Libertine's Wife (13 page)

Arianne got up from her dressing table
and returned to the nursery, frowning to see her son wasn’t there.
She left and went below. She heard Jaime giggling in the salon and
worried the boy was up to mischief.

Arianne drew up short in shock to see
her husband on the settee, bouncing Jaime on his knee. Garret’s
handsome face was grinning in amusement down at the little boy.
Overcoming her surprise, her eyes devoured him in those brief
seconds, seeing him again making a painful ache form in her middle.
Her mouth went dry. Heart pounding, she could only stare at him. He
was every bit as devastating as she recalled, even more so when he
wasn’t scowling.

She must have made some noise for he
looked up. His emerald green eyes met hers without expression, his
smile fading as he stood up from the settee. He was holding Jaime
in his powerful arms.

He was dressed in a casual shirt and
buff breeches, his gleaming hessians accentuating his powerful legs
and thighs. His face was clean shaven and reflected none of his
former anger. He looked so attractive; her heart skipped another
frantic beat.

“
I didn’t expect you to
arrive, my lord,” Arianne said stiffly, her eyes falling away from
his to linger upon his reflective boots, unable to bear to see his
contempt for her. “Forgive me; I will have Mrs. Greeves prepare
your rooms at once.”

She turned and made to leave. His words
stopped her in her tracks. “I don’t intend to stay, Arianne. You
needn’t go to all the trouble. I’ll be leaving today.”

Swift disappointment made her breath
catch to know he wouldn’t be staying. She turned and saw little
anger in his expression. Those eyes bore little resemblance to the
cold ones she recalled. He held her son and looked at her with the
faintest trace of a smile. She was too startled by his sudden
appearance to respond to it.

“
You came to see your son,
of course. I will leave you alone so you can become acquainted
then.” Arianne again tried to leave.

“
I would speak to you of
some matters, Arianne,” Garret said to her back. She froze, not
knowing quite how to react to his cordial manner. Yes, he was
cordial towards her, acting as if she hadn’t ruined his life.
Confusion filled her eyes as she lingered in the doorway of the
salon, unsure of herself.

“
What matters do you wish to
speak of, my lord?” She clasped her hands nervously in front of
her.

“
I came here to collect my
wife,” Garret informed her as he adjusted their wriggling son in
his arms. “You are to be packed within the hour. You will return
with me to London. It’s time you started taking on your duties as
Lady Ravensford. I can also see I need to take my son in hand.
You’ll have him wearing short skirts if this continues.”

Arianne nearly gaped at his words, then
stiffened at his arrogant tone, ignoring the way her heart beat
furiously at his admission he came back for her. She raised an
eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t wish to be reminded you had a wife,
my lord? You thought me unfit for such duties; I believe you said.
You said I’d cause you embarrassment,” she reminded him, almost
biting her tongue to see his eyes narrow in anger.

“
You have to be introduced
to society. There is no way around it. There’s much gossip and
questions I’d rather not answer. These are the pitfalls of your
station, madam, but I’ll not force you to leave if you wish to
stay.” Garret eyed her as though whether she stayed or went was her
choice, shrugging as he leaned his son back against his
chest.

“
No! I wish to go,” Arianne
replied quickly. “I will be ready to leave,” she said more quietly,
not wanting him to see how eager she was.

“
The Season begins in four
weeks,” her husband informed her as he settled their son in his
arms. “You’ll need to have fittings for a new wardrobe.”

“
That is most generous of
you, my lord.” Her eyes continued to avoid his, her thoughts racing
over this sudden change of heart.

“
Nonsense, you are the
Marchioness of Ravensford. It’s expected.” Garret almost bit his
tongue at how arrogant he sounded to his own ears.

“
Yes, my lord.” Arianne
appeared to wait for him to say more, irritating him when she
refused to meet his eyes.

“
Can you not call me by my
given name?” Garret felt sudden irritation at her meekness. “I am
your husband, Arianne.”

“
As you wish, my—I mean,
Garret,” Arianne replied nervously, unaware of how awkward she
looked, poised at the door to flee.

“
That is much better.”
Garret held Jaime and eyed her in amusement. “My son has been
keeping me company this last hour. He’s very smart. You’ve done
well with him, Arianne.”

“
Thank you.” Arianne felt
pleased at his words of praise, wondering at his odd behavior.
“He’s a good boy. No trouble at all.”

Garret set the child down and he ran to
his mother, disappearing within her blue silk skirts, giggling as
he played hide-go-seek with the stranger. The awkward silence
between them was broken finally. Samuels entered to inform Garret
his wife’s trunks were being packed with all haste.

“
I will be ready to leave
within the hour. If you would excuse me, my lord,” Arianne snatched
up her son to avoid Garret now, disturbed by his lack of coldness
toward her.

Garret grinned, displaying a perfect,
dimpling smile, humbling her in the face of his change in attitude.
She was sure she was acting like an idiot. She was delighted to
leave the estate for London, even for a brief time.

“
You can leave Jaime here if
you wish,” Garret offered and grinned at the boy. “We have much
catching up to do, my son and I.”

She frowned as she set him back down,
pleased to see him run back to his father. “Are you sure? He can be
quite rambunctious. After your journey; you might wish to
relax.”

“
I wish to get to know my
son, Arianne.” The earnest undertone in his voice startled her. His
green eyes met hers, making her heart flutter madly. “It’s no
trouble at all. I have much to make up for.”

Garret swung him back into his arms,
making the boy giggle uproariously. She left them, a frown of
confusion marring her brow at this about face. He was hardly the
same angry man who dumped her here almost three years
before.

Arianne ignored the excitement she
felt, refusing to believe his coming back meant anything at all.
The man seemed to have accepted much in the time he was gone. He’d
gotten over his anger. Hope flared and was quickly dashed. The
means she used to deceive him would always be there to mock her
desire for more.

Arianne returned to her room. The maids
packed her trunks. She felt elation growing within her to know she
was going to London with Garret, a flare of hope refusing to be
extinguished in those moments. She dared not read more into his
motives.

Only time would tell if she remained
there. When her presence satisfied whatever gossip was circulating
about their marriage, he would send her back. She refused to think
he would keep her in his life. Her husband hadn’t given her a
single thought in nearly three years. She was sure what he did now
was only for appearances sake. No, this move was all but temporary
to quiet the talk. It occurred to her as the trunks were packed
that her husband never gave a fig for what anyone thought, least of
all society. The excitement she felt intensified to think there was
more to his suddenly showing up there.

~ ~ ~

Garret was nearly undone at the first
sight of his wife. He ached to take her into his arms, seeing the
doubts and fears in her blue eyes. The way she seemed to avoid his
gaze troubled him. It was obvious she expected him to continue to
berate her for the means in which they married. Her meekness
annoyed him. He reminded himself he’d more than punished her. His
wife acted like a whipped dog, making him regret his rash actions
and harsh treatment.

The once proud and outspoken beauty he
remembered now seemed unsure and hesitant in her manner. He
despised the wounded look in her face. That look said she was
undeserving of any admiration. He’d done that to her. He longed to
erase the past and his harsh, unforgiving words.

Time was what they needed. He refused
to believe there wasn’t more to his wife than met the eye. He
wouldn’t believe he’d become obsessed with something that wasn’t
there.

His son played with a toy on the floor
as he dwelled on the woman who readied to leave with him. One look
at her and he could hardly contain his desire to drag her to her
room.

The way they began left little to be
desired and needed to be rectified. He had to get to know this
woman he married under duress. He was sure there was more substance
to her than what he assumed long ago.

The fact she did nothing he’d ever
predicted of her, told him he knew not what to expect from her. He
waited to be besieged with letters begging him to bring her to
London. She never contacted him. He watched to see her spend his
money frivolously. He was told by Mr. Phillips in his letters that
she had to be prompted to buy anything for herself and the child.
He expected to learn she was caught with a lover. His wife remained
chaste, according to his spies, who all said she rarely left the
estate and had no friends. He could finally take it no more. He
came back here to discover who she really was, once and for
all.

Garret refused to admit it, but he grew
tired of the carefree life he once claimed was satisfying. He began
to think more and more about the wife he’d abandoned in anger.
Suddenly the illicit exploits he once engaged in no longer gave him
pleasure at all, just a strange emptiness inside.

At thirty and five years of age; he was
getting no younger. The loneliness he felt each day was pronounced.
To know he had a wife who felt the same made his decision to come
back for her. It took much for him to eat his own words. He prayed
she wasn’t the grasping, deceitful creature he thought her to
be.

Hope was a fragile thing to a man who
never knew love or gave second chances to anyone. Only time would
tell if they could abide living with one another. He was determined
to try even when the pessimistic voices within him chided his
efforts. He became encouraged to work at his marriage. Even when
his wife wasn’t there with him; he’d not forgotten her at
all.

Arianne had to force herself to quit
staring at Garret as they made the journey back to London. Time and
time again, her gaze drifted back to her husband. Her eyes clung to
his lips as he spoke, his hands as he held her son, reminded of the
last time she saw him.

Her heart pounded erratically to feel
the impossible attraction once more. How he went from being merely
a means to an end, to the object of such desire was troubling. The
cruelty of such an irony was not lost upon her.

Arianne loved Julian when she married
this man. Everything she did was to protect the man she loved. She
didn’t care if Garret hated her when she agreed to Eustace’s
scheme. At the time, she thought it was the only thing she could
do. Now, she very much wanted Garret’s esteem, yearned for things
to be different between them. She was more than a little confused
of her present feelings, thinking she was fickle of
heart.

Arianne’s thoughts drifted to Julian
for the first time in years. She had no doubt she would run into
her former lover in London. Then, she would see firsthand if her
sacrifice was worth this guilt she never ceased to feel. She felt
miserable to know the once all-consuming love she believed she had
for him faded these last three years, making her question her
feelings from the start.

She pushed such depressing thoughts
aside. She couldn’t change what was done. If only she’d stood up to
Eustace and refused to help him. Thoughts of her brother made her
frown. Her husband saw it at once.

Garret adjusted a sleeping Jaime in his
lap. “What troubles you, Arianne?”

“
Eustace wrote to me. Mr.
Helms forwarded some of the letters,” Arianne began, seeing him
stiffen at her quiet words. “What has become of my
brother?”

Garret’s lips twisted in disgust. “What
do you think became of him, Arianne? Did you really think you could
save him from himself?”

She grew alarmed at his words and sat
forward, eyes filled with concern. “What’s happened to him? You
must tell me!”

“
He lost everything, as you
could have guessed,” Garret told her gruffly, mindful how the news
would affect her. “He’s in deep with the money lenders again. I
made it my business to find him. He hides out in a ratty flat. He
only shows his face at the gaming tables, trying to win back all he
lost. Contacting your brother is out of the question. I forbid
it.”

Arianne felt anger rising at his
arrogant edict. “You forbid it? He’s still my brother! How can you
refuse to allow me to see him? He’s the only family I
have.”

Garret scowled at her, making sure the
child slept. “Because I know firsthand what you did once out of
this loyalty to him, that’s why! All he will do is demand money
from you, Arianne. The man is lost to his own vices. You cannot
help him. No one can.”