His Lady Mistress

92 His Lady Mistresshe had given her later, at that moment, he had hurt her. Andhe had not stopped to ease her pain. He hadn’t even realised.Why hadn’t she told him? He had made it clear enoughthat he thought Faringdon had stripped her of her innocence.Had she thought he wouldn’t touch her if he knew her to bea virgin? He took leave to doubt that he would have beencapable of quite that much disinterested chivalry. But at leasthe could have controlled himself and not taken her more thanonce. He hoped.His fists clenched on the tumbled bedding. Why hadn’tFaringdon taken her? What had held him back? The girl hadspirit, yes. She had marked the distempered cub’s face theother night, but when all was said and done, she was not verybig. And there had been no one to defend her. She could notpossibly have held out against Faringdon if he had reallydecided to force her. Why hadn’t he?Max had no hesitation in dismissing the possibility of disinterestedchivalry in the case of Godfrey. His own might bedubious. Godfrey Faringdon probably couldn’t even definethe phrase. It was in the highest degree unlikely that he wouldever have been held to account for the rape of a nurserygoverness. She would have been just one more ruined girl,turned off without a character.The faint click of the door opening brought him up short.Prudently he pulled the covers back over himself. And backover that telltale stain.Harding came in and blinked. Then his eyes took on anobliging glassiness as he studiously avoided looking at thedevastation of the bedding, his master’s clothes scatteredaround the floor—and closed his mind to the fact that hisaforesaid master had, apparently, slept stark naked.‘Good morning, my lord,’ said Harding, as he retrieved mylord’s shirt, apparently without noticing it. ‘I trust youslept...ah...that is to say, that you had a satisfactory...’ Hisfaçade cracked slightly. He shut up and folded the shirt instead.