Past Lives Read Online Free Page B

scandal. I avoided his gaze as much as possible, acutely aware of just how inappropriate the situation was, and still just drunk enough not to care. Bastien took the trouble to tell my maid that my corset was digging into my side before making a last attempt at conversation.
    “Well my lady…I’m glad to see your honor intact.”
    “You mean the honor that is still at risk by you standing in my bedroom at the crack of dawn? Please take care that no one sees you leave this place as you exit.”
    He frowned. What was he expecting? To be treated like an equal to me? He waited for the beat of a moment before turning to make his exit. Even still…
    “Bastien?” I said, meeting his eyes for the first time since we came in. He waited.
    “Thank you. For what you did. It was most gallant of you,” I said quietly, all contrition. Regardless of the fact that I was supposed to treat him as an inferior, he still provided me a great service that night. I also found that I didn’t really want him to go, which was an entirely new sensation for me. He gazed down upon me, an inner battle waging in his eyes. He then fell to one knee by my bedside and spoke fervently.
    “I know that you think your birth has placed you above all others, and I know you’ve been raised to think that way. Still, I see someone more behind your eyes, someone of value. I hope that someday, you will grow to see that woman as well.”
    Rising from his knees, Bastien then made his final exit, my bewildered gaze on his broad, masculine back. Even as my maid began to unlace the dress from my body, relieving my inner organs and allowing me to breathe freely, I stared at my closed door.
    And I wondered—could he be right?

Chapter Four
    Gossip

    I woke to a fervent knocking on my door. The midday sun glared through my gossamer curtains, and I winced at the light before rolling onto my stomach with a pillow over my head. With a burst my bedroom door flew open, and in came Jacqueline, all dressed for afternoon tea.
    “J! Are you still asleep—how can you sleep at all? My brother told me you were attacked last night!”
    She had entirely too much energy for someone coming off of an all-night party. I cracked open an eye at her, realizing that I didn’t remember falling asleep or washing up. I could now tell that my face had been scrubbed, though a clump of eye makeup still clung stubbornly to my lid, making it hard to blink. My maid came in right behind Jacqueline, fervent apologies tossed at me and glares of disapproval cast at Jacqueline. To my surprise, I was actually amused by this.
    “Why on earth are you smiling? You could have been ruined! And of course the marquis is telling everyone what a slut you are.”
    This sank in slowly through my clouded, hungover brain, but when it did…
    “What?!”
    Jacqueline wore a mixture of concern and delight on her face, which was annoying. She looked far more excited at being the first to tell me than she was sympathetic to my plight. She continued, breathless.
    “Oh yes. The minute everyone woke up he’s been spreading the tale of how you tried to seduce him in a corridor, and how Bastien had to drag you to your bedroom, and that no one knows whether or not he stayed the night…”
    “Enough!” I cried, desperate for a moment’s peace. So the whole court knew that I was a whore, did they? I wondered dismally what the queen thought…my second day at Versailles and already a horrible reputation. And how had the marquis known that I had been carried to my room? Panic began to blossom in my chest, tears threatening to wail their way out. Jacqueline’s expression had turned helpless, and of course there was nothing she could do. We would be the two most unpopular women at court, I was sure of it. She reached out to stroke my back gently.
    “It’ll be alright, J. We’ll just endure this piece of gossip until the next thing happens. People love the next big story,” she cajoled, her eyes wide with panic and