Page 87 of The Rogue’s Countess

The icy note in Phoebe’s question made him stiffen. With a defensive gesture of his hand, Gideon narrowed his gaze at her.

“Your room was in complete disarray. It was obvious you had been in a great hurry to leave the house, and as I said, I was concerned.” At his reply, the color drained from her face until it resembled the cold, lifeless features of a porcelain figurine.

“You were concerned?”

The condescending note of disbelief in her voice angered him. Why would she question his expression of fear for her safety? Even if she didn’t love him, she should at least understand that as her husband, he was honor-bound to protect her. A second later, he realized they were no longer discussing the note in question. How easily and quickly she’d diverted the conversation from the note to his behavior in searching her room. The realization of how adeptly she’d changed the subject made Gideon grit his teeth.

“The note, Phoebe. Who is he?”

“Lawrence is one of my dearest friends. No, my only friend. He took me under his wing when I first came to London.”

It was a response that held not one iota of guilt or trepidation. In fact, Phoebe’s reply had been defiant and angry. It was precisely the reaction one might expect when an innocent party was accused of impropriety. Brown eyes were flashing with outrage, Phoebe eyed him coldly. The voice in the back of Gideon’s head told him she was innocent of everything he’d imagined. Jealousy made him brush the voice aside.

“A friend who didn’t bother to come to your aid when you needed someone the most,” he sneered. Inside his head, a harsh voice reminded him of his own inaction in her hour of need.

“Lawrence was in France when Alfred’s heir threw me out of my home.”

“Yet for a man who addresses you with such familiarity, I would think he would come running at your first plea for help.” Gideon tried to maintain his anger in the face of her indignation.

“You’re correct, he would have, but I didn’t tell him. If Lawrence had known of my plight, he would have risked his own safety to come back to London.”

“His safety?” Gideon frowned in puzzlement.

“Suffice it to say that returning to London would have put his person in danger. Lawrence is the brother I never had, and I would do anything to protect him, just as he would me. However, I refuse to betray any of his confidences, and that is all I have to say in the matter.”

Phoebe met Gideon’s gaze steadily and tilted her chin upward in a silent challenge. Her soft lips were thin with anger, and her expression dared him to call her a liar or imply any other accusation where her friend was concerned. Her manner and tone were enough to convince him that she was being truthful.

“Very well, I shall take you at your word with regard to the note.”

The small bit of relief that surged through Gideon as he bobbed his head in a sharp nod was quickly crushed as he remembered the other discovery he’d made. Phoebe eyed him with contempt.

“Thank you for that magnanimous gesture in dismissing my guilt.”

Sarcasm punctured Phoebe’s biting tone, and Gideon scowled. He believed her. What more did she want from him? The real treason was yet to be presented. Gideon met her gaze, which was nothing more than an icy glare. The defiant, rebellious look on her face aroused Gideon’s anger again. He wasn’t the one who’d done anything wrong. Muscles knotted with outrage at her righteous air, he turned back to his desk to pick up the offensive, loose-leaf papers.

“Since we’ve established your innocence about the note, what explanation do you have for this?”

Gideon turned and offered her the chapter. Although he’d tried to convince himself not to read the pages, he had. The vitriol her pen had spewed out had left him speechless with rage. Worse, it had ripped his heart out of his chest as he was forced to realize how much she despised him. Phoebe stared at the papers in his hand and became white as a sheet. She swayed on her feet, but he didn’t move.

“Oh dear, God.”

The words were barely a whisper as she stared at the pages in his hand before accepting them as if they were something unclean. That she might actually be appalled by the chapter would have been laughable if his body hadn’t felt as if he’d taken a severe beating in the boxing ring.

“I take it this is your next chapter in the serial.” The icy words made her jerk her gaze up to meet his.

“No,” she exclaimed passionately. “I rewrote this chapter before I fel…after I realized you were nothing like the character I created for the Chronicles.”

“And when did you come to this eye-opening realization? Before or after you accepted my offer of marriage?” Gideon didn’t even try to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

“It was…I didn’t…”

“I see. So this was after you accepted my offer. Then congratulations are in order, my lady. You achieved what you were after all along.”

“I don’t understand,” she said with a look of bewilderment that he immediately discounted despite a voice beginning to spread more doubt in him.

“In marrying me, you achieved your goal of another title, and one with far greater influence than a mere viscount.”

“Another…that’s not true,” she denied angrily as she shook her head and glared at him. “You seem to forget I refused your offer of marriage.”