The French Duchess by Rue Allyn

Author:Rue Allyn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crimson Romance

Chapter Ten

Marielle was relieved to depart the house for the gardens. She hadn’t felt so much on display since she’d been the talk of the ton while she followed her father’s coffin. But what could she do? The rumor had flown around Fontainebleau that Captain Campion’s bride was a promiscuous tart. To avoid drawing attention, she had to act the part expected of her.

“Was the meal not delicious?” she asked.

“Hmm.” He nodded, then turned down a path that bordered the rose garden.

“How was your conversation with Colonel Campbell?”

“Informative.” He guided them into an opening in the tall hedge that formed the outer wall of a maze.

She sighed. The man was impossible. “Did you enjoy watching the nymph’s dancing naked in the moonlight yesterday?’

“Perhaps.” He continued walking, left, right, right, left. He obviously knew where he was going.

“You’re not listening to me.”

They arrived at the folly in the center of the maze, and he escorted her within, seating her on a cushioned bench in the middle of the structure.

“I have listed to every word you’ve said, including that ridiculous question about nymphs. Indeed, I’ve listened much more closely to you than I believe you have listened to me.”

She narrowed her gaze, focusing on his expression. “You have been beyond my reach all day. How could I possibly listen to you?”

“Did I not warn you before we arrived to be most circumspect and not draw any attention to yourself? Yet just before dinner I find you dressed and behaving like a trollop. That ensemble must be one of Napoleon’s bridal gifts, but surely something more appropriate was among the outfits he sent you. You’re supposed to be madly in love with your new husband, not sniffing about the entire male populace of Fontainebleau like a bitch in heat. You don’t even have the discretion to hide your behavior from your husband. I watched you casting lures all evening to every man you met. Do you have any idea what suspicions such behavior may arouse? You put our entire enterprise at risk.”

“How dare you? This gown is completely appropriate for a state dinner. By wearing it, I show the emperor much needed appreciation. I cannot say I admire his taste, but I am decently covered.”

“Just barely.”

She ignored his sarcasm. “I’ve been at great pains to give credence to every rumor flying about this place and thus keep our disguise intact. It is not my fault if the people here jump to unwarranted conclusions. If anything, this debacle is your doing. The story you gave about our elopement evidently does not fit your reputation for cool calculation. Before our arrival, your friend Colonel Campbell told stories about your level-headed demeanor in battle and in camp where women cast lures at you and you refused almost all of them.”

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

She almost laughed to see astonishment combine with anger in his expression, making him appear like a bear, irate because a bee had the temerity to sting him on the nose after he’d stolen the bee’s honey.

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