The Escape by Kristabel Reed

Author:Kristabel Reed [Reed, Kristabel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kristabel Reed
Published: 2012-04-10T04:54:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Eric LeClaire nodded cordially to a few vague acquaintances as they left Rue de Fleur. Gabrielle strolled beside him, her steps jerky, her body rigid. He took her hand, cold and stiff on his arm, and patted it. The gesture felt as hollow as it no doubt looked, but given the very public setting they now found themselves in, it was all he could do at the moment.

André walked on Gabrielle’s other side, not touching her though Eric knew his lover well enough to know how the other man wanted to. Still, this was how they had presented themselves in the past, whenever they ventured beyond the catacomb walls of the Hellfire Club; h e and Gabrielle as the couple, André as the friend joining them on their outing. Eric wasn’t sure how that had evolved, but none of the three of them minded especially since in the bedroom they didn’t have to pretend.

When they left the milliner’s, Eric hadn’t thought about it, had simply done it. But now, with Gabrielle clearly terrified as she walked between him and André, Eric wondered if he should have discussed it with her, reminded her.

What had she and André discussed while he’d been acquiring her new clothes? There hadn’t been time once he’d returned, but now Eric realized he should have made that time. He’d been so focused on Gabrielle—suddenly finding her as he had yesterday on the street, her here today, the solid beauty of her as she met him at the park, touching her, hearing her voice. He hadn’t thought simply reacted.

He wanted to return to the Club now, before her damned brother could locate her and before curfew.

André, carrying a satchel filled with, among other things, the jewels Gabrielle had taken from the house, leaned over and whispered something to Gabrielle, who smiled and nodded, relaxing her shoulders. For the first time since the three of them had met, Eric knew jealousy. It slammed through him with the force of a shot.

The street before him darkened as anger followed fast on the heels of that jealousy.

Once he’d found her, once he knew she’d return to the park and he’d see her again, Eric had never considered his future not including both André and Gabrielle. For the last years it had been only the two of them, but Eric knew without André saying a word that the hole left by Gabrielle’s absence could never be filled.

Now he wondered if perhaps those two years had changed Gabrielle in ways he hadn’t let himself think about.

Eric shook his head at his own foolishness. She’d been back with them less than a full day; no decisions had been made. No choices about the future. She willingly went with them from the milliner’s to the Club and, from what she’d said about Theodore, Gabrielle wouldn’t be returning to that household any time soon.

“Gabrielle,” he said in a quiet voice, “is everything alright?”

She didn’t directly answer, and Eric looked down at her. Vivid blue eyes looked up at him, studying him as they wove through the afternoon crowds.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.