The line stretched for quite some distance, and she stared up a bit nervously. Despite all the mention of her bravery, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go up in one of those cars.
“It’s three hundred feet tall,” Adrian told them. “It took almost a year to build.”
“We’re going in it?” Gabriel asked, jumping up and down, his little body quivering with excitement.
Adrian nodded as they took their places in line. “It’s turned by 100-horsepower steam engines,” he continued, explaining the amazing machinery in detail to the little boy, who just stared at him, wide-eyed. Vanessa knew he didn’t understand a word Adrian was saying, but he nodded and listened just the same.
She blinked against the sting of more happy tears. This was exactly what she’d imagined their life together would be like.
She was so focused on Adrian and Gabriel’s conversation that, at first, she didn’t hear the nasty voices of some people a few places up in the line. When she did, her blood ran cold.
“My God, he’s hideous. All scarred up like that. And look at her... Actress. No decent woman would marry a man like that.”
“Must be for the money. She can’t be attracted to him. Indecent, that what it is.”
“The child must be their bastard. They’ve been having an affair for years, they say.”
Adrian’s voice trailed off in the middle of telling Gabriel about the eleven-ton axels. His sudden tension made her certain he’d heard the gossips.
Some of the other people in line had heard as well, as evidenced by their stares.
Vanessa shifted uncomfortably, moving between Adrian and the hateful cats who were talking about them.
He gave her a pained glance and all the rare happiness he’d been showing them all morning vanished. She’d had no idea that he dealt with this kind of cruelty, and his unwillingness to let her see his face suddenly became more clear to her.
“Maybe we should go,” he murmured.
She shook her head stubbornly and linked her hand with his. “Ignore them. What they think doesn’t matter. We know the truth.”
He didn’t respond, but she felt him pulling farther and farther away from her. She was torn. If they left, it would set a precedence, and Gabriel would be so disappointed. But the whispers and stares continued, and her heart ached for her beautiful husband.
How could anyone look at him and not find him handsome? Perhaps it was because she loved him so much, but she couldn’t understand why the faint tracery of scars on one side of his face made people think they could treat him this way.
The hour-long wait to ride the wheel had promised to be fun. They’d planned to eat their lunch and soak in the atmosphere, but now it was going to be endless.
* * * *
ADRIAN CLENCHED HISjaw and paid the fare to finally get on the blasted wheel. The car held between thirty and forty people, so even the ride itself was not going to be free of the stares and rude comments. In fact, the two women who had been the cruelest were already inside the car.
He’d woken up this morning in a rare good mood. His talk with Lucien had convinced him that it was time to tell Vanessa how he felt about her. He’d thought riding on the wheel would be something she and Gabriel would enjoy, and he’d planned to tell her how much she meant to him and let all his anger and feelings of betrayal go when they reached the highest point and the city stretched beneath them as far as the eye could see.
But today had taught him that nothing had changed. How could he trust that she found him attractive when dozens of strangers were pointing at him and displaying their horror at his scarred visage?
Gabriel had fallen silent as well, and that hurt him too. The little boy shouldn’t have to be part of this. He deserved far better than a father who people laughed and pointed at.
They moved as far away as they could get from the women, crossing to the far end of the car. He picked Gabriel up in his arms as the wheel slowly began to move.
Gabriel let out a small gasp, and Adrian squeezed him tightly. “It’s all right. It’s perfectly safe.”
“I’m not scared,” the little boy said bravely. “I know you won’t let anything bad happen to me.”
Vanessa moved closer and put her hand around Adrian’s waist, creating a little circle of peace amidst the chaos.
“Thank you for bringing us,” she whispered. “You can see the whole city from up here.”
He sighed and looked out the glass, but the voices of the women on the other side of the car reached him even here. He focused on the silvery ribbon of the Thames far below them, wishing the damn ride would just end.
* * * *
