The French Encounter: Christian Historical (Window to the Heart Saga Trilogy Book 2)

by Jenna Brandt

  Up until now, Margaret had been the only one who had been able to call him anything but Randall, her affectionate nickname for him being Rand and his Maggie or Mags for her.

  She was just the tiniest bit jealous and so, trying to divert his attention, she said, “Rand, I think we should make our way outside to the carriage.”

  Randall looked at Jackie and asked, “Will you stay after the dinner a bit so that I may talk with you?”

  She nodded. “I will wait for you both in the carriage.”

  “I appreciate it.” He let go of her hand and watched as Jacquelyn left the room. He then turned to face his sister. “All right, Maggie, you have my undivided attention now.”

  She blushed at how easy he perceived her ploy. He knew her so well, even after only a week of having his memories back. But then, they were twins after all.

  “That was not my intent—”

  “Save it, Mags, I know you and how possessive you are over me. You always have been. Even when we were children you were like that. I remember when the little servant girls followed me around, you would stomp your foot with your hands on your hips and demand that they leave me alone.”

  She blushed even deeper. “They were interrupting our game, Rand, and I wanted to finish. You know how I hate to not finish games.”

  He snickered. “Or lose. As I recall, you were losing at the time.”

  Margaret shrugged off his comment. “Your memory must still be faulty. I never lose, especially to you.”

  He rolled his eyes and laughed. “Let us be on our way.”

  “I agree.”

  They were having dinner at Maison D'orée on the Boulevard des Italiens. It was one of the most exclusive restaurants in all of Paris, and Margaret had one of their largest private dining rooms reserved for the evening.

  The restaurant had lush white walls with large mirrors and golden furnishings and statues. In their private room, there were tasteful sofas as well as a magnificently large table set with exquisite gilded plates and crystal goblets.

  With Margaret on one arm and Jackie on the other, the threesome made their way to their seats at the table. As they sat down, Michel joined them and sat next to Margaret. It was going to be a night to remember, and Margaret was glad to finally be reunited with her brother and share it openly.

  Once all of the prestigious guests had arrived and were seated in their assigned places, Margaret stood up to address everyone. “It is my distinct pleasure to introduce all of you to my twin brother, Lord Randall Wellesley, the Earl of Renwick. As many of you know, he was presumed dead over eight years ago, and due to his loss of memory we were unable to reconnect until just recently. I hope all of you find a place in your hearts for him, as he has always had a place in mine.”

  There were several murmurs and “ahhhs” that were heard throughout the room.

  Margaret held up her glass of wine and said, “A toast to Lord Wellesley, Earl of Renwick.”

  Everyone raised their glasses, and clinks and cheers resounded throughout the place.

  Margaret sat back down and nodded to the servers. All of their plates were placed in front of them at the same time. As the guests began to nibble on the first course of the meal, Randall leaned over and whispered to his sister, “Thank you so much for everything, Maggie.”

  “Of course, Rand. You deserve it.”

  Jackie started talking to Randall and Margaret could see that the two of them were growing closer.

  Michel smiled at Margaret and said, “I am glad that your brother is being received so well.”

  “I appreciate that, Michel. It means a great deal that you are behind us in this.”

  “You know that I want you to be happy. You are a wonderful woman, Margaret, and you are going to make an exceptional wife. You already make an outstanding mother, and I cannot wait to have more children with you.” She waited for him to say he loved her. She had been waiting for him to say he loved her since he proposed, but the words never crossed his lips.

  Although, considering she was not in love with him, it was quite a double standard to expect him to feel something for her that would be most undeniably one-sided. She convinced herself that she could and would grow to love him romantically in time.

  Part of her believed that she was closed off to the idea of falling in love because of what happened to her in the past. If he could tell her that he loved her, maybe it could break through her defenses and help her be able to love again. She waited for the words, but he did not say them. Instead, he slightly squeezed her hand and turned back to his meal.

  It was all right, as she had time to find out if he loved her. They were not getting married until two months’ time. She knew that if he still had not said it by their wedding day, it was also possible that he could grow to love her in time. At least, many couples that had arranged marriages grew to love one another. They could do the same, could they not?

  After the dinner, several guests, including Margaret and Michel, made their way over to the large sofas and sat down to converse.

  “Your brother looks really content. I have heard that he has gained a whole flock of admiring women tonight.”

  “Yes, I have heard the same thing. Unfortunately for them, he is soon to be spoken for, I think.”

  Just as she said that, Jackie walked up to the group of women surrounding Randall. She gave each of them a warning look and put her arm through his as he bowed and made his excuses. The soon-to-be-official couple made their way over to a private corner of the room. Margaret noticed them laughing, probably over her intercession.

  “I see what you mean.”

  “I hope this does not complicate anything between us, Michel.”

  “Why would it?”

  “Jackie has stopped spending time with other men, including your brother. I hope you will not hold it against me since it is my brother who has gained her attention.”

  “You have no control over either of them, just as I have no control over my brother.”

  “I am glad you are able to look at it that way. I have to admit, I think Randall and Jacquelyn are perfect for each other.”

  “Perhaps, or perhaps they will end up killing each other considering how much they drink and fight.”

  “That just means they enjoy life and are passionate for each other.”

  “You are overly romantic, Margaret. That type of passion does one of two things: dwindles out or burns you up. Neither option seems very appealing to me.”

  Margaret averted her eyes so that he was unable to see the sadness in them. By his statement, she realized that it was not that Michel could not love her, but that he refused to allow himself to do so. She finally had to acknowledge that no matter how hard she tried to make him love her, it was never going to happen.

  Chapter 20

  Camille Saint-Saens, a famous composer and pianist, was performing for the French elite. He had been a child prodigy and was considered one of France’s premier musicians. Margaret was eager to watch him play as he had a growing reputation of being remarkable in the way his hands glided across the keys of the piano.

  Margaret listened to Jackie recite all the musician’s achievements to Randall, who was already boozy from several glasses of brandy, as they rode in their carriage. The concert was being held on the Avenue Montaigne in a large garden. When they arrived, the area was lit by hundreds of gas lamps and the stage was set and ready for the concert.

  Michel was waiting for them as their carriage arrived outside the garden. He reached up and helped Margaret out.

  “Good evening, Margaret. You look beautiful.”

  Margaret was wearing a dark green corseted satin gown with velvet tassels and piping along the edges. Half her hair was pinned up while the rest was loose, tumbling down her back in curls.

  “Thank you, Michel.”

  As they walked to their seats, he leaned towards Margaret and whispered discreetly, “I need to forewarn you. My brother is here tonight, and I anticipate he will not b
e happy to see your brother with Jackie. I told him not to make a scene, but he is rather impulsive, as you well know.”

  “Do you think he will say something?”

  “Most likely, but honestly, I am more apprehensive concerning what he might do.”

  Worried, Margaret said, “I need to caution my brother.” But before she could turn around to do so, she saw Monte approaching their group.

  “I see you brought your new paramour with you, Jackie.”

  Michel glared at his brother and scolded him. “Monte, I realize that you are upset, but do not be disrespectful towards Margaret’s brother.”

  Ignoring Michel’s rebuke, he continued to aggress Jackie and Randall. “You really should think twice about coming to these events together. These are my friends, and this is my world.”

  Jackie looked at Monte with exasperation. “Monte, the time we spent together was never permanent. Why are you reacting this way?”

  “I will not let you throw me off to allow you to carry on with this English knave. You may want him to think what we had was not genuine, but we both know I was preparing to propose to you.”

  Jackie gasped as her eyes grew wide with shock. She glanced over at Randall and then back to Monte. Shaking her head in rebuff, she countered, “That is not true. I was unaware of your plans. I am sorry that you have been hurt by my calling off our arrangement, but my heart lies elsewhere now.”

  As Jackie started to turn to leave, Monte grabbed her by the arm. “Your heart used to lie with me, as did your body. If you are trying to convince everyone else differently, I will not let you get away with it.”

  Randall grabbed Monte’s hand forcefully and removed it from Jackie’s arm. “You should not lay hands on a lady like that.”

  Monte snorted. “You are mistaken. She is no lady.”

  Without warning, Randall reached back and swung a closed fist at Monte’s face. The force sent Monte flying backwards and he hit the ground with a hard thud.

  “Where I come from, gentlemen do not speak about women that way, either.”

  Randall gently placed his hand under Jackie’s elbow and started to guide her towards their seats, but before they reached them, Monte regained his footing and lunged towards Randall’s back. The men fell to the floor in a heap, and Monte pulled Randall over as he swung at him. Randall raised his arms defensively and blocked Monte’s first blow. Quickly, Randall returned him blow for blow.

  Jackie started screaming, “Stop, you two. This is ridiculous. You are making a scene.” But neither man was listening as they continued hitting each other.

  Margaret watched in disbelief as the fight went on until Michel grabbed Monte and tried to pull him off Randall unsuccessfully. Two additional gentlemen from the growing crowd around them helped Michel break up the brawl.

  Both men had scrapes, bruises, and welts on their faces. Margaret ran over to her brother and asked, “Are you okay, Rand?”

  He nodded. “This is not the first fight I have gotten into, and it probably will not be the last.”

  “I am going to make my excuses to Michel and take you home.”

  “Do not do that, Mags. I know how much you wanted to come to this concert. I can manage to get home by myself.”

  Jackie leaned in and said, “I will go with him and take care of him. It is the least I can do to thank him for defending my honor.”

  Hesitantly, Margaret consented. Monte was cursing under his breath while one of his cronies took him under the arm and led him away. Margaret heard him mention going to a gambling club as he was in no mood to listen to music.

  Michel and Margaret sat down just as the musicians began to tune their instruments. Michel leaned over and said, “I cannot believe our brothers just got into a fight over the same woman.”

  Margaret shook her head. “Jackie tends to have that effect on men.”

  “Have I ever told you that I am grateful that you are not like that?”

  “Yes, you have made it quite clear that you are not interested in passionate displays of any nature.”

  “I am glad we see eye to eye on that.”

  Margaret refrained from correcting Michel. She did not want men fighting over her, but she was not opposed to a man caring enough to defend her. Michel said he was trying to learn to fight for her, but she worried he would not find it in him. She envied Jackie for having found that type of love with her brother and wondered if she could live without it.

  Chapter 21

  When Margaret went looking for her brother, she guessed correctly she would find him reading in the library.

  He had been spending a great deal of time reading after moving in with Margaret, citing that he had eight years of lack of knowledge that he needed to remedy.

  “Rand, I was wondering. It is such a beautiful day, would you care to go on a picnic with Henry and me?”

  “Jacquelyn is coming over for tea, but I bet I could persuade her to go with us to the park instead.”

  “That would be lovely. Henry will love going with Uncle Randall and Aunt Ja-Ja.”

  “She is not Aunt Ja-Ja yet.”

  Margaret winked at Randall and said sarcastically, “I am sure that will not be for long.”

  “Are you fishing for something, my dear sister?”

  She did not want to divulge the fact that Jackie had asked her to find out if and when Randall would be partial to proposing to her. She had to concede that she was curious as well.

  “I only notice that you have been spending a great deal of time with my dear friend Jackie. Since that is the case, I wondered when it might be progressing to more.”

  Randall chucked under his breath. “You can tell Jacquelyn that I will not be duped that easily into giving up the details of any plans I may or may not be preparing in regards to our relationship status.”

  “What plans might those be?” Jackie asked as she stood at the door to the library.

  “Ah, there you are, my sweet. We were just talking about you.”

  “I heard as much, which is why I asked what plans you were discussing with Margaret.”

  “We have a change of plans today. We are going to have a picnic in the park with Maggie and Henry.”

  Jacquelyn pouted with her hands on her hips. “Somehow, I do not think that was the plan you were discussing.”

  He smirked at Jackie. “I bet you would like to know, but I am sorry to disappoint you. I do have to keep some secrets to myself.”

  Jackie rolled her eyes and said, “It does not seem that I will be getting any answers from him right now, so now is as good as time as any to go have a picnic.”

  After arriving at the park, Margaret sat on a blanket, watching her son ride on her brother’s back, giggling as he pretended to neigh like a horse. It was wonderful being with them. She finally felt like she might have a happy future, worth all that she had been through. She was blessed with her son, brother, best friend, and soon a husband to complete their family.

  “May I speak with you, Margaret?”

  She looked up to see Michel standing near her. She did not expect him to be joining them.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I had something I needed to discuss with you, so I went by your residence and your butler told me that you had come to the park.”

  Something in Michel’s tone made her worry. He sounded distant and a little bit cold.

  “Is something the matter, Michel?”

  “May we go for a walk? I would rather discuss this matter in private.”

  “Of course.”

  He reached out his hand to her and helped her stand from the blanket. He let go of her as soon as she was on her feet. Margaret rested her hand on his arm and felt him stiffen under her touch. What was wrong?

  “Some information regarding your past has been brought to my attention.”

  Margaret braced herself for what Michel was going to say. Her worst fears were coming true. Before she panicked, she needed to know how much he knew. Maybe it was
not as bad as she thought.

  “What are you referring to, Michel?”

  “I am referring to why you came to France.”

  “You know why. My husband passed away and I came to look for my brother.”

  “It was not because you had been involved in a scandal back in England that had been suppressed to protect your late husband’s family name?”

  Margaret’s heartbeat quickened and she started to feel faint. Perhaps it was time to panic. He seemed to know far more than she had anticipated.

  “My husband had an enemy who tried to use me to hurt him.”

  “Is that why there are questions surrounding the paternity of your son?”

  Sucking in a deep breath, Margaret held it. So, the rumors she had always worried would circulate had manifested. She thought she had left all of that behind her when she fled England, but she realized her past was never going to let her be happy.

  “He is my late husband’s child. There is no question as to that. Regarding what happened with my husband and the other man—”

  “You mean the Duke of Witherton.”

  Perplexed by how much detail he knew about her past, she asked, “How do you know so much about my history?”

  “Someone who thought I had a right to know before I married you told me.”

  The only person who knew the details around what happened to her was Pierre. How could he do this to her? He had said he loved her, and now he had hurt her in the most profound way by telling her deepest, darkest secrets to the man she was going to marry. But that was just it, she realized; the whole purpose of him telling Michel about her past was to give him no choice but to leave her.

  “I know it was Pierre who told you about my past, and although he is not lying, he has selfish reasons for telling you.”

  “I agree. That is why I confirmed the specifics since I knew his motives were not pure. But he was not mistaken, which means you have been withholding relevant information from me.”

  “I wanted to tell you, Michel, but I was scared.”

  “I can understand you not telling me in the beginning. It is not something you disclose until you are sure you can trust the person. But after I shared with you what happened with my sister, I thought we could trust one another. I gave you ample opportunities to tell me the whole truth, but you chose to remain quiet. It feels as if trust only goes one way between us.”