Traitors' Gate Read Free

caught
it; that was why I fell.
    “I was running so fast. I didn’t
even feel it.” Although now I can see it, pain begins to flood my body.
    Christian tenderly places my ankle
on a nearby footstool. He seems lost in thought for a moment. He goes to say
something, then stops himself.
    “It’s me, Lucinda. Do you remember
me?”
    It’s painfully obvious that he
doesn’t recognize me at all, or has never even given me a second thought in the
time we’ve been apart.
    “What happened, Lucinda?”
    I open my mouth to start the tale
of Appleby’s advances, but find I’m blushing instead. Tears are gathering in my
eyes and I fear that if I utter any other words at all I’ll simply burst into
an unattractive lump of delirium
    Christian is staring at me. He
sniffs the air, then looks angry. He whispers something under his breath then
leaves the room.
    I’m about to run for the door when
he reemerges with a bowl of water and a piece of cloth. He pulls up another
stool beside me, and begins to clean the mud and tears off my face. His touch
is so tender I start to cry. He doesn’t even flinch at my unseemly emotion,
instead he seems to concentrate harder on cleaning. The water he’s brought is
warm and smells vaguely sweet.
    With a soft touch, he pulls my foot
onto his lap and unlaces my shoe. He peels away my ripped socks and soaks my
whole foot in the bowl. I feel instantly better. With slow movements, he washes
my foot and I watch in awe, as the water in the bowl turns dark and bloody as
he gently cleans the wound.
    I’m very aware that neither of us
has spoken for a long time, so I gulp and say, “Thank you.”
    “You’re Delacourt’s daughter? Did
he… do this to you?”
    “No.” I answer too quickly, but in
a way he actually did.
    “Then who hurt you?”
    “Lord Appleby. My father promised
me to him. He…” I can’t even finish the sentence.
    “I’ll kill him.” Christian’s sad
eyes flash almost red in the dim light.
    “You may get the chance. He followed
me here.” I look around as if somehow Appleby has slithered his way into the
room without us noticing.
    “He’s here?” Christian carefully
places the bowl on a stool and leaves my foot soaking. He straightens my ripped
skirts and takes off his cloak, which he drapes over my shoulders. In all the
action, I’d forgotten to be cold.
    “I’m going to look for him. Please
stay here, milady. I won’t hurt you and you are welcome to rest by the fire.”
    I nod, but it had never crossed my
mind that Christian would hurt me.

 
    Chapter Four
     
    I must have fallen asleep because
when I wake daylight is forcing its way into the room, making it appear much
less magical and much sparser. In the room is only the couch I’m lying on, a
few stools and the fireplace. The sword has now been removed and I seem to be
swaddled in a massive amount of blankets. I stretch and a twinge of pain
reminds me of my injured foot. I look down to see it bandaged and resting on a
cushion.
    Christian is nowhere to be seen, so
I shrug off the blankets and pull his slim black cloak across my bodice, which
I now notice was also slightly ripped. My breasts are quite large for my age
and I’m surprised that one hasn’t come tumbling out in my haste. The cloak
covers everything perfectly, so I button it up and hop toward the door.
    “Hello?” I call, but there is no
answer.
    I clutch the walls and hobble down
the corridors. I remember this house from when I was a little girl. It had been
brimming with fineries, paintings and solid-looking furniture. Now there is
nothing, just vast spaces and telltale dirty frame marks on the walls, where
paintings have been taken.
    “Hello?” I yell louder. I hear a
slight noise up the stairs, so struggle up them. The nearer I get, the more I
detect a kind of groaning shuffle. As I get to the top of the staircase, I find
it’s coming from a bedroom. I hop toward the door. I know that it’s wrong to go
into someone else’s bedroom