A Convict's Lover by Kayla Trautman (the false prince series .txt) 📕

The other men had rode on; probably convicts that were promised to have their sentence shortened if they cooperated. Jeffrey led her inside and handed his coat to the butler, "Have a hot bath ready for me and fetch Mrs. Horris. She'll need to tend to my fiance. Have her wait in her room. Send two footmen downstairs." The butler gave one nod and turned on his heels to obey his orders.

Jeffrey led her downstairs into the basement but it was too dark for her to make anything out. He turned her towards him and her hands became free as he cut the ropes. She rubbed her wrists and asked, "What are we doing down here?"

He turned her around and soon she was pressed against the wall. He lifted her one arm and she heard a metal clink. She tried to bring her arm back down when he let go but the metal around her wrist held her in place. He did the same with the other. Her cheek was pressed against the wall as she tried to see what he was doing behind her. He took a knife out and ripped her dress open, exposing her back before he walked away.

He lit the candles in the room and she saw him standing there with two footmen standing behind him, just watching. But what caught her attetion was the leather whip in Jeffrey's hand that was used to whip the convicts when they disobeyed them.

Her eyes widened at him as he let the whip unravel. "You can't be serious?!" Jeffrey laughed, "I am very serious, darling. You will never disobey me again after this." She turned her head away as he lifted the whip. She screamed when it came down on her back. And then again. And again. And again. She gripped the chains that held her to the wall. A couple times she hit her head on the wall from her thrashing.

She didn't know how long it was but when he finally stopped she cried and slumped to her knees even though that put a little strain on her wrists, not too much. "One hundred lashes should change your spirit. Unchain her and carry her up to her room."

The two men quickly unchained her and put her arms around their shoulders as they dragged her upstairs. They were tall so only her toes touched the floor and barely. Once in the room they layed her down on the bed on her stomach and left, closing the door. A woman; who she assumed was Mrs. Horris, immediately went to work on cleaning her up and taking care of her back.

Julie was laying on her stomach in bed in her nightgown with the blanket up to her waist the next morning. She couldn't move without it hurting severely. The door opened and Jeffrey came in, closing the door behind him. She cried, "Please leave me alone." He went over and sat on the side of the bed. She groaned as the shifting of the bed caused a shot of pain to explode in her back.

He held a finger to her lips, "Shh. We have guests. Your father and your brothers are here. All three of them. They're coming up here to see you and they don't know about your injuries. You are to tell them that that convict whipped you when you tried to escape. If you don't then I can always make your punishment more severe. Do you understand?" She nodded, "Yes." He pulled handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped her cheeks, "You need to stop crying. It's bad for your complexion." He chuckled and left. She closed her eyes as she thought of blackening Daniel's name. Could she do that to him? To the man who tried to save her life? To the man who died because of her?

A few minutes later the door open and her father came in, followed by Henry, Percy, and Jacob. Her father stayed near the door and asked, "Still in bed at this hour, daughter?" Julie sighed, "My back hurts but ... I'll be alright." Henry went over and sat on the side of the bed but he stilled when she groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. He frowned, "You've been crying recently. Julie, how bad is your back hurt?"

She looked up at him and just stared at him. Could she do this? Jeffrey didn't come in with them but she wasn't getting away from him so that didn't neccessarily mean that she was safe to tell them. He sighed, "I'm going to have a look at your back. Just stay still."

"It's covered in bandages." She whispered. "What happened?" Percy asked. She looked down at the floor and took a deep breath before whispering, "I-I tried to escape and .... Da-Mr. Horminion ... he ..." Her father snapped, "Well spit it out, girl. What in God's name did he do to you?"

"He whipped me. He gave me one hundred lashes ... Jeffrey found me and killed him." She whispered; a tear escaped from the corner of her eye to be hidden in the pillow. "Then he brought me here and took care of me." Henry stood and went to stand at the foot of the bed; all three of her brothers looked as if they didn't believe her in the slightest.

Her father smiled and took a couple steps towards her, "I knew that convict would be trouble. And I also told you the Mr. Bertly would make a perfect match. Don't you agree with me now?" She sighed, "Yes, Pa." He nodded and left, happy that he had been assured that the marriage would go through.

Jacob came over to kneel beside the bed and touched her face, "Julie, what really happened?"  She looked at him and just whispered, "I told you what happened." He shook his head, "No you're not. You were never happy about marrying Mr. Bertly and I remember what you told me. Did he do this to you?"

When she didn't answer Henry and Percy came over to stand behind Jacob. Henry folded his arms across his chest, "Julie? Is that what actually happened?" She closed her eyes, "Please, just ... I told you what happened."

"I don't believe you, Julie." Jacob contradicted, anger in his voice. "I seen the way you looked at Mr. Horminion. I heard the way you talked about him. He may be a convict but he didn't seem like the one who would hurt you. But Bertly already has said that he would if you didn't listen to him."

She turned her head away and cried, "I was wrong. Mr. Bertly didn't mean it like that. He's ... a good man." Jacob groaned, "No he's not. Why are you-" "Stop!" She cried, interrupting him as tears fell from her cheeks. "Please! I can't! I-I just can't!"

"Alright. We'll let it go. We believe you." Jacob leaned over and kissed her cheek before whispering in her ear, "I won't say anything to him. I won't do anything yet. Just tell me if Mr. Bertly did this to you. Close your eyes if he did do it." She could see him from the corner of her eyes and there was no way that she could convince him. She took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes. "Alright." He whispered before getting up.

"Let's go. She needs to rest." Jacob said; anger and disgust leaked in his voice. Henry and Percy kissed her cheek before following Jacob out. She gripped the sheet in her hand and silently cried. That was by far the hardest thing she had to do. She just hoped that Daniel wasn't angry with her for branding his name with lies that were inhumane.

***

Julie layed in bed for the first two weeks while her back healed. Then she was finally able to sit up but her movements were constricted. After a month she was able to move without any pain except for her muscles that were sore from being confined.

After that month was over Jeffrey took her over to her home and formally and publically proposed to her. It was humiliating and he knew it and found that quite pleasing. She accepted, of course, but she dreaded the wait to the day that would become even more humiliating, the wedding day.

And the day came all too quickly. She walked down the aisle with her hand gripping her father's elbow. Her brothers stood by Jeffrey as his best men; their wives as her bridemaids. Everyone else was smiling from ear to ear because this was posed to be the happiest day of this year; but to her and her brothers they treated this as a funeral. The only difference between them was that she managed to hide it barely and give a small smile when she reached Jeffrey, they had open frown on their faces and appeared to be very hostile.

Julie's stomach recoiled when his lips lightly took hers to seal the deal. He led her back down the aisle and helped her into the carriage as they headed back to her home ... her old home. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head, whispering in her ear, "You look lovely. I could just devour you." He chuckled and lifted his head, "Tonight." She turned her head away from him to hide the frown that took over her face. She looked out the window and she swore she had just been chained and handed over to the devil himself.

 The reception was an excruciatingly long torture for Julie. Jeffrey was laughing and talking with her father and a group of men across the room. This was her only chance to slip out so that she could have a few moments to herself. She managed to slip out with little difficulty. She was stopped a couple times by women who envied her marriage and congratulated her on her success but when she finally made it outside she breathed in the fresh air. "Julie."

She jumped at the sound of her name and turned around. She sighed, "Jacob. You startled me." Jacob stood there watching her with a look that made her stomach drop because she knew that he knew the hell she was in; he didn't know exactly what the hell was but he knew it was anything but heaven.

He came over and held his arm out to her, "Henry and Percy have joined Jeffrey's little group to keep him occupied. When we saw you escape through the side doors we figured that this was the chance to talk to you without him hanging over your shoulder."

She took his arm, hesitantly, and walked with him away from the house, "I ... just needed some fresh air. You know how the Australia heat can be." "Yeah." He replied; doubt and anger was in his voice which meant that he saw right through her, as always. She was closer to him out of the three of her brothers. They were like twins.

Jacob stopped when they were a good distance away from the house and turned to her, "Julie, why