by Indiana Wake
“It is my pleasure, Miss.” Daisy nodded and was about to leave.
“Could you tell me where the library is?” Sabrina asked thinking how nice it would be to lie on that bed and read something new.
“Of course, but Mr. Forrest had me pick out a few books for you. They are on the stand next to the bed.”
Sabrina felt her mouth drop open.
“Yes Miss, I can read,” Daisy said as color flushed her pretty cheeks. Mr. Forrest is a very good boss. Is there anything else you need?”
“No, thank you so much, Daisy.”
Once Daisy had gone Sabrina explored her room, but first she was drawn to the books. There were three, a book of poetry, and two novels by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Eleanor’s Victory and The Ladies Mile. It was too much to wish for and her last doubts about coming here were gone. Quickly she freshened up; using the water and towel provided and then sat down to read.
It was dark by the time Daisy came back to lead her down to dinner. Like the rest of the house, the dining room was an extravagant room with a large table made of the finest wood. Sabrina stifled a smile as she sat next to her sister. Of all the sisters, this was the perfect match for Cassandra. She had always liked the finer things. Somehow it seemed their aunt had made perfect matches for her two sisters. Amanda was at home with her rancher and ecstatic to look after his three children. Cassandra was like a princess in this palace with her prince. It was just her who… Maybe she should give Jesse Sanders another try… after all a promise was a promise. She pushed the thought away and put a smile on her face just as a man came in and served the food. Forrest talked to him and caught up on the happenings around the house. The man seemed relaxed and happy in front of Forrest and beamed with delight as he was introduced to the girls. His name was David and he looked after the house, and he told them he was there for them if they needed anything.
Sabrina could not help but notice the adoration in his eyes as he glanced at his employer.
The food was served and they said, Grace, before they started eating and Sabrina was famished.
"Tomorrow I can show you around the house, Sabrina, if you wish,” Forrest said. “I can show you the library and I want you to feel as if this is your home. There are grounds and fields and an orchard close by, which are all safe for you to walk in or for you to sit and read. Cassandra would love to join us I'm sure."
Cassandra nodded. “Sabrina you must treat this as your home,” she said. “Don’t go hiding away in that room and reading all day.”
"Now, now dear, don't tease her. Not everyone is as headstrong as you, with the predisposition of hating your suitor." Forrest grinned, teasing her in response.
Sabrina looked at the two of them, already so close, making jokes and teasing one another. She longed to have that soon enough with her own husband. How she had longed to fall madly in love and then she too would have someone to tease her and laugh with her and share all her life with. But it had all gone so terribly wrong. What man would want her now she had broken off an engagement? Just that thought made her blush. Thankfully she had a whole new library to hide away in and gardens to conceal her while she read. Besides as she looked at the glances passing between her sister and Forrest, she knew they would not miss her, they had plenty to keep them busy. The heat in her cheeks increased even more.
It was with thoughts like these that she went up to bed that night. She kneeled at the foot of her luxurious bed and prayed to God to bless her family and to give her all the happiness and love that her heart desired. Finishing her prayer and feeling content with her life, she snuggled into bed and dreamt of princes riding to claim her on their white stallions.
Chapter 9
The next morning, after breakfast, Forrest gave Cassandra and Sabrina a tour of the property. What captured Sabrina's attention the most was the huge library at the back of the house, away from any disturbances. It had shelves upon shelves of books, benches, and tables, lamps everywhere for optimum lighting while reading, comfortable sofa seats, etc. adorned the room. It was a temple for anyone with a love of reading and Sabrina knew all her time would be spent in that room.
That held true until she went out to see the fields and orchards. Cassandra opted out of getting the tour of the grounds and so it was only Sabrina and Forrest. He showed her his favorite paths and took her down to a little nook where a small pool resided at the side of the river. The water was clear and one could see the fish lazing in the pool or swimming in the faster-flowing creek. It looked as if they were suspended in the translucent water. The trees provided ample shelter and Sabrina could feel the tension in her neck relaxing at the thought of coming out here with a good book and some lemonade. One could get mighty used to a life like this. It was a little piece of heaven.
"Thank you, Forrest," Sabrina said ecstatic at all the beauty around her. They were on their way back home and she could not contain her happiness any longer. "The grounds are beautiful and your home is magnificent. Thank you for sharing all this with me, it really does mean the world to me."
Forrest smiled at her warmly. "Do not mention it. You are now my dear sister, and I'm glad you like it so much. I knew you would and I want you to feel at home."
"I absolutely love it," Sabrina squealed. “And I do feel at home, thank you.”
It was then that she saw a man on a horse. He sat behind a tree some way up a ridge. It was almost as if he was hiding and she could feel his eyes staring at them. Before she could get a good look or point him out to Forrest, the man turned his mount and rode away. Sabrina presumed he must be a ranch hand and shrugged it off as they continued back towards the house. Soon she was engrossed in a conversation with Forrest and forgot all about the strange man.
That evening Sabrina could not stop gushing about the outdoors and the beautiful library. She was so unlike her quiet, shy self in her excitement that both husband and wife let her go on, enjoying her exuberance. At last she had exhausted the subject and finally began to eat.
“I was going to take Cassandra on a ride out to my cabin tomorrow,” Forrest said. “You are welcome to join us if you wish.”
Sabrina looked up and noticed a strange expression on her sister’s face. At last it dawned on her and heat flooded her cheeks. “Thank you,” she said. “I do not think I can leave the library for at least a month. You two go and have fun, do not worry about me.”
“Perhaps we may stay there the night then,” Forrest said. “But if you need anything ask David. He will send word to us immediately.”
“The only thing I could need is more time to read all those wonderful books, go have fun.” She wanted to say make babies, but her face was so hot she wondered if she would explode like a squashed tomato all over the table.
The next morning Forrest and Cassandra left early. After breakfast Sabrina went to the library, picked a book, she had never read but that looked rather fascinating and headed out the door. The house seemed empty and there was no one to be seen so she left without informing anyone of where she was going, thinking she'd be back soon enough and no one would worry.
She went down to the small pool by the river and found herself a cozy spot under the shade of a wide, thick tree. She stared at the water and the fishes for some time, enjoying nature in all its glory. At last with a sigh of sheer contentment she opened up her book and was soon completely engrossed in a mysterious ghost story.
Time passed by swiftly as she sat there engrossed in the book, lulled by the music of nature. The snap of a twig close behind her made her drop the book. Annoyance crossed her mind as it closed, losing her place. But before she could turn around to see who it was, something smashed into the back of her skull and she was knocked to the ground. Pine needles dug into her skin and just before she succumbed to the darkness, she saw two pairs of heavy boots approaching. How could boots so large be so silent that she did not hear them? That was her last thought before she was swept up into a sea of darkness.
Chapter 10
Sabrina rode
the waves of dizziness in and out of awareness for a few minutes. The back of her head hurt and she couldn't recall why. As her eyes opened, the light was too bright and seemed to pierce into her mind. Had she fallen asleep while reading her book? Ignoring the pain, she opened her eyes and tried to sit up. Something was wrong; her hands were behind her and would not move. Something held them and she realized that her hands were tied. Everything came rushing back at that moment. The snap of the twig, the pain at the back of her head when something smashed into her, the boots approaching her, everything.
Fear pressed down onto her chest and she had to fight against it before she could struggle and sit up. A wave of nausea rolled over her and a pain squeezed the back of her skull, but she fought these down and looked around. She was inside a tent, her hands tied behind her. Feeling as much as she could it appeared to be to a pole. Closing her eyes, she tried to fight down the growing panic. Where was she? She couldn't smell the freshness of the trees or hear the river around her so she assumed that she had been moved some distance. She tried to make sense of what this could mean but all that went through her mind was fear, it tried to control her. Told her to scream and shout. To pull against the ropes and to kick out, but she knew she must ride down this fear and think. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and whispered a prayer for help, for courage and for a way out of this situation. Then it struck her. No one would miss her. No one would know where she was.
Panic took over for a few seconds and tears streamed down her face. “Stop this,” she shouted and closed her eyes again. Taking three deep breaths, she whispered another prayer. It worked, it calmed her and gave her the ability to think.
Now, what did she know?
She could only assume that she had been kidnaped, taken hostage, but by whom or why, she hadn't the slightest clue. Why would anyone want to kidnap her? She was within the grounds of Forrest's property so it wasn't like she was a stray wanderer being picked off. Someone had put in a lot of effort and thought into the whole thing and she wanted to know why.
Could she escape?
She tested the ropes, they were tight and secure. But still she struggled against them until they cut into her wrists so deeply that she felt the blood begin to drizzle down her fingers. With a sob she stopped for now and took a deep breath, opened her mouth and began to scream at the top of her lungs.
Two men rushed inside, their mean desperate eyes settled on her. One of them smacked the other across the head. "You were supposed to tie her mouth up, you idiot. She'll wake up the rest of the men and Boss won't be happy by that."
Rubbing his head, the other one glared at him. "You were supposed to gag her, not me. Besides the boss went home. Now whatcha hitting me for?"
"Oh shut up and get me some rag," said the first one as Sabrina continued to scream.
The first man pulled a dirty cloth from his pocket and approached her. Repelled by the disgusting thing, Sabrina began to squirm, all screaming forgotten. They tried to hold her down and bind her mouth shut, but she was moving too much for them to hold her.
Frustrated, the first man slapped her hard across the face, knocking her back and cracking her head against the post. Sabrina was dazed for a second, seeing stars in front of her. She looked up with glazed eyes as a savage roar filled the tent. A man rushed over and grabbed the one who had slapped her and began to shake him like a ragdoll.
Sabrina shook her head, trying to bring everything back into focus. Her ears could hear again and the first thing that resonated in them was the yelling voice of the raging man. "What have you done? ..... What have you done? Who do you think you are, raising a hand to a defenseless woman! I have half a mind to kill you right here on the spot! Now get your worthless behind over there and free her!"
It was then that Sabrina recognized the man from the mercantile. Christen, they had called him and they said that he was bad news.
“You shouldn’t be here Christen,” the first man said. “You ain’t our boss.”
Christen shoved the first man towards Sabrina and she visibly shrank away from him. The man now spouted a bloody mouth and a black eye. Looking at the floor, he mumbled his apology.
"Louder, so we can all hear you!" Christen’s voice thundered.
"I'm sorry Miss. won’t happen again," the man said, louder this time.
"You’d better hope not," Christen said. "Now get your disgusting face out of here, and with that, the first man was kicked out of the tent. The second one stood cowering in the corner.
Christen appeared to have cooled down, but his hands shook at his sides as he approached the other man. “Where is he, Abe? I know this was Coe, where is he?” he asked.
Abe dropped his eyes to the ground. “He’s gone back to check on his wife. Says he’ll be back tomorrow and start proceedings when they are good and worried. She don’t have long Christen, what could we do?”
Christen ran a hand through his hair. “I was making plans… damn it, fetch water and make sure none of the men leave. I need time to make this right, you understand?”
The man’s shoulders fell and he seemed to relax, and with a nod he walked from the tent. Christen turned to face Sabrina. He was still handsome, but there was a gauntness to his features and a desperation in his eyes that scared her to the marrow. As he approached, she shrank away as far as she could. Fear of this man had her heart hammering against her ribs, and she wanted to shout but could not seem to open her mouth.
He raised his hands, and she closed her eyes.
“Easy there,” he said. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
She opened her eyes and saw his hands were held in a gesture of surrender, the way one would, when approaching a frightened child. Slowly he approached her and bent down until they were eye to eye.
She remembered those eyes from the mercantile, gray and mesmerizing but closer up they were flecked with honey. She had expected them to be cold, but they were warm and bright, with a light that seemed to shine from within his soul. Despite her fear, Sabrina couldn't help but be fascinated as she stared into this man's eyes.
He reached forward while holding her gaze. “Everything is all right,” he soothed.
A knife shone in his hand and he was reaching behind her again. She let out a small yelp, waiting for the knife to pierce her skin, but instead she felt the ropes binding her loosen and then drop to the floor. She squirmed and pulled her hands in front of her.
Christen’s eyes widened as he looked down at them, her own eyes followed his gaze. Rope burns wept blood all around her wrists.
"I'm sorry, the men in our town have been through so much, but this was inexcusable. To do this to you… your hands are bleeding, I cannot believe that they would do this.” For a moment, he was quiet as if controlling his anger. “I'm Christen Wright and I will not let anything else happen to you."
Chapter 11
Sabrina felt as numb as her wrists. What did this all mean? Why was he helping her? She was trying to figure him out but so far was coming up blank. He spoke like a gentleman from a good background, but he was in the company of these bandits. What did it all mean?
"Where am I?" Sabrina finally found her voice. "Why have you brought me here? I demand you release me at once, or you will be sorry sir!” As she said the last word, her hand jerked out of his and with a will of its own, lashed across his face.
Christen was rocked backward. "My, someone has a temper.”
Sabrina stood and raced for the door. He was on his feet before she had made half the distance and raced to stand before her.
“You need to trust me. If you go out of that door, I may not be able to protect you.”
Sabrina looked up at a wall of chest, and up even further into his face. There was a look there that did not sit well with the situation. This was not a mean man, maybe he was desperate, but there was something in his eyes that spoke of kindness. “Then tell me why?” she said.
“First of all you being here… it's nothing personal. These men think you a
re integral to their plans, and so I need you to be patient and compliant. I promise you if you do not fight them I will do all I can to free you." Christen said.
“Don’t you mean your men?”
“No.” Again he ran his hands through thick black hair and turned from her. For a moment, she wondered if she could hit him, but he turned around instantly with a strange look on his face. It was as if he knew her thoughts.
“They are people I know. They have got themselves into a bad situation. A situation that could see them hanged if I do not help them. I promise you will not be hurt, but I need a little time to work things out.”
"Then why do I have to be here?” she asked. “What is it you're talking about?"
"Come sit with me,” he said and gently led her to two chairs. He offered her a drink of water.
Sabrina took a drink. It was cool and refreshing on her throat and it helped to calm her.
“There is a good reason why you were kidnaped.” He held up a hand as she opened her mouth to argue.
“I did not say it was right, but I understand what these men want,” Christen said. “To put it in simple terms, they want to get a ransom from your husband in exchange for your safe return home."
Ice water coursed through Sabrina's veins. She had refused to marry Mr. Sanders and there was no way he would pay a ransom. She scoffed and said, "My husband? Well, I have news for you, I'm not even married. I slapped my betrothed and refused to marry him.”