The Defiant Mistress. Claire Thornton
From the corner of her eye she could see his hand lying upon the table. It was the same hand that had touched her so long ago. Yet it seemed somehow different. It was familiar in all its lineaments, but it almost seemed like the hand of a stranger.
‘What a lucky circumstance that you already know his lordship, Mrs Quenell,’ said the Ambassador suddenly. ‘It is so much more comfortable to travel with an old friend rather than a stranger,’ he continued.
His comment nearly destroyed the remnants of Athena’s composure. She’d been so overwhelmed by the shock of seeing Gabriel again she had forgotten he was to escort her back to England. She instinctively shied away from the prospect.
‘As to that, we have not yet discussed arrangements,’ she hurried into speech. ‘As I mentioned, his lordship met an acquaintance before we had a chance to do so. It may not be convenient—’
‘I am sure we can come to an arrangement that will be mutually satisfactory,’ Gabriel interrupted, a dark, enigmatic note in his voice.
Athena’s eyes snapped to his face. He tilted his head to look directly into hers. For several seconds she forgot to breathe.
‘If the arrangement is not to your liking we can make alternative travel plans for you, Mrs Quenell,’ said Minshull. ‘I will deal with it first thing in the morning.’
Gabriel turned almost lazily to look at the secretary. ‘Don’t trouble yourself,’ he said, his words a devastating command, not an assurance.
It seemed to Athena that she was not the only person holding her breath as she waited for Minshull to respond. There was no other conversation at the table. Gabriel held everyone’s attention.
‘I… I… Mrs Quenell?’ The red-faced secretary turned towards her.
‘Thank you for your kindness, Mr Minshull,’ she said, trying to give him a dignified way to back away from the confrontation. ‘But I have barely been in Venice a day. I’m not yet sure myself what arrangements I wish to make. You may be sure I’ll call upon you for help if I need to do so.’
‘Yes. Yes. Of course. At any time,’ he said.
A brief, cold smile curved Gabriel’s lips at the secretary’s words. Then he turned to say something to the Ambassador, quite clearly dismissing Minshull from his attention.
The meal continued. Athena longed to escape to the privacy of her chamber, but she knew that if she did so it would arouse even more curiosity among the Ambassador’s household. So she smiled and nodded and exchanged inconsequential remarks until Sir Walter suddenly declared a desire to dance.
The table was moved, chairs placed against the walls of the portego and a trio of musicians struck up a lively tune. As the only two women present, Athena and Rachel Beresford were obliged to dance every measure. Athena guessed from the fixed smile on the younger woman’s face that she was as uncomfortable with the situation as Athena. Rachel wanted to be alone with her husband. Failing that, she wanted to dance with her husband. But since Edward Beresford’s career depended on the Ambassador’s goodwill, neither he nor his wife had any choice but to acquiesce to Sir Walter’s pleasure.
Athena had never in her life danced in public. She had never had occasion to do so. She gritted her teeth, tried to watch Rachel whenever she could, and did her best to move through the steps without making a total fool of herself.
Gabriel didn’t invite either woman to dance. At first he leant against the wall and watched, his gaze inscrutable. Athena took care not to glance in his direction, though her consciousness of his scrutiny made her feel flustered and clumsy. After half an hour she became aware of a sudden absence. She looked around and discovered that Gabriel had disappeared.
His departure left her with a sense of an anticlimax. It also seemed to lead to an increased exuberance in the mood of everyone else. The impromptu ball became more boisterous. At last Edward Beresford pleaded weariness on behalf of his wife after her long journey and they left the chamber.
Athena found herself alone among a crowd of increasingly inebriated gentlemen. Without Gabriel’s brooding presence several of them, most notably Roger Minshull, became more familiar in their advances. Gabriel’s treatment of her had undermined her status in the men’s eyes. The previous day they had been inclined to treat her as if her years in the convent had given her the untouchable sanctity of a nun. This evening they were more prone to cross those invisible boundaries.
Athena knew she couldn’t afford to linger. Even though she might have to endure no more than a lewd question or two about her past friendship with Gabriel, and perhaps an inappropriately intimate caress, any sign that she was complacent about such treatment would quickly undermine her reputation and her status.
She paid the Ambassador several graceful compliments about the dinner and the subsequent entertainment he had arranged and left the portego as speedily as good manners would allow. After the last exchange of courtesies with a persistent Minshull, she escaped on to the external staircase.
The cool night air felt like balm on her overheated face. The friendly darkness was a relief after the strain of maintaining her public composure for so long. She paused for a moment to enjoy the pleasure of being alone. A burst of laughter from the portego prompted her to climb a few steps to avoid any possibility of one of the revellers noticing her and perhaps deciding to join her on the privacy of the stairs.
She walked up another few steps.
Suddenly all her senses screamed a warning. She hadn’t seen or heard anything, but a dark shape swooped on her from the shadows. Strong arms wrapped around her in an unbreakable hold. Her heart thudded so loudly she hardly heard his soft-voiced command to be quiet, but she didn’t need to hear his voice to know it was Gabriel. Even in the darkness she recognised his familiar, once-beloved scent, and the feel of his hard body close to hers.
He swept her off her feet and carried her down the stairs. Athena thought of struggling, but their discovery was more likely to cause her embarrassment than result in her rescue. Besides, despite his undisguised hostility towards her, she knew Gabriel would never hurt her. And she had questions for him. As soon as they were alone she wanted some answers.
A few moments later she found herself once more seated in Gabriel’s gondola. This time the curtains were drawn, enclosing her in a black velvet cocoon lit only by a single lantern. Gabriel swiftly joined her. His tall, broad-shouldered frame made the small cabin seem even smaller.
‘Why are you so angry?’ Athena demanded, before he’d even had a chance to lean back in the reclining seat beside her.
‘What?’
‘You didn’t even turn up at the church!’ Furious indignation vibrated in her voice. ‘You sailed off to Aleppo two weeks later without a backward glance! How dare you treat me with such contempt!’
‘How dare I…?’ Gabriel half-turned on to his side so that he could stare directly into her face. His blazing eyes were only inches from hers. ‘Harlot! I saw you with your lover. Did it amuse you to know I watched? You laughed when that bastard knocked me cold! But I’m not the callow boy I was then. You won’t fool me again with your lies.’
His accusation was so unexpected that, for a few seconds, Athena could hardly think straight.
‘What lover? I never had a lover!’ She found her voice. ‘You’re the one who’s lying! If you never meant to marry me—’
‘In the bawdy house!’ In an instant Gabriel was stretched half on top of her, the tip of his nose almost touching hers. ‘I saw him drink from the very spot your lips had touched. I saw you smile at him and lift your mouth for his kiss. I saw—’
‘Samuel?’ Athena gasped. For a moment she was back in that hateful room, afraid and longing for Gabriel to rescue her. ‘You saw?’ Her memories disintegrated beneath a mist of red-hot fury. ‘You saw and you didn’t help me! How could you? How could you?’ She pounded her fists at him, hitting wildly at his shoulders and chest, catching him a blow on his cheek, fighting him as she’d never