Jane Feather - Charade, Unknown [great novels to read TXT] 📗

him kindly and it had been a series of misadventures that haddelayed his homecoming—that and the czar's pleasure in the company

ofthe Earl of Unton, pleasure that had become a royal edict which underthat absolute rule could not be gainsaid.

It was Julian not Justin who told Danielle that she looked like thevery devil and it was time she was in bed. As for the rest of them,they were too nerve-riddled to sleep and would play cards untilexhaustion took over.

Danielle did not demur, saying only to Justin in a low whisper that heshould stay up as long as he wished; she was utterly exhausted anyway.To her relief, he merely nodded and walked her to the door, tipping herchin to place a light kiss at the corner of her mouth.

She ran up the stairs, tore off her wrapper, and flung herself intobed. Something she could never in her wildest imaginings have foreseenhad happened. Not only could she not tell her husband of St. Estephe'sviolations, but she could not bear the thought of being touched, ofbeing looked at. Her skin crawled in revulsion as she hugged herbreasts beneath the sheet in fierce protection of her bodily privacy.What was she to do? Pretend to be asleep when he came to her bed, as hemost assuredly would? Tonight, perhaps, it would work, but for how longcould she maintain the deception?

Justin remained in the dining room for half an hour after his wife'sdeparture and he learned much. He learned the full truth of theirexperiences in Paris and Danny's reaction to what they had seen anddone, and he learned that something was being kept from him; somethingother—far worse than what he hadbeen told. No one gave him the barest hint but the secret hummed in theair, lurked in their eyes.

"Well, gentlemen, I will bid you good morning. Enjoy your play. Youhave earned some relaxation, I think." He left them amidst chorusedgood nights and went upstairs, both thoughtful and determined. His wifeby some miracle had been returned to him, but she was not whole and hewould have her so.

The bedchamber was in darkness, except for the dying embers of thefire. He lit two tapers and carried both tb the bed. "You are notasleep, Danielle, so do not pretend to be so."

Danielle muttered incoherently and curled more tightly beneath thecovers, but they were wrested from her grasp and drawn back. "I wish tolook at you," Justin said softly, sitting on the bed and turning heronto her back. She began to shake even as she tried to offer herself tohis gentle hands, simulating the

old eagerness.

It was such a pathetic attempt. The fear stood out in her eyes andshudders of revulsion crept over her skin as he caressed her breasts,rolling her nipples between finger and thumb in the way that had alwaysdrawn moans of pleasure from her.

"What has happened to you?"

"Nothing . . .

rien du tout.

It is simply that it has been such a longtime and I am out of the way of ...

of loving." It was a poor offeringand Danielle knew it.

He took her hands, palm against palm, holding them above her head andshe cried out in terror.

"No ... no please, not in that way."

Once he had made the almost fatal mistake of allowing her withdrawal,gentling and courting her, hoping that she would recover, withoutintervention, from what was troubling her. But those methods had failedand Justin never repeated his mistakes. Now he stood up and reached forher discarded wrapper. "Get up." His voice was quiet.

Danielle had not the slightest idea what he was going to do and made nomove to comply. Nothing had ever frightened her as much as thispetrified reaction to Justin's touch and look and now she just lay

there.

"Get up!" The voice this tinr.e was a lash and Danielle found herselfon her feet without conscious thought. He pushed her arms into thewrapper, tied it securely about her waist, and then, without speaking,took her hand and led her back to the dining room.

Four startled pairs of eyes looked up from their cards. "Now," Justinsaid to his wife, "I am going to ask you the question again. What hashappened to

you?

"

Four hands of cards slapped onto the table and her friends sat back intotal silence looking into the middle distance, for once offering herno support and telling her husband all that he needed to know at thispoint.

"Thank you." Justin turned back to Danny. "Since it is now clear thatsomething

has

happened, wewill dispense with further prevarication, ifyou please. You may tell me here or in private. If you are unable

totell me yourself then I am certain someone else will oblige."

"They may be able to tell you the facts, Justin, but only I can'' tellyou of the horror." Her voice shook.

"I do not wish to."

"No," he said, suddenly gentle. "But sometimes one must do what onedoes not wish to do. Let us go upstairs now." Not a word had beenspoken by anyone but themselves in the quiet dining room.

In their own chamber, Danielle crawled again beneath the covers andJustin undressed, blowing out the candle before slipping in beside her."Now . . . ?" he asked softly.

She told him the whole as he held her close in the cloaking darkness asone would hold a child in the midst of a nightmare, and after she hadat last fallen asleep in the arms that simply held and made no demandshe lay awake and allowed the bitter rage full rein. He would not restuntil he had hunted down St. Estephe as one would rid the world of arabid cur, and from Danielle's account that was a perfect descriptionof their enemy.

Chapter 23

Viscount Beresford darted from his hiding place behind a rhododendronbush and scampered across the lawn, chuckling gleefully. He had managedto evade