Chapter Three

Meg Giry

Meg watched Raoul walk with the young stranger with a mixture of both jealousy and hate. How dare Raoul's affection waver from her? She, up until now, had been the most beautiful woman in Boscherville. Was Raoul no longer satisfied with what she had to offer him?

That made her extremely angry. He had known all the right things to say to her when she had come to Boscherville two years ago. She had been alone and frightened and he had offered her his home to stay in until she could get a place of her own. She had not left his home since then simply because Raoul had said he had wanted her to stay.

He was the first man she had ever given herself to and though she had known that she would be disgracing her mother by lying with a man before wedlock she had offered Raoul everything she had.

And now the bastard set his sights on this new woman! She watched the woman closely as they walked toward the inn and felt her heart sink. She was beautiful, beyond beautiful and she knew that if she wanted to keep Raoul's heart she was going to have to try as hard as possible.

No one in town thought highly of her because she stayed with Raoul and she knew what sorts of names they whispered behind their hands when she walked through town. She had allowed them their idle gossip because Raoul was always there to comfort her whenever the names got to bad.

He was a very good man, if truth be told. But he had a wandering eye that was slowly breaking Meg's heart. She could never be certain where he was or who he was with and she knew she was being a fool.

She should never allow a man to treat her this way. But that was the problem. Raoul treated her like a princess. He always comforted her when she needed him. He made love to her almost every night. He worked hard and there was food on their table but he never offered her marriage.

The one thing she yearned for above all else and he avoided the subject like the plague. She had only mentioned it to him once before and his cold and rejected response had flattened any hopes she had.

He was simply not the type of man who wanted to settle down and Meg feared that no matter how hard she tried she might never be able to change that.

Raoul came home with a ridiculous grin on his face and tried to kiss her. Meg pushed him away in angry disgust when her heart cried out for him. He frowned.

"What is wrong, love?" he wondered. She shook her head.

"Meg, tell me what is wrong," he said firmly.

"Who was that woman?" she demanded. Raoul frowned, realizing she had seen him.

"Woman?" he said, trying to act as if she had no idea what she was talking about.

"Yes! That woman you walked back to the inn, who was she?" Meg said, becoming angry.

"Just a new acquaintance," he said innocently.

"And do you plan on taking this new acquaintance to your bed?" she demanded. Raoul hesitated to long before he answered.

"Of course not," he said. Meg gave a cry of dismay and fled the room. Raoul rushed after her.

"Meg, stop!" he commanded. She did not but he managed to catch her on the stairs that led to the bedroom they shared. Her tears tore at his heart and he tried to wipe them away.

"Leave me alone, Raoul," she pleaded. He shook his head and kissed her, knowing that it was the one weakness that always got to her. She loved him to much to say no to him.

Meg sighed against his lips as he carried her up to their room. She could not stay mad at this man even when she knew that he might go to that woman's bed after he left hers.

She was a love besotted fool.