Page 84 of My Darling Rogue
“You won’t… you won’t leave, will you?” Celia managed to say, her heart thumping so hard she felt faint again.
“Why would I?” Bryan’s laugh was derisive. “I’ll stay because you won’t say a word about us, and you’ll pay for my silence. Pay any price I name just so your new husband never learns the truth. You’ll pay to save your own pretty hide.”
Bryan was right. Celia would give him anything he demanded. Not to protect herself but to shield Gabriel. The thought of his being ostracized because of her past, of his possible ridicule by the society of which he was now a reluctant member, strengthened her resolve and made her sick at the same time.
Knowing she would give this vile man anything he wanted after he’d stolen so much from her was an abomination.
“Give me what I want. And I keep my mouth shut.” Bryan’s blue eyes blazed with smug satisfaction. He already knew the answer. He knew Celia would do anything he desired. “Deal?”
Celia nodded as she turned away from him. She stroked Arion’s glossy forelock, fighting back tears of resignation and shame.
“I’ll take those earbobs for the first payment. Hand them over.”
Celia slowly removed the delicate jewelry and placed them in Bryan’s grime-encrusted hand. She would not think of the day Tristan gave them to her. Her eighteenth birthday had been the occasion. Her brother said with an affectionate laugh that all women deserved pearls of some sort.
Despite her resolve, a tear rolled down Celia’s cheek. It was quickly swiped away. She did not want the creature tormenting her knowing how deeply affected she was by the loss of her brother’s gift.
But she was too late in hiding her sorrow.
Bryan grinned. “All fancy ladies like yourself get pin money from their husbands. Hand those coins over instead if you want to keep your pretty trinkets. Easier to spend and I won’t have to spend time fencing these bits.”
“I haven’t received my pin money yet.” Celia’s voice was hollow. “I’ve only been here a day and… and the marquess has more important matters to attend.”
“I don’t care. Better get your hands on it quick, milady,” Bryan sneered. Spying the stablemaster headed in their direction, he picked up Arion’s halter as though inspecting its strapping. “Bring it to me in two days’ time. And if you don’t, I’ll take something else in its place.”
His tone left no doubt as to what he referred, and his ravenously greedy gaze confirmed Celia’s fears. The man would take anything he could get. Whether of monetary value or pieces of Celia herself, it truly did not matter.
The thought of Bryan laying hands on her after she’d experienced the fiery sweetness of Gabriel’s kisses made her stomach roil in revolt.
“I will bring what I can,” she whispered, her features twisting in defeat. She could not stand his repulsive presence a moment longer. She fled the stables, hurrying back to the safety of the manor before she vomited.
CHAPTER35
“There goes the Bastard Marquess now.”
Gabriel sighed, ignoring the words spoken in such crisp, cool tones. He was already aware of the slur falling from the lips of certain gentlemen outraged by his rise in fortune and rank. Following the aide, he continued down the corridor, headed for his private office in the House of Lords. It was a temporary space since most of the building was still under construction after the devastating fire of 1834.
Gabriel could not resist glancing back to see who had spoken so derisively. He found the cold eyes of the Earl of Clayton, a man recently back from the edge of financial ruin. Gabriel himself had aided Sebastian Cain in that endeavor nearly two years before. A matter of revenge at the time for the man’s intended seduction of Ivy.
“Lord Clayton,” Gabriel called out as he continued striding down the hallway. “I do hope you aren’t foolish enough to make the same mistakes as in the past. You may not recover so quickly the next time.”
The aide guiding Gabriel through the maze of corridors and chambers nodded, saying under his breath, “The earl is certainly one you would do well to avoid, milord. He is a rather disagreeable sort when crossed.”
Gabriel gave the younger man a tolerant smile. “The same could be said of me. Although some might argue I’m far worse.”
The reception he’d received amongst the gentlemen trickling back for the next Parliament session was certainly an odd mix. Gabriel found himself ignored, discussed as though he were not within hearing, and surprisingly enough, jovially welcomed by more than a few. And as the day wore on, he found himself gradually gaining confidence in both his duties as marquess and his skills at fitting in with this new life. It really was no more difficult than handling issues for Sebastian. A sense of excitement trickled through him as he considered all the things he could do from this seat of power. The injustices he could help alleviate and the positive change he might have a part in, based on his own decisions and convictions.
He ended that first day with several personal offers to cover his sponsorship at White’s, the premier gentlemen’s club, as well as invitations to apply at Boodles. Sebastian had already secured Gabriel’s membership at both clubs, so he declined the generous offers put forth by others.
There were also numerous invitations for social events that he and Celia should attend. The first would take place that same evening at Lord and Lady Buckholt’s Grosvenor Square home.
“Just a small gathering. Perhaps twenty guests and an informal dinner. Should be grand fun. However, should I fail in securing you and Lady Rosenthorne, my wife might actually murder me,” Ethan, Lord Buckholt, lightheartedly claimed. “She’s dead set on having the honor of hosting this season’s most in-demand couple before anyone has a chance to snatch you up.”
“If Lady Rosenthorne agrees, we shall certainly attend. She is recuperating after the strenuous demands of this last month as well as the journey into London just yesterday.”
Ethan waved his hand in understanding. “Of course. We do hope to see you there, but it is only the first of many parties this season.”
Gabriel couldn’t be sure he was prepared for this test of acceptance into thetonso quickly. He realized Ethan and his wife, Margaret, the countess of Buckholt, were just the sort of friends he required in his new role. What he knew of the couple was complimentary, and they held much in common with the friends Gabriel already counted as his. Young, very much in love, and highly connected as well as respected.
