Page 36 of A Courtesan Countess Worth the Scandal
She chuckled. “I don’t imagine you had the strength to thrash or shout, Liam. Your body saw fit to conserve your vitality through the cold and the injuries those robbers inflicted, so it allowed you one night’s peace.”
“Yes…” he replied dubiously, “that must be the cause.”
She pulled away from his one-armed protection and shuffled toward the useless fire. Picking up a twig, she poked at the ashes, searching for any embers they might use to get it going again. Alas, a snowdrift had tumbled down from a crack in the roof above, dousing any glowing remnants that might have remained.
“We ought to consider eating breakfast,” Liam announced, though he seemed rather distracted by his hand, like he had not realized he had been holding onto Nora for so long until she had finally moved away from him.
She nodded. “I don’t imagine you’ve got any bacon or eggs stashed in the pockets of that coat, do you?”
“Why would I carry such things?” He frowned at her, evidently having left his sense of humor in his nightmare.
Nora rolled her eyes. “It was a jest, Liam.” She picked up her sacred satchel from where she had left it, beside the fire, and riffled through it. “I have a small package of dried meats, two apples, a bit of cheese and bread, and… yes, a handful of biscuits. Mrs. Moston never disappoints!”
“And who might that be?” Liam got up and shuffled over to the crate where they had sat last night, perching upon it to get a better look at the culinary delights.
“She is, technically, my cook, but she is also something of a housekeeper, confidante, guardian to my Sister, and sometime music teacher,” Nora explained. “And she lives in constant fear of me starving, so she always packs more than I need.”
Liam raised an eyebrow. “There must be vast wealth in what you do, to be able to afford such luxuries. Did you not say you also had a driver and a footman?”
“Ahireddriver who skedaddled as soon as trouble reared its head, and an old friend who was acting as footman,” she corrected, a thought occurring to her. “Speaking of which, I wonder if Donovan has sent for help. There is no possible way he would have abandoned me.”
“Is that the footman?” Liam eyed the satchel hungrily. “I did hear someone crying out that they should not leave you behind, though I suppose he did not have much choice but to heed the driver’s course. Unless he desired to throw himself from the driver’s box, which would not have been much use. Then, we would have had three injured parties all huddling together for… um… warmth.”
Nora noticed his cheeks turn a shade pinker, and he could not meet her gaze. It made her wonder if he might still be a virgin, for he had said he was not married, and had alluded to being a man of religion who held marriage vows sacred. Moreover, he did not seem like the carousing, womanizing sort of fellow that she was accustomed to.
How I wish I still had mine intact… I always thought I would give it to the man I loved… the man who would be my husband. Instead, it was taken by someone who taught me that love is a fallacy, used to trick women, and that a woman like me is not destined to wed.
“We should eat this and then walk to the nearest settlement.” Nora concentrated on setting out the food, so she would not have to think about the wretch who had dishonored and humiliated her. “If Donovan has sent for help, they will more easily find us if we are in a village.”
Liam took half the wedge of cheese and offered the other to Nora. “Will you not continue on to Northcrop, to visit that publisher you spoke of?”
“I have no mode of transportation,” she replied dejectedly. “It shall have to wait until I can mustertwofootmen, at least. What about your journey up north? Will you delay it?”
Liam chewed thoughtfully. “If your footman knew you were traveling to Northcrop, then perhaps you should continue on that road. Perhaps, we could find a carriage in the next village and I could accompany you to the publisher. Your footman will likely go there anyway, and I can continue on to the Lake District in the acquired carriage while you return to London in whatever contraption your footman brings.”
“Why would you do that?” Nora blurted out in surprise. She was not used to men acting generously unless they thought they could gain something from it. “You do not owe me anything, nor do I think the gentlemen of London would thank you for aiding and abetting in my endeavor to dismantle their reign of philandering.”
Liam smiled. “I suppose there is large part of me that supports what you are hoping to achieve. Why should these gentlemen be permitted to do as they please, without a care for whom they may hurt?” He swallowed loudly. “I do not believe you should stop now, when you are halfway there. Besides, it is in the same direction that I am headed, so it would only be a minor inconvenience.”
And you were doing so well—
She had to laugh at his last sentence, for it appeared he could not bring himself to help her without at least making a small complaint. People did not change overnight, no matter whose arms they might have slept in.
“Does this mean you no longer find me vulgar?” she teased. She could not help herself, for he looked like an adorable, albeit frightened, harvest mouse whenever she toyed with him.
But Liam held her gaze without fear. “Allow me to phrase it in this manner, for perhaps I lacked clarity when I spoke with you last night. I find the men who have brutalized you, and who have used you, and who have betrayed their wives and betrotheds to be far more reprehensible than you could ever be.”
He hesitated. “I cannot believe I am saying this, but you have a… strangely noble purpose in what you do. You play a part in order to aid your family and the children at the orphanage. Moreover, you explained that you were deceived into this life. You sought love and marriage, and someone betrayed that dream of yours. It was not something you chose. I may not care for what you are, and I may not agree with it, but I can understand you better, now.”
Out of nowhere, tears sprang to Nora’s eyes. In ten years—or, perhaps, all eight-and-twenty years that spanned her life—no man had ever spoken to her with such sincerity. No man had ever viewed her as more than a commodity, or an accessory, or someone to massage their own self-worth. Yet, after getting to know her through the space of one evening, Liam had understood her better than anyone.
After all, her mother had never complained about what Nora had to do to purchase their comfortable life. Of course, there was sorrow when Nora was attacked or raped, and her mother was the first to shed tears over her daughter’s pain and anguish, but she was also the one to help Nora dress a few days later, so her daughter could go out and put herself in danger again. And Lily… dear, sweet Lily, did not know what purchased her education and her security. Nor did Nora want her to.
“Are you well? Did I say something to upset you?” Liam looked suddenly panicked, his hand moving to her back where he rubbed gentle circles.
Nora shook her head. “It is only my leg. I jarred it, that’s all,” she lied, feeling strangely ashamed.
After all her mother had instilled in her, and all the experience she had discovered for herself during her nightly toils, how could she allow any man’s words to affect her like this? It had been her solemn vow, after that first bastard, never to let a man make her cry again, no matter what he did to her.
