ISBN: 9780373306107

Jane looked with distaste and a cringing fear at the chair Jacob Atkins would have her bend over so he could beat her with the thin cane which he was casually slapping against his booted … Plus…

Jane looked with distaste and a cringing fear at the chair Jacob Atkins would have her bend over so he could beat her with the thin cane which he was casually slapping against his booted right leg. His one remaining eye held a strange pin-prick of light that Jane, with a sinking heart, knew boded ill for her. It would not be the first time she had felt the sting of that cane. Red welts usually criss-crossed her back for days following a whipping. He seemed to take special delight in marking her bare flesh. 'Please do not use that on me.' Her voice quavered. 'I have done nothing so terrible that deserves a beating.' 'It is a punishment you will receive, Jane, and as usual you are being impertinent.' Jane hesitated, then, her terror bolstering her courage, though she was sadly aware that it wouldn't make any difference to what was about to happen, she raised her head bravely. 'There is nothing wrong with trying to defend myself. Thesethese punishments have to stop,' she said haltingly. 'I am not one of your daughters. I will not be beaten into submission.' Jane watched with dreadful, terror-filled fascination as his face turned a dangerous crimson; the colour of it appeared to leak into his eye. She held his gaze with something like defiance, her proud nature rebelling against compliance to this man. She just hoped he wouldn't notice how violently she trembled, the fear instilling uncertainty of what form of punishment he'd use on her if she openly defied him. While her lovely face seemed almost without expression, her eyes betrayed her inner fear as she stared back at him. When he moved to stand directly in front of her, her heart sank and her blood ran cold when he raised his hand and she felt his fingers brush her neck. On a gasp she struck at his hand, only to find her own as quickly imprisoned. He seized a handful of her long, thick hair, pulling her head back with spiteful force. 'Oh, no, Jane. You have much to learn,' he hissed, his mouth close to her ear. 'If I want to touch you, touch you I shall.' She stood rigid and silent, his touch making her skin crawl. A violent shivering shook her from head to foot when he released her hair and his grip tightened around her neck with ever-increasing brutality. With helpless fury she looked into his eye. Jacob gave a slow, satisfied smile. How he craved to run his fingers over the white skin beneath the dress of this girl while she trembled before him, to look on her nakedness and see her proud, complacent smile turn into a grimace of terror as she cried and pleaded for mercy. Just as suddenly as he had touched her he pulled himself together. The smile faded from his face and his hand released her. 'How dare you question my authority, Jane, my judgement. I would advise you to obey me immediately or go to your room until I give you permission to leave it. I have to go out and will not be back until tomorrow afternoon, at which time we shall continue this discussion and I will consid Fiction Fiction eBook, Harlequin<

ISBN: 9780373306107

Destitute and desperate, Jane Lucas knows there is one place where she can find refugeher childhood home. Landing on the doorstep, Jane is confronted with a new lord of the manor! Devili… Plus…

Destitute and desperate, Jane Lucas knows there is one place where she can find refugeher childhood home. Landing on the doorstep, Jane is confronted with a new lord of the manor! Devilish Colonel Francis Russell is known for his fierce reputation in battle. The civil war may be ended but, by stepping over the threshold, Jane fears she's crossing enemy lines. She will use every weapon in her arsenal to claim the home that's rightfully hers, starting with her bewitching charmbut then she goes and falls under the colonel's spell! Fiction Fiction eBook, Harlequin<