Prisoner of Desire Read Online Free PDF Page A

Godford to find you husbands today."
    "You could refuse to go," Bethany suggested, her eyes brightening with hope.
    "He threatened to turn me out without a shilling if I did." Lorena shot her a stern look.
    "I'm not sure I would have even been allowed to take my cape."
    Bethany lost her color. Amelia sputtered in outrage.
    "That.. .that diseased toad! I pray he's impotent."
    "If your husband's penis is limp, you will not have a baby." Bethany spoke smooth and sweetly as though she was reciting a bible verse. Lorena stared at her until she couldn't hold back her amusement.
    Bethany shrugged. "But the stable lads call it a cock, not a penis as the medical texts do."
    Lorena resumed her packing. "Lord, Bethany, the things you say."
    "Oh bother." Bethany rolled her eyes. "What is the point of all these books if I'm expected to keep my mouth shut every time someone says something intelligent?"
    They never pinched the candle out. It burned lower and lower through the dark hours of the
    morning until it sputtered out in a pool of melted wax. Dawn was teasing the horizon with pink and yellow wisps. Lorena lay with her sisters, chattering in hushed voices. The rising sun
    sobered her but she had to admit to a bit of excitement too. She loved the sea. Her father had often taken her to the shipyard. Maybe it was the fact that Godford ran such a cold house, but she couldn't think about today without a little joy for knowing she was going to once again stand on a ship.
    Well, her stepfather hadn't managed to kill all the happiness in the house. Maybe that was the lesson she needed to recall during her journey. She could choose to be happy and avoid dwelling on the facts she did not care for.
    A soft sigh passed her lips. It was a fine plan, but her mind was already turning the idea of a husband over and over. A baby? No doubt that task would be set on the top of her list of duties.
    It was the function of a wife after all. But it wasn't becoming a mother she hesitated over; rather it was the blunt necessity of performing the physical act needed for conception.
    Ladies did not enjoy intercourse. All the medical journals she'd read agreed on that. But she'd read so many things in those publications about what she shouldn't like and what she supposedly enjoyed that it was a large puzzle now.
    How did men understand a woman anyway? Her stepfather was forever dictating their lives, but he never asked them if they liked one thing over another.
    Rising from the bed, Lorena sat in front of the vanity mirror. It was an oval one, framed in silver.
    It had belonged to their mother. Reaching out, she traced the small flowers the silversmith had fashioned. A sniffle from behind her cut into her heart. Just like an hourglass, their time was running dry. Amelia picked up the brush and began pulling it
    through Lorena's hair in long, slow strokes. A knock on the door saved them all from having to speak while grief was choking them.
    The downstairs head maid, Ruth, entered with her arms full of parchment-wrapped parcels. Two more maids followed, carrying more items.
    "These are to be added to your trunk, miss." She set them down but selected one and carried it toward Lorena. She carefully undid one side of the wrapping. "The master sent round to the tailor for some new things. Even with the short notice we have a fine number for you to take along."
    Inside the package was a golden-colored garment. There was no way to judge the cut or design of the dress, but the fabric was soft and shiny. Ruth tucked the paper back into place.
    "You'll have plenty of time to look it all over. There are a few books too, as well as a set of bed linens to be embroidered during your voyage."
    "Yes, of course." Her linens should have been begun years ago. A well-bred bride arrived with bedding carefully monogrammed by her own hands.
    Ruth snapped her fingers at the two maids following her. "Don't dawdle. We haven't time."
    They sprang into action instantly. One maid unwrapped a