Romance Novel Reviews

Copyright Johanna LindseySurrender My Love
by Johanna Lindsey

Page 125

She had forgotten her position, tied tight to the large wagon wheel at her back, with thick rope wrapped round and round her waist, chest and throat to make sure she would still be sitting there come morn, and so she was. She remembered trying to keep her head straight, but it must have rolled to one side once she slept, and now her neck muscles were screaming in complaint.

For that matter, she detected no feeling in her hands and lower arms, which were secured at her back. But that was mayhap a blessing, for she also recalled trying to work her hands loose of the thinner rope that bound them. It had been a much coarser rope, to discourage such an attempt, yet she had still tried to pull loose of it, and had scraped her skin raw in the attempt. Her feet were also numb, the thin hose on one ankle torn by the rope where she had tried the same loosening effort on her feet, without success.

Page 188

She had understood from Ivarr's words that they were not normal chains, were made special to Selig's specifications, but she was surprised now to see how unusual they were.

The metal links were not just thin, as Ivarr had mentioned, but were also quite small, like none she had ever seen before, at least not for this purpose. Silver and gold chained girdles had links this small. These looked, frankly, useless, too flimsy to hold anything. Hope rose, only to drop in the same instant. Ivarr had tested them. If he couldn't break the links, she certainly couldn't.

The shackles attached to the chains were of a normal size, but again she found the unexpected. The wide iron bands were covered in sleeves of stitched leather, with narrow slits for the attachment rings. Her skin would be protected from the iron. Why Selig would have a care for her skin, she couldn't begin to guess.

"Give me your right hand."

She hesitated for only a second. If she could help it, she wasn't going to show him how much she hated this. Let him think it made no difference to her, what form of restraint he used. But it was difficult to keep from cringing when that first shackle clicked on.

It was a tight fit, with no hope of her being able to slip her hand through it. Not made for a man, then, but still weighty. It dragged her hand back to her side when he let go of her.

She gave him her other hand before he asked. His expression altered at that, wasn't so pleased. Had he hoped to force the chains on her? Too bad.

[This continues with a long description, including her being collared and chained to the wall for the night. If you like that idea, you might wish to purchase the book.]

Page 380

"Gag her!"

It was done with swift efficiency, her binding. She managed half a scream before cloth was stuffed in her mouth and tied off. She was then pushed to the ground, her knees bent to her chest, a rope wound tight around her to keep her in that scrunched-up position. It was not even necessary to bind her hands separately, the rope looping around her so many times keeping her arms tight at her sides, yet still her wrists had been tied at her back, merely to add to her discomfort, no doubt. And they had tried to deny doing this before with other victims? Craven churls, the lot of them.

 

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