Lost Lady by Jude Deveraux Read Free Book Online

she’d been traveling through. After checking every lodging house in the area, he knew she must live there, but he could find no trace of her. She seemed to have materialized on that dark night near the docks.
    â€œYou’re a runaway,” he said quietly, watching when her expression confirmed his thoughts. “Only I can’t figure out who you’re running from and why no one is moving heaven and earth to find you.”
    Turning away, Regan tried not to think that it was because the people she thought loved her didn’t care where she was.
    â€œThe only thing I can figure,” he continued slowly, “is that you did something to make your people pretty damned angry at you. I know for a fact you weren’t caught in bed with the gardener’s boy, so maybe you refused to do something they wanted you to do. Did you refuse to marry some rich old duffer?”
    â€œNot even close,” she said smugly.
    Travis only laughed because her eyes told him he wasn’t too far wrong. But his laughter covered his true feelings. It made him very angry to think that anyone could just toss out a pure young girl into the streets, wearing only her nightgown. Perhaps in the heat of passion it could have happened, but how could they have let days go by and not searched for her?
    â€œI was thinking that, since there doesn’t seem to be any reason for you to stay in England, maybe you should go with me to America.”

Chapter 4
    â€œW HAT!” R EGAN GASPED, ALMOST STAGGERED BY HIS words. “America is full of boorish, illiterate people who live in log cabins. What is there besides wild Indians and terrible animals, not to mention great, savage people? No, I will not under any circumstances go to that backward place.”
    The humor quickly left Travis’s eyes as he rose to come toward her. “You damned Englishwoman! I get this all day from your ‘gentlemanly’ countrymen. I get snubbed because they don’t like the way I talk or dress, or they had a relative killed in a war that happened when I was a boy. I’m getting damned tired of being looked at like something unclean, and I’ll sure as hell not take it from you.”
    Backing away from him, Regan lifted her hand to her throat as if to protect herself.
    â€œI’ve tiptoed around you enough, and from now on you’re going to do what I say. If I left a child like you alone here, when it’s quite clear you haven’t a friend in the world, I’d never sleep again. I won’t bore you with what America is when you have such clear ideas of your own, but at least in my country we don’t toss young girls out just because they’re disobedient. When we get to Virginia you’ll have choices of what you can do—something more suitable for an English ‘lady’ ”—he sneered the word—“than walking the streets as would be your only alternative if I left you here.”
    Narrowing his eyes, he glared down at her, pressed against the wall. “Is that clear?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer before he slammed from the room, locking the door after him.
    â€œYes, Travis,” she whispered to the still echoing emptiness.
    She was glad when he was gone, since it was quite impossible to think when Travis was around. At least, perhaps, if she made him angry enough, he wouldn’t force her to do those horrible things in bed, and he just might possibly release her if she provoked him. Smiling, she sat down and began to imagine her escape, how good it would be to get away from this boorish American. Imagine! she thought. The very idea of her going to America!
    Snuggling in the chair, a quilt around her, she fantasized about what a dreadful place America must be, remembered every tale that had been told to her by a maid whose brother had traveled there and returned with horrible, treacherous stories, all of which the maid had told Regan in gory detail.