Page 75 of My Darling Rogue
“We began this game in the coach on our way here.” Celia’s use of his previous name resulted in a fleeting smile across Gabriel’s features. Leaning forward, he braced his elbows on the table and steepled his fingertips. His gaze caressed her mouth, a fiery hunger in the whiskey dark depths he did not bother to hide. “What is it that you wish to know, sugarplum? I hold no secrets when it comes to you.”
It was a subtle reminder that Celia could not make the same claim. She held her breath, hoping he would not once again insist on the name of the man who had abused her in the past. But he simply watched her, patiently waiting for her question.
Swallowing hard, Celia blurted out the first thing that popped into her mind.
“How did you come to have your scar?”
Gabriel’s smile widened. “You begin with the most obvious of my mysteries.”
Celia blushed. “I do not mean to offend. It’s just I’ve always wondered and there are rumors.”
“I’m far from offended. Tell me some of these rumors.” His melodic voice put Celia at ease. “They may prove more interesting than the truth.”
Celia took a sip from her water goblet. “A jealous husband gave it to you after discovering you with his wife.”
“I would never sleep with another man’s wife,” Gabriel murmured, revealing more of his character than he probably realized. “What else?”
“You got it whilst fighting pirates off the coast of Malta.” Celia grinned. “That’s my favorite. I can imagine how it occurred. You were swinging across the deck, brandishing a sword, when a dastardly pirate cut the rope as you flew past.”
“Very imaginative but never happened.”
“All right. It’s been said you were completely soused and fell from your own bed, hitting your forehead on a chamber pot.”
Gabriel grimaced, leaning back from the table as the first course was served. “Hardly a flattering image.”
“It’s not nearly as bad as the one where you and Lord Ravenswood came to blows over a woman while you were both in France.”
Gabriel shook his head. “Only once has that come close to a reality. And it occurred after I arrived in England and after the Earl married. Lord Bentley was also involved in the defense of Lady Ivy, so I did not act alone. Fortunately, no blows were exchanged that night.” He sipped his wine, head tilted as he considered her. “And I was given this scar many years before that.”
“Those are all I can recall at the moment. There are so many, you see. For all your tendencies to remain in the shadows, you have long been a source of gossip.” Celia dipped her spoon into the bowl of chestnut soup. “I regret that won’t change with your new title. In fact, there will probably be many more outlandish tales spread about you.”
“My concern is that you will suffer because of these cruel rumors. I won’t have you sullied simply because the irregular circumstance of my inheritance places you in the same crosshairs as myself,” Gabriel said, his tone vibrating with such fierce protectiveness that Celia blinked in surprise.
“It won’t be as bad as all that,” Celia murmured. “We shall make a game of it. Anytime either of us hears a rumor, we shall invent one even more outlandish simply for our own amusement.”
Leaning back in his chair, Gabriel gave her a considering look. “I believe that is an excellent idea.” He was silent for a long moment, then said, “The scar came from my father. He appeared at the boarding school in France when I was a lad. Tried convincing me he’d done what he thought best in the situation.” Gabriel sighed, remembering the altercation that day. “But he’d done what was best forhimself. Not me. And it was certainly not in my mother’s best interest. He abandoned her when he was needed the most. I wanted nothing of his explanations or excuses. We argued and eventually came to blows. He struck me across the face with his cane, and as I stood bleeding, he blamed me for causing the injury.”
A distressed sound escaped Celia’s throat.
“I did not wait to see what else he would say or do. I stormed out of the room, gathered my things, and slipped out into the streets of Paris. And I learned during those years on my own that the only person I could rely on was myself.”
“So, you did not know he’d married your mother? That you were his son in every sense of the word?”
Gabriel shook his head as the footmen removed the bowls of soup and servants brought in the next course of roasted pheasant and creamed peas. He waited until they could once again speak in private. “No. And even had I known, I doubt it would have made much of a difference. Being legally recognized as his son would not have changed his actions when it came to sending my mother away so her existence would not embarrass him.”
There could be no mistaking the angry resentment Gabriel’s words contained, but Celia recognized an even deeper emotion her husband carried inside. Pain and betrayal seeped from him as though they were being squeezed out.
“I’m sorry, Gabriel. I hope your father experienced remorse for his actions and for hurting you.”
Gabriel stabbed at the piece of fowl on his plate. “Perhaps he did. I cannot explain why he decided to make me his heir. No one knew he was my legitimate father. He could have gone to his grave keeping my mother and myself a secret.”
“But he did claim you.” Celia was determined that Gabriel not keep this hurt bottled up inside him. “And that must count for something. Perhaps one day he would have sought you out again so you could reconcile your differences. He might have played a role in your life and atoned for his mistakes.”
Gabriel scrubbed a hand over his face and gulped down the contents of his wine glass, motioning for the footman to refill it. “Perhaps.” His features hardened, a muscle ticking along his jaw. “No more questions, sugarplum.”
Celia nodded in agreement. She was silent for a long moment, using her fork to toy with the pheasant on her plate, then said, “When may we send word that Lord Banbury come for a visit? It will be pleasant becoming better acquainted with my new brother-in-law. He is quite charming.”
Her husband made a non-committal sound. His eyes darkened as he tilted his wine glass until the ruby-red liquid swirled around the glass bowl.
