The Sweetest Revenge Read Free Page B

of blood last night, he imagined he looked like hell. Vanity kept him immobile as she gently swiped the cloth over his skin.
    “I am afraid your greatcoat and tailcoat were complete losses. We thought we should replace them, but we know you are as fastidious a dandy as Beau Brummell himself, and I doubt our choice would be acceptable to you.”
    He grunted, thinking her statement likely accurate.
    “Allow us to formally introduce ourselves,” she continued conversationally. “Of course, you shall never know our true names, but you ought to have a way to discern the three of us.”
    He did not give any indication that he could already discern them. The voice, the leader, and the frightened mouse . The mouse still stood at his feet. He felt her eyes on him, boring into him. Unnerving him.
    The lady who served as the voice of the trio continued. “My name is Mistress Jane. Do you understand, Leo?”
    What a ridiculous pretense. Of course that was not her name. He would have laughed under any other circumstance. Mistress Jane, indeed.
    Fingernails dug into his shoulder, biting into his skin, but her voice stayed gentle. “Nod your head if you understand, Leo.”
    He nodded through his contempt. She was lucky he wore a gag; otherwise, he could not have held back the caustic comment on the tip of his tongue.
    “Good. You will address the lady to my left as ‘my lady,’ or, if you prefer, Lady M.”
    He inclined his head toward Lady M. Though he couldn’t see her, he could feel her. He knew exactly where she stood. The title didn’t come as any surprise. She was their leader, so she’d naturally demand a respectful designation.
    Lady M spoke for the first time. “Good morning, Leo.”
    The voice was familiar but low and rough for a woman, somehow masked, changed for his benefit.
    He knew her. He must know her, otherwise why would she disguise her voice? If he could coerce her to speak more, he might identify her, and if that happened, he would most certainly gain the upper hand.
    Triumph surged through him, and he fought the compulsion to laugh. His first small taste of victory since this ordeal began. He would find her out, and she would suffer for it.
    Biting down on his gag, he waited for his introduction to the timid mouse.
    “The third of us, the lady to my right, you shall know as Miss Juliette.”
    He nodded again and turned to face Miss Juliette. She was silent. Why didn’t she speak? He wanted to hear the soft whisper of her voice again. Maybe he could grasp the thrill he’d experienced when she’d spoken earlier. Maybe he could identify her as well.
    “Do you know why you’re here, Leo?” Jane asked. Mistress Jane.
    He shook his head.
    She lowered herself onto the chaise close beside him, far closer than would have been proper.
    “It will all become clear to you in time. For now, rest. I know you must have a terrible headache. We will give you plenty of water to counter it. No rich foods, I’m afraid.”
    Mistress Jane’s fingers drew small circles across his back. The warmth of her touch penetrated his shirt, somehow familiar, as if she’d caressed him like this before. Had he been intimate with this woman? His treacherous body seemed to think so, from the way it reacted to her touch. He gritted his teeth, tautened his muscles, and tried to squash the unwelcome arousal that sifted through him.
    “Now, then. You needn’t be so stiff. We’re not going to torture you.” She paused, laughed, then amended her statement. “Well, not in the way you might expect.”
    He didn’t recognize her voice, but that didn’t mean anything. He had an excellent memory, but he’d also bedded many women. He might have forgotten one or two of them. Or perhaps this one never spoke. Perhaps her body had spoken for her.
    All his senses attuned, he listened closely when she spoke again.
    “Now if you remain very still,” she murmured, “I will remove the cloth from your mouth.”
    He nodded to give the pretense of