Brocade Series 02 - Giselle (14 page)

It was obvious she was the main attraction
. Even Esmee and Aunt Mimi were staring at her, and they should know better. So
Giselle sat, a champagne glass in her hand and waited for her
mama to finish her words.

“I
mean…he’s different from what I remember. Can
he…I
mean, is he…still capable? After all, I am your mama, and the Lord
knows I have some experience in these matters.”

Navarre still hadn’t come down, and Giselle wondered what
was keeping him.

“Your papa spoke to me last night about the…situation
. He’s
at Versailles Palace, you know. Awaiting an audience.”

“No.” Giselle turned away so the
comtesse
wouldn’t see her
expression. “I didn’t know.”

She immediately knew what was being inferred
. Her papa was
petitioning the king for an annulment. Not for Giselle’s sake. But because the
comte
wanted Savignen Valley back. It was crude of
him, but he’d already proven that emotion toward the Berchalds.

Giselle sat there, wondering what she should say
. It
would be so simple. She could return to her tower… and everything would go back as before
.

“He’s
so worried about you, Child.”

Her papa
? Worried about Giselle?

“
He asked me to speak with you of it.
He would be here himself, but you know how men are about such
things. Always the property and negotiating it is with them. I
wonder sometimes, how they expect….”

Giselle ceased listening
. Navarre had appeared at the top of the
stairs. She couldn’t have prevented the quickening in her pulse any more than she could have stopped breathing. And that’s when she knew.

She could
n’t let the
comte
get the annulment…but how was she supposed
to feign love for a husband she detested? It wasn’t possible. She wasn’t deceitful enough to speak such lies. And then Navarre entered the room
.

All her inner turmoil fell to nothing
. She no
longer questioned anything. It was simple. If she hadn’t been
affianced and wed to Etienne, she would never have met Navarre. Never known this feeling. This…quickening of the senses.

Her escape was
right in front of her. Waiting. All she had to do was say the words.
Giselle’s lips opened so she could breathe better.

Love was too strong.

She’d turned back to her mama and smiled shyly, and with that came an easy lie. “Etienne is
every bit a man, Mama. Truly. Now, if you’ll excuse me?”

Giselle crossed to join Navarre
at the landing. She counseled herself to show nothing, although any lingering guests might think her worried over Etienne as well, wouldn’t they?

Giselle stood at Navarre’s elbow as they said farewell to th
ose
guests who were leaving. She only glanced up twice to see if he’d
look. He didn’t. She was disappointed. She
hoped it didn’t show.

Mama was leaving
. Other guests
had rooms for the night. Esmee, Navarre and Aunt
Mimi stayed at the doors, waiting for those who were staying to seek
their chambers. Giselle wondered why. She wasn’t going to bed without some answers.

Gis
elle didn’t recall what words they spoke. She
watched as Esmee hinted at further invitations, while Navarre bid
their guests
adieu
and kissed the ladies’ hands.

“
That was horrid,” Esmee said finally as the family entered the blue salon and the doors were shut behind them. “Wretched. And I
never want to spend another evening covering for him. How can you
allow—?”

“Not now.”
Navarre stopped her angry words with the same low tone he used on Etienne.

“Then when
? I’ve spent years saving the Berchald name, and
he ruins it in one evening! I don’t know how I can face—”

“
I said, not now!”

Esmee’s lips set, and she
glared at Giselle before turning aside.

“Come sit beside me,
Giselle.”

Aunt Mimi patted the
blue striped
settee.
Giselle looked from her to Navarre and then Esmee. Nothing
was spoken, but they were deciding something. She could sense it. And this was maddening! Giselle looked at Navarre again and he finally met her glance. Her
heart lurched, differently than before, as she read the emotion in his eyes. It wasn’t love. It was misery. And pain.

“Go to her, Giselle.” He gestured to his aunt.

“But Navarre…I must know if it’s true.” Giselle blinked away the
moisture that had instantly coated her eyes.

“Not now, Giselle.” He turned away and started walking
toward the doors
.

“That’s not fair
! I lied about the state of my…my marriage….”
the words were choking her, “and you say not now? To me? Then,
when?”

He stopped and the sigh that ran his frame was easy for her to
spot. It lifted his shoulders.

“
Tomorrow. After luncheon.”

“Tomorrow
? But—”

“
I will not speak of such things now. Not here. I usually ride after luncheon. I will be available to you then. You can accompany me if you like.”

If she liked
?
She was to ride. With Navarre? Alone again? Her heart was giving her trouble as it went faster, while her breath was a match. She had to concentrate in order to answer without giving anything away.

“Very good.”

Giselle saw Aunt Mimi’s nod at her answer through the corner
of her eye. She was amazed the words came out as dull and bland as
they did. That was two lies in one evening. . And there would be a heavy penance to pay. But maybe…just maybe…it wouldn’t come too soon.

Giselle rubbed at her eyes. She’d surprised herself by
sleeping deeply. The connecting door still puzzled her, though. But not enough to continue looking at it. Her neck ached, and the headboard felt so hot against her back, it started a sweat at the back
of her neck. So hot… So…alive.

Mon Dieu
!

Giselle flipped over to face Etienne, frightened at
the sight of her husband, and he knew it. She couldn’t disguise it. She pulled at the sheets to cover herself, her mouth
gaping as she started shaking.

“Bonjour
.”
He greeted her and then he smiled.

Giselle
went icy, the sensation depleting her strength. Sapping her will. Stilling her thoughts.

“Do I still frighten you, little one?”

Etienne reached for her as he
said it. Giselle jerked back, toppling over from
the unaccustomed weight of the turban-wrapped hair. He found her
amusing. Laugher filled the room.

“Oh, come, Giselle
. I won’t harm you.”

He
moved closer as he spoke, using his arms and shoulders. Giselle lifted her head as she felt the mattress moving, while her jaw dropped. And then her eyes went wide. Oh no! Etienne’s upper torso was thick with muscle…and nothing else. He was naked in her bed?

Non,
non,
and
non.

Giselle
lunged for the edge, tossing the bedcovers at him in her
haste. She heard his chuckling again.

“You’re very beautiful, Giselle
…but I’m certain you’ve already heard that before, especially from my littlest brother, eh?”

Giselle was grateful the room was
dark. He couldn’t see the guilt flood her.
The morning glow behind the draperies shed just enough light to reveal his nakedness against the
white sheets.

Tiens
!
She hadn’t looked away fast enough.

“
You can run, but I can’t chase you, you know.”

He leaned back against the
headboard, his arms behind his head as he said it. Giselle knew he was studying her. She didn’t look again to see
it. She felt his regard as an unpleasant shiver up her back
.

She
’d also been stupid with her nightgown. She had several thicker ones. Anything would have been better than the filmy thing she had on. He had slept in her bed, and she snuggled
against him as if he were the headboard? Giselle felt ill at the thought, and then went cold all over.

“It’s warmer back here with me.”

“Why…are you here?”

Giselle started searching for her dressing gown as she asked it.

“Why? I’m fulfilling your request, of course. My rooms are being cleaned.
Isn’t that what you instructed?”

He chuckled again
.
It wasn’t funny, and the dressing gown seemed to have grown
more sleeves. Giselle turned both of them right side in, before finding another one. She tossed it aside, barely stopping her cry of
frustration. She also stopped the rash of words.
She hadn’t
considered the consequences of her command. She’d been testing her authority over
Madame
Dessard. She never intended
Etienne to actually sleep with her. How could she have?

“
Come, Giselle. Stop this nonsense and come
back to bed. It’s warmer in here. With me.”

She shook her head.

“You weren’t so cold to me before you woke. You found me
quite comfortable. You snuggled against me. I know. I watched
you.”

He watched me?

How could she bear it? It felt like she’d betrayed the most
beautiful thing she’d ever experienced – her newly discovered love for Navarre! And yet, she’d
snuggled against
Etienne…and didn’t even know it?

She should have said something to her mama last night
. That’s what she should have done.
Perhaps Papa would relent and let her rejoin the family after all….

No
!
Giselle thought. The
comte
didn’t deserve Savignen Valley back. But what else could she do?
What?

“Come back to
bed, Giselle. See sense. It’s quite cold
out there. You can’t hide it, you know. And I’m still a man. I can tell
. You might as well be naked.”

Giselle’s face flamed as she crossed her arms about herself
.
Only a blunt, uncouth barbarian would say such a thing! She knew
the sound she made resembled a snarl, but it was more. It was a wound to the heart. She’d betrayed her love for Navarre!

“You must obey me, Giselle
. You do know that, don’t you?”

He was trying to cajole her now? He might as well save his
effort.

“
I said I watched you, and it’s true. I’ve been awake most of
the night, thinking. I made a spectacle of myself last night. You have my word
it won’t happen again.”

“
I don’t believe you.”

The words were out before she could
stop them. Giselle was amazed at her own daring.

“Why not?”

Because drunkards can’t hold to promises!
She longed to
shout the words, but held her tongue.

“Come along, Giselle. My patience isn’t that long.”

“You drink too much,” she said bluntly.

He laughed, and Giselle narrowed her eyes
. It seemed Etienne
was enjoying the situation.

“So
? I can’t walk, either. Pity about both.
Anything else?”

“
I don’t know you.”

“True
enough. I hardly know you either. What of it? You’re
still my wife, and I’m your husband. You’ve womanly curves, too. I
appreciate that.”

Giselle gasped. “You’re
—That’s so—it’s…lewd.” She
was flustered, and the words sounded it.

The room grew lighter, and she saw him clearly as he leaned
forward. “Lewd? Interesting word choice. I don’t think I mind that
you find me so. Truly. So, you’ve found a few of my defects. I have
them. Who doesn’t? If you look beyond them, you’ll see I’m just a man, all the same. A man who happens to be your husband. I grow tired of repeating myself. Come back here. Now.”

He no longer sounded pleasant, he sounded menacing, and just
last night she’d likened him to a small boy? That had been naïve. She backed a step, and then another.

“Do you wish me to fetch a servant to make you obey
? Or perhaps I’ll summon my brother. Navarre will see to it that you do your duty. He’ll see to it
that you join your husband. He has no other choice. Is that what you want, Giselle?”

The moment he said the name,
Giselle stopped. And then she started walking back to
him, forcing one step after the next.
Having that threat carried out was the worst
thing she could imagine. She wondered if Etienne knew that.

He
wouldn’t quit staring as she reached the pedestal and stepped up. She had to turn aside from the blatant masculinity of his chest. Her eyes filled with tears. Her heart thudded, and each beat sent pain. She blinked rapidly at the velvet texture of her coverlet.

“You see? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

She couldn’t answer. If she did, he’d know what she
was trying to staunch.

“
Now…if only you’d do it willingly, and not at the threat of my little
brother’s presence, all would be well,
non?
You’ll work on that?”

Giselle
nodded.

“Tres bien
.
Come closer now.”

She shook with the effort, but leaned into the mattress. Wads
of material in her hands kept her steady as her eyes overflowed with
tears.

“Now give me a kiss.”

She couldn’t even face him and he wanted a kiss? He
wanted her to touch his lips with her own? Giselle slammed her eyes
shut to the horror of it, and didn’t care that the tears slid off her chin
and down her throat.

She’d found purgatory, and it wasn’t part of any afterlife. It
was here. Now. The Bible and the priests hadn’t been succinct
. Giselle’s hands crushed the velvet into her palms and
she concentrated on how that felt. Any sensation was better than feeling
the touch of Etienne’s lips against hers.

She’d have to cancel her
riding plans with Navarre. She couldn’t
face him. Not now. Maybe never. A knot formed in her throat, choking her
. A roar that sounded like thunderous rain pounded through each ear, so loud she almost didn’t hear Etienne’s snort
.

Her eyes opened
.
He hadn’t moved at all. He didn’t expect her to crawl up
into the bed beside him, did he?

“You’re still a maid?” he asked
. “What stupidity is this? You asked for me, Giselle. I thought it meant—.” He stopped and ran his
fingers through his long, blond hair, and then glared at her. “This is impossible! I don’t want a sacrificial lamb I have to deflower! What
fool would?
I’m
not even certain I can function, and now you toss
this in? I certainly can’t if you shrink from me. What were you
thinking? I need a woman, not an unfledged girl! I need passion and heat, not
tears and virginity.
Merde!
”

Giselle heard the pain in his voice and looked away
. He didn’t
want her virginity? Only a fool would? What did that mean?

“
I don’t know what I was thinking. Or why. And I already have two sons — Jacques and Rene. I don’t need you! As God is my
witness, I don’t know why I’m even here. Be gone from my sight! This moment! Go! I don’t want maidenly fears. I don’t want pity. And I can’t abide tears! Go! Let me rest in peace.”

His voice grew
loud and bitter the longer he railed at her.
Giselle didn’t wait for the end of it. She tripped in her haste and fell to her knees beside the pedestal. She drew a quick
cross of thankfulness on her breast before fleeing, pushing past rows
of ball gowns to search for a place to hide in the wardrobe where she could sob in privacy. She
didn’t care if the servants found her there.

It would serve the
duc
right.

~

There were too many people in her wardrobe room.

Giselle told them twice before Louisa finally had Gerty leave
. Giselle wasn’t
listening to any of their entreaties, either. She didn’t care how the
duchesse
should behave. She knew what she wanted. She wanted
her hair washed out, an ensemble set out for riding, and some
answers.

“This would have been more convenient if you bathed in your chamber, Giselle
,” Louisa told her. “I can’t imagine why we must make
do with this enclosure. We are being pressured by your clothing, and
you might splash. What would happen to your dresses, then?”

“
I don’t care.”

“Mai oui,
you’re stubborn today.”

“Call it what you will.”

“This is a wardrobe chamber, Giselle, not a bathing room.
It’s so small we’re tripping over each other to serve you.”

“Send Gerty and the others away then. Isabelle may stay.”

“You can’t make do with such a small staff, Giselle.
Especially with this coiffure. It’ll take time to undo. What possessed
you to—”

Giselle interrupted her. “
I will not issue my orders again,
Louisa. I will not argue them either. I bathe in here. Then,
I’m
going riding. Etienne isn’t going to watch me. And unless
you want the rest of the household to know why, you’d better make
sure all these people are sent away. Away! Do you hear me?”

“It shall be as you wish,
Madame le Duchesse.”

Louisa bowed formally and dismissed Gerty
. Giselle knew
tales of her bathing in the wardrobe room would grow until they’d
think she’d used a closet. That was a misnomer. This room was easily as large as her tower in Chateau
Antilli, and would have been convenient except for the dresses
cluttering both sides of the available space.