Free The Price of Deception by Vicki Hopkins Page A

difficult night
between the two of them by playing upon Jacquelyn’s neediness for
attention. Robert had become a master of appeasement when it came
to his wife, which brought peace to the household. A few tender
touches, embraces, and feigned words of love always melted her to
his whim.
    However, Robert noticed lately that Jacquelyn had
undergone a dramatic change in her conduct. His tender tactics had
become less effective. Her behavior the evening before, lying in
wait amidst a dark room, displayed a prime example. It appeared the
tables had turned, and she began to show her frustrations in a more
aggressive manner.
    He made a mental note to visit Jacquelyn’s bed after
the opera. She had asked to try again. He’d oblige her request.
Certainly, it would be another unsuccessful attempt to conceive, as
he pictured his seed swimming around a barren womb finding no egg
to fertilize.
    After one final adjustment to his ascot, he left the
room and found his wife being pampered by Dorcas. Her lady’s maid
struggled with a latch on a sapphire necklace.
    “Here, let me.”
    Robert approached his wife, who sat on her vanity
chair, and gazed at her in the mirror. She had not lost her beauty
outwardly. Inwardly, though, Robert perceived ugliness. He took the
small clip, hooked the latch in the eyelet of the necklace, and
arranged it perfectly center. He smiled at his accomplishment, and
then bent down to kiss her on the cheek.
    “You look stunning, Jacquelyn. Are we ready?”
    “Thank you for the compliment, Robert.” Jacquelyn
rose and smiled in response to Robert’s approval. “I am looking
forward to this evening.”
    “As I am,” Robert confessed, lying between his
teeth.
    He held out his arm and escorted Jacquelyn down the
staircase to the foyer. Dorcas waited with her white fox shoulder
wrap. Robert donned his top hat and overcoat and then led his
preened wife to the waiting carriage outside their front door. A
moment later, the hooves of the horses clapped against the stone
pavement and headed for the Théâtre National de l'Opéra.
    Robert scrutinized the pleased expression upon
Jacquelyn’s face. She expressed a look of love he had not seen in
some time that caused him to shift uncomfortably. From disdain to
love to disdain. Her moods changed daily like the ocean waters.
    At that thought, Robert’s mind drifted back to the
moment of levity he had shared with Suzette in the small café in
Calais. He distinctly remembered his words and her response.
    “Frankly, I love the sea. I find great comfort in
its beauty and its ever-changing nature. One moment it can be
peaceful as Heaven, and the next stormy as Hell itself. Just like a
woman . ”
    He looked at his wife and smiled. His mind spoke to
his departed love.
    “Yes, Suzette, I think women are that changeable
from one extreme to the other.”
    Robert chuckled.
    “What’s so funny?” Jacquelyn asked with a curious
expression over his behavior.
    “Nothing. Just an odd memory, which popped into my
mind, that’s all.”
    “I haven’t seen you smile in some time, Robert. You
should have odd memories more often.”
    Robert didn’t respond as the carriage had slowed and
came to a halt in front of the entrance to the Garnier. The area
choked with activity as arriving patrons pulled up in various modes
of transportation, dressed in their expensive evening apparel.
    He glanced up at the majestic building and realized
it felt good to get out for the night. Perhaps it was what he
needed—a night out with his wife to provide an escape from the
pressures that weighed upon his heart.
    After they entered the impressive lobby, Robert
escorted his wife slowly up the wide staircase to the corridor that
led to their box for the performance. Robert recognized very few
faces, but he wasn’t surprised, as most the men he knew found
companionship in the presence of their mistresses at night.
    They reached the assigned box, and a uniformed
attendant handed them a program. He