Libertine's Wife (7 page)

Sipping her tea, the lady told her how
bad the situation really was, smug to see her words hit home. By
the end of the visit, Arianne was determined Julian would wed
Penworthy’s daughter too. She loved him enough to let him go. It
was best for everyone involved. Her shame to know she aided her
brother’s despicable actions aside, she did it for the man she
loved.

Julian deserved better than to be
mocked for his poverty. She thought of how the nobles all laughed
at him behind his back. He was observed stealing food from the
buffet tables at many events. He only went out of necessity, having
no idea how he was ridiculed throughout the ton for it. Eustace
enjoyed telling her how her lover was ridiculed. It was said that
when Lord Vale was in attendance, one needed only to count the
bread rolls when he left, not the silver. Thoughts of his
humiliation made her eyes grow murky. She felt sick at that moment,
overwhelmed by all that happened that day.

Arianne got up and ran to the chamber
pot, dry heaves keeping her bent over when a knock was heard at the
door. She returned to the divan on shaking legs. A maid came in
with a tea tray and frowned at her pale features.

“
Are ye alright, Lady
Ravensford?” the maid introduced as Molly asked, her plain features
composed in concern. “Ye don’t appear well at all, mum.”

“
It’s merely nerves, Molly,”
Arianne replied stiffly, wanting to cry as she leaned back to
soothe her rolling stomach. Molly left her and she sipped her tea
as her bags and trunk arrived. Molly put her gowns and her other
things away and saw about her bath.

Arianne closed her eyes and dreaded the
coming evening. How could she sit across and dine from Ravensford?
How could she pretend like she wasn’t terrified of what was to
follow? She felt dismay to think of his laying one hand upon
her.

Molly woke her when the water arrived
for her bath. Arianne couldn’t complain of her bed. She hadn’t
slept so well in the days leading up to the ceremony. Conflicting
doubts of what she was doing assailed her at all hours. The guilt
ate at her and denied her rest.

Arianne bathed and Molly picked out a
dress for her. It was a faded lavender silk gown and modest enough.
Molly tied her corset tightly. She swayed and thought she would run
to the chamber pot again.

She avoided her own eyes in the mirror
as the maid did her hair. Her self-loathing made her unable to
stomach the sight of herself. All the reasons she did this came to
mind; good reasons, all. She wept of it when Molly left her,
feeling like she would burn in the fiery pits of hell one day for
her actions.

Molly did an admirable job on her pale
blonde hair, piling it into a charming upswept style with loose
tendrils around her shoulders. She glanced down at the band of gold
on her finger and squeezed her eyes shut for what was to
come.

Her head swam as she stood up too fast
from the dressing table, her hand going out to grasp the chair to
keep from fainting. Her nerves were unsteady as she went down
below. She could delay no longer.

The marquis was there already, seated
at one end of the twenty-foot dining table. He looked handsome and
aloof in dark evening wear. His rich auburn hair shone under the
many taper’s glow. Those emerald eyes flicked over her with
disdain.

Ravensford refused to rise when she
entered, or even move any closer to her, preferring the distance.
His unwavering eyes unnerved her as the butler rushed to seat her
at once. His annoyance at her tardiness was obvious by his
expression of disapproval. She quailed as he dissected her
appearance.

“
Don’t tell me you have only
that unsightly rag to wear to dinner?” Garret asked coolly. She
felt tears burn at the back of her eyes at his harsh criticism. He
was right. The gown had seen better days. It was her best. She
fought the urge to run and hide from his disdainful look. “I
suppose you will need new clothes, eh? Very well, I’ll inform
Phillips in the morning.”

“
You needn’t go to the
trouble, my lord.” She nearly jumped from his bark of
laughter.

Garret eyed her in disgust, tossing
down his fork. It clattered onto his plate. “I’ll not have you
running about in rags to humiliate me, girl. I can spare enough for
some new gowns. Mr. Phillips will see you have the funds. A
dressmaker in the village will see to it.”

Arianne swallowed hard under his
unrelenting stare. The servants arrived. The many courses were
served. She skipped most for broth and only picked at the duckling.
Her stomach roiled at the asparagus soup was put in front of her,
turning as green as it, before she pushed it away.

“
You aren’t hungry, my
dear?” Garret asked in his well-modulated voice as he toyed with a
sprig of green grapes, his long fingers rolling them in his hand.
“The cook at Ravensford Hall is quite exceptional.”

“
No, my lord,” Arianne
replied quietly, eyes glued to her uneaten plate, avoiding looking
up at him. “I’m not feeling well.”

“
You look very healthy to
me,” Garret commented warmly as he sipped his wine, plucking a
grape and launching it at her when she refused to look at him. It
landed upon her plate before it rolled away onto the floor, forcing
her to engage him. “You don’t appear sick at all. One would think
you dread the evening ahead. I apologize if I was a rutting boar
the first time I came to your bed, my dear. It was no doubt the
drink. That will not be the case tonight.”

“
Please stop, my lord!”
Arianne begged in a voice tinged with hysteria, her hands twisting
her napkin in her lap. “You’ve made your contempt of me rather
obvious. I would like to go lie down, if I may?”

“
Oh you will lie down,
Arianne. Make no mistake in that.” Garret plucked another grape.
This one he managed to dunk down the front of her bodice, chortling
in amusement at his success. She jumped in fright, glaring at his
childish antics. “I plan on keeping you off your feet until I
leave, dear wife.”

“
Must you be so crude, my
lord?” She regarded him in annoyance, wanting to fish out the grape
and throw it back at him, angered at his continued baiting of her.
“We are married. Might you try to put the means behind us? I’m
sorry my brother’s actions brought us to this, but there is no help
for it now.”

“
How many times have you
gone to a man’s bed to help your brother?” Garret ignored her
shocked expression and gasp of denial. “Come, come, do not play coy
anymore, my dear. I would know how many men you’ve used. I won’t be
mocked for your licentious behavior behind my back. I would know
what to expect, at the very least.”

“
You’re contemptible for
even suggesting such a—”

Garret chuckled outright, cutting off
her denials. “My dear wife, I didn’t fall off a damned turnip wagon
in the night. You chose your mark poorly if you thought that. You
would have me believe I was the first in all things, and we both
know you lied.”

“
I will not be spoken to in
such a manner.” Arianne glared down the length of the table at him.
“You can think what you wish, but I never did anything of a sort
before.”

“
Why now, if that is true?”
Garret leaned forward, his eyes boring into hers. “Why set upon me,
madam? I have a right to know that much, don’t I? You owe me that
for ruining what was quite a happy life until now.”

Arianne flinched under his condemning
stare. He had every right to know the truth. She took a deep
breath. “Eustace was getting threats from those he owed money. They
threatened to kill him if he didn’t pay his debts. He saw your
invitation as a means to an end.”

“
So you cheerfully chucked
your gown and clambered into bed with me?” He laughed derisively,
making her face flame. “Your sympathy for your brother is most
touching, Arianne. Again, how often did you feel such a
sisterly urge
to help
him?”

“
You were the only one, my
lord! You must believe me—”

His snort of disbelief cut off what she
might have said. “I think we both know you’re no innocent, my
dear.” His eyes traced her face and lowered to the snug bodice of
her gown. “There is no point in lying anymore. The cat will be out
of the bag very soon. I look forward to it.”

“
Stop it!” she cried, tears
brightening her gaze. “I had no more choice in this than you.
Eustace gets his way in all things. If not you, it would have been
some other he would have sought.”

Garret digested her tearful words with
a scowl. “You handle your brother pimping you out quite remarkably,
my dear. Forgive me if I assumed you were used to it.”

“
There were no others, as I
said! You’re despicable to even suggest such a thing! I would have
n-never…never… ever agreed to that!”

“
You did agree to it
though.” Garret tossed down his napkin, his green eyes filled with
distaste. “How contradictory your words are now, my dear? Should I
feel privileged in some way to know you dispensed with your morals
and integrity on my account? I’m indeed flattered I brought out the
worst in you, my sweet.”

“
Do you wish to continue to
berate me for the rest of my days?”

“
No, you will have no luxury
of anymore of my time after tonight, girl,” he informed her coldly.
“After tonight, I will forget I ever laid eyes upon you and your
damned brother.”

“
I wish to retire, my lord.”
Arianne pushed back her chair, determined to get away from this
angry, unrelenting man who delighted in tormenting her.

Garret sipped his wine and sat back to
eye her in amusement. “You leave when I allow you to, dear
wife.”

“
You couldn’t possibly want
my company,” she protested and looked down. “I would apologize, but
you’d likely not wish to hear it.”

“
You can tell me how sorry
you are when I come to you,” he replied and chuckled at her
expression of doom. “I can think of many ways for you to make
amends.”

“
Must you be so disgusting
in your intentions, my lord?”

“
Disgusting, am I?” Garret
chuckled in amusement. “I’ll have you know, many women appreciate
your husband’s
disgusting
intentions, my dear. After tonight, so too, will
you.”

“
You cannot wish
to—”

“
Oh yes, I wish to very
much, dear wife,” Garret went on, his lips curving. “In fact, I
wish to so much, you can be excused to your room now.” He raised
his glass to her mockingly. “I will join you in due time. I can see
you can hardly wait to get me alone. ”

Arianne left then, practically running
back to her room, fretting his intent to join her. The thought of
what he would force upon her made her weep inconsolably until she
had no tears left. In those few hours, her nerves were stretched
taut.

Molly came and helped her undress. She
bit her lip as the maid helped her into a sheer silk night rail and
left her. Arianne paced as time seemed to drag on, waiting and
dreading his coming to her room. Thoughts of anyone touching her
besides Julian made her tremble with unease and despair.

Revulsion masked her features as she
sat at her dressing table. She felt miserable to know she had to
meet this last part of the bargain. The truth devastated her and
made her feel unclean. As much as she wished to avoid such dismal
facts, she couldn’t. The desperate situation she was in came to
mind.

She reminded herself she did it for
Juliann, hiding behind her love for him in those moments. While he
would have railed at her for making such decisions for them both,
she felt she had no choice.

While she consoled herself marrying
Ravensford solved all their problems, she hadn’t considered the
marquis’s thoughts on the subject. No, she hadn’t considered his
feelings at all when she made this rash decision to marry him. She
felt dismayed to know in those few seconds it took to agree to
Eustace’s plans, she’d not given the man one moment’s reflection.
For that alone; she deserved his wrath.

Thinking of lying with a virtual
stranger made her recoil and balk with shame. This was another
matter she’d not considered back in London. No, she’d not thought
it through. All she thought about was securing her lover’s future
and saving her brother’s hide. Her own protection was not far from
the back of her mind, as well.

While it solved everyone’s problems for
her to go through with deceiving the marquis, she hadn’t considered
the reality of it. The means to an end was coming to her bed this
night, leaving a mark upon her that was very much
self-inflicted.

Closing her eyes with resolve, she
heard footsteps outside her room. Stiffening with dread, she turned
to see him enter her room.

~ ~ ~

His wife looked like she would jump out
of her own skin.

Garret almost regretted his taunting
her of the wedding night when he saw her frightened features. He
watched her now, acting like a terrified rabbit and him the wolf.
He questioned his allowing this farce once more.

It was unlike him to cave under such
obvious tactics. Garret might have been raised a gentleman, but he
never succumbed to a lady’s wiles before. He’d despoiled his fair
share of ladies over the years, never having to pay the piper. His
wily solicitor always intervened, paying off the lady’s family or
husband. Thomas Helms always bailed him out of such scrapes in the
past. Why he didn’t tell Helms of this nagged at him.