Mr. Granger seduced me. I have no excuse for my behavior except for the loneliness and isolation I suffered as a widow. As any who know Mr. Granger will attest, he is a charismatic man, and he used his animal powers upon me. For five years, I was helpless to his lustful advances. When I finally worked up the courage to resist, he forced himself upon me. Repeatedly.
As a female in a world dominated by men, I know I am not likely to be believed. Nonetheless, I have enclosed my diary which faithfully documents my encounters with Jack Granger, which ended when he left a year ago. I pray the world will see him for the monster and murderer he is. He killed my son, ruined and abused me, and stole a noble heritage. He must be prevented from manipulating and controlling others for his own nefarious ends.
Only then will my son rest in peace.
Lady Judith Fayne
Numbly, Charlie stared at the diary. It was unassuming and ordinary…like an explosive device the instant before it detonated. She tried to think, but her mind felt frozen and sluggish.As a female in a world dominated by men, I know I am not likely to be believed.Judith’s words hit a chilling nerve of truth. Even so, a part of Charlie wanted to trust Jack. Another part flashed to his past deceptions, his betrayal, and the niggling feeling that she’d ignored yet again: he still had secrets he wasn’t telling her.
Could Jack have done what Lady Judith Fayne claims? Could he be…She swallowed, forcing herself to confront the possibility.A rapist and a killer?Judith was his best friend’s mama and the woman he worked for, yet he has never spoken of her by name. Because he’s innocent…or because he has something to hide?
Charlie had to find out. She’d dedicated her life to helping women gain justice, and she couldn’t resort to denial for the sake of her own happiness. Because she was afraid to discover the true nature of the man she’d fallen in love with.
With trembling hands, she opened the diary.
Thirty-Four
It was past three in the morning by the time Jack returned to Lottie’s. For the sake of caution, he came in through the back. He didn’t want to risk being seen and doing damage to her spotless reputation.
A reputation that had been fairly earned.
You are the best, Jack. The only man for me.
As he walked through the darkened corridors, a foreign sense of pride rolled through him. Despite everything he’d done and his ignoble origins, Lottie accepted him. He couldn’t wait for this business with the First Flame to be over so that he could propose and, hopefully, get her to say yes. To be his wife again, in name and forever.
For once in his life, things were going smoothly and according to plan. Yesterday, he’d told Primus about his plans to remarry Lottie and retire from espionage. The spymaster had disagreed, of course, with Jack’s decision.
“After everything you have achieved, all my efforts to train you to become the spy you are today, how can you even consider giving it up for a woman?”Primus had snarled.
Easily and readily.
For the first time, Jack had not backed down to Primus. Not even when Primus reminded him of his shameful affair with Judith. That, he realized, was Lottie’s effect on him. She made him recognize his own desires and needs, made him feel worthy of having them. She forgave his mistakes and did not use them as a weapon to coerce him…something that, he now painfully recognized, his mentor had no trouble doing.
Yes, he could not wait for the mission to be done with. To avenge Sebastian and do his part in eradicating evil. The discoveries he and Laurent had made brought them closer to tracking down the First Flame, and he hoped Lottie was awake so that he could share it with her.
And, admittedly, so that he could make love to her. The thrill of success made him randy as hell. He mounted the steps to her bedchamber, counseling himself to be considerate. If Lottie was asleep, he should let her rest. He would wait and bid her good morning with a lusty plowing.
That didn’t stop his cock from stirring when he saw that her light was on.
A post-mission tup it is.
As the door was ajar, he didn’t bother knocking. To his surprise, Lottie wasn’t in bed but perched on the settee in the sitting area. She rose when he entered, and there was a guardedness to her expression that gave him pause.
Perhaps she was tired; it was late, after all.
“You did not have to wait up for me, sweeting,” he said.
He went over, intending to kiss her.
She took a quick step back, evading him, and his unease grew.
“Did you have relations with Lady Judith Fayne?” she said coldly.
Jack’s blood turned to ice. “How did…why are you asking me this?”
“Answer my question. Were you, or were you not, bedding Judith Courtenay for years?”
His gut seized, forcing bile up his throat. He couldn’t answer her.
