Chapter NineSerena felt as if she was gripped by a paralysis that made her incapable of movement, even while her heart thudded and she felt the horror of what had just happened creep over her in sickening waves of dizziness.
She almost craved oblivion so that the sight of that dark stream of blood issuing from the smuggler’s open mouth might be shut out, so that she could wrench her gaze from his eyes clouding over with the film of death.
Some voice within her told her that she ought to do something to help him and should try to staunch the flow of blood, but she could not move, her body had ceased to obey her will.
Then the Marchioness turned and there was in the expression of her face such cruelty and such stark b********y that Serena wanted not only to cry out but to run away and to
