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her
mouth.
    “Everything went fine,” he assured. “He asked about
you. Robert did as we instructed. He said nothing and looked to me
for guidance. I picked him up, held him tight, and then told the
Duke and Duchess you died last winter from influenza. He believed
me.”
    “Are you sure?” she begged, with her grip
tightening.
    “Yes. I hate to admit it, but he looked quite pained
when I told him. I’m sure he believed my words by the way he
acted.”
    “What about Robert? Did he talk to Robert?”
    “He knelt down and asked him his name and age.”
    Suzette gasped as her fears rose from the depths of
her heart.
    “My God, Philippe! He knows!”
    “No, no.” Philippe quickly dismissed her worries. “I
don’t think he suspects. Really, I don’t.”
    “He’s not stupid!” Suzette flung in his defense.
“Surely, he suspects after seeing his blond hair and blue
eyes.”
    “Perhaps,” Philippe responded bitterly, clearly
irritated over his wife’s comment. “But there is no way for him to
prove that Robert is his child. It’s my word against his. As far as
he knows, you are dead and cannot confirm any suspicions lingering
in his heart.” Philippe paused and added, “I’m surely not going to
tell him and neither are you!”
    Suzette looked warily at Philippe over his bold
command. “Of course, I won’t tell him.” She pulled away from him.
“I don’t want to lose my—our son,” she corrected herself.
    “I care about the boy,” Philippe countered, as he
reached out and pulled her back into his arms. “Don’t be angry with
me, Suzette. I only wish to protect what we have together.”
    He drew her to the warmth of his chest and held her
tight. His palm gently stroked her silky hair while words of
encouragement left his lips.
    “Suzette, I promise it will be all right. Robert will
return to England when his holiday has ended, and that will be the
end of it. You have two children that need your attention—a
wonderful son and our beautiful new baby daughter.”
    Suzette pushed her fears aside as Philippe’s comfort
covered her like a warm blanket. His levelheadedness and logical
thoughts brought calm to her life. He had, after all, taken her
back unconditionally. She often felt as if she didn’t deserve his
kindness after her affair with Robert.
    They quickly married after he had spirited her away
to Paris in her pregnant condition. He settled into work, and
Suzette assumed the role of wife and mother. At first loneliness
shrouded her life, as she often thought of Robert.
    The months preceding the birth of her son had been
extremely difficult. When she left England, under the ruse of
loving Philippe, it broke her heart. She had only done so because
she could not bear to hear Robert’s declaration that he wanted to
leave her instead. It would have torn her to shreds. Undoubtedly,
she would have relented and told him about her pregnancy to keep
him at her side had he pressured her for answers. She loved him
deeply, and her heart mourned the breakup for many years afterward.
Eventually, Suzette buried the past and locked away her
emotions.
    Philippe, on the other hand, seemed driven to give
her the best of everything. If truth be told, Suzette appreciated
it. Her experience of homelessness on the streets of Paris had left
her with fears of poverty. It wasn’t long before Philippe prospered
in his business, and he purchased the house where they currently
resided. It gave Suzette a sense of extreme security, which she
clung to with tenacity.
    As Philippe held her, she knew she had to trust in
his words. Robert would return to London and all would go back to
as it had been before. Yet Suzette struggled over the possibility
of a different outcome.
    “You’re right. I’ve always feared this day would
come, Philippe. Something inside told me one day Robert would find
us, and now it has happened.”
    “Perhaps then we should not been seen on the streets
or in public places together for a month or so