"After he was captured, he confessed to being the killer of those five prostitutes. However, he was later found dead in his jail cell. They found him hanging from a rope made from the sheets off his bed. Now there's a massive cover-up by the monarchy, and they've offered me enough money to close the house and retire if I so choose." She sighed deeply. "That money is yours. I want nothing to do with it. You were almost killed and it should go to you."
"I don't want their money." Genesis felt nothing as the news seeped into her consciousness. The dark, evil man deserved to rot in hell for what he did to Alex, but she didn't feel any hatred for him. It was as if all her emotions had flowed out of her body with the blood she'd lost. The only thing she felt was a burning desire to be with the man she loved.
"You must take it," insisted Madame Colette. "You're always talking about helping orphaned children. This money would do much toward that end."
"Yes," Genesis said slowly. "I could open an orphanage here in Paris. That way the dirty money could be used for something good."
The older woman nodded. "A noble idea."
"I'm resigning from Le Petit Palais effective today. I'm sure it comes as no surprise I've had my fill of this profession, and now I'll have an orphanage to run." She turned to Sylvie. "But first I must see Alex and beg for his forgiveness."
She sat up and pushed her feet over the side of the bed.
"No," Sylvie began.
"Don't try to stop me." Genesis pushed past her friend. "I can't just lay here worrying about him. I want to be there when he wakes up."
* * * *
"It doesn't look good," said Dr. Dupree. "It will be touch and go, but the odds aren't with him."
Genesis put a hand to her mouth. "No. Please don't say that."
"I must be honest with you." The doctor shook his head. "He's already developed a post-operative fever. If we can't bring it down, we might lose him."
"I want to be there at his bedside."
"You're in no condition for that. You need to regain your own strength."
"I'm staying with him."
The doctor recognized her stubbornness and finally relented. Now she sat at Alex's bedside, alarmed by his pale skin and burning forehead. She wiped his body with a cool, wet towel, hoping to bring his temperature down.
"Alex, can you hear me?" she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I've made mistake after mistake, and now you're paying for my stupidity."
Her voice was a wail of grief. "Please come back to me. I love you so much. You mean the world to me, and I can't go on without you."
She rested her head on the pillow next to his face. Then she gave way to painful sobs, which wracked her entire body.
"How can I help you, Genesis?" Lord Cranston looked at her in confusion as he held a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He had rushed to the hospital when he learned of her attack, and had eventually tracked her to Alex's room.
Alex was still unconscious and his fever had spiked to a dangerous level. A nurse remained at his bedside, as if in a silent vigil. The overweight, sharp-eyed nurse eyed the elegantly dressed Cranston with avid curiosity before turning her attention back to her patient.
"Let's step into the hallway." Genesis walked out of the room and Lord Cranston followed her into the darkened hospital corridor.
He remembered the package he carried and handed it to her. "I brought you flowers and candy."
"Thank you," she said wearily. "I appreciate you coming to see me."
"What else could I do when I heard you'd been attacked by that madman?"
They sat down next to each other on a wooden bench.
He looked at her with a puzzled expression. "You said you wished me to help you."
"Yes," she began. "That is, I need your help in understanding a spiritual matter."
"I don't think I'm qualified."
"You studied to be a priest," she said quickly. "I only wish your opinion and then I'll make up my own mind."
"Very well," he said slowly. "I'll do my best to assist you."
"I have a hypothetical question." She drew in a breath. "If you loved someone more than anything on earth, but your careless behavior led to them being injured, what would God expect of you?"
"I don't understand."
"What would God expect of you?" Her voice broke. "What sacrifice would he expect in order to save the person's life?"
"Darling girl, this is hardly a hypothetical question, is it?" He looked toward the hospital room. "You're asking about the Earl of Landower, aren't you?"
She nodded as a tear slid down her cheek.
"God wouldn't expect anything from you."
Her eyes pleaded with him to understand. "I must do something."
He frowned. "If it's in his divine plan, the Good Lord will save his life."
"But what if it doesn't work that way?" she reasoned. "What if Alex dies because I didn't do everything in my power to atone for my sins and set things right?"
"You can't bargain with God. If he spares his life, it's out of love."
Tears spilled from her eyes in a torrent. "Perhaps I can soften his heart."
Lord Cranston fished a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Please calm down, little one. If you're serious about making things right, then you must rectify the root cause of this entire mess. You must stop working as a courtesan."
"I've already done that." She grabbed him by the lapels and he looked at her in surprise. "I want to know what you would do if it was someone you loved. You have a daughter. What if it was her in that hospital bed? What would you do to save her life?"
"Genesis." His eyes held concern and compassion.
"Please tell me."
He sighed. "All right. If it was my Melissa in that hospital bed, I would confess my sins to the creator and repent. Then I would promise him anything, offer him my life and everything I have, if he would save her."
"What if I devote my life to orphaned children?"
"That sounds like a rewarding endeavor. Of course, if you've wronged the earl, you must do something to make this right in the eyes of the Lord."
"What can I do?"
"I can't tell you what to do. If God saves his life, it's a free gift. You can't buy his favors."
"As I said before, perhaps I can soften his heart."
He remained silent.
"Tell me!" she said desperately.
He closed his eyes. "Hypothetically, your sins of the flesh set in motion the events which led to this tragedy. You've already promised God you'll leave the life of prostitution. Now you mustn't offer Alex your body as long as you remain unmarried to each other. You mustn't be tempted to return to this sinful course of life."
Her voice was a hopeless whisper. "I should leave Alex?"
He shrugged. "If you were married to him, that would be a different story."
"How can I possibly leave him?"
"Maybe you can't, and maybe you shouldn't." His voice softened. "I can see you love him, so perhaps it wouldn't be right to leave. But you asked for my advice and I gave it. I told you what I would do. However, you must make up your own mind and lead your own life."
"Thank you." She kissed him on the cheek. "You've given me much to think about."
She walked back toward Alex's room carrying the flowers and candy. Lord Cranston leaned back and thought about the letter he would compose to Lord Alexander Lansing, the Earl of Landower. He would make sure this particular young lady didn't throw away her chance at happiness.
* * * *
After talking to Lord Cranston, Genesis went to the hospital chapel and prayed for forgiveness. As if in an epiphany, everything became clear to her. She must change her entire life in order to gain God's favor. Then he might bless her by saving Alex's life.
Suddenly imbued with happiness and religious fervor, she borrowed a pair of scissors from the nurse and cut off all her hair. Short spiky tresses greeted her in the bathroom mirror, completing her Joan of Arc fantasy. Then she borrowed some hospital stationery and sat down to write a letter.
As she was sealing the envelope, the nurse jumped up from her chair.
"His fever has broken!" She held a hand to his forehead as she gave Genesis a wide smile.
Genesis sat the letter on the nightstand next to the vase of flowers. It was what she had expected. She gave Alex a last look before leaving the room.
* * * *
Weeks later, she sat at her desk in the office of the Caring Hearts Orphanage. Her hair had grown out, still short but no longer spiky. She wore a somber gray dress, totally unlike the bright, colorful gowns she had worn at the brothel. She was a person in authority and must now dress the part.
She looked forward to Sylvie's engagement party the following night. The wedding had been postponed due to the attack on herself and Alex. From what she had heard, Alex was scheduled to be released from the hospital today. According to Madame Colette, he had regained his strength and was now fit to return to his chateau outside Paris. Genesis knew his life had been spared because of her actions. Because she had turned away from her old life. Because she had stopped seeing him, stopped fucking him, without benefit of marriage. She had made things right between herself and the Good Lord.
But being a martyr was a sad, lonely thing. Every night she thought of Alex's hard, muscular body pinning hers to the bed as he rode her with rough strokes. She lifted the small decorative fan and blew cool air across her face.
Distracting herself, she thought of the orphanage. So far, it seemed to be coming along nicely. Madame Colette helped her secure a lease on a building for a reasonable price. She heard the men hard at work in the next room, remodeling the other offices and living quarters, making it safe and suitable for the children who would soon live here.
She put down the fan and stared dreamily into space. Soon she would make a trip to Marseilles to meet her aunt and cousins. She would be part of a family again. When she returned to Paris, the remodeling would be complete, and she would be able to help children who had no hope except to sleep on the streets. Her life finally had meaning. She finally had a purpose.
And perhaps one day she might be happy again.
* * * *
Genesis stood in the corner watching the couples glide across the parquet floor of the stately ballroom. Lord Cranston stood at her side.
"Are you sure you don't want to dance?" he asked again.
She looked down at the simple black dress she wore, hardly suitable for a festive occasion, but more in keeping with her new lifestyle. "I don't think so. I'm not really up to it tonight."
"At least you made the effort to come to the party. Will you be attending the wedding tomorrow?"
She nodded. "Then I'll be leaving for Marseilles."
"Ah yes, the family reunion."
His next words were lost on her because she looked up to see Alex enter the ballroom. Dressed in evening wear, he projected virility and incredible sexiness, like the sweetest of forbidden fruits. He looked rough and handsome, with no trace of the pale, sickly complexion she had seen in the hospital.
"Dear God," she whispered.
"I feel in need of air. Will you escort me to the garden?"
"Certainly, my dear."
Then Alex was at her side. His presence was so intoxicating, she almost licked her lips with desire.
"Genesis," he said softly.
"No!" she cried. "I've made a vow and I won't break it."
She fled across the ballroom with both men in pursuit.
"Please listen to me."
Alex's rich, deep voice halted Genesis in her tracks. She had no choice but to stop running because the wall surrounding the garden loomed in front of her, and there was nowhere to escape.
She turned to look at him. His hair gleamed golden under the moonlight, giving him the appearance of an angel materialized into warm human flesh.
His gaze imprisoned her. "You've cut your hair. I once called you Joan of Arc, and now the resemblance is complete."
She put a hand to her short curls. "It'll grow back."
His green eyes burned with an inner fire. "That's a good thing because I'll never let you cut it again."
He waited for her to continue, and when she didn't he said, "I know the sacrifices you've made for me. You did everything in your power to save my life, didn't you?"
Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. "I had no choice."
"I realized something when I was trying to break down the door and save you from that maniac." A tender smile softened his strong features. "When I thought I might lose you, I decided I would do anything, accept anything, in order to have you in my life."
She looked at him in surprise. "You did?"
He nodded. "I meant it. As long as you allow me to be part of your life, I'll accept anything. I'll share you with other men, even though I'll hate it. I'll live for the smallest smile from your lips, for the merest glance from your beautiful eyes."
She sighed. "Alex, you don't understand. I've left that life because I made a bargain with God."
"I do understand. I've heard something of this bargain, though I wished to hear it from your own lips."
"I promised God I'd try to live a good life if he spared you from death. He saved you, and now I must live up to my part of the agreement. I'm trying to start an orphanage to help the street children of Paris. I've also promised him I won't sleep with men I'm not married to."
"And if you were married?"
Her heart fluttered as she looked at him. "That would be a different story."
"Indeed." He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "Lord Cranston, will you please join us?"
The older man stepped out of the shadows where he had observed the interchange from a distance.
Alex turned to him. "You seem to care for the woman I love since you took the time to correspond with me about her. I believe you're the closest thing to a father she has, so I'd like your permission to court her in the proper way with chaperones. I ask that you join us tomorrow at Sylvie's wedding because I'll be attending with Genesis."