by Rose Gordon
Liberty scowled. “You can get to know him all you like. My opinion of him hasn’t changed. He is a filthy cad 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 if 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 her to her residence and dropped her off; however, he didn’t stay 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 her feel better about it. “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 racking her body. “You’ve never had a man see you naked before.”
Madison looked like she had been struck. Liberty thought she should say something, she hadn’t meant for it to come out like it sounded. 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 in tact 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.
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.
Her follow up novels, Liberty for Paul and To Win His Wayward Wife, can be found Spring, 2011. Be sure to visit www.rosegordonromance.com to find other information about Rose and her books.
