Page 104 of The Duke's Dream
"We lived in a château near Saint Cloud. My memories fade every year, like the tapestries in our grand foyer. I remember the music... My mother loved it. Our home was always filled with dance and song."
Helene freed her fingers to play the melody of those lazy summers. Her notes scented of plums bursting in the heat, wild buttercups, and her mother's lilies. All so different from the exotic orchids she received in the theater.
"Was your father an aristocrat?"
Helene froze, her breath hitching. If she told him her father had been the Marquess of Beaumont, would their relationship change? A part of her longed for him to say, 'Marry me. You are a lady, and it is my duty.' But what of her brother? He was a Marshal of France. Wouldn't the Silent Sovereign be able to link her family title with the current Count of Wagram?
The silence in the room pounded against her ears.
Helene averted her eyes, her pulse quickening. "No, he was a wine merchant."
The words settled like stones in her chest.
William's expression sharpened as he caught her shoulder, his gaze locking onto hers. "Do you still have connections in France?"
Helene's heart flapped against her ribs, anxiety twisting her insides.
She swallowed hard. "No."
The lie slid out, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.
Exhaling, he pulled her into his lap and buried his face in her neck.
"Thank God," he whispered, his breath rustling her hair.
Helene remained stiff in his embrace, a chill creeping through her. That horrible man, Viscount Montfort—had he told William about her? What had he uncovered?
"I'm worried now. Should I pack my things? Am I no longer welcome in Britain?"
William's grip tightened. "Forget about this, Helene. I shouldn't have said anything."
"I never saw you so tense. What is it?"
"I don't want to upset you."
"Nothing important to you can upset me."
"Elias Farley didn't stop criticizing Wellington's campaign."
Was this about the journalist, then? Helene sighed, relieved. "He is intelligent, and his views are sharp, but love, having a different opinion, is not always bad. Let people think. Trust in your policies—"
"Farley enjoys the company of men, and Thornley will use the information against him."
"Oh, no."
The image of those prisoners in the cart haunted her. Those were the consequences of same-sex love. Violence, shame, death.
"I talked to Farley. Tried to warn him. But he is obstinate, willing to risk everything to live his passion fully." His hands fisted, and the keys protested the disturbance.
Helene caressed his shoulder. "You did all you could to help him. You are a great man." She had been wrong to believe him an aristocrat who cared only for his own interests. He worked hard for the country, and his morals were noble. "I knew inside the Silent Sovereign lived a Mellow Monarch."
He looked at his hands, exhaling, and then up at her, his eyes haunted. "How can you be so certain?"
"I could tell you it is because I sense a wonderful heart beating in your chest, and that despite you being a tyrant, I'm proud of you. But that would make you vain, so I will say instead that I refuse to live in a Shakespearean tragedy, and if this is a comedy, then you cannot be an evil monarch, like Claudius, or King Richard III, but a good one. Perhaps Leontes, the Duke Senior, or the King of France, fromAs You Like It."
His smile was a gift that made her heart sing. "I thought you had outgrown Shakespeare."
Helene shrugged. "I have my ups and downs."
