Passage of a Desolate Woman (#2, the Winds of Misery Victorian Romance) (A Family Saga Novel)

by Dorothy Green

  “That does not look good.” Then he sat down, facing her, but on the other side of her feet. His large hands grabbed her calf, and her breath quickened. His calloused hands felt cold since he had just come from outside, so why was she so heated all of a sudden? With his other hand he placed it on her ankle, examining it.

  Then his hand wrapped around her foot, over her toes. Jennifer suddenly felt something new, arousal? She had never felt aroused like this before. This was very new, and very confusing. As he held onto her foot and looked at it, he glanced up at her, but still had his chin towards his chest. Looking up at her in this way made him look even more handsome than before. She bit her lower lip.

  “Tell me when it hurts,” He said. Then he slowly moved her foot left, right, and in a circle. With each movement she let him know that there was pain.

  “It does not feel broken, nor does it look broken, but you indeed injured it. I am going to pour cold water in a basin for you to soak it in; it will help with the swelling. It is a shame that there is not snow outside, the ice would help.”

  “Do you like stew?” He asked.

  “Stew?” She said confused.

  “Yes, as in food. You do eat, do you not? I would not be able to tell looking at you, very slender you are,” he poured water into a very large basin.

  “Of course I eat,” She said, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about her figure. Even Katrina, who was two years younger than she, was developed, with ample breasts and hips. It only made Jennifer feel like a little girl.

  “Good, that is what we will eat for supper. Here,” He placed the water basin on the floor directly in front of her.

  “Soak your foot in that. I wish I had a deeper one as the cold water should submerge your entire ankle, but this will do for now.”

  She turned and submerged her foot into the cold water. It felt very good; instant relief from the pain.

  “Here, this will help as well, to numb the pain,” He handed her a bottle of wine.

  She looked at it hesitantly. She did not drink wine, she did not like to lose control.

  As though sensing this, the stranger gave her a look and cocked his head to the side. “I am not trying to get you drunk, girl. I am merely trying to help. Have I not proved that point as of yet?” His face was stern and Jennifer could sense his annoyance.

  She had to admit that he had not done anything inappropriate. She took the wine, and he smiled. Then he moved to the kitchen area and began to prepare and wash vegetables for a stew.

  Jennifer took a swig of the wine. It was good, and strong. Then she continued to watch the dark stranger. She was rather enjoying him watching him swing the firearm into the fireplace, after hanging a cauldron of water to boil for the stew. Watching him chop the vegetables was also strangely satisfying. Why was that so?

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  “The food is ready. Time for a late night supper. I think you have had enough of that,” He walked to her with his hand out toward the wine. Jennifer handed it to him, with a bit of a hiccup. Something that made the stranger smile.

  “Let's dry you off and get you fed, shall we?” He said as he walked across the room and grabbed a large piece of cloth.

  Then he knelt down beside her and pulled her foot out of the cold water. Jennifer was silent, watching him with her big green eyes as he put the cloth on top of his knee and then gently placed her foot on it. He wrapped the cloth around it, dabbing it gently to dry it off. She had never been so well taken care of before, and she did not know how to respond to it. Especially since he was a complete stranger. She definitely did not know how to respond in this particular case, or any case of being taken care of, for she had been the adult at home for many years now.

  “Thank you.” She said quietly. He looked up at her and smiled.

  “Hungry?”

  She nodded her head yes.

  “As am I. It's been a long night.” He stood up and moved the basin of water out of the way.

  Then, without warning, he scooped his arm underneath her knees, his other arm around her back, and picked her up from the bed. Jennifer did not want to admit it, but she was rather liking being carried around by him more and more. She placed her arms around his neck looking up at him, never getting tired of being this close to him. She ached to push her face into his neck and go to sleep, but that could have been the wine.

  He sat her in a chair at the table, and pushed it in. Then he grabbed the wet cloth, and used it to pull the cauldron from the fire. He set it on the table and pushed a ladle into it. Next, he grabbed two bowls, putting one in front of her and one in front of his empty chair. A loaf of baked bread on a wooden board came next, before he finally sat down.

  “Thank you for doing this, for feeding me. I would thank you properly by name, will you still not tell me what it is? My name is Jennifer Bronson. I come from the village of Cottered.

  He looked at her narrowing his blue eyes in speculation while he sawed the bread with a bread knife. He placed a piece next to her bowl, and then started to ladle hot vegetable stew with herbs into both of their bowls.

  “If I tell you my name, then I must also have your promise, Jennifer.” He said.

  Something about the way he said her name brought goosebumps all over her body, in the most joyous manner.

  “Promise? Whatever would I promise you stranger?”

  “You must promise to never tell anyone my name, or your acquaintance with me. In truth, even this cottage should be a secret, and no one should know my rightful name.”

  “You are very mysterious are you not? Alright then, if I must, I promise. But there is probably no need, considering that I do not even know where I am, or that I shall ever see you again.”

  He smiled. “In that case, my name is Jacob Leary. It is nice to meet you, Jennifer Bronson of Cottered.”

  “Jacob, I like that. It is a good name,” Jennifer said. She said it very playfully, and it was then that she realized that she indeed had too much wine. Was I flirting?

  “Thank you, I also like your name, Jennifer. Jennifer and Jacob,” He smiled.

  She also liked the way that sounded, it went well together.

  “Eat up, before it gets cold,” He said gesturing toward the stew.

  She nodded her head and obliged, dipping the large wooden spoon into the stew that smelled like heaven. A spoonful entered her mouth, and the flavors danced on her tongue. She was surprised that a man left to his own devices could cook such a fine meal.

  “It is delicious, Jacob, thank you,” She said.

  Then she tore off a piece of bread and plunged it into the stew, eating with delight. Indeed, she was very grateful to have a hot meal, and a warm place to be while she was injured, as well as a very handsome nurse.

  “Tell me what a young girl like you is doing all the way out here from Cottered?” He asked as he also ate, getting his fill. She watched as he tore off a piece of bread, plunged it into the stew, and popped it into his mouth.

  “I am on my way to London, you see. I am going there in order to find work in a sewing factory on Brick Lane.”

  He stopped eating and looked at her, his brow furrowed. “A factory in London? That is no place for a girl like you. Why would you do such a thing to yourself?”

  She was surprised he genuinely seemed angry about this.

  “Because I have no other choice. I was a seamstress of sorts in Cottered, but then a tailor shop opened and all of my work was taken. I have an ailing mother and a younger brother to support. We can only get by so much on our vegetable garden from summer, and the good nature of our neighbors.”

  “And your father?”

  A sad look came upon her face. “Dead.”

  “I am sorry.” His voice was quiet, almost a whisper. She looked up at him and his gorgeous blue eyes were giving her a genuine look of concern.

  “It is all right really. It has been years. But that is why I need to go and find wo
rk in London. I am quite excited about it. Yes I have heard of the hardship, but I am only going for the winter months so that I may send money home. Then I will return in spring to my village.”

  “That is your plan?” his brow raised.

  “Yes,” She said with a smile, quite smug and satisfied as though it was the smartest plan in the world.

  “Well, I oppose such a plan,” he said.

  “Well, I do not care if you do. It is not your plan, it is my own.” She said getting quite heated.

  “That is true, it is your business and your business alone. Do not lose that, Jennifer. Do not let anyone else tell you what to do other than yourself. That is a lesson that I should have learned at your age,” he said.

  “And what pray did you think my age was when you called me a child in the forest?”

  “Four and ten years of age at the least.”

  Jennifer gasped. “I am not. I am seven and ten.”

  He laughed, “Yes, so you have said, and that is much, much older, isn't it.?”

  She was annoyed that he was making light of her again, “And how old are you? You cannot be much more than twenty?”

  His brows furrowed. “I am five-and-twenty, thank you very much.”

  Jennifer grew silent, took another spoonful of stew, and continued to eat. There was something that upset her about the age he gave her. It was the fact that it was far older than she thought. At twenty, he would not be much older than her, and in some strange way she felt that would be good as far as relations went. Silly girl, you were already thinking of this man as someone to find a romantic interest in. Have you gone mad?

  Jacob took the bottle of wine and poured some into his cup. Then he hovered it over her cup, and she nodded yes. But he only poured her a small amount. She did not have to ask that he already thought she had too much. But she was grateful for it, for it did help with the pain of her ankle more than she had expected.

  After supper, Jacob delighted her by reading out loud to her. David Copperfield. She had never had a copy of the book herself, but had heard many great things about it. Hearing Jacob’s voice reading to her was very delightful indeed. A great way to spend an evening after supper. But she was tired, right down near exhausted. The journey took much from her thus far. She started to nod off at the table, and she did not remember when she fell asleep.

  Hours later, she awoke in bed, startled. She opened her eyes, not remembering where she was, expecting to be in her own bed at her home with her mother and brother. It took more than mere seconds for her to establish what and where she was. Then she remembered, she had left home and she was with Jacob. Anxiety hit her like a brick.

  She turned her head to see Jacob asleep on the floor in front of the fire. There were several blankets underneath him, and one covering him. He was sound asleep, and in the flickering light she could still see his handsome face. Looking at him freely, without his knowledge, made her feel very calm. He was very attractive, even in his sleep. A rush of guilt came over her, because for a fleeting moment she wanted to stay in this world with him forever, and forget her responsibilities to her family. What would it be like to just be this mysterious man's lover and live without a care? Allow him to take me in his arms.

  She allowed herself to romanticize for just a few minutes more, relishing in the feeling. It was then that she realized she felt a bit of a draft. She looked down and realized that she was in her night shift. A gasp escaped her. He undressed me!

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  Jacob was indeed astonished by the young woman when he first saw her in the light of the fire that he had made to keep her warm. When he first laid eyes upon her in the dark of the forest, he knew that she was a thing of beauty, but it was not until she was lit by the fire did he see the full realization of that beauty. Fiery red hair was in a thick braid that set off her pale complexion, making her eyes look as green as emeralds, and he should know the true colour of emeralds.

  He found it shocking that he had given her his real Christian name. He never did such a thing, it was too dangerous in his line of work. He did not want to put the girl in any danger, but something deep inside of him wanted her to know the real him, his true name.

  Therefore he made her keep a promise that she would tell no one, and when she agreed, he believed that she truly would. There was a fire in those eyes, but also trust. This was a young girl that was wise beyond her years because of a father dying while she was young; that much was obvious. Add to that the fact she journeyed to London in search of factory work in order to send money home to her family in the country, and it showed some sense of maturity. Though she did not know what atrocities lied ahead for her.

  As Jacob stood outside, sawing at the wood of a crutch, he had half a mind to forbid her to go to London at all. He could give her money to send home to her family, but where would that leave him? Would she even want to stay if he asked? Or would she be stubborn and demand to continue on with her ridiculous plan?

  “There, that should do nicely,” Jacob stood the crutch up on the ground next to him. It was a bright sunny morning, and Jennifer was still fast asleep inside, sleeping in late. But that was to be expected when one was on the mend. The body grew quite exhausted trying to heal itself, not to mention the amount of wine that she had the night before. He realized that possibly she had not had that much wine before in her life.

  He wrapped the end of the crutch with a nice thick cloth. Then, it was ready.

  He quietly walked into the cottage. The young girl was still asleep; her pale skin seemed to glow in the sunlight that filtered in through the shutters onto the bed.

  He could not deny that he had a growing desire for this beauty, but she was a child, not a woman like the ones he was used to when he would visit London or Portsmouth. Now those were women. They were reckless, just as he was, and dangerous. That was his type; women that could take care of themselves in any situation, they definitely would not find themselves in the position that Jennifer found herself now. Still, there was a quality to her innocence that made her very desirable indeed. It was as if he was looking at purity itself when he looked at her.

  She stirred a bit in bed, and it was then that Jacob realized he had been staring at her.

  He put the crutch beside the table, and set to begin to make breakfast for the both of them. He rather liked having someone for whom to make a meal, for it had been a while. Even when he was visiting the rambunctious women of Portsmouth, it was always at an establishment for such women. Therefore, he wasn't making them breakfast; he was rolling out of their bed and then going back downstairs to have another scotch, after he paid them their wage.

  “Oh, my. I did not mean to sleep so much. It must be noon,” She said, waking up completely.

  “It is an hour before noon. Are you hungry?”

  “Yes, I am...” then she let out a girlish squeal. He looked to her, as she clutched the blanket underneath her chin.

  “I am in my shift. Did you undress me?”

  A broad grin came across his face. “Yes. It was necessary.”

  “Necessary? Necessary for what exactly?”

  “To put you in my bed proper. You had mud on you. I found you in the dirt in the Black Forest, remember? I was not going to let you roll around in my bed being that filthy.”

  “Oh, of course. But...”

  “Do not worry. I did it quickly and did not see anything. Your shift covers everything, even though it is thin.” He smiled knowing his last words would make her blush. Her face turned pink as an apple.

  “I have made something for you.” Jacob grabbed the crutch and walked it over to her.

  “For me?” Jennifer grabbed it.

  “Yes, I figured you would need it. You should not get up at all with your ankle that way, but I know that you will need to when necessary. It was something I used, for I have been injured a time or two myself, but I just cut it down to your size outside.”

&n
bsp; “That is very kind, thank you very much. I was hoping that I would be healed this morning,” She said pulling the blanket toward her, revealing her foot and ankle, which looked worse than the day before. Jacob put his hand on it, feeling her soft tender skin.

  “You should soak it again, it will help with the swelling. But the best bet is to just stay off of it, and we shall put a pillow or two underneath it. It works, it really does.”

  “Thank you, I shall do all those things. But right now, I do need to use the facilities.”

  “But of course. It is right through that door there, the washroom.”

  She was silent as she looked at him.

  “What is it Jennifer?”

  “I need to get dressed,” She said.

  “Yes, of course.” He grabbed her folded dress from the chair, and boots and put it beside her. But she still did not move.

  “Perhaps I can get a little privacy, Jacob?”

  “Oh yes, of course.” He smiled and then walked outside, laughing at just how modest this young girl was. He found it intriguing and somewhat adorable.

  Jacob walked outside, giving her the privacy she asked for. He noted that her ankle did not look any better, and that it would be quite a while before it was healed. He had no choice but to take her in. He could not put her out to fend for herself, not in her condition especially, and so far away from her destination.

  She did not know what she was in for, wanting to work in the factories, but if she insisted on going, then he would have her go in good health, for she would need all the strength she could muster to deal with that sort of life.

  He walked toward the stable, leading Champion out into the open grassy area. “There you go, now. Do not stray far from home.” Champion lazily ate the grass around the cottage, knowing where his proper home was.

  Jacob knew that he liked the company that Jennifer was providing. It was cutting through the loneliness that was his usual company at the cottage. But he would have to send her on her way as soon as she was able, for his life was too dangerous. Though a part of him wanted to ask her to stay, to be her savior. But he could not, he had work to do.