***
Marian cleared off her desk and then promptly left, not telling anyone where she was going. She needed some time away from the business, away from Louis, everything. She needed some time to resolve the questions that fogged her brain and made her feel crazy. She needed someone to surgically remove Louis and everything about him from her mind and her heart.
How do you replace someone who is constantly in your thoughts and repair the hole their love has left in your soul?
Marian sat in her carriage looking out at the city she loved, not really seeing the people or the places, her mind still reeling with the implications of what had happened this morning. When the carriage pulled up in front of the house on Josephine Street, she wondered if she should sell the home that Jean and she had shared.
Since his death three months ago, had she taken any time to really reflect on her life and decide where she was going? In the past, she’d always taken the children to Virginia to visit her family, but this summer she’d spent her time at Cuvier Shipping, trying to make sure she’d saved the business for her son. But now she even wondered if saving the business for Philip was really worth her effort.
Climbing out of the carriage, Marian walked up the sidewalk to the front door and entered the house. She leaned against the wooden portal, wanting to cry now that she was home.
Claire rounded the comer. “What are you doing home at this hour?” Her eyes narrowed at the sight of Marian. “What’s happened?”
Marian shook her head, the tears starting to fall and she knew she could no longer hold them at bay. “Louis ... he’s such a bastard.”
Claire took her sister by the arm and led her into the parlor and shut the door. She sat her gently down on the settee and handed her a handkerchief. “What has he done now?”
For a few moments, Marian just sat and cried letting all the anguish she’d held inside her flow out through her tears. Finally after several moments her tears began to subside, and she wiped her face.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that he asked me to marry him and we’ve been waiting to announce it to everyone.”
“I would say congratulations, but somehow I don’t think you’ve told me everything. And I get the feeling there will be no wedding.”
“Today, he was late coming into the office and Mr. Hudson, an attorney, came to the office to meet with Louis. Since Louis was not there he asked to speak with me.”
She began to tear up again as she recalled the man’s visit and the horrible look of surprise on his face when he realized she knew nothing about the sale of the business.
“He told me the buyers for Cuvier Shipping were awaiting my signature on the final papers and the sale would be complete.”
“Dear God!” Claire gasped, her voice filled with shock.
“Louis has been trying to sell the shipping company,” she said, her voice quivering.
“Did you confront him?”
“Yes and he said that he started the process of selling the company before I was involved, but that’s his excuse for everything. He said that he decided to cancel the sale, but just hadn’t gotten around to doing it,” she said, her heart breaking as she realized the extent of his betrayal.
“Or he was waiting until you said ‘I do’ and then he could do what he wanted,” Claire said quietly.
Marian started to cry again. “Of course he’s been telling me how much he cares for me. And now I find out the truth. He didn’t want me. He just wanted Cuvier Shipping.”
“Oh, Marian, I’m so sorry,” Claire said patting Marian’s back. “What are you going to do?”
Marian wiped her eyes with the handkerchief in her hand. “I’ve not taken any time off since Jean died. I need some time with my children. I need some time away from everything to think. So, I’m going to go to Virginia for a few weeks.”
Claire nodded her head. “That is a good idea. It would give you time to decide how you’re going to work closely with Louis after everything that’s happened.”
The thought of going back into the office and sitting across the hall from the man who had lied his way into her bed was impossible. “I can’t see him right now. I can’t see him until I’ve gotten over falling in love with him.”
Claire frowned. “That may be impossible.”
“I can’t work with him, knowing that I love him and that he’s deceived me. I have to get over Louis before I can go back to work.”
But how could she forget the man who had finally won her heart and healed her broken spirit? How could she forget the man who’d made her realize she was a desirable woman once again? How could she ever forget Louis?
Wronged (Book 1) Page 50
