GAY ROMANCE: Western Romance: Cowboy's Southern Confession (First Time Gay Alpha Male Romance) (MM Military Romance Short Stories) by Patricia Vanzant

Author:Patricia Vanzant [Vanzant, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2016-03-18T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

William took a deep breath. He stood once again in front of everyone at court, but this time he wasn’t standing alone. He’d been summoned again to explain the death of Charlotte Parsons.

“Come forth,” the king said crossly. William took a step forward, but the king held up his hand. “Not you.” He gestured to Lena.

His heart twisted as Lena squeezed his hand gently and stepped forward. She’d been quiet these past few days, and nothing he could do seemed to bring her out of it. She wouldn’t share his bed. She was quiet at meals, and she never left the keep. He had this horrid feeling that she was going to leave him.

“You are Lena Parsons,” the king said softly. “We had reports that you were an invalid.”

“I apologize, Your Majesty. Your reports are incorrect. I can assure you that I am in control of all of my faculties,” she said as she curtsied.

The king cocked his head as he watched her. “Your quite pretty. I can see why your sister might be jealous. Tell me about your life with her.”

William watched as Lena rubbed her hands together nervously. “My sister was ambitious. We didn’t have much, and she wanted more for us. More for her, I suppose. She talked about marrying first, and then I hoped that she would find a husband for me. She was a busy woman. I kept the house clean and made our dinners.”

“Your sister used you as a servant,” the king interrupted.

A wave of pain crossed her face, and William wanted to go to her and hold her. But Lena was strong. She held her shoulders back and faced the king. “I don’t know what my sister was thinking. I freely admit that I betrayed her when I fell in love with the duke. She openly talked about sending me to a convent rather than finding me a husband. She admitted that she had never planned on marrying me. I don’t think she had my best interests at heart.”

“No,” the king said wryly. “That’s quite clear. After all, she did report you as an invalid. We’ve investigated the death. And it’s clear that she took her own life. From your report and the reports of your neighbors, I believe that we can safely say that Charlotte Parsons was not in her sound mind. What would you like to do now?”

Lena’s head snapped up. “Pardon me?”

“Young lady, you’ve been doing the bidding of others for far too long. I happen to know that there are plenty of funds left in your father’s account, and I will order that your uncle release enough funds to set you up comfortably. I am giving you a choice of what to do with your life. You no longer have to worry about money.”

William bowed his head. Part of him was happy for her. She would be set for life, and she would never have to worry about anyone ordering her around again. On the other hand, she would never choose him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.