The Pits of Passion

by Amber Flame

  Elizabeth watched as her husband put his cloak around the woman, and the great green monster clutched at her heart. How dare he bring another woman here? Even if she had denied him his husband’s rights, that gave him no right to bring his mistress here. The anger rose in her, almost choking her, and she felt herself flushing red. That scoundrel! If he thought she was distant to his advances before, he would find out now how distant she could be! With a violent shove, she slammed the window closed and stomped away from it. She wanted desperately to throw something, but didn’t want Benjamin to have the satisfaction of knowing she’d had a tantrum. Finally she grabbed a straight back chair and braced it up against the door. Satisfied that Benjamin could not get in, she made ready for bed.

  She found it difficult to get to sleep. The words she had heard Benjamin say so dearly to that other woman angered and hurt her. She tossed and rolled about the big double bed irritably, waiting for Benjamin to come and try the door, fearing what would happen. Finally her frustrations exhausted her, and she fell into a fitful sleep. Luckily the bed broke her fall.

  A loud pounding jolted her awake. She sat upright in bed and stared wide-eyed at the door that was shaking in its jamb. At first she thought it was a wild animal out there or a crazed madman. Then she realized she was right--it was Benjamin.

  “Open this door!” he demanded loudly. Elizabeth cringed at the tone of his voice and knew everyone in the building could hear him. “Let me in!”

  Terrified of what he would do if she let him in but equally terrified of what he would do if she didn’t, she sat immobile on the bed. Her mind darted quickly from one alternative to another, but still she did not move.

  “Damn you, woman, open the door!” Benjamin roared. His assault on the door increased suddenly until she was afraid he would splinter it apart. She skittered across the room and removed the chair. With one thunderous blow, the door flew open and crashed against the wall, splintering wood where the knob hit. Elizabeth shrank back when she saw Benjamin’s huge dark form framed by the doorway. His shoulders heaved with his anger and exertion, and she thought for sure she was facing a madman. She slowly began to back away.

  For a moment Benjamin didn’t move. Then he stepped into the room, slowly, deliberately. He stopped once to throw the door shut and pinpoint Elizabeth’s position on the other side of the bed, and then he came for her.

  “Don’t come near me,” she said in a low voice. “Stay away.”

  “You’re my wife!” he shouted, still coming closer. “Don’t you ever lock a door to me again!”

  His voice and his angry, contorted face made her cringe closer against the wall. She feared for her very life now. As he came closer she could smell whiskey, and her fears grew. She had never seen him drunk before. She had never dreamed that he could have a side so different from the kind, gentle man she knew.

  His huge form loomed above her as she crouched in the corner. He came and stood directly in front of her, his chest rising and falling with his breathing. For a brief second, time stood still as Benjamin’s eyes met and devoured Elizabeth’s, then he reached forward and grabbed her, pulling her violently to him.

  A scream wrenched itself from her throat, but Benjamin pulled her roughly to his chest, knocking the wind out of her. Before she could gasp enough air to scream again, he had crushed her mouth with his and he kissed her brutally. Feeling his fingers bruising her flesh, she tried to struggle, but she could not fight him. Still silencing her with his possessive mouth, he pulled her off the floor and carried her to the bed.

  With a rough shove, he threw her down, but before she could scramble away, he had fallen down on top of her. She tried to wriggle out from under him but he was too heavy. He imprisoned her with his arms and found her mouth again, his tongue invading in its intimate, penetrating way.

  “Damn you, woman,” he muttered to her. “I’m tired of having you hold yourself away from me, tired of thinking about my own brother bedding you when you deny yourself to me. I won’t be denied again.”

  He began to rip off the nightgown she had found, tearing it into small pieces while she tried vainly to get away. When he had her naked, he fumbled with his own clothes, still keeping his weight on her so she could not get away. Finally he was ready and he forced himself upon her with no preliminaries, no foreplay, no nothing. In her dry state

  of fear, Elizabeth felt the pain that always seemed to be a part of Benjamin, and she choked on a scream that threatened to burst forth. He rode her roughly, savagely, with no love or tenderness like that she had scorned. Instead, he took what she would not give, and took it painfully. When he was done, he collapsed on top of her and fell almost instantly asleep.

  Elizabeth lay there, bruised and aching, almost breathless from his weight on top of her, and with tears streaming down her cheeks. Pinned as she was, she could find no relief, but instead had to lay still and cry into the pool of her desolation. She did not remember when she fell asleep.

  When Elizabeth awoke, the sun was streaming in through the windows and pooling on the floor, dripping a little over a chair. She looked about, reaffirming where she was, and stretched. It was then that she felt some soreness in her limbs and thought back to the savage assault she had undergone last night. Benjamin was gone, but when would he return?

  She scrambled out of bed and dressed hurriedly, prodded by a fear that he would barge in before she was decently clothed. Luckily he didn’t and she had time to wash her face and brush her hair. When she was completely groomed and Benjamin still hadn’t come, she waited impatiently, then decided to descend to the common room. Gathering up all her courage, she went to the door and started down.

  The common room was alive with the early morning hubbub, and Elizabeth had to scan the array of faces before she saw Benjamin’s. His eyes met hers and he motioned to her to join them. Elizabeth wondered at his apparent nonchalance.

  As she neared the table she saw Trevor on the opposite side from Benjamin, and next to her husband sat a young woman, probably a year or two younger than herself. Remembering the endearing words she had heard outside the window last night, her blood began to boil. After all he’d done to her, he now had the audacity to bring this woman here?

  She stopped beside the table and lifted her chin arrogantly. Immediately Benjamin stood and assisted her, then regained his seat between the two women. Apparently not noticing his wife’s coolness, he proceeded with introductions.

  “Elizabeth, dear, I want you to meet a very special person,” he said. Elizabeth bristled, but Benjamin failed to see. “This is my sister, Christine. Christine, this is my new bride, Elizabeth.”

  Elizabeth picked her jaw up from the table where it had fallen and looked to the other girl. She smiled sweetly at Elizabeth.

  “How do you do?” Christine said politely.

  “You’re Benjamin’s sister?” she asked incredulously. She noted that Christine did have the dark hair and ice blue eyes of the Elliotts.

  “My half-sister, actually,” Benjamin said. “When my mother died, my father remarried. We don’t usually consider ourselves half-siblings though. We’re much closer than that.” Benjamin put his arm around Christine’s shoulder and gave her a squeeze. Elizabeth flinched. How did he mean that, she wondered.

  “Christine brought me news of Franklin,” he continued. “He barely limped into port, but then he was never good in three-legged races. Christine said he was still making repairs when she left, but he had vowed to her that he would repay us for the humiliation he suffered at our hands.”

  “Humiliation he suffered?” Elizabeth gasped.

  “Yes, you know how twisted Franklin’s ego is.”

  “I didn’t know you knew Latin,” Christine said to her brother.

  “Yes, well, anyway,” Benjamin said, “he has vowed to meet us again and have his vengeance, so it would behoove you not to stray too far without an escort. As you know, Franklin is not above kidnapping.” Elizabeth digested that silently and agreed. She had seen F
ranklin aroused and that was frightening enough, but she imagined he was quite another thing when he was angry.

  “Does he know where we are?” she asked.

  “Probably. He has spies everywhere. He’s formed a group called the Countryman’s Investigative Association that he uses to keep track of law operations--and unlawful operations--in the areas he travels. I’m sure they keep track of us, too.”

  “Oh!” Elizabeth said. The thought made her shudder. Would she never be safe?

  “So,” Benjamin said, “I think the best thing to do is to push ahead to Paris. I promised that to you and I never break a promise. Are you ready?”

  “Oh, yes!” said Elizabeth, taken by surprise. The seriousness of the conversation had clouded her mind of this brighter side.

  “Good. Then eat your breakfast and we’ll go.” He motioned to the innkeeper to bring Elizabeth a plate of steaming breakfast and she ate heartily. While she finished, Benjamin sent Trevor out to get a coach and within the hour they were on their way to Paris.

  Elizabeth was a little piqued when she realized Christine was going with them to Paris, but she was so excited about going at all that she held back her irritation. In the carriage, Benjamin took his seat beside her and across from Christine, so that reassured her slightly. She still wondered just how Christine figured into Benjamin’s life.

  “Have you ever been to Paris?” Christine asked her.

  “No,” Elizabeth said, not really wanting to talk.

  “Oh, you’ll love it, then,” the younger girl gushed. “It’s such a stimulating experience the first time.”

  “I’m sure I will,” Elizabeth said levelly. She glanced up at Benjamin and noticed him watching her. She decided she would have no choice but to put up with Christine as best she could. She could tell by Benjamin’s lifted eyebrow that he would brook no arrogance toward his sister.

  “Have you been to Paris often?” she asked Christine.

  “A few times,” the girl answered modestly. “Mother and I used to come here shopping on very special occasions. That was when Daddy ran the import business and he would bring us along. Since Mother died and Daddy retired, leaving the business to Benjamin, I haven’t been back for ages.”

  Elizabeth listened politely, although her ears were attentive to every word. It was embarrassing to her that she knew so little of her husband’s life and family, and she could see that Christine could supply that information unknowingly. The younger girl probably assumed Elizabeth knew all about the Elliotts, yet she enjoyed talking and gossiping so she went into more detail than others would have. Elizabeth suddenly realized that, enigma that she was, Christine could very well be a help to her in straightening out her affairs.

  “Christine can tell you where the good shops are in Paris,” Benjamin said.

  “Oh, yes!” Christine said eagerly. “It will be such fun going shopping again. It’s invalidating just thinking about it.”

  “Will I be allowed to buy some things?” Elizabeth asked quietly. As yet she had not seen a penny of the Elliott fortune and she had no money left of her own.

  “Of course,” Benjamin replied, a little puzzled. “Trevor only said I could borrow those gowns. He wants them back as soon as possible.” Yes, of course, Elizabeth thought. But if all he was going to do was allow her to replace these drab coverings, what good would shopping in Paris do her? She sighed. Would she ever have a marriage in which

  she was the beloved wife? Benjamin treated her with cool respect more often than not, until he got a bad case of the blue balls and then she was forced to play the whore to his humming instrument. And now that Christine had arrived, what would her own position be? She still wondered at the tender lover’s words she had heard them exchange. Was she now doomed to play the role of wife to an incestuous man?

  These worries played on Elizabeth’s mind during the jouncing trip. At midday the carriage stopped at a roadside inn and they took their lunch there, then resumed their bumpy ride. Elizabeth found the going getting rougher as they went, until some of the bumps threw her off the cushioned seat altogether. On these stretches, her thigh would brush intimately against Benjamin’s and although he pretended not to notice, it had a disturbing effect on her. The hardness of his muscles could be felt through the thin material of her gown and seemed to send direct impulses through her body. Between that and the jolting, bouncing of the carriage, Elizabeth had no peace. That didn’t bother her as much as having no piece, but she forced the indecent thought down. Biting her

  lip, she endured the remainder of the journey.

  By dark, she was hungry again, but Benjamin made no move to halt the carriage for dinner. Instead, they bounced along for almost another hour and Elizabeth began to wonder if they would ever stop. Then suddenly Trevor’s voice bellowed out above them.

  “Paris, ho!” he shouted.

  “We’re not aboard ship anymore, Trevor,” Benjamin reminded him.

  “So sorry, sir. The lights of Paris are ahead, sir.”

  The three passengers craned their necks out the window and Elizabeth was awed by the spectacle before her. Lights like she had never seen lay across the countryside before her in all sizes and colors. Her breath caught in her throat at the expanse of it all, and she began to turn blue until Benjamin pounded her on the back.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Elizabeth wheezed. “It goes on forever!”

  “Almost,” Christine laughed.

  “But I never dreamed Paris was so expansive.”

  “Oh, nothing’s cheap there,” Christine said, “and it extends for quite a ways too. Where are we heading for, Benjamin?”

  “I’ve booked rooms for us at the Paris Hotel. They should be expecting us.”

  “Oh, the Paris Hotel!” Christine squealed.

  Elizabeth wondered what was so special about the Paris Hotel, but she was too stubborn to ask. Instead, she settled back against the seat and rode the rest of the way in silence.

  When Trevor finally halted the carriage, the brilliance and sound of Paris was all about them. Elegant carriages, far more expensive than theirs, clattered down the streets and the air rang with high, excited voices. Elizabeth saw handsome dark faces glancing out of doorways and the strangely painted faces of women shining from windows. She felt excited yet uncomfortably out of her element as well. Plucking up her courage, she took Benjamin’s outstretched hand and climbed out of the carriage.

  The hotel seemed to do a voluminous business, and Elizabeth found herself jostled as they went inside. Even dressed in her dreary gown, she noticed men’s heads turning and she realized her honey-blond hair was a rarity in this city of dark people. Men’s eyes roamed her body freely and rather than be intimidated, she held her chin high and walked on. As Benjamin made sure their reservations were in order, Elizabeth stood proud amid the throng until someone tried to cop a feel. Then she pressed closer to Benjamin and stayed beside him all the way up the grand staircase to their rooms.

  They stopped at Christine’s suite first and Elizabeth could not help but be jealous of the grandeur of it. Plush rugs softened their footsteps while heavy, elaborate tapestries and brocaded draperies surrounded them. The room had an elegant vanity and wardrobe and a pearl encrusted chamber pot. The large bed had satin sheets and a gold lame bedspread. Elizabeth wondered again that Benjamin wanted so much for his sister and not for her.

  Leaving Christine, the wedded couple went further down the hall and Benjamin unlocked another door. Sure that her quarters would not be as sumptuous as her sister-in-law’s, Elizabeth was surprised and aghast to see that hers were, if possible, more beautiful and expensive. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of heavy velvet drapes tied back with gold chains, gold-leafed statues of David and Venus, and a huge bed with a black and gold bedspread. To one side of the beautiful white and gold vanity was a chamber pot encrusted, not with pearls, but with diamonds.

  “Surprised?” asked Benjamin.<
br />
  “And aghast,” Elizabeth nodded. “All this for me?”

  “Of course,” he replied quickly. “You don’t think I’d have anything but the best for my wife, do you?”

  His strange emphasis on “my wife” made her glance at him questioningly. He seemed not to notice, though and smiled at her awe over the furnishings.

  “I’ll leave you now to get freshened up. You look a little wilted after that journey. I’ve arranged a private dinner for the three of us down in the small dining room--nothing fancy, not this late. If you need anything, my room is right next door.” With that, he left.

  Elizabeth wandered about the room for a few moments, taking in the grandeur of her surroundings. What was Benjamin’s game now? He saw to her every need--except one--with grace and generosity, yet took separate rooms. At first she was relieved that she would not have to endure his burning eyes on her flesh, but now that he was gone, she longed for his presence. And if she did not know Benjamin’s mind, she knew her own even less. She was still afraid and mistrustful of her husband and yet she had a growing desire to screw his brains out, too. What was this madness? Would she ever know? Would she be ready for dinner on time? Remembering about that, she went through

  her careful ablutions and changed gowns. Feeling better but still apprehensive, she went downstairs and was directed to the small dining room.

  It was huge, at least thirty feet wide and fifty feet long. She was amazed at the grandeur of it. Benjamin and Christine were already there and, she noticed, whispering fondly to each other.

  They separated when she came in and each smiled at her, but she could not tell if they were smiles of friendship or plotting. She took her place across from Christine at the long laden table and sat with downcast eyes. Benjamin rang a bell and a serving girl appeared. At first Elizabeth paid little attention to the girl, then she noticed the way the servant seemed to hover around Benjamin .She looked closer and realized the girl was flirting, flaunting her abundant curves and swelling breasts. Elizabeth almost choked on her first sip of wine when she saw Benjamin’s eyes stray languidly across the girl’s bodice. How dare he be so bold as to leer at her in the presence of his wife? She was mad enough to throw her cooked pheasant at him, but restrained herself. Instead, she kept her eyes down on her plate and tried to eat without thinking about the spectacle at the end of the table.