The Wounded Nobleman (The Regimental Heroes) Read Online Free Page B

than just my leg. The wounds you often can’t see are the ones which hurt the worst. Any loud noise, I turn inside out. I wake at night, drenched in my own sweat. Those are memories of the past I cannot escape.”
    Callie turned, a look of surprise on her face. “That is the same way I feel.” Her eyes were red from crying, but she was so beautiful.
    He cupped her face , this time not allowing her to turn away. “Then trust me enough to tell me what happened.”
    She paused for a long moment. “Last year on my way back from a visit with friends, my carriage was attacked by highwaymen . I thought they would leave once they had the money and jewelry, but they wanted more. One held the driver, while the other dragged me out onto the ground. I fought, but he was so heavy. He slapped me and punched me until I stopped fighting.” She stared at her feet.
    Ellis felt anger boil through him. How could anyone hurt her , she was such a gently and loving being. “He raped you?” he asked, barely over a whisper.
    She shook her head, and gave a weak smile. “Not that anyone would believe me, but no. It was his intention. He had my skirts raised and his fingers…” She swallowed. “Another carriage came along. I guess it startled the men to run. He left me there in the mud. When the other carriage brought me home, the look on my father’s face said it all. He thought I was ruined and blamed me.”
    “That’s insane. How could he blame you for being attacked?”
    “I told Father the truth about what happened. I fought with all my might, but he didn’t believe me. What good is a spoiled daughter who is rumored to be raped? With my dress ripped and my body bruised… well, he didn’t want to take a chance of a scandal. It is much easier to write me off as a spinster than to have to explain to a suitor that his daughter may not be chaste.”
    “Did they ever catch the men who attacked you?”
    “The one who beat me was caught for another crime. I went to town and watched him hang. I thought it would help, but it didn’t. I still have the dreams.”
    “They are nightmares, not dreams. Our nightmares may be different, but we have them none the less.” Ellis thought he would never find someone who understood how he felt. Surprisingly, he’d found that someone right in front of him. “Unfortunately, we can’t erase all of it, but I can tell you it does grow easier to live with day by day. Clarke told me that he was responsible for saving me on the battlefield. He also said he expected me to do something with my life.”
    The color returned to Callie’s cheeks and made them a deep pink. “What is your life’s plan?” she asked.
    “To protect you.” He swallowed. “To love you if you will have me.” He kissed her then, pouring all the sentiment he wished he could have shown her earlier. “I only wish I had been here before.”
    “There was nothing you could have done.”
    His tone grew dark, “I would have killed them. They would have had to go through me before they ever touched you.” He feathered a kiss over the lavender-scented skin of her wrist. “I promise, no one will ever hurt you again.”
    “You can’t make a promise like that.”
    “I just did.”

Chapter 4
     
    When Ellis pulled the chaise to the front of her family’s estate the light had dimmed from the sky leaving it a steely grey. Wind picked up blowing leaves in circles over the drive. Callie tried to stop her hands from trembling, but it was a lost cause. Too many resurfaced memories.
    Ellis assisted her to step free of the chaise and handed the reins to the stableman before offering his hand. It was warm wrapped in hers and his grasp was strong and steady.
    When they walked into the foyer her father made a grumbling sound in his throat and turned. Lord Stanley and Lord Dransby were in the study with him, along with Pastor Elsmire.
    “He must be having friends around,” she commented as they started to walk by the open door.
    Her father