Libertine's Wife by Karolyn Cairns Read Free Book Online

claimed he’d forced her. Garret refrained
from telling how he’d not been the only one who lured Lady Amelia
beyond the hedges and hiked her skirts. The girl’s family was paid
off handsomely for her loss of virtue.
    Thomas Helms sought to council him
about such delicate matters after that, embarrassed to direct him
to the attentions of prostitutes and such, to avoid such scandalous
proceedings again. It set the tone for much of their dealings from
then on, encouraging Garret to engage in his own pleasures with
little hesitation.
    It wasn’t long before he was once more
sued for licentious behavior, this time by a prostitute named,
Collette Dermot.
    The whore claimed he beat her in a
sadistic fury before having unnatural sexual relations with her.
They were all lies, of course. Collette had no issue with his doing
anything to her as long as he paid her for it. The trouble began
when he grew bored with her and moved on.
    Her pimp then beat her black and blue.
She went to the authorities with her absurd tales. He wasn’t
arrested, just forced to pay restitution for her injuries and lost
wages.
    Helms managed to keep all quiet. He
became very good at dodging such matters from then on. After dozens
of scrapes with the fairer sex which were highly publicized, his
man-of-affairs gave up trying to get the young marquis to tow the
line. Helms’ goal from then on was to get his young client out of
trouble, and keep him out of it.
    The man soon had a knack for
recognizing unpleasantness. Helms saw it coming down the road long
before Garret did then. It used to amuse Garret to see the little
man move in for the kill if he saw an undesirable situation
unfolding for his employer.
    Despite his short stature, Helms
wielded a mighty quill in the courts. He grew to be known as
‘Ravensford’s mean little dog’; protecting his noble employer from
opportunists who would seek to take advantage of the young marquis’
lofty position. The means in which he protected Garret from wily
ladies was often speculated to be unethical and oft times ruthless.
Any of his former mistresses could confirm that a visit from Helms
signified an end to the relationship.
    After many more scrapes that incurred
undue gossip and legal suits, Garret soon kept his sexual
proclivities a secret he shared with only high-priced, seasoned
prostitutes who were well-versed in such arts. Those early foibles
followed him for years, even as careful as he was.
    Finally, he met up with Lord Cosgrove
that last year at Eton. Smaller than the other boys, Martin Devere
was made fun of and picked on in school. Garret took him under his
wing. The two became the unlikeliest best friends. He reasoned it
was envy now, looking back.
    Martin had an innocence he’d never had.
Unlike him, Martin also had two loving parents. He went with his
friend to his estate for holidays, seeing firsthand how it should
be with a man and a woman. Lord and Lady Cosgrove adored one
another.
    That was when he felt the bitterness to
know he was unloved. That was when he knew he was incapable of love
himself. If not for Helms righting everything in his path and
Martin’s grounding influence, he might have been consumed by his
own destructive compulsions in his youth.
    Yes, even this unsophisticated young
woman had a better childhood than him. Seeing her slumber now to
avoid his continued jibes made him feel a twinge of guilt, knowing
how young and inept she was.
    Hadn’t he made his own share of
mistakes at her age? He gripped the velvet seat to recall those to
be too numerable to count. It was his pride that was hurt over her
accusations. Now all he wished to do was punish her for her part in
it.
    Truthfully, he’d underestimated her
brother, thinking him amusing and harmless. The fault wasn’t just
hers. He’d let his guard down. Eustace was charming and amicable;
deceiving those around him he had any agenda in mind.
    Even as Garret tried to understand why
the girl felt compelled to help her