The Price of Pleasure Read Online Free PDF Page A

agreed with him. His appetite is returning, which is always a favorable sign.”
    “Indeed it is. There is little more for me to do here, unless there is a sudden change in his condition.” He examined Reed’s bound ribs. “His ribs are knitting nicely, and the bruises are fading. The bandages can be removed when he feels comfortable without them.”
    Reed heaved a sigh of relief. “The sooner I can move about freely, the sooner I can regain my strength.”
    “Shall I return in a few days and remove the arm splints?” Defoe asked Fleur.
    “I can manage, Doctor. Thank you for everything you’ve done. As before, this must be kept in the strictest confidence.”
    “I understand, Madame. And you are right about my not returning. There are too many inquisitive people in the village willing to betray their neighbors for a few paltry coins.” He shook his head. “I do not know what our great country has come to.”
    Fleur ushered the doctor out of the chamber. After Defoe left, she returned to the sickroom. She needed to tell Reed what she had been putting off. But first she went to the kitchen to fetch thick slices of bread and butter and a mug of milk for her patient. Eating often was the only way he was going to regain his strength.
    Reed’s stomach was beginning to growl again when Fleur entered the chamber with a mug of milk and two thick slices of bread slathered with butter.
    “How did you know?” Reed asked as he grabbed a slice of bread and took a huge bite.
    “You should eat small amounts often,” Fleur advised. “With Lisette’s help, we’ll have you fattened up in no time.” She pulled a chair over to the bed. “Antoine is securing clothes for you. They won’t fit properly, but they will be better than nothing.”
    Nodding, Reed continued eating.
    “My lord, I have some bad news to impart,” Fleur began.
    Reed didn’t like the sound of that. He swallowed hastily, giving Fleur his full attention. The black gown she wore hugged her curves and did nothing to detract from her beauty. The unrelieved darkness of mourning was supposed to make a woman look somber and drab. Instead, the black made her creamy skin glow and enhanced the reddish tint in her dark hair. For the first time in months, he felt a familiar tug in his loins.
    With a concentrated effort, Reed raised his gaze from the subtle rise and fall of Fleur’s breasts to her face. “Bad news, you say? I knew there was something you were keeping from me.”
    “I felt I should wait until you were ready to hear it. You have no idea how close to death you were when you arrived here.”
    Reed nodded solemnly. “I do know; I even wished for death. But as you can see, I am now fully capable of handling whatever news, good or bad, you’re about to relate. Please continue. I hope you’re going to tell me why you singled me out for rescue.”
    “Yes, and I regret I’m the one to inform you instead of a member of your family.”
    “Except for my brother and grandmother, I have little family left. Not close family, anyway. Go ahead, Fleur. I can take it.”
    Fleur hesitated, then said, “Your brother is dead, my lord. You are now the sixth Earl of Hunthurst. Lord Porter’s communiqué said you are desperately needed at home to take up the reins of the earldom.”
    A crushing weight pressed down on Reed’s chest. Jason was only a year older than he. “Jason is dead?” he asked dully. “You must be mistaken. I . . . he was well when last I saw him.”
    “It seems his illness was swift and deadly.”
    “Jason’s health was never robust, but after he wed he seemed to perk up. We all hoped he would sire an heir. Grandmamma must be devastated.”
    “Your grandmother was the one who instigated the investigation into your disappearance. I understand she hounded Lord Porter to find you, threatening dire consequences if he did not.”
    A smile curved Reed’s lips. “That sounds like something Grandmamma would do.”
    Reed couldn’t believe his