood in front of the window dressed in his
black tuxedo as he looked out over the gardens of his estate. The
round glass, with its intricate panes in silver design, had always
been one of his favorite windows in his estate. It reminded him of
life. Each panel represented a season that he had passed through to
get where he stood at that moment.

In the distance, he could see the tower of the chapel
on his estate where he was soon due to arrive. In one hour, he
would be married. The decisions he made nearly two and one half
years ago, whether right or wrong, had finally led him to this
moment of completion. For the first time in his life, he had
arrived at a sense of belonging to another human being—one of
fulfilled destiny—even though it had come with a great price
emotionally and financially.

As he expected, the obstacle of procuring his freedom
from Jacquelyn Spencer proved nearly impossible. The legal
ramifications of her disappearance and criminal charges had
seriously complicated matters. As thorough as the authorities and
private investigators had been as they scoured Europe for her and
Angelique, she appeared to have dropped off the face of the earth.
It had been two years, and not a word had arrived to Philippe,
Suzette, or himself. No one knew where she had gone or what had
become of Angelique. It was a sad state of affairs.

The courts rejected his petition and an appeal was
filed with Parliament. They agreed to hear his petition for divorce
on the grounds of desertion, but were not inclined immediately to
grant his request. His barrister had returned on numerous occasions
before his peers to present documentation of the criminal charges
filed in the Parisian courts against Jacquelyn. However, they
initially refused to recognize the French indictments since she was
an English citizen. Old prejudices between the countries still
prevailed.

Since that was the case, desertion in itself was not
enough to grant a divorce without being coupled with adultery. Of
course, Robert had no evidence Jacquelyn Spencer had committed
adultery, but wondered if by now she had attached herself to
another man.

The doors continued to slam in his face, locking him
away from a marriage with Suzette. Every petition his barrister
presented had been repeatedly postponed. Finally, after one last
attempt, Parliament ruled that an eighteen month waiting period had
to be observed before the dissolution of marriage would be granted
on the grounds of desertion. Ample time needed to pass in order to
establish proof that Duchess Holland had indeed abandoned the
union. In addition, Parliament recognized the criminal charges as
extenuating circumstances and granted a divorce.

It had come at a great price to Robert, as his status
in society had suffered when rumors swirled about Jacquelyn’s
disappearance, an unmarried woman residing at his estate, and a
young boy all assumed to be his son. Acquaintances and alliances
slipped away, but Robert still maintained a few true comrades who
stood by and supported him in his pursuit of freedom.

If that were not enough, his investment of funds in
the Moreau Shipping business were a total loss. Philippe ran it
into the ground, and the company closed in bankruptcy. His attorney
corresponded to Robert that he had fallen once again upon hard
times due to poor management of assets and employees, along with
frivolous spending. Apparently, his mental ability to keep the
business afloat, after so many personal losses, had played a large
part in the company’s demise.

Robert somewhat blamed himself for Philippe’s
professional failure. In his zeal to assimilate into their lives in
order to find truth, his actions had far-reaching consequences. He
couldn’t help but nurse some guilt over the past two years for
destroying Philippe’s happiness in order to regain his own. He had
been a man on a mission to win what he so dearly loved. How could
he walk away from the deepest desire in his life? Casualties were
inevitable, and so were broken hearts.

Jacquelyn, of course, had contributed detrimentally
to Philippe’s mental state having stolen his one remaining joy. The
man’s brokenness had not been entirely Robert’s fault, for which he
took some unusual sense of consolation. Nothing could be done about
the past, except to let go and focus on the joys ahead. Robert
pushed aside the regrets.

“Sir, it’s time,” Giles’ voice announced from behind
him.

“Time indeed.”

Robert turned around sporting a satisfied smile.
Giles reached out, straightened his tie, and brushed off his
shoulders quickly with the palms of his hands to remove any trace
of lint.

“The landau is downstairs waiting to take you to the
chapel. The mademoiselle, your mother, and son have proceeded ahead
of you.”

Robert checked his pocket for the ring to assure
himself one more time that it was there. “Well, Giles, this is it.
I take the woman I love as my wife.”

“I wish you all the happiness in the world,
Duke.”

Robert trotted downstairs filled with an air of
contentment and climbed into the carriage. It wasn’t long before he
arrived, slipped into the side entrance of the chapel, and spoke a
few words with the vicar before the ceremony.

The wedding had been planned as a small affair with
his family and a few close friends, who stood by him throughout the
stressful ordeal. After the cue had been given, Robert walked out
and stood in front of the altar to await his bride.

His mother had been escorted and sat in the front row
with a smile across her face and a twinkle in her eye. She had
finally accepted Suzette and his son, bringing relief to Robert and
peace to the household. He attributed her change of heart to her
health. Every day she looked frailer, but today she beamed health
and happiness.

Marguerite, Lord Chambers, and their two children had
arrived to watch the union, as well. His sister supported Robert
after learning of the grief caused by Jacquelyn. Happy that Robert
had found contentment, Marguerite reached out to Suzette and their
son, accepting them wholeheartedly into the family.

The organ played its first chord, and the small
gathering stood to their feet. Robert’s son preceded Suzette down
the aisle with a big grin on his face, his pace nearly skipping
like the carefree lad he had become.

A month before the wedding, Suzette and Robert sat
him down and told him the truth about his parentage. Now,
seven-years-old, a little wiser, and with a pony of his very own,
their son embraced his father willingly. The bond between Robert
and the lad grew stronger day by day, and his memory of Philippe
seemed to evaporate over time. Suzette and Robert found it strange
that he never inquired of the whereabouts of his sister. Suzette
surmised his current situation had dissolved his need to compete
for attention—he had become the center of their world.

As Robert waited for his bride to appear, he felt
grateful. Philippe, as he had promised, quickly divorced Suzette.
Though she felt some remorse over their adulterous affair, which
brought them to this day, she had accepted the painful outcome as
the only means to her ultimate happiness.

Everyone had suffered for their deception, and the
consequences of former decisions had been reaped. Nevertheless,
their love outweighed the sins and suffering. The walls of class
and circumstance had been breached, and soon they would be husband
and wife.

Suzette appeared to float down the aisle before him,
dressed in a stunning ivory gown. Robert insisted that she wear a
traditional wedding dress, but Suzette balked in embarrassment
thinking she did not deserve to do so. Eventually, he won the
battle, hiring the same dress designer he had used when Suzette
first came to England. He could tell by the gleam in her eye that
she felt pleased with her appearance.

She arrived before the altar, smiling at Robert. Her
sheer veil enhanced her beauty, and Robert’s heart pounded fiercely
in his chest. He reached out his hand and offered it to his bride.
Suzette smiled, grasped it, and Robert wrapped her arm around his.
They turned and faced the altar and both knelt before the vicar to
receive the blessing. In a matter of minutes, they would finally be
one in every way—body, soul, and spirit.

“We have come here today to join this man and this
woman in holy matrimony,” announced the vicar solemnly.