Page 61 of The Duke of Pain

She was back in her old room. Relief ran through her, and tears spilled down her cheeks.

James took her hand. “There now, Olivia, my dear. No need for tears. You are safe.”

“Mary?”

“The woman who brought you? I gave her a pound for her trouble and thanked her on your behalf. It’s morning now. Near noon actually. You slept all night. The doctor examined you while you were unconscious, and there are no broken bones. Your ribs might be a bit bruised, but you should be up and around by tomorrow.”

“My face?”

“Not bad as it looked last night. Bruising around the eye. Your lip is split and a little swollen.”

Olivia pushed herself in an upright position. Sore, but it could have been so much worse.

“I am such a fool,” she whispered.

“Olivia, you are not the first person to toss caution to the wind and embrace a chance at love. Now, what on earth happened? Mary says there were two men in an alley.”

Olivia pulled the quilt tighter around her body and shivered. “They burst into the bedroom at eleven o’clock last night. Dragged me out and tossed me in an alley here in Whitechapel. They said they were acting on behalf of the Duke of Watford. That he had his fill of me and I was not to contact him in future.” She fought back the tears, “He is done with me.”

James took her hand and squeezed. He did not speak, but Olivia could see the sympathy and pity in his eyes. She exhaled.

“My dear friend. It is as I told you before, peers care nothing for deeper emotions. I know firsthand. Years ago, I struck up a friendship with a boy at school. We were fifteen, curious, and well, what usually can transpire at those all-boys schools, happened between us. It carried on and off through university. Yes, I come from a well-off family. Anyway, once adults, the emotions deepened. I imagined myself in love with him. One night as he held me in his arms, he told me that he loved me, too.”

“Oh, James.” Olivia knew with clear clarity that there was no happy ending to this tale.

“We were in his family’s library when his father walked in. He caught us in a heated embrace. Did the viscount have an attack of apoplexy? No, not at all. It seems he had guessed at his son’s sexual preference. He said to Charles: ‘if this man is who you want, I will arrange it so you can be together. He can be your steward, live with you. You can have a life together. However, I will be cutting your allowance to a mere pittance. I will sell all unentailed properties and leave you with nothing but the title. You will no longer be part of this family.’”

Olivia’s eyes widened. “What happened next?”

“The viscount said to Charles: ‘or you can take up your responsibility and duty as my heir and agree to an arranged marriage with a suitable young lady. Then all will be restored to you. You can never see this young man again. You must be safely married and have an heir. If you wish to dally with other men, have it. But not before.’”

James frowned. “I looked to Charles, waiting for him to declare his love for me, that he would give up everything to be with me. Alas, he did not.”

“He walked away?”

“Literally. Charles said I was to leave and never contact him again. Then he turned on his heel and departed. My heart had been smashed to bits. The viscount acted sympathetic enough but ultimately showed me the door with one last parting thought: that duty outweighed everything, including the first blush of love. It is something you will have to come to terms with as well, Olivia.”

Perhaps, but it stung all the same.

“I am sorry that happened to you,” she said sympathetically. “And yes, I will have to come to terms with it. But until then, can one of the boys escort me to the Ten Bells?”

“Dearest, you should stay abed.”

Olivia pulled her hand from his and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I’m fine. I have someone to see. Would you consider giving Mary O’Toole employment and your protection? I owe her so much. I shudder to think what would have occurred if she and her friends had not stepped in.”

“Of course. But I must protest. You’ve had a terrible experience—”

She laid her hand on James’s cheek. “My dear friend. I have lived through worse. I survived. I will survive this.”

Though her words sounded determined to her own ears, inside, her heart had been smashed to bits. In the clear light of day, she was convinced the Duke of Watford had instigated her abduction and attack.

So be it.

She would never make the mistake of falling for or trusting any man again.

Chapter 18

Barely an hour later, Althea and Eleanora Galway stood in Aunt Mirella’s library. The sisters looked formidable, with clear-eyed intelligence and confidence wafting off them both.