Young Writers Society

“Susannah? Where are you?” Jessie called from somewhere in the manor. “I need to discuss something with you.”

I remained silent. I knew what it was he wanted to discuss with me…only it was more like what he wanted to receive from me. Earlier that afternoon, we had had a small argument, which led to me locking myself in one of the bathrooms; the bathroom connected to our room.

The fight was over the fact that he had invited the men I had met that morning to stay here at the manor. In other words, he asked them to move in, and they agreed. Then, after they left, I asked why he had done such a thing, and he answered, either I give him a family or he lets them stay. Well, his plan was not working. I was not going to do anything with him.

I looked down at the scented water that I was lying in. The only thing that ever calmed me down was a nice hot bath. Only now, the water was warm, for I had been in the bathtub for a while. Moving the bubbles that lay on the surface, I listened to him calling my name over and over again.

The doorknob on the door a few feet away from me began to jangle.

“Good luck getting that door open,” I muttered, lighting one of the candles that sat on the tub’s edge. It was getting dark outside so there was now not enough light coming through the open window.

Feeling cold from the night breeze and the water, I stepped out of the tub. Wrapping a towel around my body, I closed the window. By now, the doorknob had stopped moving.

He must have given up, I thought to myself as I looked in the mirror. My hair wet, sending pearls of water down my chest, and disappearing behind the towel. I cocked my head to the side and made a face. I smiled at how foolish I was being, and went to grab hold of the doorknob, when unexpectedly the door broke off its hinges.

Shocked, I stepped back. The door fell to the floor revealing my husband who stood there looking very infuriated.

“I have been searching high and low to find you, and you just ignored me,” Jessie demanded. “What did you plan on doing huh? Waiting until I left the house so you could run away?”

“No,” I whispered in fear.

“Then, what the devil were you doing?”

I did not want to answer; for the reason that he was very angry, and might strike at me if I said the wrong thing. What to say?

“I asked you a question.” He stood there with his fists at his side with an impatient look on his face. “Now, answer me.”

“I-I was taking a bath,” I answered softly.

It was then that my husband noticed what I was wearing at that precise moment. His eyes locked on me, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth. I took another step backward saying, “Jessie, I would really like to get into my clothing now, for the reason that I am freezing cold.”

“I could warm you up,” he coaxed, taking a step towards me.

“Jessie, please…I am very cold.”

“All right.”

My husband took a step back, allowing me room to go through the doorway. I went to pass him, when, suddenly, he grabbed hold of my arm. I stopped dead in my tracks.

“You know.” Jessie stated, “We have in fact two deals.”

“Yes, I know that,” I answered hastily.

“Well, I was thinking that maybe we could…you know, accomplish one of them.”

“No, thank you, Mister Lafayette.”

Oops, that slipped. I looked up at him to see if he had caught what I had just said.

“Mister Lafayette?” he asked, pulling me by the arm, to his side. “Then, would not that make you Mrs. Lafayette?”

“Yes,” I replied slowly.

“Well, now, does not that give me the right to do this?”

He grabbed a handful of my hair, doubled the hold around his fist, pulled me into him, and placed a kiss on my lips. I began to fight him, when an idea popped into my head.

Instead of returning his kiss, I bit his bottom lip. Startled, Jessie jerked my head back, and pushed me away from him.

I landed hard against the bedpost, sending pain through my entire body. Ignoring the pain, I looked up at him in time to see blood beginning to trickle down his chin. He put his hand to his mouth, and let out a curse when he saw the warm liquid on his fingertips. It was then that he began to walk towards me.

“Why you little, vagrant,” he sneered. “I ought to give you a sound slashing, but you know what? I am not…I have something even better in mind.”

He grabbed me by the arms, and threw me onto the canopy bed. I landed on the curtains, which tore. They lay across my legs.

“I am going to make this a night you will never forget,” he yelled, slapping me hard across the face. I placed a hand over my cheek saying, “Jessie, please do not.”

“Too late, Susannah…there is no stopping me now.”

My husband pulled the curtain away, and imprisoned me between his arms. “I have been waiting so long to do this….”