by Jenna Brandt
It was their turn. “Lord Michel Robineau, the Marquis de Badour, and Lady Margaret Wellesley, the Countess of Renwick.” Margaret curtsied and Michel bowed to the imperial couple.
“We are pleased to meet you, Lady Margaret, and you are welcome again, Lord Robineau.”
The emperor seemed to be staring at her for an uncommon amount of time. Was it her imagination or was he showing her an excessive amount of interest?
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Margaret said.
“Your majesty does us a great honor with an invitation for this evening’s festivities,” Michel stated.
“The pleasure is ours. We are glad that you brought this fair lady to join us.”
There it was again. He seemed to be paying an abnormal amount of attention to her. She had not heard him speak this much to any of the previous people in the processional line.
Margaret glanced over at the empress, and by the sudden dissatisfied look on her face, it did not seem she was thrilled with the attention the emperor was paying to Margaret.
“I am glad that it pleases, Your Majesty,” Michel stated.
“We will see you in the ball shortly, Lord Robineau, Lady Margaret.”
The interaction left Margaret perplexed. Had he been flirting with her? She had heard that he engaged in “petite distractions” with other women, but would he be so bold as to hint he would be interested in her, especially in front of the empress and the man courting her? He was the emperor; maybe he felt he could do whatever he wanted without regard for anyone else.
“I am going to need to keep my eye on you tonight. The emperor seems to be taken with you. Of course, who would blame him? You are remarkable.”
Margaret blushed. She had hoped that Michel had not been aware of the emperor’s apparent notice of her. She had been patiently waiting for the marquis to propose, and she did not want this to delay it from happening. What if he thought this was always going to happen? Men often were interested in her, but she was a loyal wife. She hoped he gave her the chance to prove it.
“I think you are reading more into the situation than what is actually there.”
“Either way, you are going to find me hard-pressed to leave your side.”
She stopped and turned to face Michel. “Do you think he has a chance with me?”
He furrowed his brows together. “Do you want him to have a chance?”
She stepped closer to Michel and replied, “Do you want him to have a chance?”
Michel moved forward until they were only inches apart. She could feel his breath on her face as she waited for him to respond. “No, I do not.”
“Then what are you going to do about it?”
He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into an embrace. “This,” he said, as he leaned down and claimed her mouth with his own. The kiss was hesitant at first, but as she allowed it to continue, he deepened it. She let herself melt into his arms.
“Did that answer your question?”
“Most assuredly.”
“You have put the emperor out of your mind, then.”
“Who?” she said playfully.
“Good. Keep it that way.”
When they entered the ballroom, Margaret was shocked by the sheer grandeur of the room and the decadence within it. The room was gleaming with gold, marble, and crystal from the pillars to the windows to the floors.
Jackie rushed up to them. “I need to talk to you, Margaret.” She glanced over at Michel and he gestured for them to go ahead. Jackie pulled her aside, saying, “I heard that the emperor was dallying with you, Margaret.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“Lady Ginene was behind you a couple of groups back. She overheard everything.”
Which meant that if Lady Ginene knew what had transpired, everyone else would soon enough.
“It is true, there were some mild innuendos from His Majesty, but that is not the biggest shock. The real revelation was Michel finally showed me how he feels.”
“He showed you how he feels?”
“Not like that. He kissed me.”
“On the cheek?”
“No, silly, on the lips.”
“How was it?”
“Surprisingly, it was incredible.”
“Oh, Margaret, I am so glad for you. You were so worried about your connection to the marquis.”
“I know. It proved to me that we have something tangible between us and it is not simply platonic.”
“This is the best news of the night, even better than my best friend catching the eye of the emperor.”
Margaret rolled her eyes. “We need to be getting back to the men.”
“Agreed.”
They found the Robineau brothers standing near the edge of the dance floor, and they both turned to greet the women. The orchestra was tuning their instruments and the couples watched as the emperor and empress entered the room. The imperial couple made their way onto the dance floor and took their positions to start the evening celebrations. The music began and the regal couple began to follow the steps to the first dance. A few moments went by and the rest of the guests joined the emperor and empress on the dance floor.
The rest of the night was a luxurious fête, and Margaret enjoyed herself immensely. She finally felt like she could just savor being with Michel and enjoy his company rather than always wondering how he felt about her.
After several songs, she excused herself to go to the powder room and Jackie accompanied her.
“This night has been what all of us have needed. Monte and I seem to be getting along well for once, and you and Michel are finally on the same page.”
“It has been a delightful evening, and I am glad that we are all here.”
Looking in the mirror, Margaret reached for her clutch to apply more rouge, then remembered she left it on one of the tables. “I need to go fetch my clutch, Jackie. I will return momentarily.”
As she exited the powder room and headed down the hallway towards the ballroom, she heard a somewhat familiar voice from behind her. “I had hoped to run into you all evening.”
Margaret swiveled around to find the emperor standing only a few feet from her. “Good evening, Your Majesty. Why, perchance, were you seeking me out?”
“To finish our conversation, or perhaps, if I am lucky, to discuss matters less suitable in front of others,” he said as he regarded her with sensual desire and licked his lips.
“I am flattered, Your Majesty, but I am afraid you are mistaken about my availability for such a discussion.”
“Are you referring to Lord Robineau?”
“Yes, he is currently courting me.”
He made a motion of unconcern with his hands. “I can take care of that.”
“As I said, I am flattered, but that will not be necessary.”
The emperor closed the distance between them. He reached out and gently stroked her cheek with his hand. “You are sure I cannot persuade you otherwise?”
“I am—”
Before she could answer the emperor, Jackie came from around the corner. “There you are, Margaret. I had wondered what was taking you so long.”
Immediately, Jackie froze in place. She looked shocked to see the emperor and Margaret in such intimate proximity.
The emperor stepped back rapidly and narrowed his eyes, as if in a warning not to mention what transpired. “Good evening, ladies. We will see you back at the ball.”
Both women nodded in agreement and said in unison, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Once the emperor was out of range, Jackie asked, “Did I interrupt what I think I interrupted?”
“You did. Thank you.”
“He really must have taken a fancy to you to make such an effort.”
“Please, do not mention it to Michel.”
“I would not dream of it, chéri. What happened just now stays between you and me. Honestly, it is of little consequence. I hear he flirts with the majority of the noble women.”
Margar
et appreciated her friend’s attempt to make light of the encounter, but it had made her feel uncomfortable and without control. She honestly did not know how she would have gotten out of the situation without offending the emperor if Jackie had not intruded.
When they came back to be with Michel and Monte in the ballroom, Margaret tried to push the incident out of her mind. She wanted to focus on her time with Michel, but she worried someone could have observed the interaction between the emperor and her. Should she tell Michel before someone else had the opportunity? She did not know which was a better option: to stay silent or to reveal what happened.
“You look pallid, Margaret. Are you feeling faint?”
Margaret avoided Michel’s searching gaze. “I think I may have partaken of one too many glasses of champagne this eve. Would you mind escorting me over to one of the chairs, Michel, and allow me to rest briefly?”
“Certainly. Here, let me help you.” He took her hand and wrapped it through his arm as he walked her over to the chairs.
Michel sat down next to Margaret, his hand still firmly holding hers on his other arm. He looked at her intently. “Ever since you returned from the powder room, you seem to be troubled. What is the matter?”
She felt she needed to be honest with him. She did not want to keep anything from Michel if she could help it. “When I was returning to acquire my clutch from one of the tables, the emperor stopped me in the hallway.”
Margaret felt Michel stiffen. “What happened?”
“He implied that he wanted to pursue a liaison with me.”
She heard him mumble a few French curse words under his breath before saying, “I realize he is the emperor, but His Majesty can be uncouth sometimes. How did you handle the situation?”
“I told him it was not an option as I was involved with you.”
“Did he move on?”
“Unfortunately not. He told me he could take care of it. I assume he meant he could pressure you to stop courting me.”
“And?”
“And… I told him that would not be necessary.” Margaret reached out and gently touched the side of Michel’s face with her gloved hand. “You should know by now where my loyalties lie.”
“I want to believe you, Margaret, but you always seem so elusive. I feel like there is something always unsaid between us. I sometimes wonder if you truly want to be with me or if you are allowing me to court you for the resources I possess.”
Margaret flinched at the harshness of his words. It hurt to think he mistrusted her intentions. She thought they had taken steps in furthering their relationship, but this made her question all of their progress.
“I am sorry you feel that way, Michel. If you will pardon me.”
She pulled free from his grasp and stood up. Without a word, she lifted her skirts and hurried towards the veranda doors beside them. She pushed through them and gulped in the fresh air.
What was she going to do? It was her own fault he felt that way. She had been keeping secrets from him. She did not tell Michel the truth about her scandalous past or the fact that she was searching for her brother in France. How could he feel assured in their relationship when there was tension manifesting from her keeping information from him? She knew a relationship built on secrets could not last, but she was too afraid of his reaction to tell him the truth.
“You always seem to be running away from him.”
Margaret swirled around to find Pierre standing a few feet behind her.
“What are you doing out here?”
“I saw your hasty departure from the marquis and could tell from your demeanor that you were upset. I wanted to check on you, because despite everything that has transpired between us, I still care for you deeply.”
“I did not even know you were coming to the emperor’s ball.”
“You would not. We have not been spending much time together as of late.”
Margaret felt guilty over cutting Pierre so harshly out of her life. He did not deserve the treatment she had given him, but she also could not afford to give him false hope.
“I have been otherwise involved.”
“Indelibly, with the marquis, I am sure.”
“Yes. We have grown closer over the past weeks.”
“As evidenced by your argument just a few moments ago,” he said with a hint of sarcasm.
“All couples quarrel.”
“But the question is, do you want to make up with him?”
“I do.”
“Do you want to because you love him or because you still think he offers you the best match for what you think you need?”
Margaret looked away, hating the fact that Pierre knew how her mind worked better than she did herself.
“I am going to assume, by your lack of response, that it is the latter. Why can you not see that I can protect you just as readily as the marquis can? I know you have true affection for me. You could have everything you ever wanted if you would just let yourself.” He reached out and took her face in his hands. “All you have to do is pick me, Margaret. I am right here. All you have to do is say ‘yes’.”
Pierre slowly leaned down and took her mouth with his own. She felt herself quiver as he wrapped his arms around her. He whispered against Margaret’s lips, “Say you love me, Margaret. Say it, and I will be yours forever.”
His words broke the momentary bond, and Margaret pulled away. “I cannot. I will not.”
Pierre reached out for her again, but she stepped back even further. “Do not do that. It was a mistake to let it happen once. I will not let it happen again.”
“You keep saying that, but here we are together.”
“We are not together.”
“A trivial detail you can effortlessly rectify.”
“Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“Stop trying to entice me with your flirtations.”
“Is it working?”
“Yes, Margaret, tell us, is it working?”
Margaret jolted and turned around to find Michel standing behind her. He looked irate to see them together in the deserted part of the imperial gardens.
“Michel, I am glad you came to find me. Shall we go inside to dance?”
“Perhaps. First, I would like to hear your answer to the vidame’s question.”
“It is not effective. I am committed to my courtship with you, Michel. Pierre and I were just parting ways, and I was coming back inside to find you.”
Michel glared at Pierre for several seconds before saying, “You need to stop harassing Lady Margaret the way you have been. She has made her choice to allow me to court her, and you need to accept her decision.”
Pierre scoffed. “Think what you will, but you do not intimidate me, and you will not tell me what to do.” He softened his gaze and tone. “Until next time, Margaret.” Pierre bowed and left them alone.
“He is persistent, I give him credit.”
“I am sorry. He does not seem to be able to stop his conduct.”
“That makes two times this evening that I have had to fight off men who were making advances towards you.”
“I hope it does not persuade you from continuing to court me.”
“I told you I would learn how to fight for you. I think I have made a fair attempt at it tonight.”
“Indeed, you have, Michel.”
“Let us go back inside. I want to dance with you and put all of this behind us.”
“Agreed.”
Margaret was disturbed by Michel’s earlier comments when he alluded to the fact that he thought she was letting him court her for questionable reasons. She had wanted to defend herself, but the truth was she had been allowing him to pursue her to provide security for her and Henry. She had been so concerned with that one detail, she had failed to focus on all the other aspects to Michel she had grown to appreciate. If she considered how she truly felt about him, she regarded him as an engaging conversationalist over dinner, an excellent partner at cards, and a loyal c
ompanion who shared a common faith in God. He was more to her than just a means to safety, but was it enough? Could she ever love him the way she had loved Henry? And if she never found herself feeling love for him in that way, would companionship suffice?
Unsettled by the troubling questions swirling inside her, Margaret pushed her worries away for the night and allowed herself to be distracted by the surrounding entertainment. The rest of the night passed without occurrence, and Margaret poured herself into bed in the early morning hours.
Chapter 14
Michel had offered to escort Margaret to the opera again. She had been let down when he did not propose to her at his home, but she felt a true intimacy with him for the first time because of the secret he shared with her about his sister. Added with their intimate kiss at the emperor’s ball, she was confident that he planned to propose shortly.
Jackie and Monte would be attending with them per usual, and she wondered what was in store for them this evening. Jackie was the most outrageous and rash person that Margaret had ever met. But she had to admit, she liked it. She liked the freedom that she experienced when she was around Jackie. Her friend made everything so much more alive. It was astonishing how much commotion one little vivacious redhead could stir up.
She shook her head as she thought about the last ball they had attended. It was the masked ball at the Paris Opera at Salle Le Peletier. Jackie had decided to have a mask made that had a slight but unmistakable resemblance to Lady Ginene, one of the French noble gossips, known to be the ugliest of the titled women.
Jackie had proudly marched right up to Lady Ginene, bowed with her mask high for everyone to see, and said, “My lady, you are looking exceptionally lovely tonight.”
The incident created such a sensation that the gentlemen were turning red from holding in laughter and the ladies were hiding behind their masks so that their blushing was not apparent.
Monte was so embarrassed by Jackie that Margaret had been sure he was going to end their association permanently. But in the end, he laughed it off and gave her a giant kiss on the mouth for her performance.