Brandywine: Regency historical romance (The Brocade Series, Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

return soon and Brandy had to be covered before them. Nobody ever saw Brandy without the barrier of clothing.
    Nobody.
    Water lapped over the side as she knelt, rubbing the bar of soap with her working hand against the other one, as she forced herself to prepare for scrubbing. She kept telling herself that washing away dirt wasn’t that difficult. It was done every day, a thousand times, to a thousand other folk.
    There wasn’t much to her body, but every bit of it was burning when she’d finis hed.  She was also exhausted. She tried to sit back, but finding a part of her back she could lean against took time, especially because her left side wouldn’t work.
    Why…if she was a man, she’d return and run Regis through, despite the consequences. That was useless as well as stupid. Revenge never did anybody any good. Sherry had lectured on it often enough…when she wasn’t on her back with a sweaty, rutting male on top of her, or coughing out her lungs into a bucket Brandy had to empty.
    Brandy shuddered at the memory and looked up into the face she least wanted to see.
    “Wat er not hot enough, love?”
    It was that handsome gent, standing right at the edge of her tub, looking her over. From the expression on his face, it didn’t look like he liked what he saw, either.
    Brandy shrank into the water, ignoring the scrape of wood against her back. “The water...is fine.” She looked over his shoulder at the closed door and added a silent curse to that Mrs. Wright. If she couldn’t stand the smell, she could have kept it to herself, couldn’t she?
    “Looks like you’re finished. Here. Allow me.”
    Brandy couldn’t prevent the cry as he yanked her up by grasping her shoulders and lifting her. His move caused a blizzard of dots to dance right before her eyes. She watched them in amazement.
    “Oh…my God.”
    He was shaking. That made it hard to capture the elusive faintness. And she hadn’t any reservoir of strength. There was nothing for it. The dots dissipated as Brandy just hung limply while he examined her.
    That’s when she faced it. There was no God.
    Brandy had slaved, starved, cursed loud and loose and fast, and ignored her cleanliness, all for one thing - to keep her safe and unmolested. And look. It had all been in vain. A man would finally take the only thing left to her.
    “Take...your pleasure...and go.”
    She forced the words through lips that felt like they belonged to someone else, and all he did was stare.
    “My God, Brandy.”  The words sounded choked or something. “How in hell—? How could anyone...?”
    “I know. I’m not...pretty, My Lord,” she managed to stammer.
    The hands holding her tightened until she almost cried out . He took a heavy sigh that lifted her and even that hurt.
    “This is going to be difficult. I’ve never broken a bad knit.”
    Bad knit? she wondered. She’d been called many things, but that had to be the most original.
    “Your compliments…turn my head.”
    She smiled, but her stupid mouth drooled, and she watched him glance at the blood that slid over her chin.
    “Good God! Even there? Who hit you there?”
    She supposed he was trying to be gentle, but his hands made it difficult to think clearly. “Who didn’t...is easier...to answer. Can I go now, My Lord? You— my shoulder....”
    She saw his jaw tighten and then she knew. He wouldn’t let her go. And she wasn’t fighting him. After all the years of sacrifice, she felt herself giving in to the pain? All the years of stifling every emotion, yet she was too weak to withstand the hurt that came from him doing nothing more than holding her up.
    That was ironic, she decided.
    “Please, My Lord? I’ll…even go back to the Bingham’s…if you’ll just let me go.”
    His mouth twisted, and she liked the movement. He had sensual lips, just right for teaching a maid the wonders of a kiss....
    Wonders? After what Sherry went through? Why would she even think such a thing?
    “I’m afraid you sold