OLIVIA
Chapter Thirty-Six

The soft music wafted around them as they entered the main ballroom. Olivia glanced around as she and Cal stepped deeper inside, and was caught up in the splendor of the atmosphere. The crystal chandeliers were blazing brightly overhead, sending a shimmering glow across the ostentatious display of dancers as they moved around the room.

Every color, hue, and gem were displayed with pride among them. No one had spared any expense in playing the part of a royal in the Court of Louis XIV. The air fairly crackled with excitement as they moved through the room. As they passed, they nodded to acquaintances, stopping every little bit to chat among them.

"Olivia, Cal, so glad you could come," Charlotte said as she approached them. She took Olivia’s hands and kissed her cheek. Charlotte was as beautiful as always, but being dressed as she was in a deep green and gold gown only enhanced her beauty. Her dark hair was swept back from her face in a most becoming way and her green eyes sparkled with merriment.

"Charlotte, how lovely you are tonight," Cal drawled, and lifted her hand to his mouth. "You must promise me a dance later."

She laughed huskily and pulled her hand back. "My card is full, but I might if Olivia doesn’t mind."

Olivia only smiled, slightly embarrassed at her husband’s display. "I’m sure I don’t mind, Charlotte. Have you seen Thalia?"

"Yes. Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth arrived a short while ago. I’m sure she’s around here somewhere. I must continue on with my hostess duties. Aunt Madeline is watching me like a hawk." She rolled her eyes. "She’s sure I’m going to humiliate her and Uncle Hawthorne tonight, but I promised to be on my best behavior."

Olivia grinned at her. "Charlotte, I have no doubt you can be the loveliest hostess around."

"Tell that to Aunt Madeline." She shook her head. "Anyway, I must move on. I’m sure I will see you again before the night is over. Have fun, Olivia. Glad to see you out and enjoying yourself." She winked before she sailed off into the crowd.

"Charlotte has grown to be quite beautiful," Cal commented as she turned back to him.

"Yes, she is. How lovely of you to notice," she quipped lightly.

"Do I detect a hint of displeasure?" He raised an eyebrow as he spoke, but kept a smile on his face.

"Of course not," she replied, and smiled back. "Just merely being an observant wife."

Cal studied her for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, I do believe so," he answered. "I’m going to find the bar. Care to join me?"

"No. I’ll stay here, if you don’t mind."

"Suit yourself." He nodded before turning to leave her. She watched him disappear among the crowd and let out a frustrated sigh. The last thing Cal needed was more to drink, but she dared not say anything to him.

Time passed slowly for Olivia, who stood back watching the festivities but did not participate. Without Cal with her, she felt out of place and self-conscious standing alone. When he didn’t return after nearly an hour, she decided to go look for him. There were only so many places he could be, so she set out to look for him among the brightly dressed guests. As she moved through the crowd, she thought she heard her name being called. She turned to the sound of it and was immediately surprised by the person she saw coming toward her.

"Nelson?" she asked in astonishment. Nelson Hockley was Cal’s cousin, his father being Nathan’s brother, Franklin’s only son. She hadn’t seen him since their wedding, as he traveled quite extensively abroad and was very rarely in the states anymore.

"Olivia, I thought that was you." He smiled broadly and pulled her close for a kiss on the cheek. "How is my lovely cousin?"

"Just fine," she answered with a short laugh. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, that is a bit of a story, one I will tell later. Suffice it to say, I was only home two days when I was spotted by Charlotte, and she insisted that I attend tonight."

"Does Cal know you’re here?" She linked her arm into his as they continued to walk. Nelson was the most unpretentious of the Hockleys and the one relative that Olivia actually liked. He had inherited his fortune upon his father’s death and lived his life as flagrantly as one could imagine.

"No, I dare say not. My cousin and I don’t exactly get along that well, as you know. I assume he’s here among these other prancing peacocks somewhere."

"Yes. I was only just looking for him," she replied, turning away from him so as not to show the weariness of the situation upon her face.

"Tell me, has he gone completely daft? Why has he left you alone? If you were my wife, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight," he told her in the most gregarious of fashions. Laughing, Olivia shook her head.

"Cal is a bit more social than myself, I suppose."

"I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he sees me…won’t that be fun?" He grinned wickedly at her.

"Nelson, you are too much." She shook her head in mock exasperation.

"Yes. Isn’t it wonderful?" He winked as they continued making their way through the crowd. When they neared the perimeter of the ballroom floor, Olivia saw several people turn to her with first wide-eyed expressions and then uncomfortable glances. Frowning, she looked up at Nelson, wondering what in the world was going on.

Nelson paused for a moment, and she felt him tense next to her. He let his reluctant gaze fall on her. "Olivia." He said her name quietly. She looked in the direction he had turned away from, and that was when she saw them. Her breath nearly expelled completely from her body at the sight of her husband dancing almost erotically with another woman. Their bodies were pressed tightly together and his hands were so low they were nearly cupping her bottom. He was whispering in her ear while she giggled and ran her hands inside of his jacket.

"Oh, my…" she breathed as more and more people either turned to her or away from her in embarrassment.

"Bastard!" Nelson gritted next to her. "Stay here," he ordered, and pushed through the throng. Feeling as though it were happening to someone else, she slowly walked forward, coming closer to Cal and Nelson, watching as Nelson hotly confronted him.

"You fool! Don’t you care about your wife at all?" Nelson asked in a tightly controlled voice. "Don’t you understand the humiliation you’ve brought on her?"

Cal hesitated for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. "Don’t lecture me, cousin. What I do inside or outside of my marriage is my business alone."

"For God’s sake, Cal…show some decency," Nelson implored of him. "I suggest you leave now and save yourself from further embarrassment."

"Don’t tell me what to do." He shoved aside the woman he was holding away from him. "No one tells me what to do."

"Think about Olivia, then!" Nelson grabbed him by the jacket. "Does she deserve this?" he questioned, but then paused for a moment, truly taking in Cal’s appearance. "You’re drunk," he pointed out accusatorily.

"Take your hands off of me." Cal shoved him back. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"That is not important at the present. I’m taking you home to sober you up." He shook his head in disgust.

It was then that Cal saw Olivia, and his face darkened. "You brought him here, didn’t you? You tried to humiliate me."

"She did no such thing." Nelson stepped in and took him by the arm. "Either we leave now, or I’ll have no choice but to physically take you out. If you’re not concerned about your own reputation, then at least be concerned for your wife’s and your family’s."

"Cal, please." Olivia finally found her voice. All eyes had now turned to them, taking in every word that was said. She felt a hand on her arm and looked around to find Charlotte there next to her.

"Cal, I’m asking you to leave now," Charlotte said firmly. "I think enough has been said and done for one evening."

Cal glared at them all and jerked his arm away from Nelson. He moved forward, stumbling a bit as he did. "Come along, Olivia. I’m afraid we’ve outstayed our welcome."

Olivia didn’t move. She couldn’t. She didn’t want to go with him, but at the same time she couldn’t stay. Nelson thankfully took the decision out of her hands.

"She’ll be along after a while. For now, you’re coming with me. Charlotte…" He turned to her and glanced over at Olivia. "Will you take her upstairs? Take her out of here?"

"Yes, of course." She nodded and took Olivia by the arm. She led her out of the room with everyone turning away from her, shaking their heads uneasily. No doubt their tongues would be wagging for weeks about this spectacle. Embarrassment flooded her as they exited the room.

"Never mind them, Olivia. It doesn’t matter what they think," Charlotte said comfortingly, but they both knew it was a lie. It very much mattered what they thought. News of this would be spread like wildfire. It was only a matter of time.

They had only gotten a little ways out of the room when she saw a movement in the shadows. Patrick stepped out and stared at her, his dark green eyes boring into hers. How she wanted to run to him in that moment. She wanted to feel his strong arms around her, comforting her. But she did nothing but allow Charlotte to walk her up the stairs.

Once in the room, Charlotte led her to the bed and sat her down. "Liv, I’m going to find Marietta and get you something to drink. Lie down here for a while, and I’ll be back shortly." Nodding, too numb to respond, she did as Charlotte said and lay back on the soft bed, closing her eyes while trying to close her mind to all that had transpired.

Moments later, she felt a hand on her cheek and opened her eyes to see Patrick sitting on the bed next to her. Her eyes widened as she sat up in shock. "Patrick, what are you--?"

He placed his finger on her mouth, preventing her from speaking. "We only have a few minutes. I had to make sure you were okay."

She immediately lowered her head and pressed her fingers against her forehead. "I don’t know if I’m all right…I don’t know anything anymore. My life is totally out of control, and I’m so angry I want to scream."

"Olivia, this has got to come to an end. You can’t keep living like this," he replied, cupping her face.

She laughed sarcastically then, turning away from him. "Aren’t we something, though? I’ve asked myself, what right do I have to be upset with him when I’m practically doing the same thing?"

Patrick looked at her as if she had slapped him. "Don’t say that to me, Olivia. What we have is nothing in comparison to what he was doing. That man doesn’t have any respect for you or your marriage. What we have is not wrong because it’s love. I love you and you love me, and there can be no wrong in that."

Olivia closed her eyes to him and firmly set her jaw. "Yes, I love you and I can’t deny that, but seeing him tonight…seeing all of those faces…the way they were looking at me. If anyone even suspected about us, it would only add fuel to the fire. Don’t you understand that?"

"Then leave with me, Olivia. We’ll take the twins and get away from here. We’ll start a new life where no one knows who we are." He forced her to look at him. "You deserve better than this."

"Do I?" she asked flatly. "I think I’m getting exactly what I deserve."

A noise outside the door alerted them to Charlotte returning. In an urgent tone, Patrick cupped her face and brought her close to him. "I love you and nothing you say or do will ever change that. We’ve done no wrong, and I won’t let you feel guilty about us. Do you hear me?"

She gave no answer, for she had no answer to give. Patrick kissed her quickly but passionately before he pulled away and hurried over to the balcony door. He stared hard at her and shook his head. "Don’t give up on us, Olivia," he said, and then he stepped through the door just as the other opened and Charlotte and Marietta came in.

"Olivia, your mother and father are on their way up. I’m afraid your mother is terribly upset," Charlotte told her as she came deeper into the room. "She’s fit to be tied."

Olivia felt her burden grow heavier with that bit of information. Constance wasn’t going to be thrilled with this turn of events, and in Olivia’s present state of mind, she was in no mood to handle her mother or the drama that was sure to ensue. Before anyone could react, Olivia got to her feet and pressed her hand to her middle.

"No, tell my mother I’ve left already and I’ll talk to her later. I have to get out of here and I have to get out of here now," she told her, shaking her head.

Sensing Olivia’s urgency, Charlotte nodded and led her to the opposite door, leading to a sitting area. "If you go out this way, you will find a flight of stairs that lead down to the kitchen. No one will see you. I’ll take care of your mother. Don’t you worry. I’ve taken on bigger personalities than hers."

Giving Charlotte a quick hug, she and Marietta made their way down the staircase and to the waiting Daimler, as Nelson had taken Cal in his own. She didn’t know what awaited her at home, but knew without a doubt that this night was far from over…far, far from over.

Chapter Thirty-Seven
Stories