Falling for the Marquess - Julianne MacLean Page 0,95
a chance to call to her driver, the coach lurched forward, and the man settled himself on the seat beside her.
She gazed at the familiar face, and it was as if all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. All she could do was murmur his name.
“Gordon.”
“Yes.” He stared at her for a few seconds. “Upon my word, Clara, you are more beautiful today than you were the last time I saw you. How is that even possible?” He placed his hand on his chest, as if he were trying to still his beating heart.
Panic surged into her veins and Clara had to fight to think clearly. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in prison.”
“I was released three months ago.”
“But you promised you would never contact me again. What do you want?”
He lounged back in the seat and rested both hands on his walking stick. “Straight to the point, as usual. It’s what I always admired most about you, Clara. You always knew exactly what you wanted. Well, almost always.” He smiled—a sinister, knowing smile—and leaned toward her, as if he wanted to sniff her.
Clara slid away from him. “I am married now, Gordon. I don’t wish to see you. I must insist that get out of my coach immediately. Driver!”
But the driver didn’t seem to hear her.
“Yes, I know all about your triumphant marriage,” Gordon said. “It was splashed all over the New York papers.”
Clara tried to keep her breathing slow and steady. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”
“Why do you think I’m here?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that I want you to leave.” How could she ever have been so young and foolish as to allow this man into her life?
He shook his head at her. “You must know I’ve never stopped loving you.”
Clara frowned. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. You never loved me. You wanted my father’s money, and you got it when we parted—a great deal of it—so you had better leave now before he finds out about this, and takes steps to see you back in prison for blackmail.”
“I don’t wish to blackmail you,” Gordon replied. “I only wanted to see you.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve been thinking of you every night since we parted…every wretched night I was in prison. Surely you remember what we had together. How exciting it was.”
She slid away from him again, disgusted by his mendacity. “I remember nothing! You manipulated me and lied to me.” When he did not respond to those accusations, she narrowed her eyes at him. “Did you send that telegram to my husband on our wedding day?”
He considered the question for a moment. “No, that wasn’t me.”
“But obviously you know about it. Who did you tell? Who sent it?”
“To be honest, I don’t know, and I don’t care. I’m here only to see you again for my own personal reasons, and to remind you of the love we shared.”
“It wasn’t love, and the only thing I am reminded of is filth. Get out of my carriage, Gordon, and do not ever contact me again.”
“But I don’t want to get out.”
He moved closer until she was pinned up against the side of the coach. He moved his face in slow circles in front of hers, so close she could almost feel his mouth touching hers. She turned her face away in disgust.
“I want to be with you again,” he said. “We belong together. Surely your husband of all people will be open to his wife taking a lover. Based on what I’ve heard about him, he would probably encourage it.”
Clara tried to squirm out of his grasp. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but it isn’t true. Our marriage isn’t like that.”
He continued to paw at her, kissing the side of her head. “You’re dreaming if you think he isn’t taking lovers of his own. If nothing else, why not get revenge?”
“Let go of me!”
Just then, the coach bumped, and Clara glanced out the window. “We are almost at Rawdon House,” she said in a panic. “Get out of here, Gordon, or I will call my husband out to remove you himself, and I guarantee he won’t be gentle.”
Gordon glanced out the window as well. “Damn. I suppose I should hop out now before he finds out about us.” He slid away and picked up his hat. “As the English say, Cheerio.”
He opened the door and leaped onto the street, leaving Clara behind to still her racing