Chap. 18

            He awoke softly and subconsciously tightened his grip on his three-month, sleeping wife's hand. It had become a kind of habit; he supposed that it was because, inside, he was afraid. He was so terribly afraid that he was living in a dream and that the dark-haired woman lying next to him was just another figment of his imagination. But her hand was solid in his grasp, fully convincing him that she was there…with him.

Ever since he had gotten married, his life seemed to be full of laughter and joy…and…love. And everything he had yearned for in his life had become reality because of her. Only her.

            Even the stiffly sophisticated peers of the ton, who scoffed at the mere idea of feeling any kind of deep affection, forgot to look supremely unruffled and absently commented that the duke and the duchess of Clynester looked very much in love. Indeed, there seemed to be something different about the dark-haired couple. Maybe it was the way the duke smiled lazily and gazed with a kind of approval down at his young wife, or it was, perhaps, the observation, noted by all, that they always seemed to be within a 10 feet radius of each other. So it wasn't really a surprise that the duke showered his duchess with jewels of all colors in all different designs. It did incite severe cases of jealousy among the female population, however, especially in the mothers who felt like they'd missed the perfect chance to get a rich and titled son-in-law.

To Tomoyo, the jewels weren't just elaborate pieces for decoration. Each and every one of them held laughter, joy, and the numerous wonderful memories that she had created with Eriol. And even among these, the fairly large and exquisite ruby pendant surrounded with flawless diamonds, and hung on a thin platinum chain, was her favorite. Eriol had given it to her on their wedding night as a sign of his love and devotion: "I promise I won't make you regret marrying me, love," he'd said. And he'd kept his promise.

That's why, after Eriol had left to meet one of his peers with a lingering good-bye kiss for her, Tomoyo panicked when she couldn't find that one valuable piece. At first, she merely thought that she'd misplaced it, though it wasn't probable due to the fact that she rarely misplaced anything. However, after a rather thorough search of the entire estate, the ruby was still found to be missing, leaving Tomoyo in agonized tears. Determined to find it and doubting that she could, she had her own room searched one more time while Maria Lanon gazed at her mistress with a heavy and guilty heart. For it was she who had taken the necklace…

*****

Eriol embraced his wife, who was sitting on his lap, tightly as he listened to her discovery that the ruby had been missing ever since he'd left. He stroked her hair gently and soothingly.

"Tomoyo," he said softly. "Look at me." He gazed into her violet eyes as she obeyed. "I love you," he said to her as tears glimmered in her lavender depths, "and just because the pendant is gone doesn't mean my love is too. I'll get you another if you want it."

She smiled up at him. "I know. I'm just a bit upset. How could I have been so careless? I was so sure I put it back in its case."

"Perhaps it was one of the servants?" Eriol asked quietly. "Perhaps one of them took-"

Tomoyo silenced him with a light kiss and shook her head. "I trust them," she told him with a gentle look. "I don't want to blame them for what they probably haven't done unless I have solid evidence."

Eriol smiled reluctantly and nodded.

On the other side of the door, Maria clamped her hand over her mouth as she leaned against the door. Poor Mistress, she thought, What am I doing to her?

***

A week later, Eriol was in his study as usual when he received an anonymous note. Annoyed, he was about to toss it out when a tiny scripted writing scrawled at the bottom caught his eye:

It would be in your interest to come to 39 Brook Ave at precisely 8:00. I will await you there. It concerns your wife. If you fail to show, one wonders what might happen.

Eriol glanced at his watch. It was already 7:30; it was so nice of the person to confirm the meeting ahead of time, he thought sardonically, but if it had to do with his wife…well, he had no choice did he? He would go. Pulling the bell rope, he summoned his butler to ready the carriage for his departure.

***

Eriol arrived at the estate at exactly 7:55 PM and was shown to a dark parlor at 8. There was a woman standing there, her back turned toward him. "You've actually come. But then again, you do care for your wife, don't you?" she said in a husky voice. She turned to face him slowly. Eriol frowned. There was something familiar about her eyes…

Suddenly the memory hit him. "You!" he said coldly.

Katherine smiled. "Yes, Eriol. It's me."

He gazed at her with a murderous look in his eyes. "Tell me," he said impassively, "why I shouldn't harm you right now?"

Ignoring his question, Katherine went on, "Why did you have to marry her, Eriol? She is absolutely nothing. You could have chosen me. I would have made you a perfect wife. What do you see in an inexperienced girl like her?"

"If this was all you needed to talk about," Eriol snapped icily, "there is absolutely no reason for me to stay." He was going to walk out of the room when her furious voice stopped him.

"Did you know your wife was unfaithful?" she told him scathingly. "She's not as innocent as you think she is. She slept with other men!"

He didn't miss a beat. "Like you?" he retorted contemptuously. "Honestly, do you think I would believe what you say about my wife after all you've done before?"

Katherine laughed bitterly and almost triumphantly. "Then if I can't convince you, you might as well take this," she said and flung something at his feet. Eriol looked down and saw something red glittering in the moonlight…the necklace…

His hard cerulean gaze moved to her face. "How did you get this?" he asked.

She only laughed. Her laughter echoed throughout the room. "One of your precious wife's lovers came to me to ask me to become his mistress. He offered me the ruby as a token of his love, but I recognized the design; there is only one ruby in all of England that is crafted in such a style. When I questioned him more closely about the jewel, he admitted, quite foolishly, that his former lover had given it to him as a present." She looked at him as if there was an entertaining comedy going on and she was the main actress. "Your wife told you she'd lost it, didn't she? He told me that too. He told me that your wife would tell you that if you questioned her."

Katherine could see uncertainty creeping into his eyes and she went in for the kill. "You have the evidence in front of you. But of course," she said slyly, "if you wish to believe she is innocent, I'll understand."

Eriol said nothing. His eyes changed imperceptibly and he reached down to pick up the necklace, and he left.

***

Eriol's hand formed a fist around the pendant. It couldn't be true. Truly, it just couldn't be. But there was no other way that Katherine could have gotten a hold of the precious blood-red stone. Perhaps the servants…No, the servants loved her like she was their own child. They wouldn't do anything…