by Nancy Wells
“The one in the middle,” the first twin said. “The quiet one.”
Elliot saw the girl under discussion by the side of the stream. She was the prettiest among the group of chatty girls. Her sun-kissed hair was tied in a messy bun at her nape. She was staring at the horizon, unaware of her surroundings. He could feel her innocence even through the distance. Ever since his wife betrayed him, Elliot had never been attracted to another woman.
“The orphan, you mean. Everyone knows her, Russell. Her father passed away when she was a child and her mother left her, too. She lives in the village with her aunt.”
Elliot liked the girl but he was not going to do anything about it. She had already endured hardships in life. It would be unfair if he entered into her life. His reputation was tainted. He did not want her to suffer due to his past. People would abandon her like they abandoned him if he so much as went near her. Elliot decided to forget about her and keep his distance from her.
“Shane, she is the same girl that was being discussed last night on the tables, right?”
“You are right, she is. I had forgotten about it. Poor girl.” Russell tsked.
Elliot was looking at their faces, waiting for them to explain. They smirked in unison and ignored him. He should have known they would make him stew without offering an explanation. They started to talk about mundane things, ignoring his glare.
“What?” Russell asked innocently when Elliot growled. “Stop looking at me with those smoldering eyes, Elliot. You are making me uncomfortable.” Russell squirmed dramatically in his seat. “Tell him to look away, Shane.”
“Elliot, people might think the worst if you keep looking at my brother,” Shane said. “We have a reputation among the girls of Madam Sabrina. Your interest in him might sully our good name.”
They both guffawed like it was the most hilarious idea in the world. Their voices were grating on his nerves. The urge to punch them in their faces was getting stronger. Gritting his teeth, Elliot curled his hands into fists. If they did not start talking, he intended to punch them in their faces very soon.
“Hey!” Shane pointed to his hands. “Uncurl those fists. Damn you! I will tell you… Rumor is, the aunt is selling her to a gambler who happens to be a sadistic bastard and is known for his violence.”
He did not believe for one second that the aunt might be doing this to harm the girl. There must be an explanation. Maybe her aunt was so poor she couldn’t afford to feed two mouths. He had no clue why he felt so protective of the girl or why he wanted to save her. He made a plan to make an offer to the aunt and take the girl as his wife. He would not ask for a dowry. There would be no reason for her aunt to reject an offer of marriage from him. If his reputation made her hesitate then he would hand the girl to Shane or Russell. The girl would be safe if either of them took her as their wife.
Tapping the wall of the carriage, he stopped the carriage. He opened the door of the carriage and looked at the twins.
“Get out,” he clipped.
They started complaining and bickering. They were whining about the long distance to the brothel, but Elliot had no patience for their whining. Grabbing Russell by his elbow, he pushed him out the door. Russell stumbled and then righted his coat while glaring at him.
Elliot looked at Shane and raised his brow. Holding his hands in the air, Shane said, “I am going, man. There is no need for manhandling.”
Elliot instructed his carriage driver to take him to the girl’s house. The girl was a complete stranger but he felt a connection to her. There was something special about her.
The door to the cottage was open so he went inside. The girl lived in a small cottage with only two rooms. There was an old cot placed in the middle of the first room while a broom and some broken pots were lying to a side. The small place was devoid of a speck of dirt. Someone had cleaned the small place with care.
“How may I help you, sir?” An old woman with graying hair and a walking stick asked from the door of the second room.
Elliot cleared his throat a number of times and adjusted the lapels of his coat. It was more difficult than he imagined. He should have practiced beforehand.
“It’s about your niece, madam. I wish to ask if she is of marriageable age.”
She looked at him with disinterest and then gestured towards the room. He followed her inside where she offered him a chair. The inside of the room was in no better condition than the outside. A cot with bedding and a pillow, a small trunk under the cot, a burnt candle on a broken bureau and a wooden chair were the only things in the room. Light from the sun was coming inside the room through a small opening in the corner of the room. The woman closed the door and sat on the cot.
“Name your price,” she said.
He was taken aback at her choice of words. She was treating her own blood like cattle. Elliot was disgusted and felt sickened. He had hoped that the aunt would be a loving person, but he was wrong. He did not detect any maternal love in that woman. She was auctioning her own niece and yet there was no sign of remorse on her face.
“Do I need to introduce myself, madam?” he asked, deadpan.
Elliot believed his reputation would give her a pause. No one would want to hand over their daughter to an alleged murderer. Everyone desires happiness for their loved ones. He was not a fool to believe that his name would bring joy to anyone’s doorstep.
“The whole village knows you, Your Grace.”
She smiled suggestively at him. She knew him all along. If she truly cared for her niece, then she would have sent him back the moment he stepped foot in her house. He realized the aunt was not selling the girl out of necessity.
“And yet, you are willing to hand over your niece to me. I am not a kind-hearted man, you know that.”
Holding the armrests in both hands, he controlled his anger. This woman had no heart. She was a witch. This was the kind of person that made him distrust others. How could anyone be so cruel and unkind? She wanted him to buy her niece and treat her savagely. She was taking him for a monster that would eventually murder the girl.
“I am doing this for her own good,” she said, smiling like a witch. “That girl is a clumsy fool who is nothing but a nuisance to me. She lies without shame and rests all day while I do the chores. She needs a strict hand that will keep her in line. Her innocent face is nothing but a farce. She keeps the company of criminals and harlots. She needs someone like you.”
Elliot faltered a little. He did not want a deceiving woman in his life again. If what her aunt claimed was true, then the girl was bound to deceive him with her lies and innocence. Elliot changed his mind about marrying the girl when her aunt described her abhorrent behavior. He did not want the repeat of his earlier life. One deception was enough for him.
“Why would I want to pay for her then? She sounds ghastly.”
“No, Your Grace,” the woman said, quickly. “You could keep her as your mistress. She would satisfy your needs with great pleasure. Like I said, she is friends with harlots. She knows about their trade secrets.”
The woman smiled, lecherously. She was trying to pique his interest in the girl. He felt like he was sitting in a saloon of a brothel, where the madam was presenting her best girls to him.
Despite his doubts, Elliot still wanted to save the girl. He had seen her at the stream. She might lie and deceive but there was no way for her to be a fallen woman. No one deserved to be sold to a gambler. Elliot believed every word her aunt claimed, but he was confident he could teach the girl a lesson if she showed her true self.
“If I marry the girl, you will have no right over her. She will be under my care.”
Elliot wanted to make sure this woman stayed out of his life. She seemed like an interfering sort. He wanted to mold the girl to his liking without the interference of this woman. In a very short time, the girl would be dancing to his beat. He would decide everything for her. Her only duty would be to look after his house and keep his bed warm. He did not intend to go to broth
els anymore. He missed intimacy in the act.
“If you can pay the price then you can do with her as you wish,” she said, shrugging nonchalantly.
He wanted to strangle the woman. She was the most despicable creature he had ever encountered. The feeling of possessiveness and protectiveness was overcoming his other senses. He would never let this woman come near the girl. There was a possibility that she might be lying about the girl, but Elliot had been betrayed once and a burnt person always dreaded the fire. Only a miracle could make him trust another woman.
Taking out his pouch of money, he threw it in her lap. “This would be more than enough to surpass any offer you have already received. I will start courting the girl tomorrow.”
With greedy hands, she opened the pouch and a shine came to her eyes. She counted the coins and then looked up at him.
“That will do,” she said. “Should you require, I will leave the room for you to sample the goods. Perhaps you might like to taste her before you decide her worth?”
Elliot’s blood ran cold at her words. She was treating her niece like a common whore. Flaring his nostrils, he stood up from the chair and strode towards the door of the room. Opening the door, he looked back at her one last time.
“I will wait in the chapel with a priest. I intend to make her my wife this evening.”
He did not want to marry her right away, but if he did not give the girl the protection of his name, her aunt would sell her again to someone else. He had no guarantee that the aunt would not let another buyer sample her niece. There was only one way he could save the girl. He would have to take her as his wife immediately.
Just before he ascended the stairs to his carriage, Elliot looked back at the woman to impart his final warning, but then he heard a gasp. The girl was looking at him wide-eyed, hiding behind the wall of the cottage. Her eyes, green like a tree and deep like a forest, had him entrapped in their depths. Elliot was sad to realize that the innocent face of the angel was actually hiding a devil behind its mask. He had been fooled once by such innocence, he was not going to fall for it again.
“I want the girl to arrive at the chapel before nightfall. I will be leaving immediately and will not tolerate any delays. The girl is mine. Do not forget that.”
Leaving the cottage, he went to the house of pleasure, run by Madam Sabrina. The brothers were always in the most abhorrent places. Elliot had to visit opium dens and brothels whenever he needed to find his friends. Knocking at the door, Elliot asked for the twins. After waiting for a few minutes, one of the twins emerged from the door. The twin was scowling and looking at him with displeasure. Apparently, Elliot was not forgiven for throwing them out of the carriage.
“What do you want, Elliot? We are not speaking to you until you explain your rude behavior. You cannot throw us out in the middle of the road and then pick us up whenever you desire. We are not your errand boys.”
Elliot looked at the huffing and puffing face of his friend. The twins were the only people in the entire world he considered friends. They knew about his every secret. Elliot would lay down his life for them and they would do the same for him. He had known them ever since they were ten. At the time, they were working as stable boys in his house.
“I am marrying the orphan this evening. You are invited to attend if you desire.”
Elliot knew they would come. The twins were the most honest men he had ever met. They never held grudges against him. They were easy to sway if someone knew the right buttons to press, and Elliot happened to know each and every one of those buttons. He could play his friends like a pianoforte.
Knocking on the door, the twin shouted, “Hey, Shane.” The twin’s lips were twitching. He was dying to say something to his other half. “Elliot has gone mad. Come out, now.”
Shane came out in a state of undress. His coat was missing and his shirt was untucked. His hair resembled a crow’s nest, probably complements of one of the working girls.
“Elliot has always been mad, brother. You just never believed me before.”
“He is marrying the girl.”
The twins shared a secret smile. Elliot had known them for a long time. He knew how their twisted minds worked. If he did not interfere, they would make his ears bleed with their nasty remarks.
“Are you coming or not?” Elliot interjected.
“Just tell us the time and place,” Russell said, rolling his eyes.
“Pick a dress and drop it at the girl’s house and then find me a priest before nightfall,” Elliot said, smugly. “I will be waiting at the chapel.”
Elliot turned around and ignored their objections. He knew they would do as he asked. Whining and bickering was just part of their charming selves.
“I am selecting the most expensive dress in the shop and then paying double the amount,” Shane said.
Elliot smiled without looking back at them and left in his carriage.
Chapter 2
Late in the evening, Emily arrived in a hired carriage in front of the chapel. Emily had attended many weddings in this place but it never frightened her before. This place used to be a symbol of joy for her, but this evening nothing felt the same. There were no merry people celebrating her wedding. For her, this was the day her prince left her to the villain. Instead of saving her, the prince doomed her forever.
There was not a brave prince for her at the end of the aisle, but rather a dark lord, waiting to consume her. The duke was not alone. He was standing with two other men who were the mirror images of the other. They were nice enough to offer her a smile but Emily was too afraid to notice them.
Like a fly, she was trapped in his web. He never offered a smile nor did he look away from her when she approached him. He looked at her from head to toe and she felt naked before him. He was inspecting her like a buyer looks at a mare. He wet his lips and Emily’s feet started shaking. There was an aura of power and strength around him. He could crush her with one hand and she would be helpless to stop him. His beauty did not cover the fact that he was a murderer. Emily tugged at her aunt’s hand and resisted approaching him.
“I want to go back, Aunty,” Emily whispered in a trembling voice.
She was truly scared of him. His presence and gaze made her situation all too real. This was her last day of freedom. She would be his captive until he grew tired of her and took her life.
Her aunt dragged her by the hand and pushed her in his direction. She stumbled and was falling, but then she felt strong arms steadying her. She looked at the scowling face of the duke and tears formed in her eyes. He was angry at her clumsiness. He disapproved of her. Emily did not understand his reason for marrying her. He obviously disliked her a great deal; and she did not understand the reason for his animosity towards her.
When the girl entered the chapel, Elliot was spellbound by her beauty. She looked beautiful in her green dress. The dress was bringing out the color of her eyes. Her golden hair was braided and tied at the top of her head. Elliot’s throat went dry when he saw her breasts spilling out from the dress. Her narrow waist was tempting him to hold her in his arms. He wet his lips when he thought of unwrapping her from the dress.
Elliot was staring shamelessly at his future bride when her aunt pushed her and she stumbled. He wanted to throttle her aunt for her cruelty. He wanted to punish the old crone, but Russell and Shane had already warned him against doing anything rash. They believed the woman might change her mind and take the girl with her if he behaved rudely.
Holding the girl from her waist, Elliot tried to control his anger. He had to tolerate the woman for a few more moments and then the girl would become his. Her aunt would have no authority over her.
“Begin the ceremony,” Elliot said to the priest.
Emily stood before him as the priest bound them in matrimony. She was trading one cage for the other. His square jaw and height were intimidating her. He was so tall; her eyes were level with his chest. She was busy in her thoughts, so she jumped a little when she saw his face c
oming towards her for the kiss. She had daydreamed about this moment many times. The prince would sweep her in his arms and kiss her with passion as they were married amidst the cheering of the onlookers. They’d travel in his carriage to his castle and live happily ever after.
Emily closed her eyes and waited for the feel of his lips, but the kiss never came. She could feel his warm breath on her face though. Emily’s heart sank when she realized she was not to his liking. It should not matter to her, but as a bride, the kiss of a husband was her due.
“I told you, the girl is mine,” he said in a dangerously calm voice. “Why is there a print of a palm on her face?”
Elliot could sense the fear of the girl as he bent for a peck on her lips. She was standing before him against her will. Elliot ignored everything but he lost his control when he saw markings on her face. He looked at the witch who had dared to strike the girl. He had told her that once she picked up the money, the girl became his property. He would decide her fate, not the old witch. The woman started to tremble before his angry gaze and pointed at the girl.
“She did not want to come here. It was the only way to convince her. She begged me to kill her rather than let you have her.”
Her aunt was lying and Emily wished she could have the courage to challenge her. She wanted to yell at her aunt but she was too much of a coward to take such a step. Instead, Emily looked down at the floor and waited for the duke to slap her, beat her or shout at her. This was how her aunt treated her every time she made a mistake. She assumed he would not be any better than her aunt.
Emily flinched when she felt his finger below her chin. He tipped her head upward and looked into her eyes, searching for answers.
“You are lying,” he said, calmly, without looking away from her. “If I catch you harming her ever again, I will condemn you to the gallows. Get out of my sight before I change my mind and bring the constables this instant. You damaged my property without my consent.”