Page 72 of Sweet Siren
She smiled at him, her hope and fear quivering like newborn chicks inside her. "Indeed Ido."
* * *
Pierce stoodwith him to bid the last of their guests good night. The dinner party had included a gilded array of French industrialists as well as the banker Rothschild, a Belgian pharmaceutical company owner and a Swiss maker of precision clocks and watches. Remy, Marianne and the Princess d'Aumale were the only other family guests, but they were the perfect complements to the gathering. Remy's mother knew each person and perhaps even their pedigree by heart. Remy knew them because many had commissioned sculptures from him. And Marianne brought her love of painting to the group, especially her descriptions of how popular renderings of women and children were becoming among artists and patrons. The evening lacked only onething.
Liv. Whom he'd hoped would've played Chopin forthem.
Liv. Who would've been his hostess. For the firsttime.
Liv. Who would've worn his ring as hisfiancée.
"A wonderful evening, Killian," Princess d'Aumale said as he kissed both her cheeks. "Merci beaucoup.I will take my carriage. Valmont is here at the door, I think.Oui," she said as she peered through the open portal. "Marianne told me you wish to speak to her and Remy. I will go ahead. My grandson needs his Nana to kiss him, you see, before he goes tosleep."
Killian chuckled as he thanked her. "Yes, I will send them home in my own carriage,Madame. Merci beaucoupfor your companytonight."
"Mon cher, I will readily appear for fine champagne, superb cuisine and your family's wit." She considered Pierce who stood next to Killian. "This young man is a charmer. A wonder you are not married yet,Pierce."
His son blushed. "Madame, I am afraid I choose the wrongwomen."
Killian found it difficult to smile. Pierce concentrated on one woman, one wrong woman, too much. She was married, unavailable to him.Like Liv is tome.
Perhaps he and I are bothfoolish.
"Change that, young man." She tapped her fan to Pierce's white silk cravat. "You are too handsome and much too accomplished to waste it on a woman who cannot love you as youdeserve."
Pierce knew how to cover his distress with a dashing grin. "Merci, Madame.I shall take youradvice."
"Do.Aurevoir!"
"Good Christ," Pierce whispered as the lady swept through their front entrance. "Do I wear my care for Elanna like asign?"
Lily had reported in a recent letter that Elanna had recently left her home in the country to take up residence in the Carbury townhouse in London. She had not taken her newborn son with her, but left him to the nurses. Her husband, the earl, had arrived at Willowreach, his wife's farewell note crushed in his hand, to berate Julian for encouragingher.
"'Julian vehemently denied any such thing. We had quite a scene here,'" Lily wrote. "'I was concerned Carbury had been drinking and he and Julian would come to blows. As it was, Julian had two footmen show the man the door and warned him never to return again with suchaccusations.'"
"Perhaps you need to examine what it is you are doing,Pierce."
He scowled. "I care for her. She's so unhappy,Father."
"What has she ever brought you,son?"
Shaking his head, Pierce had noanswer.
"If she appeals to your tender heart, is it because she chooses to portray herself as the tragic victim?" His question touched a chord in him.Liv refuses to be a victim. Rejects pity. And has risen above her circumstances. Until now. Withme.
"Oh, I wish I knew the answer, Father." He shoved his hands in his tuxedo trouser pockets. "I keep asking myself why I compare all females to her when I could have my choice of any young woman with no problems, no husband, nobaby."
"When you know the answer, you'll moveon."
He inhaled. "And in the meantime, I'm for bed. Great dinner party. Please say goodnight to Marianne and Remy for me, willyou?"
"I will." He watched his son climb the stairs and turned for thesalon.
Marianne sat beside her husband on a settee, laughing with him as he sipped abrandy.
He grinned at them. "I'm delighted to see that happiness continues after the birth of your firstchild."
"How could it not?" Remy said to him, curling an arm around his wife's shoulders. "I have the finest woman in the world tomyself."
