The Wicked Marquis by Barbara Cartland

Author:Barbara Cartland [Cartland, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780553084672
Amazon: B000F48YJK
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 1974-08-31T12:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

'How dare you... think... such things of ... me!'

Orelia's voice was breathless from the shaking the Marquis had given her, but she was also exceedingly angry.

She stared up at him, her eyes dark and stormy and she was trembhng with rage.

The Marquis had dropped his hands from her shoulders, but he was still standing close to her, the pistol and the

notes lying on the floor between them.

'What do you expect me to think?' he asked roughly-

'I do not expect anything from you . . . My Lord,' Orelia said bitterly.

'Nevertheless,' he retorted, 'you will tell me why you went to Wrotham's lodgings, and you will tell me the truth if

I have to beat it out of you!'

He made a movement with his hands and thinking he was about to shake her again she stepped back instinctively.

Then with an anger that was as fierce as his, save that she kept her voice low, she answered:

'Very well ... I will tell you the . . . truth! I went to visit this . . . friend of yours because he had . . . ravished

a young girl . . . here in this house and given ... her a ... child!'

For a moment the Marquis did not move or speak, and then furiously, his eyes still fiery with rage, he stormed:

'And what the devil is that to do with you? If what you say is true, my Housekeeper can deal with such

matters!'

'And what do you suppose she would do about it?' Orelia demanded, 'except to turn the girl into the streets or

send her back to your Estate in the country where her shame would be known to everyone!'

'What else could be done with her?' the Marquis enquired.

'She herself had a solution,' Orelia answered. 'She was ready to throw herself into the river and destroy the ...

b ... bastard fathered by your friend!'

'For God's sake! Do not go on saying "your friend",' the Marquis exclaimed in an exasperated tone. 'You speak

as if you thought that I had countenanced Wrotham's behaviour.'

'Nevertheless, you accept it!' Orelia said accusingly.

'I am not denying that occasionally men behave in such a manner,' the Marquis replied. 'What I deeply regret

is that anything of such an unsavoury nature should have occurred in my own house. But the girl could surely

have contrived to look after herself?'

'You really believe that?' Orelia said. 'You really credit that a frightened country-girl, little more than a child,

could hold her own against a man of Sir Mortimer's calibre?

'I can assure Your Lordship that the only way she could have retained her purity was to have armed herself as I

did before coming into proximity with him!'

'Are you insinuating that he made overtures to you?' the Marquis asked incredulously.

'As it happens, he did!' Orelia answered sharply.

'God damn him!' the Marquis swore. 'I will kill the swine for this!'

'You seem annoyed that he should have approached me,' Orelia said bitterly, 'but it is of little consequence that

he should rape a girl who was also under your protection, even if you do not concern yourself with her.

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.