by Rose Gordon
Not two minutes after they left, Mr. Grimes started to remove his clothing! Come hell or high water, there was no way she was going to give her virtue to that beast. So she did the first thing that came to mind: picked up the closest thing to her and hurled it at his head.
She ran to her sister Brooke for help, then went to the library to hide from her papa. He’d always been kind and gentle before, giving her no cause to be afraid of him, but after what had just happened, she’d be lying if she didn’t admit she was scared.
When he found her, he told her to stay away from the man, and that’s exactly what she had done—until now.
She’d intended to avoid him forever, but then the most embarrassing accident she could imagine happened; and made it necessary for a fourth encounter.
In late November, winter hit with a vengeance. Snow and ice covered the streets of London and much to everyone’s surprise, by early December the Thames had frozen over. When a large enough patch of ice covered the river, a Frost Fair opened.
Liberty wanted desperately to go, but neither Madison nor their parents wanted to go with her. She was certain Brooke would have gone with her, but Brooke was busy at Rockhurst with her new husband, Andrew Black, Earl of Townson. So when the highly annoying and always ill Lady Olivia claimed she had a desire to go skating, Liberty jumped on the chance. She may not enjoy the company overmuch, but it might be the only way she could ever go, she reminded herself as she accepted the invitation.
They were out there only a half hour when Lady Olivia took a brutal fall and brought Liberty down with her. Though Liberty had skated many times before, Lady Olivia had not, and she’d been hanging onto Liberty so tightly that when she fell, Liberty had no way to remain on her skates.
They fell on a thin sheet of ice and the weight from their bodies caused it to crack. When Lady Olivia started to roll around kicking and screaming like a banshee, the ice cracked more. Alex, Liberty’s cousin who just happened to be there, came to the rescue and helped Lady Olivia to her feet first—probably just to stop the ear piercing screams. He was too late in turning back to help Liberty and the ice broke completely, and down she went into the icy Thames.
She remembered splashing and trying to keep her head above water, but her wet skirts were making that impossible, and when she wasn’t able to get a grip on Alex’s hand, she went under. That’s the last thing she remembered.
A week later she woke up to see Madison sitting by her bedside, telling her that her fever had finally broken. Now that the fever had passed, she was able to be awake for longer periods and keep a small conversation. But she still had to remain in her bed, so Mama or Madison would come and keep her entertained all day.
Almost fully recovered, Liberty decided it was time to ask Madison what had happened. She told Madison she remembered going skating and her accident, but had no idea what happened after.
Madison’s clear blue eyes looked out the window for a few moments before she took a deep breath. “Liberty, you’re not going to like to hear this, but there are two unlikely heroes in your tale?”
“Two? Unlikely? Whatever do you mean? I remember Alex being there, but he’s not an unlikely hero, is he?” Liberty asked, perturbed.
“Yes, Alex was there. However, he fell in, too. The Duke of Gateway pulled you both out,” Madison said evenly, tucking one of her blonde curls behind her ear.
Liberty couldn’t believe it. That man hardly knew she existed. They had barely ever spoken. What she did know about him though was he was the worst kind of man there ever could be. He never did anything to be nice, and some—most—considered him to be very dangerous and not a man you’d want to be indebted to. Liberty shivered.
“Who was the other?” she asked curiously. If Gateway was one of her unlikely heroes, who else could it possibly be? Nobody was more unlikely than Gateway.
“Mr. Grimes,” Madison said quietly.
“That’s impossible,” Liberty snapped, crossing her arms across her chest. “That man wasn’t even there. He was at his weekly visit with Papa. And anyway, he wouldn’t help me unless his very life depended on it.”
“That’s not true,” Madison said softly. “I know you don’t like him, but there’s no reason for you not to like him. He’s actually a very nice man once you get to know him.”
Liberty scowled. “You can get to know him all you like. My opinion of him hasn’t changed. He is a filthy scoundrel who wants my virtue.” Liberty inclined her chin an inch. “But he shall not get it.”
Madison shook her head. “He doesn’t want your virtue. I know you think he was undressing in order to ravish you; but Papa says he was angry and got overheated, and after everything that had just happened, I’m inclined to believe him.”
“Oh, Madison, you may be three years older than me, but you are far more naïve. No man starts to take off his neck cloth and shirt just because he’s hot.” Liberty had heard that explanation too, and about died of embarrassment when she later thought about it—especially because it made sense. She may be a virginal nineteen almost twenty, but she knew if he meant to have her virtue, he probably wouldn’t have started with his cravat. However, she couldn’t put her finger on whether she was embarrassed because of her silly assumption and hasty actions or if it was because he didn’t want her that way. Her cheeks still turned crimson whenever she thought about it.
“Liberty,” Madison said as she idly played with the fringe of Liberty’s counterpane and stared out the window again. Moving her eyes back to Liberty’s face, she swallowed. “I think if he wanted your virtue, he would’ve already taken it.”
Outraged, Liberty balled her hands into fists. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
That’s when Liberty heard about her life’s most humiliating moment, a moment she wasn’t even awake for.
After Gateway had loaded both her and Alex into his carriage (Lady Olivia had gone into hysterics and her maid had taken her home already), he took Liberty to her residence and dropped her off. He didn’t stay, however, because he needed to return Alex to his house. The only person at home at the time was Mr. Grimes, who just happened to be there waiting for his weekly meeting with Papa. It was a Wednesday afternoon and all the servants were gone for their time off, so she’d been left completely in the hands of Mr. Grimes.
Madison told her that he gathered her in his arms and carried her up to her bedroom. Once inside, he stripped off all of her clothes and wrapped her in a blanket. Then, he carried warm water up and filled the copper tub that was in her dressing room. After the tub was full, and he had word that the doctor was on his way, Mr. Grimes took her naked, unconscious body and placed her in the water. Then he sat beside her and waited with her there until Papa and Mama arrived.
Liberty thought she was going to die! Mr. Grimes had seen her naked! She closed her eyes to block the tears of embarrassment that were threatening to spill.
Madison claimed she was in the room when Mr. Grimes explained all of this to Mama and Papa. “He was so uncomfortable and embarrassed talking about it,” she said calmly, as if that would make Liberty feel better about everything. “I have never seen anyone turn that shade of red, well, except you. Right now, you are just as red as he was when he recounted the events to Mama and Papa.”
Liberty didn’t respond. She couldn’t respond. She was too busy wishing he had just let her die rather than take off her clothes and look at her naked. The man was a monster who knew no bounds when it came to decency!
“Liberty, it’s not that bad. As it is, you never even see the man. You’ve made yourself scarce when he’s around ever since that house party. This changes nothing,” she assured her. “You’re not going to see him again, so it shouldn’t matter.”
“You wouldn’t know,” Liberty shrieked between the sobs that were wracking her body. “You’ve never had a man see you naked before.”
Madison looked like she'd been struck. Liberty thought she should say something, she hadn’t meant for it to come out like it sou
nded. But she wasn’t given the chance to make amends before Madison quietly stood and departed. That was the last time she saw Madison for the rest of the day.
Sitting alone in silence, she thought of the apology she owed Madison. After she’d worked out the perfect words to express her remorse for her heartless comment, she started to form her plan of how she was going to get revenge on Mr. Grimes. He had no business seeing her naked, which was bad enough, but he’d taken it one step farther by carrying her around and bathing her.
Madison said he claimed not to have taken her virtue, but he was the only one who really knew for sure. Even she couldn’t be certain she was still intact down there. She suppressed that thought immediately.
No doubt about it, the man had gone over the line this time, and she was going to make sure he never did it again. After she was done with him, he would never show his face in England again. Well, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad he’d be exiled, but he would not be going anywhere near any member of the Banks family anyhow. She was going to make sure of it.
Coming Late 2011 and Early 2012―GROOM SERIES
Four men are about to have their bachelor freedom snatched away as they become grooms...but finding the perfect woman may prove a bit more difficult than they originally thought.
Her Sudden Groom―The overly scientific, always respectable and socially awkward Alexander Banks has just been informed his name resides on a betrothal agreement right above the name of the worst chit in all of England. With a loophole that allows him to marry another without consequence before the thirtieth anniversary of his birth, he has only four weeks to find another woman and make her his wife.
Her Reluctant Groom―For the past thirteen years Marcus Sinclair, Earl Sinclair, has lived his life as a heavily scarred recluse, never dreaming the only woman he’s ever wanted would love him back. But when it slips out that she does, he doubts her love for his scarred body and past can be real. For truly, how can a woman love a man whose injuries were caused when he once tried to declare himself to her sister?
Her Secondhand Groom―Widower Patrick Ramsey, Viscount Drakely, fell in love and married at eighteen only to be devastated by losing her as she bore his third daughter. Now, as his girls are getting older he realizes they need a mother―and a governess. Not able to decide between the two which they need more, he marries an ordinary young lady from the local village in hopes she can suit both roles. But this ordinary young lady isn’t so ordinary after all, and he’ll either have to take a chance and risk his heart once more or wind up alone forever.
Her Imperfect Groom―Sir Wallace Benedict has never been good with the fairer sex and in the bottom drawer of his bureau he has the scandal sheet clippings to prove it. But this thrice-jilted baronet has just discovered the right lady for him was well-worth waiting for. The only trouble is, with multiple former love interests plaguing him at every chance possible, he must find clever ways to avoid them and simultaneously steal the attention―and affections―of the the one lady he’s sure is a perfect match for him and his imperfections.
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About the Author
When not tapping out a novel, Rose Gordon spends time chasing around her young children—both indoors and out—hiking, camping, and doing other outdoor pursuits.
She can be found on somewhere in cyberspace at:
http://www.rosegordon.net
or
http://rosesromanceramblings.wordpress.com
Rose would love to hear from her readers and you can reach her at [email protected]
