Betrothal Betrayal

I was sitting on the rail when a deep voice startled me, causing me to jerk around and look up into the depthless eyes of Liam MacGregor.

"Cam, I don't mean to be presumptuous, but I want you to know that Fitz isn't the man you think he is," he said softly. "I had hoped he had matured since University, but he is the same man he was then, and it is not a man who should be marrying a woman such as yourself."

I was stunned, not only by his words, but by his nerve in speaking to me so familiarly. "I believe I know Gerald quite well, and yes, it is quite presumptuous of you to speak thus. You know nothing about me, and nothing about my relationship with Gerald."

Suddenly Liam was pulling me roughly to a stand in front of him. With his face only inches from mine, there was fire in his eyes and I could feel his breath on my skin. His voice was low and threatening. "You don't know him. He's wrong for you."

He continued to hold me there, fingers biting into my arms, eyes burning into mine, and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me, but he let me go just as suddenly and strode back into the house. My heart was racing and I was quite disturbed by his vehemence. Why was he so sure Gerald was wrong for me? Certainly my fiancé had been a bit more persistent of late, but that was just his eagerness for the wedding. Gerald was otherwise the perfect mate for me.

Still pondering Liam's strange behavior and rubbing my sore arms, I returned to the house in time to catch Gerald just as he was about to exit the front door. I rushed to him intent to tell him about his friend's behavior, but he cut me off with a quick kiss and his goodnight and he was out the door.

Again I was left standing completely confused. Gerald had never dismissed me so lightly. He seemed to be in a great hurry, which made no sense considering the hour. Where could he need to be so urgently that he couldn't take a moment to say a proper goodnight to his fiancé?

I continued to muse on the strange behavior of both men as I said my goodnight's to my parents and prepared for bed. I seemed to become more agitated by it as time passed, and found myself unable to even close my eyes once I was in bed.

After tossing and turning for quite a while, a thought occurred to me. I considered it a few moments before I bounded out of bed and proceeded to get dressed. I would go to Gerald's home and tell him of his friend's inappropriate behavior and he could reassure me so that I could get some sleep.

I crept through the house and out the front door before really considering what a walk of seven blocks might be like at approximately midnight. I ducked back inside just long enough to find my father's riding cloak and swathed myself in its ample folds. Now I would not be noticed as a young woman walking so late alone.

The streets were quiet in our section of town, and I passed no taverns or other establishments that were open at this late hour. The couple of carriages and riders that passed me didn't seem to give me a second glance, yet I breathed a sigh of relief when I reached Gerald's home.

As I stood at his door, I hesitated. I didn't wish to wake the household by ringing the bell, so I knocked softly. Nothing happened for a minute, so I tried the door and found it open. I entered and stood in the wide foyer of my soon-to-be-home.

I noticed light from under the closed study doors, so I went there. I opened the door and slipped quietly inside, closing the door behind me before turning to face the room. When I did, I was shocked beyond anything I could ever have imagined.

Gerald stood near the windows wearing nothing but his leather riding breeches, and holding a riding crop aloft. Kneeling in front of him was a woman with a bit in her mouth and a few strategically placed pieces of leather wrapped about her body to accentuate her large breasts and draw attention to her other assets. A similarly attired woman was seated on the settee, also holding a crop in her hand.

My sudden intake of breath alerted the occupants of the room to my presence, and Gerald acquired a suitably surprised look on his face that was quickly replaced with a smile.

"My dear," he said as if meeting me on the street at noon, "how nice of you to join us. We have only just begun to play, and can certainly make room for one more."

Jarred from my stupor by the implications of what he was saying, I turned to leave by the door through which I had just entered. With lightening speed Gerald was beside me, restraining my hands and locking the door, removing the key to his pocket.

"I'm sorry, my love, but I can't let you leave now. You see, while I fully intend to marry you next week, I need to make sure now that you have no other choice but to marry me as well."

His voice was casual, as if he was telling me about dinner plans, and it made the meaning even more terrifying.

I looked at him imploringly. He had always been so kind. There must be some other explanation for what was happening in this room, and surely he meant me no harm.

"Ah, there is the sweet girl I'm marrying! Come over here, Camilla, and we will get you ready to play," he said, turning me and pulling me firmly into the middle of the room.

He handed his crop to the woman on the settee before he turned back to me. His look was no longer gentle or casual, but hungry and predatory. He ripped the cloak from my shoulders without preamble, then walked slowly around me, appraising my dress. I had worn a simple workday dress, with only a chemise beneath it because I was not going anywhere but here to speak to Gerald for a few minutes. It had not occurred to me to put on petticoats, a corset or nice dress.

"I certainly hope you chose the dresses I suggested for your trousseau, because this will never do," he said, flipping the lace at my neck with disdain. With a sudden jerk he tore the neckline of my gown down the front, stopping as my chemise came into view.

As he traced a finger along my skin at the top of the chemise, I shuddered. He looked into my eyes with anger and hatred before he grabbed the torn edges of my dress and ripped it another two feet before yanking it and watching the pieces slide from my arms and slip to the floor. He smiled at me coldly.

"Camilla, you will learn that I expect your full submission. You will wear what I say you will wear, and if I want you in nothing at all, then that is how you will be," and with that he snapped the shoulder straps of my chemise letting it fall to the floor as well.

I wanted to pull my clothing back over my now naked body, but I was petrified with terror by the man in front of me. How had I never seen this in him? How had he hidden this from me?

He walked around me again, this time running his fingers as well as his eyes over my skin. I tried not to shudder, but I was trembling anyway. He seemed to enjoy my fear.

"Step away from that rubbish," he demanded, pointing at my torn clothing.

I stepped out of my dress and took a step away from him. That was the wrong move. He grabbed my arm and pulled me roughly against him, my breasts pressed up against his bare chest.

He leered down into my frightened eyes before crushing my mouth with is, pushing his tongue into my mouth as he cut my lips on my own teeth. There was nothing gentle or loving in this kiss, only demanding.

He didn't seem to like my lack of response and pulled me to arm's length. He stared at my breasts with rapt attention, suddenly leaning forward and biting my nipple hard. I screamed, but it was cut off by a sharp slap across the face.

The slap threw me to the side, and when I landed I was a mere foot from the woman on the settee. I looked at her beseechingly, but she looked back to Gerald, handing him his riding crop and saying, "Perhaps this will help."

I was to receive no help from her. The woman who had been kneeling was now standing, leaning on the desk, but the look she gave me left me with no illusions she would provide me with any relief. I was on my own to get out of this room and way from this madman who I had believed I loved.

Gerald pulled me back to stand in front of him. He looked me up and down before commenting mildly, "You are quite beautiful, Camilla. Don't make me mar your skin to make you behave."

I stood there, arms at my side, while I tried to think of something to say to get Gerald to release me. I had no idea how to escape this room.

He must have seen the desperate look in my eyes because he shook his head slowly. "You will submit my dear. I must deflower you so you are no good for another, and you will be forced to marry me as planned."

Now I fully understood the implications of my situation. Since I knew about Gerald's propensities, he couldn't let me leave or I would call off the wedding and tell the world about him. By taking my virginity, he assured I would not be wanted by any other man and would be forced to keep his secret, as well as to become his wife. Any hope I had of talking Gerald out of this was lost.

He began to roughly fondle my breasts, and I continued to stand stock still and not look at him. He forced my face to meet his, then twisted a nipple brutally, but I refused to cry out and get slapped again. He smiled as if he had achieved a great accomplishment.

He kissed me and I let him do whatever he wanted to me, but I did not react and that seemed to infuriate him. He drew back the crop and came down hard with it on my hip. "Behave!" he shouted, but I just bit my lip as the burning inflamed my hip and throbbed with each beat of my heart.

He grabbed me again, twisting me around and forcing my hands forward until I was leaning over the desk. He used a foot to separate my legs as he unlaced his pants and pulled them down over his hips. I glanced back to see his erection standing against his belly and caught the sob before it came out. He was going to take me here and now, whether I was ready or not.

Biting back the tears, I felt him fumble behind me before a fierce pain split me up my center. I screamed as I felt blood drip down my thigh. Almost immediately a crash caused everyone in the room to turn.

The study door was hanging in shards from one hinge, and framed in the doorway was an angel of dark fury. Liam didn't pause, but roared into the room and straight for Gerald. With a violent swing, Liam knocked Gerald back into the fireplace where he crumpled to the hearth, his bloody cock softening slowly before him.

Liam swept me up in his arms and stormed from the house, enclosing me in his cloak. I huddled to his chest sobbing, unaware and uncaring of where he took me, as long as it was far from this place.

I don't know how long he walked, but I noticed when he mounted some steps and I lifted my face for the first time to see we were in front of large wooden doors. Liam rattled a key in the lock which turned with a shrill rasp and we were inside.

Liam rested back against the door, looking down at my face. His cheeks appeared tear-streaked, and when he spoke, his voice broke, "I'm so sorry, Cam! I didn't know you were in the house, and when I heard the first scream, I couldn't but think it was probably one of his hired girls. It wasn't until you screamed again that I recognized the terror and broke in."

He searched my face, as if for forgiveness. I didn't have a voice, so I simply shook my head and turned my face back into his chest to begin sobbing anew. Yes, I was deflowered, but I had been saved from further brutality by the man who had tried to warn me, but who I dismissed. This night was too much for me to take, and I wished for oblivion, but that was not to be.

Liam carried me up the stairs and into a bedroom where he laid me gently on a bed covered only in a white dust-sheet, and then disappeared. I curled up in a ball and wished for a thick blanket, even though the night was warm.

A moment later Liam was beside me, gathering the dust-sheet and laying a fresh sheet in its place. He lifted me onto the fresh sheet and placed another over me before removing the dust-sheet from the bed entirely. Next he lay a light blanket over me and put a pillow under my head. A bit later I heard Liam starting a fire, then the creak of a pot rack.

I had stopped crying, though I continued to hiccup and shudder at intervals. The pain between my legs was no longer sharp, but a deep soreness that pulsed with my heart. I could feel the stickiness drying to my thighs but didn't care.

Liam returned with some towels and a basin of water. Without speaking he washed my face and patted it dry before hesitating. I noticed his sleeve was bloody and was about to ask if he was hurt when he saw my look and spoke, "It's your blood, not mine. I am so sorry I didn't come for you sooner, to save you from this..."

He looked at his arm and I could tell he didn't know what else to say. I reached out and touched his wrist and he looked back into my face.

"I think you should clean up. You will feel more comfortable, and, well, I wouldn't want you to get an infection," he colored and I almost felt pity on him. Certainly he had never found himself in the position of caring for a rape victim before, and he was trying so hard.

"Thank you," I spoke at last, unsure of what, or how many things, I was thanking him for. He handed me the wet towel and turned his head as I wiped my bloody thighs and sex, sucking in my breath through my teeth at the sting. He stiffened when I did that, so I tried to remain quiet as I cleaned myself and then dried off. I felt very strange handing those towels back to him, considering where they had been, but since my blood still decorated his sleeve, I could only assume he was not bothered by the chore.

He tossed the towels with the dust-sheet and turned back to me.

"I can find you something to wear, and take you home, or you can sleep now and I will take you home in the morning. Whatever you wish," he explained softly.

Home. How was I going to go home and explain this to my parents? If I told them about Gerald, then I would have to tell them about the rape, and I couldn't imagine doing that. I also couldn't imagine my life if I cancelled the wedding without an explanation.

"I don't want to go home...ever," I said, pulling the covers over my head.

Liam didn't move for a few moments, and I thought he might just leave me to my misery, but then I felt a gentle tug on the sheet and he pulled it down below my chin. "You didn't do anything wrong. A bit foolish, coming to a man's home so late, but forgivable since he was your fiancé. His actions are not your responsibility."

"I can't go home and tell my parents about this. I can't go home and not tell them either. I will need to find a way to start over somewhere else, but not tonight," I hiccupped loudly, covering my mouth.

Liam actually smiled just a little. This man was nothing like I had thought him to be.

"Sleep tonight and we will discuss it in the morning," he said quietly, rising and collecting the dirty laundry before leaving the room. I heard the soft click as the door shut behind him and the sound reminded me of my old life, no longer available to me, shut off as surely as if a door had closed and locked.

************

I slept fitfully and awakened long past dawn. There were clean towels and a pitcher of warm water on the vanity, and several dresses and other pieces of clothing hung on a rack and over the chair. The pieces were older and not current style, but they were close to my size and I was happy to have them.

I washed, again hissing at the sting in my most personal place when the cloth brushed it. There was only a smudge of blood on the towel, so for that I was grateful. I chose a black dress because it suited my mood and prepared to find Liam and try to figure out a way to live for the remaining fifty years of my life.

Liam was simple to find, sitting in the dining room with the doors wide open. He had finished eating, it appeared, but no one had taken away his plates. I wondered if the house were empty, without servants, and if so, where had his breakfast come from?

I shuffled my feet to make Liam aware of my presence. He looked up at me with concern in his face. When I tried to give him a smile, he returned it with a relieved smile of his own. He stood and pulled out the chair to the right of his spot at the head of the table, tucking the chair in as I sat down. He held up the coffee pot and I nodded. He filled a cup with the hot brew and pushed the cream and sugar toward me.

"Would you like some eggs and toast for breakfast? It's all I have, and honestly, all I know how to cook for breakfast," he said, almost shyly.

I wasn't sure how to respond. "There are no servants?" I asked lamely.

"This is my aunt's home when she comes to town for the season. She's in the country now, along with her entire staff," he answered, looking down rather embarrassed.

"How did it happen to have food available?" I asked, more mystified by this man as we went.

"I went to the market and picked up some things," he answered simply. "Would you like some eggs?"

"No, thank you. I don't want to put you to any more trouble. You've been so kind already," I responded, then looking down at my clothing I asked, "Then these would be hers, I suppose?"

"Yes. I'm sorry there isn't anything more appropriate, but at least you are about the same size," he explained with a shrug. He seemed so much younger and smaller now, softer and even shy. Was this the same man that had scowled all the way through the first evening I had met him?

"I think this may be perfectly appropriate," I said, looking at the high-necked black crinoline dress I was wearing. "I am thinking of hiring myself out as a governess."

Liam seemed taken aback at that. He stared at me for a moment before saying, "and what credentials do you have to aid you in this pursuit?"

Straightening my back, I answered, "Well I am educated. I have completed all the grades that ladies are expected to, and spent a year at finishing school as well."

Liam smiled, biting back a laugh I think, "Well then, I think you would make a fine governess. Do you know how to go about acquiring such a position?"

Slumping back in my chair I admitted, "Not a clue."

"As I thought," he said, still smiling broadly. "You are a lady of a fine family. You were never meant to find employment and are ill prepared to do so." Turning serious he continued, "Let me take you home and we can explain to your parents why the wedding is cancelled."

"No!" I almost shrieked, "I can't tell my parents what happened, so I can't go home. I will have to figure out a way to be employed. If you won't help me, I'll just..." but I didn't have an alternative plan. I was at his mercy.

He looked at me long and hard, and must have seen my determination because he stopped at that point trying to convince me to go home. "Will you send word to your parents that you are all right, or will you let them worry that you are simply gone?"

"Yes, I should send them word, but I don't want them to come looking for me. I will have to think of something to tell them that will keep them from worrying as well as from looking for me."

"Whatever you say, be sure it paints Fitz in a negative light, but not so much so that they will make a point of telling all of society about it. You do not want him to decide to take revenge on your family."

Before last night I never would have thought Gerald capable of taking revenge on anyone, but now I knew he was capable of just about anything. It was not going to be easy to appease my parents, mildly impugn Gerald, and remain free through one simple lie. Perhaps simply disappearing would be simpler.

I could see that Liam was following my thoughts, and disapproved. "You must relieve your parents of the worry and guilt they are feeling over your disappearance. You would be unable to live with yourself if you did not," he said.