When she entered Brookhaven, she was somewhat relieved to find out that Fiona was out doing some errands. She really did want to talk about everything that happened with her friend, but as close as they’d become, she feared that Fiona’s loyalties still lay with Adrian, and she’d come to hate Vanessa for what she’d done.
The moment Gabriel saw her, he launched himself into her arms, hugging her fiercely. Immediately, some of the riotous emotions surging inside her abated.
“Hello, sweetheart,” she told him, hugging him in return, burying her face against his silky dark hair. “How are you?”
“Fine,” he murmured, wiggling away. He looked her up and down, and his face fell a bit. “What’s wrong, ’Nessa?”
She sighed and took his hand, leading him outside to her favorite bench beneath the shade of the tall oak. “Nothing for you to worry about. It’s just been a long week. I’m sorry that I haven’t been to see you as much. But I’m hoping that will all change soon, and we can be together much more often.”
He sat down beside her and looked up at her with those serious blue eyes that seemed to see so much. She imagined Adrian had looked very much like this when he was a child. “That would be nice,” he said softly, obviously afraid to put too much faith in her.
She wanted to tell him more, that he might be able to come home with her soon, but she was afraid of making a promise she couldn’t keep. What if Adrian wouldn’t allow it? She’d risked so much in the hopes that she, Adrian, and Gabriel could be a family, but she had no idea how Adrian felt about the matter.
What if she’d not only ruined her relationship with Adrian but with Gabriel as well?
Chapter Thirteen
As Vanessa took herbow, her gaze caught upon the earl’s private box, hoping Adrian would be there watching her.
Sadness washed through her when she saw that the box was still empty. For some reason, she’d thought he’d come to this, her final performance.
Thunderous applause filled the theater, and flowers pelted the stage at her feet. The newspapers and gossip sheets had been full of her unexpected marriage and departure from the stage, and she’d played to a sold-out crowd all week. Everyone wanted their last glimpse of the gold-digging actress who’d managed to snare herself an aristocrat.
She didn’t blame Adrian for avoiding the circus, but it would have meant the world to her if he’d come. She hadn’t realized how much she’d come to count on his dark, silent presence. Scooping up the flowers, she made one last curtsey and left the stage, wondering why she didn’t feel any regret. Acting had been her entire life for so long, but she wasn’t at all sorry to leave this world behind.
Though her future with Adrian was far from secure, she couldn’t wait to become his wife and start trying to win back his affection.
He would forgive her. She had to believe that he would.
The line of well-wishers backstage seemed endless, their probing questions and snide remarks impossible to ignore. When she finally closed her dressing room door, she collapsed against it in relief. She never again wanted to face such a gauntlet.
“You’re making a big mistake.” Marcus’s voice startled her, and she whirled to face him, glad to see he was alone.
“You scared me,” she chided him, her heart still thundering in her chest.
He pushed away from her dressing table, his handsome face grim. He’d done nothing but try to talk her out of leaving since she’d first brought the subject up two weeks ago. “What do you know about the man?” he asked, grasping her hands and squeezing them tightly. “I’m afraid he’s going to hurt you like the last one.”
