Read Online Her Gift - Bundle Pack by Laurel Bennett - Free Book Online

loved.”
    “I’m not certain he wants love from
me,” Charlotte said. She was fairly certain that wasn’t on his
agenda.
    “Oh, dear God, the two of you are
blind as bats.” She got to her feet and motioned for Charlotte to
join her. “Show me your wardrobe. We’re going to choose a perfect
gown for tonight.”
    “What’s happening tonight?”
    Mary fluttered her hands at
Charlotte. “You will get fucked.”
    “I certainly hope so.”
    ***
    Trent came to retrieve Charlotte
himself, and she was quite surprised that he hadn’t just sent a
carriage to fetch her as he normally did. “To what do I owe the
honor?” Charlotte asked.
    “I need to talk to you about a few
things. And I thought the carriage might be the perfect place,
since you’re unlikely to jump out of a moving
conveyance.”
    Charlotte was immediately on guard.
“What do you have to talk with me about?”
    He led her toward the waiting carriage
and didn’t speak until she rested against the squabs. “I need to
tell you about my dealings with your husband. So, that you can
fully understand.”
    “All right,” Charlotte said
hesitantly. He took her hand in his and drew it into his lap. His
thumb traced a lazy circle on his on the back of her hand. She
opened her mouth to speak, but he shushed her. She sat back and
waited. It nearly killed her, but she did it.
    “Your husband tried to join our
world.”
    “He was a peer,” Charlotte
began.
    “Not that world. The world of Decadence.
The life of sin and debauchery. Of sexual promise. Of liaisons and
safe and consensual sex. My world.”
    “The world you’ve been introducing me
to.”
    “What you have seen so far are my
eccentricities,” he said with a chuckle. “Merely a hint of the
world I would love to explore with you if you are willing.” He took
a deep breath and forged on. “There’s more. There’s a darker side
to it. Sometimes the wrong people are admitted at a gathering. Your
husband was one of them.”
    Charlotte tried to pull her hand from
his but he didn’t let go. Instead, he turned to face her in the
carriage, and raised one arm to rest along the back of the
squabs.
    “Your husband came there with a woman
once.”
    “Who was she?”
    “She was the daughter of a courtesan.”
He waved a breezy hand in the air. “Who she was is not of any
importance. What matters is what happened that night.”
    “Pray continue.” Charlotte’s heart was
beating so hard within her chest that she was afraid she would
expire.
    “He took her into a room where others
can look on. It was our first dealing with him. We had no idea what
to expect. We should have known better. I knew from the look in his
eye that there was evil inside him. I should have listened to my
gut.” He heaved a sigh. “I didn’t.”
    “What happened?”
    “He was an evil man. Full of hatred.
And we knew immediately that things were going poorly. But none of
us could get into the room.” His voice cracked. “It wasn’t until
blood was spilled that we were able to get in the room and get her
out.” His voice quivered. “Lots of blood. So much I’ll never forget
it.”
    “Did she survive?” Tears pricked at
the backs of Charlotte’s lashes.
    “Yes, she did. But with scars as a
result of it.” He pushed a curl behind Charlotte’s ear. “Scars much
more visible than yours.”
    “I don’t have any scars.”
    “Yes, you do.”
    A sob welled up within her. “That’s
why you haven’t fucked me. Because you think I’m
broken?”
    He tried to pull her into his chest.
She shoved hard against him but he didn’t relent. “The girl,” he
said. “The girl nearly died. He nearly killed her.” He took a deep
breath. “And then I killed him.”
    Charlotte’s world stopped spinning.
Her heart stopped beating. “What?” she whispered.
    “I was the first one to get inside the
locked room. He was frantic and he pulled a knife from his boot. I
dodged it, and he stumbled forward. He fell on his knife. It