“Yes.” She gave a humorless laugh. They had more than humiliated her. They had stolen every hope she had harbored for a future untainted by their spite. “And when Simone wed Lord Gilbert I was taken to that horrid house where I was not allowed to speak to anyone but my sister.”

“Bloody hell,” he muttered beneath his breath. “Why did you remain?”

“I had no choice. Simone ensured none of the other servants would help me. And the few occasions I did attempt to flee she made certain I was properly punished.”

“What did she do?”

Simone paused. Never before had she revealed what she had endured at her sister’s hands. It was astonishingly difficult to force the words past her stiff lips.

“She beat me,” she at last managed to admit in harsh tones. “Of course, she beat me for every mistake I made, whether they were real or imagined. But the last occasion ... an infection set in and I nearly died. In truth, I prayed to die.”

His fingers tightened upon her cheek as his gaze darkened to a smoldering ebony.

“Would Lord Gilbert not come to your aid?”

“He was past eighty when they wed and he rarely left his chambers. The only reason Simone wed him was because he was extraordinarily wealthy.”

“And close to death?”

“Precisely.” Simone’s stomach clenched as she recalled her sister’s callous anger when the elderly gentleman continued to cling to life day after day. An anger that she regularly vented on her hapless sister. “She hated living in isolation at the estate and less than six months after his funeral she was packed and prepared to travel to London. She was not about to waste an entire year on mourning a gentleman she barely tolerated.”

“And you came with her?”

“Yes, she was determined that I would witness her grand debut.”

“What happened?”

Simone again hesitated. The trip to London was still a vague fog in her mind. Perhaps because she had no desire to truly ponder what had led to her outrageous charade. Or the undoubted sins that lay heavy on her soul.

She unconsciously wet her dry lips, intensely aware of the dark gaze that watched her every expression.

“We had been upon the road for two days when we were set upon by bandits. They had followed us from the posting inn where we had stayed the night before.”

He sucked in a sharp breath at her words. “You were injured?”

“I suffered a blow to the head that knocked me unconscious when we attempted to flee the villains and the carriage overturned in a ditch. When I awoke ...” Her words broke off and she abruptly buried her face in her hands.

All the horror she had felt when she had managed to drag herself from the carriage rushed back like a physical blow. How many nights had she lain awake recalling the bloody bodies that had been scattered across the road? Even now, months later, it did not seem quite real. More like a persistent nightmare that would not be dismissed.

Moving to place his arms about her, Gideon surrounded her in warm comfort.

“What was it, Simone?”

The strength that he offered her allowed her to slowly raise her head and confront the ghastly memories.

“I ... I climbed out of the carriage to discover that Simone had been shot along with all the servants. Even her dog had been killed.”

“Oh, my sweet,” he breathed softly, “you must have been terrified.”

“It was horrible. I kept going from body to body hoping that I was mistaken. I could not believe they were all dead.”

He ran a comforting hand down her back, his eyes filled with compassion.

“At least you survived.”

“Yes.” More than once she had wondered what fickle fate had kept her from being among the bodies on the road. Was it nothing more than blind luck, or had there been some other purpose? A reason she had been spared? “The bandits must have thought I was already dead.”

“Thank goodness. They obviously did not intend to leave behind witnesses.”

A bleak expression settled upon her pale features. “No. They were very thorough. I lost everyone that I knew in the world on that day.”

Chapter 12

Brushing his cheek over Simone’s satin hair, Gideon fought back the violent regret that he could not lay his hands upon those who would dare to harm this woman.

The bandits he could punish at his leisure, but her deeper wounds came from the family that should have loved and cared for her.

To think her own sister would beat her, and treat her with such malicious hatred ...

Bloody hell. It was a testament to her will that she had survived such a brutal and lonely life. And that she had somehow managed to keep her indomitable spirit intact.

“It must have been terrifying to find yourself alone,” he said softly, wishing to bring her painful memories to a halt and yet realizing that he must have her complete honesty if he were to protect her from Tristan.

A shiver raced through her body. “I did not know what to do or where to go. I suppose I must have been in shock, but at last I realized I was covered in blood from the bodies.” She swallowed heavily. “Absurdly I began ripping off my clothes before I realized that Simone had refused to allow me to bring more than my one gown and a night rail. There was nothing left to do but unpack her trunk and pull on one of her gowns. Do you know, even with her lying there dead I felt terrified at touching her belongings? She would have whipped me unconscious if she had known what I was doing.”

His hands tightened on her back, feeling the rough welts that marred her skin even through the material of her gown. His fury rose like bile as he battled to keep his voice calm.

“You were at last rescued?”

She gave a slow nod of her head, keeping her lashes lowered as if unable to meet his gaze.

“Yes, it was several hours later when a coach finally came by and halted to assist me.”

“You must have been in a panic by then.”

“I believe I must have been out of my mind,” she confessed in uneven tones. “That is the only means to explain what happened next.”

Pulling back, Gideon gently but firmly tilted her chin upward. Peering deep into her troubled eyes he offered her an encouraging smile.

“You can confide in me, my dear.”

She reached out her tongue to wet her lips as she struggled for the courage to continue. Sensitive to her every emotion Gideon silently filled her with his own strength.

“It was a kindly merchant and his wife,” she at last continued, her voice so low that only a vampire could have heard her words. “And when they found me alive and in such fine clothing they presumed that I was Lady Gilbert because of the crest upon the carriage.”

“I see,” he murmured, already suspecting where her story would lead.

“At the time I did not care what they thought as long as I was safe from the bandits.”

“Perfectly understandable.”

Her eyes grew distant as she was once again caught by her memories.

“They took me to their home and arranged to have the bodies returned to the estate to be buried. When they asked me the names of the servants who had been murdered, I said ...”

“That the woman was Sally Jenkins, your stepsister?”

“Yes.” Her eyes closed as if she feared to watch his reaction to her declaration of guilt. “I knew that no one would bother to even open the coffin for a wretched bastard who was disliked by all. My sister would be buried in an unmarked grave and no one would know she was dead.”

“And you would become Simone?”

She gave a reluctant nod of her head as she forced her lashes to lift.

“It is horrid, I know, but the merchant was treating me as if I were a true lady, not some pathetic creature who could expect no more than disdain for having been born.” Perhaps unconsciously her hand lifted to grasp his arm, as if seeking to assure him of her sincerity. “Besides which, I had no money and nowhere to go as Sally Jenkins. I would have been forced to the streets unless I could discover a position, which would have been impossible without a reference. More than likely I would have landed in the nearest brothel if I hoped to survive.”

His brows drew together at the mere thought of this fragile creature being passed among indifferent males as they took their pleasure with her.

“Never,” he retorted, his voice harsh.

She smiled sadly at his obvious outrage. “Some would say it would have been the more admirable choice. Instead I allowed the merchant to continue to believe I was Lady Gilbert and when he offered his carriage to take me to London, I accepted.”

For what he knew of humans, he realized that her choice had been astonishingly bold. Surely most maidens would have been far too terrified to travel to a strange city under the guise of a noblewoman?

“A rather daring adventure. What if you were recognized?” he demanded.

“Actually, London was the perfect choice,” she confessed with a grimace. “Neither Simone nor I had ever visited the city.”

“But surely there are those who knew your sister?”

She gave a lift of one shoulder. “Very few. We were raised quietly in Devonshire, and after the wedding to Lord Gilbert Simone became as trapped as myself at the estate. Lord Gilbert was too ill to entertain or to travel and Simone thought herself too far above the local neighbors to associate with them. Only the servants and villagers would have known her by sight and they would never leave Devonshire. And in truth, Simone and I look a great deal alike. I believe that was one of the reasons she hated me with such passion. Every time she looked at me she could see herself and she detested the knowledge that a mere bastard could resemble her so closely.”