A Riding Crop for Two by Karyn Gerrard Read Free Book Online Page A

only see out of one eye now, the other swollen shut. The woman was
tall and attractive, her clothes shabby, but provocative.
    “Thank you ... Please,
what’s your name?” Olivia rasped.
    “My name is Mary Kelly.
When you’re feeling better, come down to the Ten Bells and we’ll share a bowl
of stew and a mug of ale. What do you say, love?”
    Olivia nodded.
    Finally, they arrived.
The woman banged on the door, and the small window slid open.
    “It’s...Olivia. Get Pan. Hurry.” She managed to croak.
    The blackness she fought
so hard overcame her at last.
    ****    
    Gideon caught the early
train back to
London
.
Be damned if he would stay in his father’s presence a moment longer.
    Their final words were
acrimonious and bitter as usual, with the duke’s closing pronouncement he would
not suffer a whore as Gideon’s wife. Gideon, in not so many words, told his
father to go fuck himself. A tender parting.
    Gideon adjusted the ruby
cuff links on his shirt, his coat sleeves, and sat his hat on the seat next to
him. The southeast English countryside whizzed by his window, but it could not
pass quick enough for him. He ached for Liv . Not just
his cock, but his damned heart. Standing up to his father and declaring his
feelings cemented them further into his weary soul. He did love her, and he should have told her the night before last
while she lay in his arms.
    His stomach grumbled. He
had to forgo breakfast. The desire to be out of his father’s presence and be
back in Liv’s spurned his actions.
    Marriage. Somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind, he knew
at some point he would have to marry. If he hadn’t met Liv ,
perhaps he would have taken his father’s folded piece of paper and coolly
chosen a random name from it. But he had met Liv , and it had changed everything.
    A traditional marriage
was out of the question. Be damned if he would wait weeks for banns to be read,
and months for a traditional betrothal. He had been beyond the strictures of
society for years. He hadn’t been to church since the age of nineteen. He did
not need the permission of Liv’s father, as she was
past the age of consent and by her own admission had not had contact with him
in three years. How surprising that they both had fractured relationships with
their respective fathers. If at a later date he wished to re-enter society, he
could go about it then. Having a title caused a lot of past sins to be washed
away. Probably when they had children. He squirmed in
his seat.
    Children. One thing he would make damned sure of, he would
never be like his father.   Or hers. He would show how he felt, give his love and
support freely. He would pledge the same to Liv . Deep
down in the murky recesses of his blackened soul, he knew he could very easily
become a man such as his cold, unsympathetic father. Hell, he had been that man
for a few years. He would have to fight it for the rest of his days. With Liv at his side, the battle—and the war—would be easily
won. Already she was his touchstone to humanity.
    Hang it all. If he
couldn’t obtain a special license, they would both hie off to
Scotland
and see the vows done there. As soon as possible, no need to
wait about.
    Gideon sat back in his
seat and gazed at the scenery through the window. A sense of calm settled him.
For once a bleak future did not yawn before him. Satisfied he had resolved any
possible problems, he lowered his head and dozed.
    ****
    Olivia opened her eyes
to find James sitting by her bedside. She could open her swollen eye slightly,
so she gazed about taking in her surroundings. She was back in her old room at
The Riding Crop. Relief ran through her, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
    James took her hand.
“There now, Olivia. No need for tears. You are safe.”
    “Mary Kelly?”
    “The woman who brought
you? I gave her two
pounds for her trouble and thanked her on your behalf. It’s morning now. Near noon actually. You slept all night. The doctor examined
you