The Price of Pleasure Read Free

Fleur aside and began stripping off Reed’s ragged clothing. “Go change,
ma chère.
I will help the good doctor while you rid yourself of the prison stench.”
    Lisette was right, Fleur thought. She had brought the stench of death and offal with her. “I won’t be long,” Fleur said as she hurried off.
    Fleur took the time for a thorough wash and change of clothing. Staying in character, she donned a plain black gown with no embellishment. She would continue to wear black until her job here was finished.
    Fleur’s thoughts returned to Reed Harwood. He had been harshly treated since his arrival at Devil’s Chateau, though he hadn’t been at the prison during her last visit, about eight months ago, when she had bought another Englishman’s freedom.
    Did Lord Harwood know what had happened in England to make his rescue imperative? She doubted it. The communication she’d received said that he had been working as an agent in Paris and had disappeared from the face of the earth. Fleur had been informed that Devil’s Chateau was one of the last places left to look for him, and it was there she had found him.
    Before Fleur returned to the sickroom, she wrote a hasty note to her contact and sent Antoine to deliver it. The note reported Harwood’s rescue as well as his serious condition. She also explained that if Harwood lived, it would be several weeks before he could travel.
    When Fleur returned to the sickroom, Lisette had washed the patient and thrown a blanket over his nude form. With the dirt removed, it was easy to see that Harwood had once been a handsome man possessed of an admirable physique. If he recovered and regained his lost flesh, he would be an extraordinary specimen of male virility. But that was beside the point.
    “How is he?” Fleur asked.
    “Weak,” Doctor Defoe said. “He couldn’t have lasted much longer. Whoever set his broken arm did a remarkable job, considering what he had to work with.”
    “As for his broken ribs and various external injuries, they will heal. I’m more concerned about losing him to severe malnutrition.” Defoe shook his head. “He must be an extremely stubborn man to hold on as long as he has.”
    “Treat his injuries, Doctor, that’s all I ask. I will nurse him back to health, and Lisette’s cooking will fatten him up.”
    “Don’t feed him anything heavy or rich at first, mind you. Broth and gruel and plenty of liquids. I’m sure he’ll let you know when he’s ready for solid food.”
    “Thank you, Doctor.” She handed him a heavy purse. “I appreciate your coming out this time of night and maintaining secrecy.”
    “I’m no more a fan of the current government than you are.” Defoe snorted. “I’ll leave a salve for his bruises and laudanum. Sleep is essential to his healing; give him laudanum as necessary, but use it sparingly. It is highly addictive. I’ll be back in two days to see how he is progressing.”
    The doctor left. Fleur looked on as Lisette fussed with the patient.
    “We’ve done all we can for now,” Lisette said, moving away from the bed.
    “I’ll sit with him while you prepare a nourishing beef broth. I expect he’ll want some questions answered when he wakes.”
    Fleur pulled a chair up to the bed and sat down. She didn’t know much about Reed Harwood except what she’d learned from secret communications. Harwood, working as an operative for England, spoke flawless French and had gathered valuable information for the Crown. His father had been an earl and the title had passed to his brother. No one seemed to know what had gone wrong or how Harwood had ended up in Devil’s Chateau.
    Fleur studied Reed’s features; the dark slash of his eyebrows, the thick black hair, the full lips and sunken cheeks, trying to imagine what he had looked like before Devil’s Chateau. Did he have a wife? she wondered. Was he betrothed? He appeared to be somewhere between twenty-five and thirty, give or take a year or two. Most men his age