AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A chuckle left Eloise. “A gentleman of the road?”
“Well, I wasn’t much of a gentleman, but yes. Made a living by robbing more fortunate ones. That’s where I met Grace. Only her name wasn’t Grace back then. But she was leading one of the groups.”
“Truly?” Eloise remembered the powdered, wigged woman with a soft voice and delicate features. She could never imagine her living with men, robbing people.
“Yes, those were the happiest years of my life, living with the gypsy tribe and then with the highwaymen. But then I met the person… this monster who was responsible for my sins and everything just spiraled out of control. I don’t want to remember those years… But since then and until I met Ava were the darkest years of my life. I did things I am not proud of, I killed people… I do not necessarily regret that—”
“You don’t?”
“No, they deserved it.” Keyon shrugged.
Cold enveloped Eloise and made its way to her bones. She could not reconcile the thought that he could so carelessly talk about taking another person’s life. No matter how much he thought they deserved it.
She had not lived his life, however, and she did not know how much hardship he’d gone through. But she firmly believed that every life taken took a piece of the person’s soul. And she was determined to preserve what was left of Keyon’s soul. At all costs.
As if sensing her discomfort, Keyon pulled her closer to his warm body and covered them both with the sheet. He burrowed his nose into her hair and inhaled.
Eloise shifted even closer, her bum rubbing against his hard length. She froze for a moment, while her limbs were awash with a new kind of heat.
“Do not worry. I shall not bother you again,” Keyon said.
“You won’t?” Eloise sounded disappointed to her own ears.
Keyon let out hoarse, short laughter. Eloise still was not used to hearing him laugh. She resolved to change that too.What point is there in saving a person’s soul if they don’t get to enjoy life?
“I won’t. You’re sore… there was blood.” He kissed her on the crown of her head.
Shewassore. But the butterflies in her stomach were rioting, wanting more of him. Wanting him now.
She shifted in his arms so she could see his face. “I don’t mind,” she whispered.
Keyon kissed her on her forehead. “I do. I do not want to hurt you. And you should be more courteous to your body. To yourself. You should eat only the finest of foods and wear the finest of silks.”
Eloise giggled. “Where do I get all that?”
“I shall provide everything for you, my dear,” he said.
If I stay here.Eloise shifted uncomfortably in his arms. The future was too uncertain. Apparently, he had the same thought, for he changed the topic.
“Tell me about your life, Eloise. You know my entire life story. What about you?”
Eloise chuckled uncomfortably. “I have no story to tell.”
“Everybody has a story to tell. Especially you. And you have a gift of making every story entertaining.”
“I do?”
“Yes, I love hearing you read.”
Eloise smiled. “I love reading. That’s how I spend most of my evenings, imagining being worlds away. But I have spent most of my life helping my brother.”
Keyon growled, and his arms tightened around her. Eloise pressed herself closer to him. “Yes. My life so far has been boring. Until I met you.”
Keyon kissed the crown of her head. “Why didn’t you do something that would make life exciting?”
“I had to help my brother. In a way, what you told me earlier about being my brother’s property, it’s true. He had taken care of me my entire life, but after I reached my eleventh or twelfth birthday, I started taking care of him. I made certain he ate on time. I did all the housework and occasionally helped out with the coffeehouse. He doesn’t let me do a lot of things outside the house… I suppose he is worried something nefarious might happen, which it did,” she added with a chuckle.
Keyon grunted. “I am guilty of the same thing. I looked after Ava, but I constricted her movements. So she rebelled and ran off… you know the rest.” He shook his head. There was a beat of silence. “What if you could do anything in this life? Anything you want. What would you do?”
