The Price of Deception (32 page)

Philippe glared at them. His eyes were heavy with
pain and grief. “Leroy and I went to the police as soon as I
discovered what she had done. They have sent officers to check
train stations and directed telegrams to nearby port authorities to
be on the lookout. I fear it’s too late.”

“I promise you that I shall do everything in my power
to find my wife and your daughter. You have my word.”

Philippe merely shook his head and shot an accusatory
glance at Robert. “Your word? I put as much trust in your word as
the pot I piss in.” He turned away. “Get out of my house—both of
you and take that bastard son of yours. Get out and never come
back.” Philippe stomped down the hallway in the other
direction.

Suzette let go of Robert, lurched forward after her
husband, and grasped his arm. “Please,” she pleaded, “Forgive me,
Philippe. Forgive me. I cannot leave until I hear you’ve forgiven
me. I never meant to hurt you.”

He stopped, turned, and looked at her fingers wrapped
around his sleeve. “I will never forgive you, Suzette.” He seized
her hand and pushed it off his body, repulsed by her touch. “I will
file for divorce quickly, so I can be rid of you. As long as I
live, I don’t ever wish to look upon your face again.”

Philippe pulled away from Suzette, walked into the
nearby parlor, and closed the door. She spun around and looked at
Robert, who stood silently only a few feet away. His blue eyes
dimmed in the sorrow of the moment, and he held out his hand toward
Suzette.

“What have we done?” Suzette cried.

Leroy, who still stood nearby, shook his head and
walked down the hallway to the servants’ quarters.

“We’ve only followed our hearts,” answered Robert.
“God forgive me for not being able to live without you.”

Suzette looked at the man she loved. Her heart felt
crushed under the weight of sorrow, but it struggled to live for
the sake of what awaited.

“I’ll get our son.” Suzette ran upstairs to Robert’s
room. She slowly opened the door and found him sitting on the edge
of the bed with a forlorn look upon his face. He must have sensed
something wasn’t right in the world around him, because his
countenance was filled with apprehension.

“Mommy, is everything okay?” He looked at her with
worrisome eyes. “I heard yelling downstairs.”

“Yes, honey, everything is all right,” Suzette
assured him with a calm voice. “You and I are going to take a trip,
sweetheart. Give me your hand, and let’s go downstairs. That nice
man you met in the park is going to take us to his home, and you
can ride his pony.”

“Really?” He jumped to his feet and grasped Suzette’s
hand.

“Really.” Uncontrollable tears streamed down her
face. Suzette walked him out the door. They passed the nursery, and
for a brief moment, she stopped and glanced inside.

“I’m afraid your sister won’t be coming with us.”

“How come?”

“She’s gone away for a while.”

“Okay,” he innocently replied. Robert released her
hand and ran down the staircase, oblivious to Suzette’s heartache.
When he saw the Duke standing by the doorway, he ran up to him.
Robert flashed a bright smile.

Suzette ordered Leroy to get their suitcases and load
them on the carriage. He complied without saying a word. When done,
she wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and put on her favorite
hat. Suzette, in shock of all that occurred, trembled as she looked
at Robert standing in the doorway, waiting to depart.

“I think, Monsieur, that I am ready to visit your
homeland, as is my son.”

“Can I ride the pony when we get there?”

Robert bent down and lifted the boy into his arms.
“Of course you can, son.”

Suzette glanced behind her one more time, reliving in
her mind the last time she had left Paris for a new life abroad.
Something in her heart told her this time it would be for good.
Paris would never be her home again, nor would she ever visit the
pit of her father’s grave containing his bones.

“I’m ready,” she announced, with a bittersweet smile
upon her face. “Take us to your home, Duke Holland.”

Chapter Twenty
Seven

Robert returned to London fraught with worry over
what lay ahead. The trip with Suzette, his son, and Giles went
well, but his soul agonized over his wife’s actions. His suspicions
of an unsound mind had been confirmed but at what price? It would
have been painful enough for Suzette to leave her daughter with
Philippe, but knowing now that she had been kidnapped made the
matter far more horrendous.

As the boat traversed the English Channel, Robert
tried to think of where Jacquelyn would go and how would she take
care of herself. Even more so, he brooded over how he could be
freed from their marriage. The prospects were as gloomy as the line
of gray clouds over the horizon that threatened rain upon their
docking.

“Are you all right?” Suzette asked, leaning into him
as they walked the deck. Giles had agreed to watch Robert while
they took a few moments for themselves.

“I should ask you that question, love, after all
you’ve been through.” He exhaled a long, drawn-out sigh and tugged
her closer to his side. “It’s my wife.” He paused. “God how I hate
that word associated with that woman,” he moaned. “When I say the
word
wife
, I wish to think of you—not her.”

“Robert, tell me the truth. Will you be able to
divorce?”

“It depends. We’ll have to wait first to see if the
authorities find her. I’ll hire a private detective in Paris to get
on the trail as soon as we reach home.”

“Home—that sound so strange,” Suzette admitted. “Are
you going to take us directly to your estate, Robert, or will
you—?”

“To my estate,” he replied emphatically, interrupting
any thought of Suzette’s that she would be elsewhere. “I shall not
shove the two of you into some hotel to be on your own while I deal
with the legal matters. My estate is large, and there are many
rooms to share.” He paused for a moment, despairing his other
obstacle. Robert turned toward Suzette and grabbed both of her
hands.

“You’ll meet my mother.” He hesitated to warn her of
the cold reception that she would probably receive. “I’m afraid the
introduction may turn out to be quite unpleasant. She was very
attached to Jacquelyn, and her acceptance of you will not come
easily. In fact, the Dowager Duchess can be rather vocal when it
comes to a disapproving opinion.”

“I’m afraid to meet her. She’ll hate me, Robert, I’m
sure,” Suzette assumed. “Does she know anything about me?”

“She knows I’ve kept a mistress, but I have not
spoken your name to her. Hopefully, she’ll understand your place in
my life, once I introduce our son.”

“I don’t know if I can handle this, Robert.”

“You’ll be fine,” he assured her, bringing Suzette
into his arms. “It will be uncomfortable at first, but by and by my
mother will grow to love you both. I’m sure of it. It will just
take time.”

“Will we ever marry?”

“I will do everything in my power to make that
happen, no matter what the cost to me personally, financially, or
socially. I promise.” Suzette did not reply, and he wondered if she
doubted his vow.

“Look, Suzette,” Robert pointed ahead. “The white
cliffs of Dover.” A smile spread across his face at the sight of
his homeland. “We should find Giles and Robert. Soon we’ll be
docking and catching the train to London.”

“Yes, I remember.” Suzette squeezed his hand tightly.
“I remember how tired I was when we boarded the train. This time, I
feel exhilarated, with only a slight bit of trepidation in my soul
for what lies ahead.”

“Do not fear, Suzette. I told you once before that I
would take care of you, and I will never break my promise to you.”
He squeezed her hand in return. “Let’s find the rest of the family,
shall we?”

* * * *

Tired from the long trip, Robert was happy when the
carriage pulled into the tree-lined lane of his estate. Even though
it had only been a few months since he left, it seemed like years.
Everything looked different to him, in an odd sort of way.
Jacquelyn would not be there to greet him, and he was sure he would
never see her again.

“Oh, Robert how splendid your home appears.” Suzette
gawked at the stately manor and extensive lands that surrounded the
building.

“I probably should have told you ahead of time what
to expect.”

The land of his ancestors and the estate were an
integral part of Robert’s personality that he had never shared with
Suzette before. “The estate residence was built in the 1700’s by my
great grandfather, Thomas Holland.”

He thought of the portraits that lined the walls and
their expressions, which might alarm Suzette. “Don’t mind the
scowls on the painted faces of my family,” he warned. “The Holland
line has been far too stoic in character for centuries, as far as
I’m concerned,” he added, justifying his rebellious traits.

“I’m overwhelmed just looking at it,” Suzette
admitted.

“Where’s the horses?” little Robert impatiently
queried, stretching his neck in all directions searching for a
pony.

Robert chuckled over his son’s enthusiasm. “I imagine
at this time of the day they’re in the stables having oats,” he
warmly smiled. “Later on you’ll see them in the pasture to the west
of the house, over there in the grassy knoll.” He pointed his son
in that direction.

The wheels slowed, pulled up to the front entrance of
Robert’s home, and came to a stop. Conscientious footmen ran out
and opened the carriage door, then stood at attention.

“My staff is uniformed and quite formal,” Robert
added. “Don’t let them intimidate you, sweetheart.”

A footman lowered the steps and offered his
white-gloved hand to Suzette, who took it and stepped down onto the
pebbled drive. A brisk wind swept by, lifting the corner of her
hat, and she quickly grasped it with one hand. Her eyes darted
about the large stone façade with its metal-pane windows and
multiple chimneys dotting the rooftop. On the other side of the
carriage, a small pond with a fountain in the center shot straight
up into the air and then fell in a beautiful cascade.

Robert stood by her for a moment watching her
reaction to his home that had been so familiar to him throughout
his lifetime. Suzette appeared awestruck.

“Look, Mommy, ducks!” shouted Robert.

“Yes, I see,” she answered. She clung to his hand, so
he wouldn’t run off.

“Come on, love,” Robert invited her endearingly. He
escorted her into the foyer. A flurry of servants greeted the group
at the door, grabbing coats, hats, and fussing over them like
royalty.

Giles ordered the footmen to unload the trunks and
luggage, then looked to Robert for directions.

“Put them in the west wing, in the room of suites
that face the hills.”

“Fine choice.” He nodded in agreement.

“What would you like to do?” He turned to Suzette and
Robert. “If you need some time to relax and unwind before
introductions, that might be a prudent course of action,” he
suggested. “Giles can show you to your rooms. I’ll have a
chambermaid assigned to you post haste, and then when you’re
settled you can choose a new lady’s maid if you wish.”

“I am tired,” Suzette admitted.

“Good, rest and clean up, both of you, and we’ll have
dinner at 7 o’clock. My butler will call for you.”

“All right.” Suzette answered meekly, looking tired
and overwhelmed.

“I should warn you, we tend to dress formally for
supper. It’s a family tradition my mother prefers.”

“We’ll be ready,” she assured him. Suzette took her
son’s hand. Bewilderment spread across her face as she glanced
about her strange surroundings. She suddenly looked frightened.

Robert hadn’t considered the time it would take for
Suzette to adjust to his world and his manner of life. They blended
so well together in every other way both physically and
emotionally. He suddenly questioned if they would blend together
otherwise. Hopefully, she would settle in and find her place in the
Holland estate, because one day she would assume the role of
Duchess.

* * * *

Suzette rifled through the few things she had brought
with her to England. Finding an appropriate dress for a formal
dinner occasion proved quite difficult. Hopefully, Robert would
help her rebuild her wardrobe. Already she had begun to feel
somewhat overwhelmed and out of place.

Robert’s estate turned out to be much larger than she
ever imagined. The household staff continually scurried about
everywhere. From what she could tell from traveling from the foyer
to the west wing, the enormous residence brimmed with family
treasures in art and furnishings.

As Robert indicated, his butler by the name of Mr.
Winston, came and announced that dinner was served. Appearing to be
in his fifties, gray, and stocky, with a serious look in his eye,
his announcement slipped through his lips coolly. Suzette couldn’t
help but wonder if the staff knew what had transpired between
Robert and his wife. Would she be getting the cold shoulder from
everyone because of her arrival?

“Thank you, Mr. Winston,” she replied, holding
Robert’s hand. “If you would be so kind as to escort me to the
dining room, I would appreciate it. I’m afraid I do not know the
way.”

“Of course, Madame,” he said, somberly. “I’d be happy
to oblige your request.”

The formal atmosphere stifled Suzette.
No doubt,
the Dowager Duchess will be ten times worse,
she thought to
herself. She followed closely behind the impeccably dressed butler,
studying his formal attire and attitude.

“Robert, be on your best behavior,” she reminded him,
with a squeeze of her hand. “We are guests of very important
people, and I want you to make a good impression.”

“Yes, Mommy.” He turned his head left and right at
the portraits lining the halls.