those activities. Why would she ever think he would stop his pursuits—either dueling or taking lovers—for a drab plain Jane like herself? It was already going to be agonizing the first time she heard gossip of his amorous exploits. How much worse would it be if she fell into the belief that she was somehow special to him—that what they’d done together last night was just for her, for them.
“You are such a pitiful fool,” she whispered through clenched jaws. “Such a fool.”
* * *
Gabriel wished it had been some other production—or some other cast—at least when it came to two members. But it was what it was. He’d known Giselle would be onstage, but Maria’s presence had surprised him. The way things had been going, he supposed he should have expected that both his mistresses—ex-mistresses—would be performing for his wife.
His family had arrived at the theater only a few moments before the curtain rose; the evening would be tense enough without drawing matters out by engaging in the pretheater promenade.
As for dinner? Gabriel had declined an invitation from his mother to dine at Exley House, instead dinning at home with his wife for the first time. It had been a polite but stilted affair, Drusilla behaving as if their night of passionate lovemaking had never happened.
Gabriel was mystified and more than a little irritated. Why must the woman be so awkward? They’d come together last night, they’d found pleasure in each other, and they’d not engaged in a single argument.
But that didn’t appear to suit the new Mrs. Marlington.
Thankfully his mother, stepfather, Eva, Byer, and two crazy spinster friends of the marquess’s were already present when they arrived, so he and his wife didn’t need to make more awkward conversation. The entire theater had paused to watch them enter the box, and Gabriel knew that would continue for the rest of the evening.
Drusilla wore the same stiff, proud expression she’d worn this morning when he’d brought her breakfast. Who knew what went on behind that mask? Certainly not Gabriel.
She was seated between Gabriel and the marquess. Eva must still be mad at her and had not, as far as Gabriel could tell, spoken to Drusilla once since they’d arrived. In fact, his usually boisterous sister appeared rather subdued.
Hmmm, that did not bode well for somebody.
It was not the most relaxed of evenings. Visel was present—as was Tyndale. Both had conspicuously come to pay their respects during the break. If that wasn’t enough, Lucy had come by with Deveril. She’d made up to Gabriel in a shameless way, touching him and treating him as if he were an object that belonged to her. There was nothing he could do as she chose to carry out this exhibition in their box, in front of his wife and half the ton.
Gabriel thought the theater manager would have done better to charge tickets to watch Exley’s box than to watch the actual production.
Not that Giselle was not at her best.
She was powerfully gripping in her role as Regan. And Maria performed her much smaller role with the usual flair. Gabriel would have preferred not to bring his wife to watch his former mistresses, but Tyndale had been the one to ask that they be there.
Tonight the need to see and be seen with Visel had been more important than who was on the stage.
While Tyndale watched the production from a box almost directly opposite Exley’s, Visel watched from the pit. Gabriel was certain the farcical nature of the arrangement was fueling at least some of the attention they were receiving.
He felt Visel’s gaze more than once during the evening—when the other man wasn’t watching either Maria or Giselle. Gabriel was not stupid. Visel’s message was clear: the gorgeous actresses were available, and he would do his best to have them. Visel was, he supposed, an attractive specimen. Certainly the women of the ton seemed to flock to him, although that could be his position as a duke’s heir rather than his person. Gabriel thought the man was unbalanced and did not trust his public apology in the least. Still, there was nothing Visel could do to hurt him, so there was no point wondering what he was up to.
Gabriel found the other man’s actions amusing rather than annoying. If he thought to make Gabriel jealous, he was certainly engaging in futile behavior. While he had no idea what Giselle and Maria might do, he was positive that inviting Visel to become their lover