“Yes. I could make sure that no one treated you like this again. What would that be worth to you?”
“Your life.”
Henri laughed, slipping his hand into his pocket and pulling out a small key.
Rowan held her breath as he inserted it into the lock that held the wardrobe closed and opened the door.
He pulled the whip from its place inside and turned to smile at her, running his hand down the length of leather. “You think I’m afraid of you? Silly girl. You forget I know the real you, not this façade of a hellion you insist on hiding behind. I know you care for me deep in your heart. You are angry right now.”
“I hate you. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“So you say, but your eyes tell me something else. They always have. However, I will allow you that lie. It’s all you have at this point. Are you willing to make a deal that would see you free of this place? I ask but a small price.”
“What do you want?”
“You. Not so much really, is it?”
“I don’t understand.”
“I want you to be my mistress, exclusively. I know you hoped for marriage, but I cannot taint my bloodline with that of a whore’s daughter. I would have been able to pass you off as white, or white enough to satisfy my parents, but your birthright they couldn’t overlook. I am sorry, but that’s life for you.”
“I won’t be anyone’s whore.”
“And you wouldn’t be a whore. Don’t you see? I care for you. I need to be with you, and being my mistress is the only way it’s possible. It’s not like any man would want you now anyway. You’re spoiled goods. While we don’t mind the occasional dalliance after marriage, a woman who comes to the marriage bed unclean is not the sort of woman that makes a good wife and mother.”
Rowan shook her head; she would not be anyone’s whore, not willingly. She would not resign herself to what her mother endured. No.
Henri toyed with the braided handle of the whip, watching her from beneath his lashes. He waited for her to accept, but the words stuck in her throat. She’d vowed that she would not accept such a fate, but what other choice did she have? Even if she could get out of here, she’d need someone outside to help her. She no longer trusted her mother. Henri wouldn’t be hard to get rid of. Be Henri’s whore for a little while or Lucien’s whore forever. The choice was simple.
Rowan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay Henri, I’ll take your deal. What are you going to do to get me out of here?”
“I’m going to buy you.”
“Rosaline won’t sell.”
“Rosaline doesn’t own you, Lucien does.”
Rowan turned to meet his gaze, her heart racing at his words.
Henri chuckled and continued. “You didn’t know that? Hmmm, why would they not tell you?”
“My mother signed a deal with Rosaline. She would never deal with Lucien.”
“Yes, and then Rosaline in turn sold you to Lucien. You see? He is your master. I’m sure he would be happy to be rid of you.”
“He won’t. He’d see me dead first. He said as much already.”
“I will promise him whatever he asks, and then I will hide you away.” He stared at the whip as he spoke, twirling it in his long fingers as he leaned against the wardrobe.
“I will not hide from them.”
“You will for a time. Please be sensible, cherie.”
“Fine, but I will not hide from that man forever. Both he and Rosaline will pay for what they’ve done. If you think I’m going to just waste away in the swamp like my mother did, you’re crazy.”
He put the whip away and moved back to the bed. “Of course you won’t. Shall we seal our deal? I would like to make love to you without all of the curses and the crying. Is that possible?”
“I won’t cry, but I won’t pretend to enjoy it.”
“Well, that makes our deal rather difficult. Perhaps you could pretend just this once. A man’s feelings are fragile. I’d hate to have to leave you here.”
He gently uncrossed her arms and placed them at her sides. She closed her eyes as he ran a finger along the top of her gown just over her breasts. He would not hurt her as the others had done, but the violation would still be the same. Henri tilted her chin so that she had to look at him.
“Rowan, I could be very good to you. I need you to give a little first, I can’t do everything.”
She remembered his cruelty only a short time before, and then how tender he’d been when they lay together the first time, when Rowan believed he loved her. Henri could be kind. She must learn to accept his touch or risk being trapped in this Hell.
“I apologized for the other night,” Henri said. “I was wrong to force you. In my defense, I truly believed it would help you.”
“I can’t forgive you, Henri.”
“So let us start again then. I can be gentle, if that’s what you prefer.”
She gathered her courage and leaned forward to kiss his mouth. His lips felt cold against hers, making her stomach churn. Henri deepened the kiss, forcing his tongue in her mouth. Rowan stifled the urge to gag and let him explore. He reached around to unfasten her gown.
She touched his arm. “Do you have to take it off? Can’t you just lift my skirts and do what you will?”
“I want to see all of you.” He smiled. “I cannot give you pleasure if you’re all covered up. Don’t you know how beautiful you are?”
His words sounded pretty, but they left her empty. Rowan knew she wasn’t ugly, but she didn’t understand why all of these men thought her so unique. “You won’t give me pleasure anyway. Let’s not waste our time with such things.”
He smiled as though she were a simple child, and pulled the bodice down to expose her breasts. Stifling the urge to yank it back up Rowan steeled herself to his gaze and then his hands on her body. He traced the welts and bruises across her breast. One was a perfect handprint, Lucien’s, covering most of her right breast.
“Who did this?” he frowned.
“Who do you think?”
“Lucien?”
“Bravo!” There was hysteria in her voice. Rowan breathed deeply to calm herself. “The rest are from many nameless ‘gentlemen’ who were invited to sample my wares. Apparently, it’s a man’s greatest desire to inflict pain upon a woman. That seems to really get you all quite excited.”
“It’s disgusting, and no real man would enjoy a woman’s pain… not like this.”
“You did.” She was surprised at the look of hurt that crossed his face. Well, he did hurt her and he enjoyed every minute of it. Why should she care that the truth bothered him?
“I am sorry you feel that way. I suppose I did get carried away, but I’ll never hurt you again and I certainly never caused you this kind of pain.”
“You’re hurting me right now.”
He shook his head and lifted her off the bed to remove her dress. Stifling the urge to run, Rowan cursed herself for such cowardice but, knowing what she was about to do, she couldn’t help it. She didn’t want to be touched ever again. Not by anyone.
Henri continued to stare.
Rowan sighed. “Get on with it, Henri. Rosaline is probably waiting to send another customer up. She has to get her money’s worth, or rather, Lucien’s.”
“I will not rush things. This time it will be right between us.” He brushed a tender kiss along her jaw before lowering his head to her breasts.
She winced as his lips passed over the welts from the night before.
“I suppose for tonight we could simply talk.”
His words shocked Rowan. She opened her eyes. “What will you tell Rosaline?”
Henri picked up her dress and tore it in half. Then he took a small pocketknife out and pricked his finger. He smeared the blood across the sheets making it look as though a version of the torture of the night before had occurred.
He took her hand and led her to the bed, then motioned for her to sit. “I will tell her I had a good time, that you resisted a
little, but I was able to handle it. It is what she expects. They left so many bruises, they’d never know if I left more or not.”
“Someone will come. They’ll figure it out.”
“I paid for the entire night. They’ll leave us alone. Unlike Lucien, I enjoy privacy and she knows that.”
“Why are you doing this? You don’t love me. You don’t give a damn about me. I’m not stupid or naïve enough to believe I’m so beautiful that you’d betray someone as powerful as my father in order to have me.”
“Your what?” His eyes widened.
She cursed herself. He didn’t know and now he’d believe she was a liar and take his deal back.
“Never mind.”
“Who told you that? Rosaline?”
”My mother told me, and it’s not a lie.” Rowan’s eyes dared him to disagree with her.
“Interesting. Does he know?”
“Mama told him, but he says it’s a story she told to try to get his money. After what he did to me last night, I hope he truly believes what he says. If he knows I’m his child, then he’s more than just evil. He is sick.”
Henri sat next to her and took her hand. “We may be able to use this, Rowan. Is there any proof?”
“Of course not. If there was he’d have gotten rid of us long ago.” She lowered her gaze to his hand. He traced her palm with his index finger and thumb, sending a tickling sensation down her arm, warming her belly. The feeling wasn’t unpleasant, but it was new to her.
“Let me speak to him.”
Rowan pulled her hand away and shook her head. “It won’t do me any good to tell him again. He doesn’t believe it. When he first attacked me, I begged him to stop and I told him what Mama said to me. He laughed, called Mama a liar and then did horrible things. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“All right, I don’t want to know anyway. Just promise me you’ll hold to our deal; that you won’t run from me.”
Rowan smiled and looked him in the eye. “If you get me out of here, I’ll do whatever you want.”
CHAPTER 10
Henri stayed with Rowan the entire night, leaving when someone discreetly knocked on the door.
“Not a word about Lucien or what we didn’t do last night,” Henri warned. “You keep to your end of the deal and I’ll keep to mine. Cross me, mademoiselle, and you will regret it.”
“I told you already, I’ll give you what you want. I don’t know why you want someone who detests you, but it’s your decision. I don’t pretend to understand men.”
He kissed her cheek and left.
Rowan lay down and stared at the ceiling. Had she just committed herself to a worse fate? Would there ever be a day when she wasn’t someone’s slave?
The door burst open and Lucien stormed in, his face red, and his eyes narrowed. Slamming the door behind him, he advanced toward the bed. “So, ma petite, you try to pull one over on me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Henri is what I am talking about. You fooled him into believing I would set you free.”
“I did no such thing.” Rowan tried to keep her gaze direct, but a blush warmed her cheeks.
“Let me tell you so that you never find yourself hopeful and so you might stop wasting your energies plotting with my friends against me. You are not going anywhere unless it is in a wooden box. Now you know who has the power here. It is not Rosaline. I own her as well. I own this whole town. Get used to that idea. There is nothing you can do; nowhere you can go where I won’t find you. You will not be free of me until I say so.”
Rowan stared. How far did his reach extend? If he owned Rosaline, what was she to do against him? “I don’t see Rosaline bowing to anyone, Monsieur. Forgive me, but she seems rather independent.”
“She does as I tell her to do. Don’t doubt that. I own this house and everyone in it. Henri is nothing but a boy, and he will not buy you for any price. No one will.”
“I don’t care about Henri. I don’t know what he told you. I hate him and everything he stands for. I hate all of you.”
“Oh, you break my heart. After all we’ve shared; still you feel nothing for me?” His voice mocked.
Lucien leaned over the bed, drawing his face close to brush his lips against her cheek.
She pulled away as shivers coursed down her spine.
He leaned closer, his mouth curving into a grin against her ear. “You will never be free, Rowan. I will never allow it. You are a whore, and you will die a whore.”
He moved away.
She turned to look him in the eye. Empty pools. Within his gaze lay an impenetrable darkness that chilled her. Gazing into those eyes Rowan knew with absolute certainty that she would have to kill him to be free. No matter what Henri said, she would not escape this life while Lucien breathed.
“I will be free Papa, although you won’t see it.”
He frowned.
She smiled, pushing him further than she felt wise with her taunts. But she no longer cared. She would rather be dead than endure this house for the rest of her life.
“No one will cross me. If I say you’re to remain my slave forever, you will.”
“And if I kill you, then you won’t be able to say anything. How great will the Dumas name be when a whore inherits? I am your child after all, your only ‘living’ kin. With you gone, it would all be mine. Non?”
His fist smashed into her jaw.
Pain exploded in her face and her teeth sank into her tongue, filling her mouth with blood. She spit on the floor and grinned. It hurt like hell, but she refused to give anybody the satisfaction of cowering before them.
Lucien straightened his shirt and glared. “You have much to learn. I see our little lesson hasn’t taught you respect, perhaps you need another.”
“I don’t respect vermin, Monsieur. You are vile and disgusting and I meant what I said. If I die trying, I will be the one to see you breathe your last breath.”
“I doubt that very much. What could a swamp rat, a little girl, do to me? Nothing. I’m not afraid of your voodoo either. It’s child’s play. Anyone can call a ghost, even I know that.”
She smiled and wiped her mouth. It flamed, the fire spreading through her jaw. “I didn’t call a ghost. You will see; I don’t need magic to destroy you. You are only a man after all, and men die every day.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched.
She knew he wasn’t going to let her display of contempt go unchecked. She would pay for this, and she welcomed it. As long as they continued to abuse her, her desire for revenge would flourish. Rowan didn’t want to lose the hate in her heart, she wanted to nurture it and make it so strong that there would be no denying it. She didn’t want to back down at the crucial moment when each met their deaths.
The old Rowan would never have contemplated murder; she was far too sweet and kind. The Rowan they had created was different. She barely recognized herself anymore. Where her heart and her conscience had once been, she felt darkness so vast it frightened her. She would be fine once they had all paid for their sins against her.
Could she ever go back to the girl she was before? As Rowan watched Lucien close the door and turn the lock she wasn’t sure. When he began to remove his clothes, the shadows that shielded her mind from the sickness he was about to commit crept back. If she didn’t break free soon, the old Rowan would be lost forever.
CHAPTER 11
Henri paced the worn floor of the little shack. The anger rising off his body made Jolene’s head ache. She did not have the energy to deal with him. She didn’t have the energy for anyone.
“Please, Henri. Tell me what it is and then go. I am tired.” She sat up against the pillows and smoothed her blanket.
“Rowan is in trouble. She has been used terribly; you must know what is happening.”
“What am I going to do, Henri? I am sick, I can’t even go outside without becoming so tired I pass out. How am I going to change anything?”
“Lucien has
bought her. He owns her, and he is making sure he takes his money’s worth.”
“Lucien will tire of her.”
“Perhaps, but what will happen to her then? I tried to take her from him but he will not let her go. He said the only way she’d escape is through death.”
“So she’ll have to remain a whore. It’s not the best fate, but he’ll provide her with a home and food.”
“Do you know what they are doing to her, Jolene? Do you know how they are abusing her? She is not the girl that left here. She won’t ever be that girl again.”
“You were all for this only days ago. Now she has to do something she finds distasteful and you regret your decision. Did she cry to you? You always did have a soft spot for her tears. She will grow accustomed to it in time. Don’t worry.”
“I can’t believe you are saying these things. Does your illness make you daft? How can you just ignore what I’m saying? I am not blinded by her tears, she did not cry at all. Don’t you see? She isn’t asking for anything.”
Henri ran one hand through his hair and sighed. He was such an attractive young man. Jolene had been flattered the first time he came. Inexperienced and bold he had bragged how he would teach her a thing or two.
Then he began to notice Rowan, and things changed. Ten years her senior, he tried to be the adult. He tried to leave her alone. Jolene watched as he kept his distance, watching the girl, memorizing her, but not once did he touch her. Unlike the others, he didn’t even ask. Jolene could see his desire in the way his cheeks flushed and how his smooth words faltered around Rowan, and she encouraged him to court her daughter. In time, he paid to visit Jolene to be near Rowan. He’d been unable to perform with her while Rowan was near.
Jolene stepped in after realizing Rowan returned his feelings. The child believed Henri would marry her; a fairy tale they couldn’t afford. She’d given Henri permission to lay with Rowan, but told him to make it clear he was not offering marriage. The aftermath had been bitter, and it pained Jolene to see her daughter’s anger, but it was a valuable lesson for Rowan.
Frankly, Rowan’s resistance the second time, when Henri paid for the privilege of bedding someone who’d given it away before, surprised Jolene. If only Rowan realized what she could do, simply because she was a woman, she’d make the best out of what she’d been given rather than crying to idiots like Henri.
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