by Nancy M Bell
The train left the outskirts of London behind and trundled its way south and still Bella couldn’t find the courage to break the frigid silence in the train compartment. The faint hope that Da would understand and forgive her vanished as Barney continued to stare straight ahead as if he couldn’t even bear the sight of his daughter. With the faint promise of forgiveness extinguished, Bella stared unseeing out the window in a state of apathy. She knew there would be no going back to King’s College School of Nursing, no matter what else happened. If she couldn’t be a nurse, then the only things left to her were teaching or getting married and raising a new generation of Cornish fishermen or farmers. Bella guessed that Da has no intention of letting her out his sight long enough to earn her teaching certificate, and the odious Daniel was probably even now waiting at the train station in Penzance. Bella jumped as Barney shifted and cleared his throat.
“Do you want any tea?” Barney said gruffly.
Bella shook her head stared steadily out the window.
“You will be marrying Daniel Treliving, as I promised, as soon as the banns have been read.” Barney shifted and shuffled his heavy boots on the floor.
Bella’s head whipped around to stare at him in astonishment and anger.
“Don’t I get a say in this? I don’t want to marry Daniel, or anyone for that matter. But especially Daniel! He’s rough with me and he won’t listen to anything I say!” Bella spat out the words.
“Aye, mayhap Daniel is a bit rough, but I did make him a promise.” Barney raised his hand as Bella opened her mouth mutinously to protest. “After this lark, Bella, I’m after thinking that a hard hand is the only kind that will keep you in line. You made me the laughingstock of the village. First my wife, and now my daughter, run off up England and left me alone.”
“But Da.” Bella softened her voice in an attempt to make him see her side of it. “If you hadn’t promised me to Daniel without so much as a by your leave, I wouldn’t have run off without saying goodbye and telling you about nursing school.”
“It’s no matter now anyway, Bella.” Barney let a weary sigh escape his lips. “The marriage is set, there’s no going back.”
“Da, I’m afraid of Daniel!” Tears pooled in Bella’s eyes.
“Maybe fear is a good thing in your case, Arabella,” Barney said heavily. “Lord knows you don’t listen to anything your old father says. Daniel’s hard hand might be just the trick to keep you in line…. Did you see your mother while you were in London?” Barney asked unexpectedly.
“Why ever would I?” Bella asked incredulously. “I don’t even know where she is and besides she left me behind too, didn’t she?”
“I was just wondering if she was behind your silly notion to run away to London.” Barney finally looked at Bella.
“If she didn’t want me, I certainly don’t want to see her.” Bella said with a sniff.
“Well, we agree on that at least, girl,” Barney muttered.
Bella watched him out of the corner of her eye and amazingly Barney crossed his arms over his broad chest and dozed off. Maybe she could sneak off the train at the next stop if Da stayed asleep. Bella didn’t know what she would do with no money or means of transport but at least she wouldn’t be going like a sheep to slaughter to marry the odious Daniel. Barney correctly gauged Bella’s mood and cracked on eyelid open at her.
“Don’t be thinking about giving me the slip, girl. I’m tired, what with chasing all over England for you, but not that tired,” Barney growled and extended his long legs across the doorway.
There was no way Bella could get out of the compartment without bumping him. She subsided back into her corner and tried to think logically. Her thoughts kept coming back the reality that Daniel would have his way with her if she wanted it or not. Fear and revulsion coursed through her, Bella’s fingers shook as she twisted the button on her coat. Sarie and Bella had great plans for the weddings of their dreams, including the handsome lovely groom. They had no particular man in mind for the job, just that he must be kind, and gentle, and willing to fulfill their wildest wishes.
Bella smiled sadly; actually, it was Bella who made the elaborate plans. Sarie was happy just thinking about getting married, the less fuss the better. Tears ran down Bella’s cheeks unheeded as she thought about the plans for the smart wedding dress that would be the envy of Penzance, and the lovely flowers, and the wedding tea. There was no joy to be found or desire to plan anything with Daniel Treliving involved, let alone her own wedding.
The thought of Sarie revived Bella’s flagging spirits. Sarie would help her get out of this mess, and Mrs. Waters, too. Bella hoped Mrs. Waters would hear about her ignominious return with Da and not drive all the way to Plymouth to fetch her for naught. She was sure Daniel was down at the Arms crowing about her return right now. The mere thought made Bella’s blood run cold and she thought for a horrifying minute that she might faint. Firmly, Bella took hold of her emotions and forced herself to think. Sarie would find a way to get in touch with her, even if Da wouldn’t let Bella out of the house. Sarie would have to be allowed to visit because Sarie was Bella’s maid of honour. That might work. Let Da think she’d given up and was resigned to making the best of the situation.
Bella fidgeted the rest of the way south to Penzance. She just wanted to get it over with. Face Daniel on the train platform and get home and out of the public spotlight. Bella wouldn’t put it past half the town to turn out to see her brought home in shame. Saying things like the apple not falling far from the tree and what else could you expect from Lily Raginnis Angarrick’s daughter. Bella knew that public sympathies would definitely be with Da. And probably even with idiot Daniel. Bella sighed.
The train drew into Penzance station and Bella had to fight down the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. She forced herself to breathe normally while she collected her few belongings and avoided looking at Da. Barney lumbered to his feet and stretched the kinks out of his long frame before he slid the door of the compartment open. He waved Bella through ahead of him and kept a restraining hand on her shoulder as they made their way down the narrow corridor. Bella fought the urge to bolt back onto the train and hide in the baggage rack when she caught a glimpse of Daniel’s intense face through the doorway. Daniel reached out and caught Bella’s hand, looking to all the world like a concerned fiancé helping his affianced down the steps unto the platform. His grip was hard and Bella bit her lip to keep from yelping. Daniel put his arm around Bella and pulled her close. The reek of ale and cigarette smoke on his breath made her gag.
“Don’t ever try to run away from me again, Arabella. You will live to regret it, believe me,” Daniel whispered with his lips close to Bella’s ear. “We’ll discuss this little lark when we’re alone, later. I’ll teach you how to obey like a proper woman should, and with your da’s blessing. So there’ll be no running home bleating about my treatment of ye.”
Bella knew it was a threat and a promise of things to come. She turned her troubled face toward Da, but Barney refused to meet her eyes.
“Bella will be coming home with me for the time being.” Barney took Bella’s arm and Daniel reluctantly relinquished his hold on her.
“I’ll be over after tea to make the necessary arrangements,” Daniel spoke to Barney but his dark gaze was on Bella.
Bella shivered in spite of herself. She wanted to lean on Da for support, but there was no help to be had from that quarter. He was as bad as Daniel with his Victorian views about a woman’s place. Barney walked along the platform quickly leading Bella by the arm. She struggled to keep whilst dragging her suitcase beside her. There were a lot of people hanging around the station, most of them with some advice to offer Barney on the follies of wayward daughters. Barney barged past them without acknowledging their words. His face was dark as a thundercloud with suppressed anger.
“Do you see how it is, daughter? It’s a laughingstock I am again on account of the women in my house,” Barney growled harshly.
; “I’m sorry, Da. Honestly, I never thought about all this,” Bella pleaded with him.
“I’m not sure you think a’tall,” Barney snapped at Bella.
Barney and Bella gained the relative quiet of the street outside the station and Barney stopped to wipe his forehead with the back of his hand. Bella jumped as someone caught her arm from behind. She turned, fearing that it was Daniel, and was enveloped by Sarie’s huge hug.
“Play along with me,” Sarie whispered quickly as she released Bella.
“Bella, I’m glad you’ve come to your senses and come home!” Sarie said with a smile at Barney.
“Umm. Right then,” Bella stammered.
“Mr. Angarrick, I was wondering when I can come over and help Bella plan her wedding. Isn’t this exciting, just! We only have until next month, that’s only a few weeks away,” Sarie gushed.
“Nice to see someone excited about this.” Barney actually smiled back at Sarie. “Whyn’t you come over after tea. You and Bella can make your plans while Daniel and I look after some business.”
“I’ll see you then.” Sarie hugged Bella lightly and winked as she turned to leave.
“Sarie,” she wailed playing her part to the hilt. “Are you over with them then? Taking their part against me? How can you betray me like this?” Bella called after her.
Her friend just waved over her shoulder and carried on back toward the high street.
Chapter Five
The rain began to fall during the short walk from the train station to the stone house Bella had left, vowing never to return. Bella sighed as followed Da through the front door. Barney never used the front door if he could help it. He dropped Bella’s case in the small dark front hall and nodded up the stairs. Without a word he stomped down the hall to the kitchen at the back of the house. She hesitated for a moment, eyeing the door behind her. Standing on her toes she peered out the small mullioned window. Her hand snaked to the door handle and readied herself to bolt from the house. A small movement to the right caught her eye just as the knob turned in her palm. Daniel lounged against the low stone wall, flicking away the match he had struck to light another fag. Bother and damn!
“Arabella Elizabeth, I’d best be hearin’ yer feet on them stairs right quickly if you don’t want to go to yer man with a scalded arse,” Barney bellowed from the kitchen. “’Tis likely he’ll want to do that job hisself, I imagine.”
Bella shuddered at the thought. She hefted the case in her right hand, her handbag slung over one shoulder, and ran her other along the banister rail as she climbed slowly up the narrow stairs. Her room was just as she’d left it; even the remains of the fire in the grate had not been cleared. The place smelt of cold ashes, old smoke, and damp plaster. Bella pushed the window up and let the curtains billow in the gusty wind. Bella looked down into the stable yard and was reassured to see Raven wasn’t in her box. She was still at Mrs. Waters’ place, then. Sarie would have told her if Da had managed to get his paws on her. Bella sank down in front of the window and rested her chin on the sill.
What a bleeding mess this was. Her heart shrank in her chest as she realized she was going to have to marry Daniel, whether she liked it or no. The first stirrings of panic worked themselves loose from the tight hold she’d maintained all the way home. Her throat closed and she feared she might faint. She couldn’t marry Daniel, she couldn’t! Bella whirled around on her knees at the sound of Barney’s footsteps in the hall. She braced herself for whatever was coming, holding her breath as the footsteps stopped outside her door. For the longest moment there was no sound; just when Bella thought she would expire of fear another sound turned her fear to anger. There was a rusty scraping sound as Barney turned the key and the lock fell into place. Bella leaped to her feet and was at the door in an instant, but she was well and truly caught. She hammered on the door in anger and desperation.
“Da, Da! You let me out of here this instant!”
“You’ll stay put, girl. Until I see if Daniel is still willing to have you. There’ll be no more escapades for you, you’ll stay under lock and key until the wedding,” Barney growled through the door.
“Da! You can’t do this! Please don’t make me marry Daniel. Anyone but him! Please Da!” Bella pleaded, tears coursing down her cheeks.
“You have no choice now, Bella. Daniel has let it be known around town that he’s been familiar with you. Me mates are saying yer just like yer mother, though not to me face. Yer reputation, such that it was, is gone. There’s no man in these parts will have anything to do with you now,” Barney’s voice faded as he walked down the hall away from Bella’s pleading.
“I never! I never let Daniel touch me that way!” Bella screamed at the door.
She sank to the floor clutching her waist with her arms, head resting on the locked door.
“Oh my God, oh my God!’ Bella whispered over and over, rocking back and forth on her knees.
Escape. She needed to escape. But how? Raven was still at Mrs. Waters’ place and there was no way Barney would let her out on her own anyway. Bella staggered to her feet and curled up on her bed in a pool of misery. This could not be happening to her. It just couldn’t. She was supposed to be in London at King’s College training as a nurse, not here locked in her room waiting for Da to offer her over to Daniel like spoiled merchandise. Daniel would never turn down the chance to have her under his control, that much was clear. He would just play Barney into giving him half ownership in the fishing boat and Lord knew what else to compensate for her ‘damaged’ condition. Bella snorted through her tears. She was nowhere near as damaged as she would be once she was married to Daniel. Her mind raced back to the stories she’d heard whispered about the man. Nothing anyone would say in public, of course. She remembered Amy displaying the bruises on her ribs after she foolishly agreed to accept an invitation from Daniel. And that little rossy Mattie who left town in shame after what the men had called a bit of slap and tickle out on the moors. Bella had heard the other side of the tale and the brutality of it matched her opinion of Daniel Treliving to a tee. Her body shook and she tried to swallow her sobs so Da wouldn’t hear. Sarah Carrick had whispered once when they were still in school that her mum came across some whips and other odd things when she was employed briefly as his char woman. Sarah said her mum came home some upset and refused to set foot in the divil’s house again. Dear God, what did Da get me into? I won’t be used like that … like a doxy, or worse. I won’t.
Bella sat bolt upright as the sound of heavy boots in the kitchen below her startled her. Daniel … it must be Daniel! Damn his hide. Bella’s eyes widened at the sound of the key in her door and she jumped off the bed and retreated to the furthest corner of the room. Her fingers clutched the blowing curtain in a death grip as the door opened. Bella let her breath out in a rush as Sarie peeked into the room. She rushed across the room and threw herself into Sarie’s arms. Sarie steered Bella towards the easy chair by the fireplace, careful to step around the remnants of things Bella had thrown at the door in her anger. Sarie knelt in front of Bella and gripped her hands.
“For God’s sake, Bella! Pull yourself together,” Sarie admonished her. “Daniel’s downstairs right now trying to get everything he can out of this.”
“What am I going to do?” Bella drew a shaky breath and pushed her hair back of her face. “I can’t marry him. He’s mean, and he hurts me whenever he gets the chance. Imagine what he’ll do when he thinks he owns me?”
“I know, Bella. I wish we could send Daniel to the lowest of the nine hells,” Sarie said vehemently.
“Is Raven still at your mum’s?” Bella asked suddenly.
“She is,” Sarie said firmly.
“Well, thank God for that anyway.” Bella sighed.
“Bella, I want you to come downstairs and help me plan your wedding with Daniel and your da,” Sarie said quickly.
Bella jumped to her feet. “I will do no such thing! Are you barking mad?”
“Listen for a minute, Bel
la. Your da will never let you out of here if he thinks you’re going to bolt on him again. I have a plan, I think,” Sarie hissed at Bella.
“What,” Bella said flatly. “I’m not kissing that scrote, or pretending I want him anywhere near me.”
“We plan your wedding to Daniel.” Sarie lifted her hand as Bella opened her mouth to protest. “Then, you will need to go for a fitting for your dress and to discuss flowers and oh, I don’t know. I’ll have to think of some other things.”
“And?” Bella waited for Sarie to go on.
“Bloody hell, Bella! I don’t know. We figure out somewhere for you to go,” exasperation edged Sarie’s voice.
“Are you ready to downstairs and play nice?” Sarie changed tactics and smiled at Bella.
“Like a lamb to the slaughter,” Bella muttered under her breath and allowed Sarie to lead the way down to the kitchen where Daniel and Barney waited.
Once Daniel was certain that things were going his way, the tension at the table lessened and Barney actually smiled at Bella. Bella forced herself to smile back and allow Daniel to put a plain silver ring on her finger.
“Now yer mine and don’t you forget it.” Daniel squashed Bella’s fingers in a hard grip.
Bella blinked to stop the tearing in her eyes and tried to pull her hand from Daniel’s grasp. Daniel tightened the cruel pressure before freeing her fingers.
“I’m not likely to forget it, am I?” Bella purred at Daniel for Barney’s sake, while shooting daggers at her intended with her eyes.
“See that you don’t, missy,” Daniel warned her.
Daniel pushed his chair back from the table and rose, clapping Barney on the shoulder. Barney stood as well and stuffed his arms into the sleeves of his old mac.
“We’re off to the Arms to celebrate, girl. See that you behave while I’m gone,” Barney spoke brusquely to Bella and left without looking at her.
Bella let out a sigh of relief that was cut off abruptly as Daniel gripped her chin and lowered his whiskered face close to hers. The strong smell of rum gagged her, but not as much as Daniel’s mouth closing roughly over her lips and his tongue pushing its way past her teeth and down her throat. Bella struggled to push him away, panic and fear lending strength to her fight. The more she struggled, the harder Daniel took possession of her mouth. She was going to faint, she couldn’t get her breath and the smell and taste of the rum made her gorge rise. Dimly, Bella heard Sarie’s voice speaking to Daniel.