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

while you were unconscious, and there are no broken bones. Your ribs might
be a bit bruised, but you should be up and around by tomorrow.”
    “My face?”
    “Not bad as it looked
last night. Bruising around the eye. Your lip is split
and a little swollen.”
    Olivia pushed herself in
an upright position. Sore, but it could have been so much worse.
    “I am such a fool,” she
whispered.
    “Olivia, you are not the
first person to toss caution to the wind and embrace love. Now, what on earth
happened? Mary Kelly says there were two men in an alley.”
    Olivia pulled the quilt
tighter around her body and shivered. “They burst into the bedroom at eleven
o’clock last night. Dragged me out and tossed me in an alley here in Whitechapel . They said they were acting on behalf of Lord Cravenbrook . That he had his fill of me and I was not to
contact him in future.” She started to sob and squeaked, “He is done with me.”
    James took her hand and
squeezed. He did not speak, but Olivia could see the sympathy and pity in his
eyes. She exhaled and wiped away her tears.
    “Help me, James. Can one
of the boys escort me to the Ten Bells?”
    “Dearest, you should
stay abed.”
    Olivia pulled her hand
from his and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
    “I’m fine. I have
someone to see. Would you consider giving Mary Kelly employment and your
protection? I owe her so much. They were about to rape me. I shudder to think
what would have happened to me if she and her friends had not stepped in.”
    “Of course. But I must protest. You’ve had a terrible
experience...”
    She laid her hand on
James’ cheek. “My dear, I have lived through worse. I survived. I will survive
this.”
    Though her words sounded
strong and determined to her own ears, inside, her heart had been smashed to
bits. In the clear light of day, she was now convinced Lord Craven had
instigated her abduction and attack. So be it. She would never make the mistake
of falling in love or trusting any man again.
     
     

 
    Chapter Seven
     
    Gideon entered the
townhouse calling Liv’s name. He’d stopped at a
vendor’s at the train station and bought her flowers, red roses in fact. The
seller told him red roses spoke of a declaration of love. What did he know of
such things? He had never courted or wooed a woman before. He dropped his
overnight bag in the front hall and headed toward the stairs.
    “ Your Pardon, My Lord, but Miss Durham is not here.”
    Gideon turned to face Hobson.
“What do you mean, she went out?”
    “No, My Lord. When the staff rose early this morning, we found Miss
Durham had left and taken her belongings. I assume it was after the house was
abed. The rooms upstairs remain undisturbed. I thought you would want to see
them.” Hobson reached in his side pocket. “I found this in the parlor; it is
addressed to a Mr. James Sidle in Whitechapel . She
wrote it two days ago, but never had it delivered.”
    Gideon snatched the
letter from Hobson’s gloved hand and thrust the roses toward him. Slipping the
note in his pocket, he took the stairs two at a time. He entered his room
first. His bed looked to be in shambles, as if someone had slept there. He
stalked down the hall and kicked open the guestroom door. He pulled open the
wardrobe. Nothing. The bed had not been slept in, so
she’d been in his. Then what had possessed her to decide to leave in the middle
of night? He glanced down and saw the riding crop sticking out from under the
bed.
    He picked it up. She had
left this behind. A stab of pain shot through his heart. Was this a message?
His fingers stroked the leather. The crop was such an intricate part of their
short-term affair. To him, it represented the trust and intimacy they shared.
She left it behind, kicked it under the bed like it meant nothing.
    He threw it across the
room in frustration and swore. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he reached in
his pocket for the note and tore it open. Addressed to James
Sidle at The