None of them were needed. A single candle on his side of the bed was flickering, giving him just enough light to see by. Gabrielle was a lump in the bed, her back towards the candle. She didn't even twitch when he entered, and her even, easy breathing made it clear that she wasn't feigning sleep.
Moving around to her side of the bed, he couldn't see much of her face in the darkness, but he could see that her eyes were still pink and swollen from crying, could still see the glistening tear tracks on her cheeks. The sight made his chest squeeze tightly, something like regret grabbing hold of him. Yet, he couldn't allow her to get away with bad behavior, even in a fairly private setting like tonight's dinner. Nor did he want her to think that he would ignore outright cruelty towards others.
As her husband, it was his duty to see to it that she was disciplined when she misbehaved.
Reaching out his hand, he almost touched her face before he drew it back, frowning as he realized that her brow was beaded with sweat. Tugging back the covers, he shook his head as he realized that she'd not only piled them on top of her, but that she was wearing a thick nightgown beneath, which covered her from neck to wrist to toe. No wonder she was sweating!
Shaking his head, Felix divested her of the nightgown, ignoring her sleepy protests. It was clear she wasn't fully awake, for none of her murmurs made any kind of sense. She was clearly exhausted. Baring her body made his cock stir, especially when he saw her still-pink buttocks peeping up at him, but he controlled himself.
Considering the nightgown she'd been wearing, he doubted she'd welcome any advances this evening.
Shucking off his own clothing, Felix turned his mind over the problem of his wife. Now that they were back in London, their relationship would change somewhat, he'd known that... but he thought they'd been doing rather well until today. Either he'd been wrong, or something momentous had happened today. Perhaps he'd stop by his parents' residence tomorrow and ask his mother. There had to be something he was missing.
******
When Gabrielle awoke in Felix's arms, she didn't hesitate about pulling away, mostly because she wanted to snuggle closer. Her heart rejoiced that he'd still wanted to sleep with her in his arms. Her brain noted that he'd removed her nightgown but obviously hadn't wanted to bed her. Because he'd been thinking of Cordelia? Or because he'd received the message she'd meant to send with her attire?
In sleep, he was beautiful and tempting, but Gabrielle refused to be tempted. She dressed swiftly and without help in a simple gown.
Retreat was the better part of valor, she decided, slipping quietly out of the room. It was very early for London, but she was still on country time. Calling Molly, she decided to visit the shops. Not the modiste or the milliners, but somewhere fun. A doll's shop, she decided, for Molly's daughters. Felix had given her an allowance and she didn't need any clothes.
As they walked through Mayfair, Molly a step or two behind her as befitted a maid accompanying her mistress on an outing, Gabrielle felt another stab of guilt about her treatment of Cordelia. Not for last night, surprisingly, but as she remembered Cordelia's upset over Gabrielle overspending during a shopping trip financed by the Marquess. Now that it was technically her own money that she would be spending, Gabrielle realized that she had no desire to go over the amount Felix had allowed her. She didn't want to disappoint him or give him a reason to be upset with her. Cordelia had surely felt the same about the Marquess.
After buying a new doll each for Molly's daughters, Gabrielle and Molly stepped outside to find that the streets were beginning to fill up with people. She didn't want to run into anyone she was acquainted with and have to make small talk, but at the same time, she didn't feel ready to return home yet. Chewing her lower lip for a minute, she came to a quick decision.
"I'm going to visit Arabella," she told Molly.
"Yes, ma'am," Molly said serenely. If she thought Gabrielle should return home to her husband, she was too loyal to say so.
******
Waking up to an empty bed put Felix in a foul mood right from the start. He couldn't believe Gabrielle had awoken before him and managed to sneak out. Discovering that she'd left the house entirely hadn't helped any. Taylor tiptoed warily around him as he stomped through the house, muttering under his breath after he'd been told Gabrielle had gone out and not indicated when she would return.
Deciding there was no point in waiting - some inner instinct told him that she wouldn't be making a reappearance swiftly - he went directly to his parents, inadvertently interrupting their breakfast. His father was at his usual place at the head of the table, reading the daily paper, with his wife beside him, chattering without caring whether or not he was listening. Felix's mother was always more relaxed looking at breakfast, with her hair in a loose coiffure and wearing a soft grey morning dress that made her seem more approachable than she did in the evenings when she was playing her role as Viscountess to the hilt.
"Felix! How lovely, where is Gabrielle? Sit down, sit down, have you eaten yet?" His mother didn't even take a breath as she waved him to a chair, crooking her finger at a footman who immediately set a place at the table. His father gave him a nod before disappearing back behind his newspaper.
"I haven't," he admitted. He'd been too piqued at Gabrielle's disappearance, despite the fact that she'd arranged to have his breakfast made before she'd left.
"Well then you must. Coffee?" His mother waved her hand again when he nodded. "And where is Gabrielle?"
He hesitated. "She is indisposed at the moment."
To his shock, his mother's face lit up. "Indisposed?"
Oh for... Bloody hell. He realized what his mother thought and started to shake his head, before a thought caught him up fast. Was she? If she was breeding, that could explain her sudden swings in mood and temperament. Then he shook his head again, because - just in case she wasn't - they didn't need his mother hovering.
"No, mother, not in that manner." Felix smiled as his breakfast was set in front of him. It smelled delicious, especially the sausage, and his stomach was suddenly reminded that it was empty. "I actually wanted to speak with you without her... did anything happen at tea yesterday that might have upset Gabrielle?"
His mother paused, her hand on her fork, and blinked. "Well, she did have a moment with the Marchesse of Dunbury, but she didn't seem particularly upset by it."
"What kind of moment?" he asked, a hint of warning in his voice. His mother had the tendency to underplay anything that made her children look bad, and he doubted she'd change that for Gabrielle. Beside her, his father peered over the top of the newspaper again, obviously interested in anything that had to do with Gabrielle even if he didn't come right out and say it.
"It was just a moment, Felix," his mother said irritably, waving her hand at him now, as if she could dismiss him as easily as she did the footmen. "They hadn't seen each other in a while and, well, Lady Dunbury tries, but it's obvious she has no idea how to deal with Gabrielle. They're far too close in age and Lady Dunbury is far too pliable. She hasn't a clue what to do with a young lady of spirit, like Gabrielle - not that it's her fault, of course. I don't know what that father of Gabrielle's was thinking, marrying a child to take care of a child." Her superior sniff made her opinion clear on that topic.
"Well Gabrielle seemed upset when she came home yesterday, did anything else happen that might have done that?" Frustration grated on him. He needed to know what had happened so that he could fix it. He wanted his wife back. The one that he'd gotten to know in the country. The one who was fiery and funny, sweet and submissive, spirited but gentle... the one who woke up in his bed every morning, with him.
Now his mother hesitated, as if reviewing yesterday's events, a look of concern on her face. Then she frowned at him. "There was nothing of note. What did you do?"
"Me? Why do you think I did something? She was upset when she returned home." He looked at his father for help, gesturing at his mother. "Does she turn on you this easily too?"
The newspaper rose higher, effectively blocking both wife and son from the Viscount and making Felix chuckle. His mother scowled at the paper before turning her attention back to Felix.
"She and Lady Dunbury had a few words over you. I believe Gabrielle became agitated when Lady Dunbury expressed some surprise over your activities while you were away." His mother raised her eyebrows at his expression. The activities that Felix first thought of were certainly not ones that he thought Gabrielle would be sharing with anyone. "She was especially surprised to hear that you'd been playing in a creek."
"Why should that upset Gabrielle?" Felix asked, floundering. That made even less sense than if Gabrielle had, for some reason, confided in some of the more exotic activities they'd indulged in and Cordelia had expressed disapproval.
His mother gave him an exasperated look. "Gabrielle is quite sensitive to her stepmother's approval and disapproval. Playing in a creek is not proper behavior for young ladies. I believe she may also be sensitive to your and Lady Dunbury's friendship. It's hard enough to be a rival with a woman who was set up to be a maternal figure to her, much less feel as though she has to jockey for attention from her husband with that same woman."
"That's ridiculous," Felix said, shaking his head. "Not the first part, I can believe Gabrielle might have taken something Cordelia said too much to heart and become defensive or upset, but she knows that Cordelia and I are friends. We’ve been friends since long before Gabrielle and I were married. There's no reason for rivalry there."
His mother rolled her eyes at him. His mother! Rolling her eyes!
"How many female friends do you have, Felix?"
"Well... Cordelia, of course, and Lady Hyde and Lady Petersham -"
Raising her eyebrow expressively, his mother gave him an expression that said she thought she'd made her point. Felix made an exasperated sound.
"What?"
"You call Cordelia by her Christian name."
"Her husband is my best friend," he said defensively.
"There are none so blind as the willfully blind," she responded sagely.
"That's not a real saying, Mother, you just made that up."
"Doesn't make it any less true."
"You're wrong."
"Make note, dear," his mother said to the newspaper barrier. "I want a witness for this moment."
The newspaper rattled slightly as Felix’s father let out a gusty sigh. "Yes, dear."
Chapter 16
Manchester House was much larger than the house that Felix and Gabrielle had rented. It had more than one parlor and sitting room, some of which afforded more privacy than the others.
When Gabrielle had first arrived, Arabella had been up for several hours already, riding in Hyde Park. Gabrielle had always wondered how Arabella managed to dance all night and then rise early in the morning to go riding. Arabella often said it was the only hour that riding there was any fun. At any rate, Gabrielle was glad for it now. Most debutantes were probably still asleep, or at least taking their time getting ready for the day, whereas Arabella was bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and thrilled for the company.
"Are your brothers at home?" Gabrielle asked as Arabella ushered her into the morning room at the back of the house. The room was a cheerful mash of rose and yellow with bright white trim and obviously Arabella's sole domain, as both the decor and the furniture was markedly feminine.
"They're around somewhere, I'm sure," Arabella said, shrugging her shoulders. She sat in one of the armchairs, sprawling out, the heavy split-skirts of her riding habit falling apart to make her appear even more slovenly. Tendrils of hair drifted around her face, and she brushed them away impatiently, watching as Gabrielle sat across from her - rather more delicately - in another gorgeously carved chair. "What brings you here so early in the morning? You're always welcome, of course, but it is rather unexpected."
Gabrielle opened her mouth to explain, paused, and promptly burst into tears. Immediately Arabella was there, perching on the arm of the chair and pulling Gabrielle to her in a comforting embrace. It was that unthinking response that finally drew the full truth from Gabrielle, despite how humiliating it was to confess that her husband was in love with her stepmother. She held Arabella tightly, the words tumbling from her mouth, unable to stop now that she'd begun. All her pain, all her anxiety, all her broken hopes, finally unburdened onto her friend.
Cooing, Arabella rubbed Gabrielle's back soothingly, comforting her, encouraging her to continue. Finally Gabrielle recounted the events during dinner the night before, brokenly describing Felix's indifference to her once Cordelia had arrived and her subsequent behavior.
Arabella sniffed. "He's lucky you didn't toss your wine in his face. Or all over her dress."
Giggling through her tears, Gabrielle leaned her head against Arabella's soft breast, feeling calmer now. Arabella produced a handkerchief for Gabrielle to blow her nose in and dry her cheeks.
"The worst part is, he doesn't seem to even think he's doing anything wrong... or he just thinks I don't notice... or, I don't know." She swiped angrily at her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so dramatic."
"Of course you do, darling, it's what I love about you," Arabella said, smiling down at her. "It's what we have in common. What's life without a little bit of drama? Dull, that's what. Do you think any of those milk-and-water misses we came out with would ever cause any drama? Of course not! They're too dull and they'll end up with dull husbands and have dull babies for the rest of their dull lives. Which is probably why very few of them have managed marriages which weren’t arranged by their fathers."
Gabrielle started laughing during this derisive recitation, although her laughter felt a little hysterical. Coming to Arabella had been the correct decision. She was actually feeling better even though they hadn’t solved anything.
"Well my life certainly doesn't feel dull."
"It shouldn't, it's like something out of a penny-novel! You're the lost orphan waif who comes to London and is immediately the belle of the ball, only your emotions are caught up with one man who is just out of reach, rather than all of the other men who are thronging to you! Then, after you discover his heart actually lies with your greedy stepmother, who is already married and certainly doesn’t need another beau, you're forced by circumstance to marry him!" Arabella waved her arms dramatically. "If I were a writer, I could make a fortune off of you."
"Perhaps I should start," Gabrielle said dryly. "I might as well get something out of the unfortunate circumstances of my life."
"You know, most penny-novels have happy endings," Arabella said, getting up to return to her seat now that Gabrielle had her tears under control. As she sat, she frowned. “Or very tragic ones. Just promise me you won't throw yourself into the Thames. I have an appreciation for the dramatic, but not when it costs me a friend."
"I think I can promise that."
"So what are you going to do?" Arabella asked, plopping back down in her chair.
Sighing, Gabrielle wound her soggy handkerchief around her fingers. "I'm going to make the best of the situation, I suppose. I lived long enough with Cordelia, I know how she is... I can mimic her and give him what he wants."
"But what about you?"
Gabrielle shrugged. "I can hardly be unhappier than I am already. And perhaps being more like her will turn his head... if I can supplant her in his affections, then I'll have achieved my original goal."
A frown creasing her brow, Arabella mused over Gabrielle's words. "Just not as yourself."
"It's still part of myself," Gabrielle argued. "And I can be the rest of myself with you. Nothing else I’ve done has worked. I thought it had, but as soon as he saw Cordelia again…" She waved her hand. “Apparently whatever success I had achieved was as substantial as smoke.”
"Perhaps that's not such a bad plan," Arabella said, surprising Gabrielle. Her brow had smoothed out, but her eyes still had a faraway look to them, as though she were thinking of something else. "After all, we all have
different faces, do we not? Why not present the one most appealing to your desired audience?" She winked cheekily, her gaze finally focusing back on Gabrielle as she smoothed down her riding skirts. "That is why I ride when the park is deserted. My brothers have convinced me that no suitor will want a bride with a better seat than he has himself, so they’ve made me promise not to ride when others are around."
"A worthy suitor would have the confidence not to care," Gabrielle said, shaking her head at Arabella's brothers' folly. "Felix doesn't care a whit that I am starting to beat him at chess. Although, I confess, I am a terrible rider."
"Perhaps I should start challenging my suitors to races, to see how they react," Arabella proposed with a delighted chortle. "Sore losers receive an immediate dismissal."
"Don't you dare, sis," a deep voice from the doorway said, making both of the girls jump. The overly serious Duke of Manchester stood there, although his lips were slightly quirked in a rare smile. "I'll never get you married off if they see what a sore winner you are."
"Pish, Isaac. At least I'm fun," Arabella retorted. "How are we ever to find you a proper bride when all the young ladies think that you're a stick in the mud?"
"That doesn't seem to stop them from swarming," he said with amusement. His thoughtful dark eyes turned to Gabrielle. "Hello Mrs. Hood, welcome back to the city."
"Good morning, your grace," she said, with a small nod of her head. The Duke had told her a while ago not to bother curtsying to him, since, thanks to her close friendship with Arabella, they saw each other enough that such a formality would soon become more annoying than respectful. She still couldn’t call him Isaac however, and she would never presume to suggest he should call her by her Christian name. "Thank you. And thank you for everything you and your family did in our absence."
"Our pleasure," he said. "Although I do hope you and my sister are planning to stay out of trouble from now on. Please don't encourage her towards horse racing, I beg of you."
Gabrielle giggled. "I'll do my best, your grace."
Gabrielle's Discipline (Bridal Discipline Book 3) Page 23