The instructions on Lenister’s presence being allowed when Giarden was arrested had been specific. He would not participate or interfere in the proceedings, but everything escaped him upon the sight of Eloise. He reacted out of instinct.
Lenister raced toward his wife, crying out her name. He knew nothing more except grasping hold of the knife and prying it out of Eloise’s hand. Marc Pierre beside him looked as though he, too, had felt the same fear.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Marc Pierre back away when he saw Eloise was safe. Instead, Marc Pierre directed his anger at the man before them.
Trembling and bewildered at the outburst, Giarden ranted at all around him. “How dare you!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. “I will not be treated in this manner! Do you know who I am? Robespierre will have all your heads!”
“I doubt that,” Marc Pierre said solemnly. He stepped in front of the doomed man. “It is on Robespierre’s orders that you have been arrested.”
Giarden’s face drained of all color. Panicked, he fought the restraints against him. “No! No! I have done nothing against the Republic! I have been a good patriot!”
“Au contraire! Citizen Giarden, you have been charged with conspiracy against the Republic,” Marc Pierre announced, beckoning to the guard. “Take him away.”
Lenister heard a shriek of anguish as Giarden was dragged out of the room. The man understood the moment the gendarme arrived and arrested him, he was a dead man. The arrest itself was a sentence of death.
Lenister wondered only if this time they would even bother with a mockery of a trial. The whole of the Terror had escalated. Robespierre now answered any perceived threats with more executions. Lenister doubted the government would last much longer, continuing down the path they now tread.
Which would lead Lenister to contemplate the army would mount a coup d’état. It would explain the power that Brigadier General Marc Pierre Bernard welded with the Committee of Public Safety. Each member understood well the power of the popular commander.
The whole of the problem was no longer his concern. Lenister wanted only to put distance between his family and the Terror that reigned in Paris. Lenister wasted no time in picking up his bemused wife and quickly carrying her to the carriage. He laid her gently down and climbed in himself.
Marc Pierre followed him, keeping the door open. “Eloise,” he said her name in the most tender manner. “Eloise, please look upon me.”
Eloise glanced around uncertainly. She looked up at Lenister, who smiled down at her.
“It is Marc Pierre, Eloise,” he said in a low, calm voice. “He wants only to make sure you are safe.”
She turned her gaze to her adopted brother and reached for his hand. He took it and kissed it.
“Go,” he said. “Rest assured that I will see the scoundrel gets his own. He will not hurt another soul. Eloise…”
“I want only for you to be safe also. Promise me, my dear, dear brother… I cannot bear...” Her voice shook and then faded into the tears that streamed down her face.
“Do not worry about me. You are to go now to the safe house. It is where you will find the others,” he said in a low voice. “I sent word for Andre to meet you there. I, too, will come if able. There are still issues to address, but your husband knows my concerns.”
Marc Pierre glanced up at Lenister, who nodded in agreement. In the moments waiting for an audience with Robespierre, the two men had come to a mutual agreement. Although both men differed greatly on many issues, on this there was no dispute. The secrecy that had allayed Eloise since her birth would be no more.
* * * *
Surprising calm overcame Lenister at the Barrier. Most coaches and carriages were not allowed exit at this time of night, but most were not escorted by the National Guard. Papers were handed out and examined but no question arose, only ascertaining their names.
“Gerard Lenister. English. Advocate.”
Lenister nodded and gestured toward his wife, who sat still next to him. “My wife. Eloise D’Arcy Lenister. She is French.”
The guard flashed a look of recognition at the name, but with only a glance up to their escort, the guard took the papers to the table and signed them quickly. He handed Lenister back his papers. “Good journey.”
The guard motioned for the carriage to be allowed free access. Lenister wrapped his arms around his trembling wife and whispered assurances of their safety. The wheels rolled slowly. There was no semblance of flight. Eloise said nothing, but clutched tightly to him as if her life depended upon his presence.
Silence encompassed the carriage. Travel was slow in the darkness over the uneven roads with all the ruts and cracks in the surface. With each jolt of the wheels, Lenister felt Eloise’s fingers claw into him. There was nothing he could do but allow time and distance to ease her anxiety.
Lenister made no movement towards looking out the drawn curtains. He had no desire to convey any concern. Not often did he place faith into another, but he had with Marc Pierre. Hours passed and the carriage slowed its pace. Eloise sprang up.
“We need only to stretch our legs and change our horses, I am certain, my love,” he said and kissed the top of her head. His arm ached holding her as he was, but he had dared not move it. “Come. It will do you good to get a bit of fresh air.”
The night’s air was cool. Lenister breathed a sigh of relief when Eloise turned to him. Even in the dim light, he saw color had returned to her face. She gave him a small smile.
“We are at Beauvais,” she stated as to herself.
“There is a small inn. We need to refresh ourselves before we continue. We could stay the night if you wish,” Lenister offered, but he knew well her answer before she shook her head.
“Then we will make it brief.”
They stayed no longer than for the horses to be changed and a semblance of a meal. Though Eloise ate little, the stew was sufficient, warm and filling. The innkeeper showed only the utmost of kindness toward his guests given the inconvenience of the time of night. Lenister doubted the man would receive him with anything but hospitality given his escort.
It was here, according to Marc Pierre’s orders, the guards broke off. Most rode back to Paris; only two remained. Lenister understood readily these were Marc Pierre’s most trusted men.
The carriage left in good time. Lenister looked down at his watch before he entered behind Eloise. Almost midnight. With no delays, he hoped to be at the safe house by midday.
With their departure, Eloise exhaled deeply, as if expunging demons within her. She no longer seemed distant and debilitated. She closed her eyes briefly and then opened them as if calling forth her innermost strength.
“My lord, I have to offer you my sincere apologies,” she spoke softly but with a firm grip of her words. “I know I have disappointed you. I suspect you may even be angry with me. I have no excuse except to say I was weakened…”
“By fright. I suspect scared beyond measure,” Lenister said in a low voice. He turned to look straight into her eyes. “I do not mean to interrupt you. I have a deep need to talk with you, but I do not want to force it upon you. But I cannot have you blaming yourself. It is I who has a need to apologize, my darling. I need to be on my knees begging your forgiveness.”
A resigned, meek expression filled her face. He expected her to burst back into tears. Instead, she pressed her lips tightly together with a determination to stay her course.
“You have not done anything to ask forgiveness, Gerard,” she said. Her head tilted to the side, but she did not break her gaze upon him. Emotions seemed to well within her. “Please let me have my say or I will not.”
He wanted to stop her…to tell her it wasn’t necessary. It didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was she was here beside him, but he saw the need within her. Too long she had kept her feelings to herself. He cursed himself for the teeming hurt oozing from her being…that he had not protected her from that hurt. So he remained silent.
�
�You know what I intended to do. You have not asked me why. I…I…” She paused and choked back tears. Shortly, she drew in a deep breath and continued, “He threatened your life and the children’s and everyone connected to you if I did not testify. He said you would be spared if I did so. Afterwards, all changed. He laughed at me and told me he had all he needed from me. He had no intention of holding to his word.
“Not that I had trusted him. I had told Seamus…I told Seamus about Marc Pierre. With that, it gave me hope that you and the children would be safe. But I couldn’t take the consequences of my actions. I tried to think of another solution, but I saw no other option. The thought of him touching me was too much to bear. I loathed the man. He gave no thought to taking a life. He sickened me.
“You told me…you told me you would not leave me, but I did not think you could… you had your children. I thought you had left.” She raised her hand to his lips as he began to protest. “No. No. No. You don’t understand. No one has ever kept their word to me. Luc promised me, too, that he wouldn’t betray me and he did…”
He was stunned. “Luc betrayed you? Why would he have done so?” Lenister uttered the words out loud. He hadn’t intended to do so, but once said, he didn’t let it go. He repeated it. “Eloise, I don’t understand. I thought Luc protected you from Calognac.”
Eloise broke her gaze, but he reached over and lifted her chin so he could see her eyes. “Eloise, tell me.”
A frown creased Eloise’s brow. “It was not his fault. You don’t know what it was like before the Revolution. Calognac didn’t need a reason to arrest Luc or inflict upon him any punishment he deemed fit. There is only so much anyone…”
“You misunderstand. I’m not condemning Luc, Eloise. I want only to understand better the world you lived before we met. There is much that doesn’t make sense.”
A single tear escaped her eye and fell down her cheek. “Luc…Luc was acting strange. I thought it had to do with my father. I knew he planned to obtain an audience. Foolishness, perhaps, hoping my father would give us his blessing and sanctuary until we could make arrangements to leave for America. He left early that morn. We argued. I wanted to go with him. I didn’t want to be left alone.
“Luc told me I couldn’t. He insisted I stay behind. Told me to expect visitors. Andre had informed Uncle Orville of my whereabouts. Luc said Uncle Orville insisted upon seeing for himself that I was safe as he blamed himself for my predicament. But it was not Uncle Orville who arrived at my door. It was Calognac. I hadn’t a chance.
“As I told you, Calognac gave me no choice but to marry him…lying to me that my vows would protect those I loved. It was only after that Calognac taunted me with the knowledge that my love betrayed me…The rest you know.”
Lenister sat back in the stillness with his thoughts. Distraught, she turned her back to him to hide her tears. He leaned up and brought her back into his arms. She buried her face into his shoulders and wept.
“Eloise, you have done nothing to be ashamed. I do not judge you or Luc. We both know circumstances dictate to us at times. Do you not suppose I should have retrieved my children long before they were arrested and put into that dreadful prison? I would have never lived with myself if harm had befallen either of them. You saved them, Eloise. You saved me. It was you."
"You are trying to alleviate my guilt, but it cannot be undone. Too much has happened. It is all my fault. Do you not understand? Everyone...Luc, Rosabel. My husband...the one I bound myself to with my vows...his death is on my hands also...." Her voice escalated higher and higher as the weight of the years exudated from her. She surrendered to the hurt. "He haunts me. Luc. He tells me to find her. He tells me to find our daughter. I failed. My poor child never…never knew she was loved. She died without me holding her...
"When Gairden came at me, I told myself I had only one escape. It was what I intended. I cannot deny. I thought perhaps if I finished my life, then I could hold her if only for a moment. God would not have denied me that, do you think?" She looked at him with pleading eyes. "If you had not come when you did..."
"Ssh, my love, my precious love," he said in a soothing voice. "But, Eloise, when we burst in, Gairden was already by your side. He had hold of your hands and the knife. Marc Pierre wrestled him away and I took the knife from you. You would not have been successful in your attempt. You must have hesitated."
Confusion swept over her expression. Then her eyes widened and words escaped her lips. "I did hesitate. I did. I remember now. I closed my eyes and I saw..."
Lenister reached over and pushed fallen tresses of hair out of her face. Gently, he cupped her face in his hands. "You saw?"
"I saw you."
The space between them evaporated. Her heart swelled. He leaned over and breathed against her lips. He gazed into her eyes, saying all needed without uttering a word…for there were no words for the love that passed between them…only the depths of emotions born between two souls destined to share an eternity.
His mouth moved over hers, tenderly expressing his love with his kiss…his caress. He grasped her tightly against him and she leaned into him, feeling the extent of his desire. She threw back her head, accepting his fervored kisses. Burying his face into the sensitive spot of her neck, a bittersweet ache simmered within her, flamed by his burning touch, his scent, his kisses.
She felt his hands begin to undo the buttons on the back of her gown. Catching her breath, she whispered, “Gerard…we can’t…not here. Our escorts.”
“If you believe I can have you here to myself for hours on end and not take you, you are quite mistaken, my lovely wife,” he uttered against her skin. All the while, he busily pushed down on her bodice and pulled her hands through her sleeves, exposing her breasts for his view. “It seems I will have to be somewhat inventive.”
Her eyes caught his. He gave her a mischievous smile much like a small boy maneuvering to get his way. She laughed…she had not laughed in such a long time.
Eloise soon discovered her husband to be a man of his word. He was quite inventive in satisfying her smoldering desire. He took her, not hard, but with an ease and gentleness she had never known. She was nearly undone by his lovemaking.
He entered her slowly, whispering in her ear. “The moment I looked into your eyes, something within me knew you were the one…the one I have longed to find. You have filled an emptiness within me. I love you, Eloise. Now and for always.”
There was no rational thought to his words, only his heart crying out to hers.
Pleasure cascaded through her as she absorbed his being as part of her own. Pure and unadulterated pleasure, not only from a physical release, but from the knowledge she was loved completely and thoroughly by this man. Never in her life had she known such perfect bliss as she had in that moment. To love and be loved…it was all she ever wanted.
Chapter Fourteen
Two days had passed since that fateful night, the night her husband whisked her out of Paris…out of the shroud of death. Now they waited on the outskirts of Calais. The weather had not cooperated with their flight across the Channel. Rough winds and water delayed their attempt to cross. Though now the urgency had dissipated. The cloak of uncertainty that weighed heavily on her shoulders had been lifted from her.
Gone was the intense fear that their demise waited in the shadows. Eloise returned home once more. She had been happy here once. Memories encompassed her…a time when nothing mattered but the sun in the sky, not the lack of money, the status of her birth…she had never been happier. She thought those days over until…until Gerard.
She walked along the rocky beach and soaked in the sight before her. The familiar rhythm of the ocean waves rolling over the shoreline; the wind against her face; the invigorating smell of the sea. Her desolation vanished, replaced with an overwhelming sense of hope…hope of her life anew.
Their arrival at the safe house was uneventful. Instead of going to Le Treport, it was thought better to continue up the coastline not far from Cal
ais. The cottage sat back from the ocean, built into a hillside. From the outside, the cottage did not appear to be large, but hidden rooms lay within the hill. Long had the cottage served as a sanctuary. Erected to conceal smuggled goods, it had well served its purpose when it came to smuggling fugitives out of France.
The whole of the house lay in darkness. A precaution only, but it was not without reason. Though not on flight from any authorities, one never knew how the wind blew in France from one day to the other. Complete safety would not be established until they stood on the English shore.
The moment her husband announced their presence, the children bombarded him. It made her smile. The ease with which he allayed their fears amazed her, but much he did amazed her. Any doubts she held within her evaporated, even concerning his former mistress.
The woman seemed oddly subdued. Strange, for Miranda seemed to have lost the haughtiness she presented at the prison. Eloise supposed questions lay heavily within the woman on her future. Of one thing Eloise understood with certainty, Lenister would not be part of any plans Miranda formulated. He informed Eloise that he would see to Miranda’s return to the Colonies. Then he was done with the woman.
The children presented a different issue, one yet to be set. Watching her husband with his children, Eloise realized that they would always be a part of his life. She expected nothing less.
It wasn’t until late last evening when Marc Pierre arrived. The cottage was not overly large and Eloise woke immediately as Lenister rose from her side. While the children and Miranda slept in the hidden chambers, Eloise and Lenister used a cot to the far side of the open room outside the hidden chamber. The two men conversed well into the early hours of the morning. Straining to listen, Eloise could make out little of their talk other than whispers and murmurs.
Broken Legacy (Secret Lives Series) Page 19
