Dance with Deception: Scandalous Secrets, Book 1 - Exclusive Edition (Scandalous Secrets - Exclusive Edition)

by Tracy Goodwin

  “My sister loves you.” Tristan gentled his tone and expression.

  Sebastian took great care to ensure his own timbre was controlled. “She wasn’t certain of that when we last spoke.”

  “Did you ever stop to consider that something else happened between Gwen and my father?” Tristan paused. Sebastian assumed it was for dramatic effect. He then continued, “Perhaps my sister is battling something that you know nothing about?”

  Sebastian studied the contents of his glass. “I know about Colin.”

  “So do I and that’s not what I’m referring to.”

  Sebastian’s head snapped toward his guest. Scrutinizing Tristan through narrowed eyes, he remained silent, certain the man would continue.

  Tristan did not disappoint. “Sebastian, you’re an intelligent man. Be logical. My sister loves you with an intensity I’ve never before seen. Do you believe, in all honesty, that she would just up and decide she doesn’t love you anymore?”

  Although Sebastian admitted to himself that his wife’s twin had a valid point, he wasn’t quick to relent. “Not only did my wife learn of my own deception, but in an effort to punish either me or Gwen or both of us, her father revealed that her eldest brother is my illegitimate half-brother. Add to that the fact that her father tried to kill her and I think it’s highly likely that she could stop loving the man who precipitated the whole damn mess.”

  “Back up!” A vein began to pulsate in Tristan’s temple. “What do you mean my father tried to kill her?”

  Sebastian closed his eyes. Damn it to hell. Of course Gwen hadn’t shared that little tidbit with her brother. He returned his attention to Tristan, taking great care to soften both his features and his tone.

  “The morning of your father’s departure, he visited Gwen in the gardens,” he paused, making certain the young man was ready to hear the particulars.

  Tristan nodded. “Yes, my sister told me.”

  “Tori ran to me immediately, explaining that she left Gwen with your father and that he seemed different. She was fearful for Gwen’s safety.”

  Tristan squeezed his glass so hard that his knuckles turned white. “What did my father do to Gwen?”

  “When I found them in the gardens, Lachlan had his hands wrapped around Gwen’s throat, choking the life out of her. He would have killed her if I hadn’t arrived when I did.”

  The young man’s rage erupted. He stood with force, knocking his chair backward onto the carpeted floor. In one swift stroke, he threw his empty glass against the mahogany-paneled wall across from him. Tiny shards of glass flew through the air.

  In a painstakingly restrained tone, Tristan spoke. “As God is my witness, if that man were still alive I would kill him with my bare hands.”

  “I almost did but Gwen begged me not to.” Sebastian studied his own glass. “In the end, God took it into His own hands.”

  Tristan turned toward his host. “My sister left this part out in a deliberate attempt to protect me. She planned on keeping the truth about Colin from me for the same reason.”

  That was his wife, Sebastian contemplated with a pang of sadness. She always tried to protect everyone around her: her family, Victoria, even the husband who had betrayed her trust.

  His heart swelled. If only he didn’t love her so damned much, but it was too late for that. He loved her with his every breath. His brother-in-law’s words came back to haunt Sebastian. What was Gwen hiding?

  He had to know.

  “You said she’s coping with something else, something Gwen hasn’t shared with me. What is it?” Sebastian prodded.

  “You must ask my sister because I won’t betray her confidence,” Tristan turned toward him again before adding, “but you won’t have time to discuss that with her, for she and I depart tomorrow to attend a memorial service for a man who doesn’t deserve it.”

  Tristan picked up the chair that had toppled over and placed it upright. His eyes locked with Sebastian’s. “This is going to be hell for her, you know – returning to the dwelling that stripped her of her independence. Then there is Keir,” he added, his tone dripping with venom. “I can see his smug expression now when he learns that you didn’t accompany your wife.”

  “What do you want from me?” Sebastian placed his glass on his desk with a loud thud. “Do you want me to be a hypocrite? To pity her?”

  “I want you to behave like a husband, perhaps a loving one at that.” Tristan placed his palms against Sebastian’s desk, leaning forward. “Take a lesson in forgiveness from your wife. If she can forgive you for deceiving her, surely you can swallow your own damned pride.”

  When his brother-in-law didn’t respond, Tristan pointed at him as he spoke, his tone devoid of compassion. “Either you love my sister or you don’t. If you do, start showing it and if you don’t, then release her.”

  Remaining silent, Sebastian considered the last time he showed his wife how much he loved her. They shared an evening of sex after which neither was fulfilled.

  “Listen to me very carefully, Your Grace.” Tristan’s voice was hard, his statement dripping with disdain. “I refuse to sit back while my sister resides in another stone fortress unloved or unwanted. She did it enough as a child.”

  Sebastian blinked as he absorbed his brother-in-law’s last comments. Had he turned his home into the type that his wife grew up in? His chest constricted. It was the last thing he wanted to do, yet he feared that he might have indeed done just that.

  Tristan’s stare was unrelenting. “My sister and I leave tomorrow afternoon. If you make no effort to reach out to her, I won’t bring her back here.”

  “Don’t threaten me, Tristan!” Sebastian stood, slamming his fist against the desk. “I’m her bloody husband.”

  “That can be rectified.” The younger man narrowed his eyes, his expression dangerous. “I am an attorney, remember?”

  Sebastian glared at his brother-in-law with a look that made most men cower. Tristan didn’t recoil, though. Instead, he stared back at him, undaunted, his expression equally threatening.

  “I won’t allow Gwen to suffer. Your choice is quite simple. Love your wife or let her go.”

  Tristan then marched to the door and yanked it open. “Sorry about the mess. I’ll have your butler show me to my room,” he called over his shoulder before slamming the door behind him.

  Sebastian studied the door as his anger ebbed then surveyed the room and the many shards of glass strewn over the carpeted floor. His brother-in-law’s final retort echoed in his ears.

  He was left with no choice but to fight for his wife because Sebastian refused to give her up. Even though he had been avoiding Gwen for the past few days, it wasn’t because he didn’t love her. Instead, it was out of his sizable fear that his wife would admit she no longer loved him or, worse yet, that she never did.

  His heartbeat pounded in his temples as he tried to decipher what else Lachlan could have confessed to his daughter. Sebastian remembered what Gwen had said at Ainsley just a few nights before.

  My father left me with a rather grim fairy tale before he left.

  Sebastian had assumed she was referring to his own untruth and Colin’s paternity. What was he failing to comprehend?

  He searched his brain, trying unsuccessfully to put the pieces together before storming out of his office and up the grand staircase.

  Once ensconced in his bedchamber, Sebastian stood beside the closed door that adjoined his suit with his wife’s and flattened his palm against the polished wood.

  He considered knocking but decided against it. It was late and he assumed she was sleeping. Besides, he needed to formulate his next move. Though Gwen was unaware, her husband would be accompanying her on her journey to the Highlands.

  Sebastian strode into his large wardrobe, flinging the solid mahogany door open before heaving a trunk onto the floor of his bedchamber. He had already decided not to ring for his valet as it might alert Gwen to his plan. The last thing he wanted was for his wife to try
and thwart his accompanying her. As he began to pack, he realized that he knew something his wife didn’t.

  He loved her and always would.

  Although his parting words to her days ago suggested otherwise, Sebastian still wanted to share his life with her, watching generations grow before their eyes. The thought of their children sent a wave of excitement pulsating within his heart. His wife could very well be carrying his child at this very moment.

  Sebastian cursed his stubbornness and downright stupidity but only for a brief moment. He had something more pressing to consider. How the hell was he going to convince Gwen to trust him again, after his many hurtful words and hateful behavior toward her?

  Such were the thoughts that energized Sebastian into the early hours of the morning. When his trunk was packed and his plan of action devised, he sunk into his fluffy mattress fully aware of how empty his bed was without Gwen.

  Sebastian turned on his side then smoothed the cold and vacant pillow next to him with the palm of his hand. He loved his wife and he was going to fight for her. No more wasted time. No more hurt feelings. No more sleepless nights apart.

  Sebastian would once again court his wife.

  This time would be for good.

  Sebastian knocked on the door to Ainsley’s day room; however, he didn’t wait for a response. Instead, he opened it and entered the bright room, his stride brusque as he surveyed the interior in search of his wife. He found Gwen seated behind the small antique rosewood writing desk.

  “Good morning.” He strolled over to the burgundy sofa that faced his wife then made himself comfortable as he studied her. His heart slammed into his ribs at the familiar sight of her shimmering auburn highlights aglow from the sunlight that streamed through the windows behind her.

  It wasn’t until Gwen met his gaze that Sebastian noticed her wan features and the dark circles under her eyes igniting a spark of concern within his heart.

  She placed her quill on the desk. “Has no one taught you to wait for approval before entering a room?”

  “I didn’t think it necessary. You are, after all, my wife.”

  “You remembered, at last,” Gwen said, her tone tinged with reproof. “On the day I am to depart the country, nonetheless. How fitting.”

  Between his wife’s stinging retort and the sight of her pale visage, Sebastian’s pulse began to race from concern. He studied a painting that hung above the rosewood fireplace mantle in an attempt to regain his composure. It depicted a garden aglow with vivid hues that danced across the canvas and reflected sunlight through the many brushstrokes.

  “Where’s my butler?” Her tone remained hard.

  “Performing the rest of his duties,” Sebastian returned his attention to her. “I told him I would show myself in.”

  “Well then, I shall have a talk with him and remind him whose employ he is under.”

  “Now, I wouldn’t do that, darling,” Sebastian mused. “We are a happy couple are we not?”

  Gwen sighed as she leaned against the high back of her chair. “Is that what we are? Isn’t it funny how something like that can escape my mind?”

  At last, the old Gwen had made an appearance. Her teasing comments had been sorely missed.

  Sebastian silently surveyed his wife. Even with her brows furrowed, garbed in her black mourning attire and pretending to be repelled by his very presence, she was beautiful beyond words.

  “That is why I am here,” he chided. “To remind you who you’re married to.”

  She rubbed her temples. “Ah, yes … the charade. Very well, dearest husband, what brings you to me this morning?”

  You skipped breakfast,” Concern again settled within his heart at her frail appearance. Her lack of sustenance couldn’t be helping her. “You need to eat. You must keep up your strength.”

  “Yes, well, I had a great deal to catch up on before my departure, and besides which I wasn’t hungry.”

  “You look exhausted, Gwen.”

  Her cold façade crumbled before his eyes. “I am exhausted,” she admitted.

  Sebastian ached to touch her, to massage her tension, relieve her grief. He stood and strode to her, placing his hands on her shoulders in an effort to rub the knots of tension from her back and neck.

  She flinched from his touch.

  “Relax,” he whispered. “All this tension and you haven’t even begun your journey yet.”

  Gwen quivered under the warmth of his hands and close proximity of his body. She flushed as she remembered how his hands and mouth had explored her naked form. She still yearned for him, even though their last encounter left her feeling disappointed.

  She wanted to stand, to flee from his touch, yet she was far too exhausted to argue with him anymore. Instead, Gwen squeezed her eyes closed, fighting to remain embittered. It was a losing battle, she feared.

  “Why are you here?” she asked.

  “I’ve already told you—”

  “Please let’s drop the pretense. Your sister is nowhere within earshot. Even if she were, we’re not fooling her.” She stood with force then walked in the opposite direction of his warm hands. “You’ve wanted nothing to do with me for days now. Why have you come to me, on this day?”

  “I came here with news.”

  Her heart sank. He was divorcing her. It was her only explanation for his gentleness. He was trying to soften her before the hard blow.

  The color drained from her face.

  Sebastian took one step toward her then froze, shame overpowering him. He’d been so selfish, wanting nothing to do with her until his conversation with her brother.

  His tone softened. “I’m traveling with you to Scotland.”

  Gwen blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.”

  “I know what brought about this sudden change of heart and I absolve you of whatever my brother said to you last night.” Her rebuke shamed him further. “I don’t expect you to travel with us.”

  “Gwen, it’s a husband’s duty to—”

  “Please don’t insult me.” Gwen’s anger caused the color to return to her cheeks. “We both know how you feel about duty, especially when it pertains to me and let’s get one thing straight. I am not your obligation. You owe me nothing.”

  Sebastian studied her, his tone strong and sincere. “I don’t see you as an obligation. I never have and never will.”

  After slumping onto the sofa, Gwen pressed her fingertips against her temples. Sebastian approached her, kneeling on the carpet in front of his wife before reaching for her hands.

  He didn’t restrain the concern in his voice. “When was the last time you slept?”

  Gwen’s eyes betrayed the truth. It was when they had made love in the guest wing of this very estate. Sebastian’s heart ached to hold her, to comfort her. Instead, he did the only thing he could think of.

  “Lie down on the sofa and try to sleep for a bit. You need to get some rest before we depart,” he instructed her.

  He fluffed one of the velvet pillows at the end of the sofa and Gwen laid her head upon it, without further argument.

  “I’ll ask Mary to make you something to eat. You need your strength.”

  She traced the edge of the sofa with her fingernail, nodding her approval.

  “Wait one moment,” Sebastian quipped. “You’ve agreed to do as I say without an argument?”

  “Well, if you’d like, I can come up with something to bicker about.” Her tone was blasé. “But, seeing as I currently have a horrible headache, it will have to wait until tomorrow or the day after. Is that satisfactory to you?”

  He placed the back of his hand against her forehead. “Are you feverish?”

  She managed a weak smile. “No fever. Chilled, in fact.”

  Sebastian was quick to shrug his jacket from his shoulders before placing it over his wife’s petite frame. He then brushed a stray curl away from her heart-shaped face.

  “Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked in a small voice, al
most child-like.

  As he knelt beside Gwen, he reached for her hand. It felt cold. He massaged it, infusing his warmth.

  “I figured it was past time.”

  Gwen’s eyes searched his. “Will you stay with me?”

  Sebastian nodded as Gwen closed her eyes before drifting into a deep slumber within minutes. He held her hand, watching her chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm.

  Just as her brother had claimed, Gwen was putting on a brave front. However, for the first time, Sebastian realized how much effort that took her.

  In a whisper, he instructed his wife. “You don’t have to be so brave. Lean on me.”

  Gwen rolled onto her side, facing the back of the sofa as she snuggled deeper into the warmth of his jacket.

  With great care, Sebastian settled his weight upon the sofa, reclining next to her. The subtle shift caused Gwen to stir.

  He expected her to pull away from him.

  Instead, she rolled into his embrace as she whispered, “I missed you.”

  Even the knowledge that she was half-asleep didn’t dampen his soaring spirits. She had missed him; he was certain it was the truth.

  Although he’d tried to convince himself on numerous occasions that his wife would return to him, this time was different. This time, he wasn’t going to play games, add sexual tension to the mix and try to convince her that the rest would follow.

  Healing Gwen’s broken trust would come first. In return, he would trust her. After all the time he wasted craving his wife’s trust, Sebastian realized that he had never allowed himself to trust her completely, never gave up that tight control of his heart.

  He remembered a conversation with his mother months before the Dowager Duchess’ death.

  Sebastian, you must learn from your father’s mistakes. One of his biggest was that he never trusted anyone but himself.

  No one? He had questioned. Certainly he trusted you?

  No, darling, not even me. You’d think falling in love would be the hard part but in reality that’s easy. Putting your trust in someone is a hundred times more difficult. It can also be the most rewarding.