Velvet Embrace

"Take it easy, Brie," Julian said, laying a restraining hand on her arm.

"And end such a spirited defense? No, Julian, by all means let her continue."

The cool voice had come from the doorway, and immediately three pairs of eyes swung to where Dominic stood with his arm braced in a sling. The reaction of the room's occupants to his appearance was varied. Julian frowned, Brie flushed and lowered her eyes, and Katherine stiffened.

Julian was the first to recover. "Dominic, I'm afraid there are some things you don't know about Sir Charles."

Dominic raised a dark eyebrow. "And I suppose you mean to tell me. Very well, then. Please get on with it." He strode into the room, taking up a position behind Brie's chair, resting one hand negligently on the tall back.

Julian threw an apologetic glance at Katherine, then cleared his throat. "Miss Hewitt knows why your father was arrested."

Dominic's gray eyes narrowed at Katherine. "Is this true?" he asked sharply.

"She was there the night—"

Dominic held up his hand, effectively quelling Julian's speech. "Allow Miss Hewitt to speak, if you will."

"Honestly, Dominic," Brie interrupted. "Must you be so harsh? Can't you see she is upset?" Intending to comfort Katherine, Brie rose halfway in her chair, but Dominic's hand firmly pressed her back down.

"Miss Hewitt?" he repeated softly, the underlying steel in his voice brooking no argument.

"Lord Denville is correct, my lord," Katherine whispered.

There was a lengthy pause while she appeared to be gathering the nerve to continue. Then she clasped her hands tightly in her lap and began to speak. "I was here when the tragedy began—and it was a tragedy. I was Lisette Durham's companion then, as well as a governess of sorts for her daughter Suzanne. I know, Brie," Katherine added at Brie's sharp intake of breath. "I should have told you before now. But it seemed pointless. While she was alive, your mama forbid me to speak of it. And afterwards . . . well, there seemed to be no reason to dig up the past. It was such a sordid story that I thought you better off not knowing."

Katherine hesitated, her gaze momentarily lifting to Dominic's. Then she dropped her eyes and kept them trained on Brie. "It happened in '92. That spring and summer . . . Sir Charles was gone much of the time, travelling around Europe. He left Lisette alone too much of the time. She was French, you see." At Brie's blank look, Katherine leaned forward. "Lisette was . . . gentle. She didn't have your strength, Brie, nor your mama's for that matter. Suzanne was away at a finishing school and Lisette was lonely. She began seeing the Comte de Valdois.

"I tried to warn her that no good would come from encouraging a man like that, but she just laughed. She was like a butterfly, attracted to pretty flowers. Then one day she came home with her gown torn and dirty. There were . . . bruises on her body. She had such a stunned look on her face that my heart nearly broke. The comte had . . . the comte had forced himself upon her."

>

Since Dominic was behind her, Brie couldn't see his expression, but she could feel his fingers tighten reflexively on her shoulder. She wondered if he would challenge Katherine's statement, but he said nothing.

There was a tense silence while the elderly woman wiped at her eyes with a handkerchief. Then she took a deep breath. "Lisette begged me to keep it a secret from her husband, and I agreed. Sir Charles was such a jealous man that he would have killed anyone who touched his wife. But I made her promise never to go near the comte again. I . . . I took Lisette to a woman in the village, and she was given a remedy that made her vilely ill. For a time I even feared for her life . . . but she recovered. She never again was as gay and carefree as she once had been, but I thought she was beginning to recover from her . . . her experience, as well.

"Some two months later, we received word that Sir Charles was coming home. Lisette seemed upset, but I thought . . . I thought she was simply nervous, you see."

When Katherine gave a choked sob, Brie couldn't bear watching such grief any longer. Shrugging off Dominic's hand, she went to sit beside Katherine and put an arm about her.

Katherine wouldn't be comforted, though. Tears were streaming down her lined cheeks as if they would never stop. "I should have known!" she cried with a vehemence that was startling to her listeners. "The day before Sir Charles was to arrive, I woke to find a letter beside my bed. It was from Lisette, addressed to me. I tore it open. . . . 'When you read this, I shall be gone.' That was how it began. At first, I thought Lisette must have run away, but then I read further. Lisette had realized she was to have a child, the comte's child. She . . . she took her life . . . because she couldn't bear the shame."

Sobbing brokenly, Katherine buried her face in her hands, while Brie stroked her hair gently, trying to comfort her. Brie wanted desperately to know how Dominic was taking all these revelations, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. She glanced at Julian instead and saw he was staring fixedly at the carpet.

Dominic was the first to break the silence. "And I suppose Suzanne Durham discovered the reason for her mother's death and wanted revenge," he said in a tired voice.

"Monsieur le Comte, pardon-moi." The voice had come from behind Dominic, and they all turned to stare at the intruder. He was a man about aged fifty, well dressed, carrying a black bag—a physician by all appearances.

"Yes?" Dominic said impatiently.

"If I may be permitted, monsieur," the doctor replied in faltering English. "I have information to add to this lady's story. You are le Comte de Valdois?"

"I do not claim the title," Dominic answered, "but I am the comte's son. You are . . . ?"

"Henri Fontaine, doctor of medicine."

"I see. Well, then, Monsieur le Doctor, perhaps you will be so good as to come with me. I think a private conversation would be more in order."

"But Dominic," Brie said quickly, realizing they wouldn't hear what the doctor had to say. "Surely Doctor Fontaine's information cannot be so very private. Could you not remain here?" When Dominic turned to look at her, Brie hesitated, seeing the hard glitter in his eyes. But she felt she had a right to the truth. "Please, Dominic?"