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"Arden was in the asyluust flickered across Ian’s face "His father had him committed, wanted the doctors to cure hilanced to where Arden was speaking to Graves by the hazard table They had their heads together, Arden’s nose alloved hand on Arden’s elbow, then softened his grip and moved his hand to Arden’s back

"Mr Arden prefers the coentlemen," Beth concluded

"Yes, he’s an unnatural"

Beth studied the two men with interest She’d known youths in the slums who sold themselves to men with certain perversions, but she’d never seen two men obviously in love with each other At least, none who ad in the rough neighborhoods of the East End

"So his father sent him to an asylum," she said "Hoful"

"Arden shouldn’t have been there It was hard for him"

"He is adamant that you saved his life"

"He ed her attention froht with a book of erotic drawings Men with htened he was I claimed it was mine"

Beth’s mouth popped open "That was brave of you Why would they believe that?"

"My brother Cale me erotic books I told the attendants that this one had been in the last bundle Ca" Beth’s eyes narrowed "Wait a moment, you told me you didn’t kno to lie" Ian absently stroked his thus that aren’t the truth I let them ask questions and I nodded at what I wanted the "Sly devil"

"They sent Arden off and had me take the treatment"

Her smile died "What sort of treatment?" "An ice bath first To dull the heat of the perversions, they said Then electric shocks" He swirled his fingertip over his temple "So -li in ice water, his eyes closed, his lips blue as he shivered And then stretched on a bed hooked to an infernal machine she’d once seen a picture of in a journal, coils and wires fastened to manacles

The marvels of modern medicine, the caption had read Patients treated by new and improved h Ian’s body while he tried not to screaed his temples, was prone to headaches Beth squeezed his hands between hers, tears filling her eyes "Oh, Ian, I can’t bear to think of you like that" "It was a long tiry this time "The coward Why on earth did he let you do that for hiht have killed hih to bear it"