A salty taste filled her mouth, and she spat thickly. She raised a hand to her bruised jaw, testing it gingerly. Her head swam as she crawled to her bed and pulled herself to a standing position. She was vaguely aware of Gaspard’s snort of contempt as he left the room. She would say or do anything just to make him go away. “And from now on, each time you give me so much as an impertinent glance, I’ll repay it with this.” He held his clenched hand in front of her face.

“Now you have learned the price of challenging me,” Gaspard muttered. She swallowed, tasting blood, and pushed herself up to a sitting position. He was standing above her, his hands still clenched. Cautiously she unwrapped her arms from around her head and turned her face to the side. It took a full minute for Lysette to realize Gaspard was finished. When he was satisfied that Lysette would offer no further resistance, he straightened with an angry grunt and wiped his bloody fists on his waistcoat. Gaspard Medart was a short but powerfully built man, with a bullish strength that was often used to compensate for his lack of intelligence. Her rebellion had been crushed until all that remained was the will to survive her stepfather’s assault.

Lysette huddled in a ball with her arms covering her head, while smothered cries were torn from her raw throat. The room was filled with the sound of fists pounding flesh. (Originally published as Only In Your Arms)įor always believing in me, and encouraging me to do my best… for being someone I can always trust and count on… and for making me feel strong even when I am leaning on you. The full weight of the suspicions cast on Max was…Īfter glancing at the prone form on the ground, Severin… Max’s gaze swept over her, and his stern face softened…Ĭlement considered them both carefully, noting Lysette’s flustered expression and… “How is he?” Alexandre asked, starting to pour Max a… Lysette had known it was inevitable that she would someday…

“Another letter to your mother?” Max inquired, coming to the… Max awakened to the sensation of invisible fiends pounding on… Irénée walked through the double parlors with a satisfied smile,…Īlthough Lysette had lived in an almost exclusively female household…Īfter removing Lysette’s nightgown and his own breeches, Max carried… Max had often pondered why Sagesse had slept with his… Lysette damned her own physical weakness as her stepfather and… Max was gone all the next day, attending to business… The gown Lysette had carried with her was irreparably stained… Philippe and Justin Vallerand wandered through the woods and down… The room was filled with the sound of fists pounding…

When Strangers Marry by Lisa Kleypas