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Chapters 26 thru 30 |
Chapter 26 February 16, 1846 – One week out from arriving at Derbyshire “When did it start raining?” Mitchell turned on the carriage seat to face Elizabeth, pleasantly surprised by the normal sound of her voice. For weeks, he had heard only the young child when she spoke. Every time he hoped she was returning as Elizabeth, the 16-year-old whose virginity he’d enjoyed taking, a little girl would innocently speak to him. Mitchell had no qualms about forcing an unwilling woman into his bed. The many sailors on the ships where he grew up taught him well with their crude stories of conquest. From them, he learned sex often was more intense when a woman resisted by fighting back. At no time, though, did he feel tempted to experiment with children. In the weeks since Jane’s attack on her sister, Mitchell found his sexual frustration growing by his self-imposed celibacy. Even Jane was beginning to look good, if only he could shut out her annoying voice. Again, Elizabeth asked, “When did it start raining? The sun was out a couple minutes ago, wasn’t it?” No one spoke up, until Robbie said, “Miss, the sky’s been pissing all day. That’s why M’lord said I had to ride inside, not up top with Atwood.” The young boy, who had been unaware of Elizabeth’s regression into childhood, seemed puzzled. He even stopped his constant restless wiggling. For hours, Robbie tried to sit as far from Jane as he could on the carriage seat opposite to Mitchell and Elizabeth. Robbie leaned across the carriage, looking more closely at Elizabeth, when asking, “Are you okay, Miss?” “Nothing’s wrong with her, boy.” This sharp comment came from Jane, while pulling Robbie back to their side of the carriage and away from her sister. “She just fell awhile back and blacked out again. My dear sister needs me to comfort her, not you or that by-blow next to her.” Jane’s insult about Mitchell’s parentage startled Robbie, and the young boy waited to see what his Captain would do next. What Mitchell did was put an arm around Elizabeth and gently pull her closer to him. “Jane, what do you mean she fell? You know damn well that’s a lie.” Elizabeth looked from him to Jane, confused by the tension between them. “Mitchell, she’s right about my blackouts, and I probably did fall again. Father often said I was clumsy like that and said that’s why I had so many bruises afterwards.” She gave him a weak smile. “Once, when I fell, I woke up three days later with terrible pain all over my backside.” Elizabeth turned her gaze on Jane, who was grinning. “You remember that time, don’t you?” “Of course I do. You were, I think, about seven at the time and wouldn’t stop crying about having a sore rear end.” Jane started giggling. “I swear you made Father more furious than usual, and he yelled at you for not being nice to his friends.” Ignoring Mitchell’s shocked gasp, Jane went on, delighting in sharing this incident, “I remember, just before you fell, listening to your pathetic begging for him not to hurt you, and he rightly ignored your whining. When he sat down and forced you down across his knees, he smiled at me when I couldn’t stop laughing. You looked so funny with your long hair hanging down on one side of his lap and your legs dangling on the other side.” Jane hadn’t taken her eyes off Mitchell’s face while she was speaking, enjoying her revenge for his recent rejection of her. Jane’s hatred for her sister had grown over the past few weeks with the knowledge Mitchell chose Elizabeth over her. With that uppermost in her mind, Jane decided to go into further detail about the long-ago event. “Father pulled away your clothes to run his hands over your naked bum. After asking me to bring him his cane, he said I could stay and watch.” Chapter 27 February 16, 1846 – One week out from arriving at Derbyshire “Usually he made me leave the room, and I only got to hear the noises coming from the other side of the door. When he told me this was my reward for being so nice to his friend, unlike Elizabeth who wasn’t, I nearly peed my pants in excitement. I mean, there I was eight years old, almost nine, and Father let me watch for the first time. “The night before, Father had told his friend he could go to my room where I was all ready for him. Seeing a strange man opening my bedroom door surprised me a bit, since I’d never had any of Father’s friends visit me before. Without giving me a hint for why he was in my room, he sat down on the bed right up close to where I’d been sleeping. When he pulled up my nightgown and began to finger me,” Jane lowered her gaze to stare at Mitchell’s crotch, “I liked how it felt, liked it a lot. He did that for a few minutes, and then began furiously rubbing something inside his britches. Seeing how I was watching and seemed curious about what he was doing, he showed me how to pleasure him that way. He did tell Father the next morning what a good girl I was.” Jane aimed her next words at her sister. “That’s all Father ever wanted, Elizabeth, for us to be good girls. He loved both of us, and he only punished you because his friends always told him you weren’t nice to them. Afterwards, he’d tell you the beating was for your clumsiness in falling and having blackouts, but I knew the real reason.” Jane went on to say, “After that morning, he always let me stay and watch if he needed to punish you. I even got to help him a couple times when his arm got too sore from swinging the cane. During those times, he would tell me I was such a good girl. “After that first night, Father gave me another reward when he said he wanted to stay and watch. He would bring his friends into my room and tell me what name the man wanted me to call him. Usually it was something easy like Dick or John, but one man insisted I call him Papa. This really pleased Father, for some reason, and he smiled all the time the man was there. I remember Father sitting in the chair by my bed for years after that, encouraging whatever man was with me.” Elizabeth finally managed to say, “I don’t understand, Jane. You were so young and slept with those men?” “Sleeping, my dear sister, was not what we were doing.” Jane stopped staring at Mitchell’s crotch, looked up, and winked at him. “Is that all you did with Mitchell, sleep?” Before she got her answer, she and the other three felt the carriage jerk and come to a full stop. Over the sound of the pouring rain, they heard Bill Atwood yell, “Here’s where we stay for the night, so hurry inside before you all drown.” Chapter 28 October 31, 2008 – In Edith’s suite of rooms “Yes, Walker, can you remember your parents mentioning someone named Whiting or Templeton?" Samantha joined in the conversation. Up to that point, she sat silent, satisfied to cradle Genji tenderly in her arms. She moved over on the sofa to give Walker room to sit next to her. “I’ll think about it,” he said, turning to face Samantha, “but I’d do much better holding the baby.” He held his outstretched arms toward them. “Anyway, it’s my turn to hold her. You ladies are much too greedy. Don’t you know you have to share?” Samantha reluctantly handed Genji to Walker. “Don’t drop her. No, put your hand behind her head.” She reached over and straightened the baby in his arms. “That’s it, you’re doing fine. Now, if she starts crying, just talk to her.” “Stop fussing, Sam.” He smoothed the dark hair on Genji’s head, amazed at how big his hand looked near the tiny baby. “Genji likes me holding her and isn’t about to cry.” Walker noticed the baby’s brown eyes staring up at him, while drool leaked out of her open mouth. When he reached down to wipe the drool from her chin, Genji wrapped her small hand around one of his fingers. Across the room, Edith couldn’t help smiling at the sight of her grown son relaxing for the first time in weeks. “See, Samantha? Females adore Walker, no matter what their age.” Samantha agreed with Edith, although she’d never admit it out loud. Instead, she gave Walker a little poke in his ribs. “Come on, Walker. You said if I let you hold the baby you’d try to remember if your parents ever mentioned anyone named Whiting or Templeton.” Walker did try to remember, but he shook his head when nothing came to him. “Robyn, why don’t you keep reading the diary to us? Maybe there’s a clue in what she wrote. I think I’d better stick to reading the ship log from now on.” Robyn agreed, after noting the next entry’s date was February 17, 1846. “When we arrived at our lodgings last night, I tried to forget Jane’s ugly words. Mitchell arranged for the five of us to have dinner, and I found I was quite hungry. Even the leathery meat and undercooked potato tasted good. Robbie and Atwood seemed to not notice the poor meal served us. Jane picked at the food, moving it around on the plate, complaining it wasn’t fit for pigs. All during the meal, Mitchell encouraged me to eat, saying I’d eaten hardly anything for days. After dinner, when Atwood and Robbie left to bed down near the horses, Jane disappeared into her rented room. Until she closed the door behind her, thankfully shutting out her voice, she continued to fuss about the food, the boredom of the long trip, and life in general. Mitchell took hold of my hand and rushed me into the other rented room. Almost before the door slammed shut, he grabbed me around my waist and pulled me up tight against him. He then walked me backwards a few steps until I found myself slammed up against a wall. I felt one of his hands move to the neckline of my frock, and his breathing became harsher. Before I could object, both hands frantically began ripping the delicate material from my body, until the torn remains of that and my undergarments lay in shreds on the floor at our feet. The first words he spoke, while I tried to catch my breath from his sudden action, sounded like he was in pain. “It’s been too long. I can’t wait.” Chapter 29 February 17, 1846 – Just before dawn in the lodging’s rented room Elizabeth sat at the small table next to the bed writing in her diary. There remained a few embers in the room’s small fireplace, a warm reminder of the previous night’s fire. Adding to the cozy feeling, the flickering lamp on the table cast a warm light over the room. With her pen poised to continue with that morning’s entry, Elizabeth stopped to look over at Mitchell, sound asleep on the double bed. He lay stretched out on his stomach, a wrinkled sheet tangled around his naked body. What she could see of his skin appeared golden in the glow from the lamp. Elizabeth felt a strong urge to untangle and remove the sheet. Giving in to that urge, Elizabeth took off the nightgown and robe she’d put on only a few minutes before. After stepping out of her slippers, Elizabeth walked barefoot to the bed and climbed into the bed beside Mitchell. Ever so slowly, she reached underneath his belly, trying to find where the sheet was without waking him. “What are you doing, woman?” Mitchell’s sleepy voice startled Elizabeth enough for her to remove her hand. She whispered, hoping he’d fall back to sleep, “Nothing. I was just trying to make you more comfortable by straightening the bedclothes.” She tried to move away, but not quickly enough. Mitchell, starting to wake up, rolled over on his back, and untangled the sheet. “Baby, I need you to do something for me.” With that, Mitchell piled the pillows under his head and leaned back against the bed’s headboard. He guided Elizabeth’s legs until she sat upright, straddling his naked body. He then placed his hands under her hips and raised her up over his rapidly growing arousal. Elizabeth sank down just a bit when she felt his flesh, hard and pulsing, touching her. “Oh, that feels so good. Why didn’t we ever do it like this before?” When Mitchell lifted her hips up and then down again, she started to understand what he wanted. She took over the rocking motion, enjoying the feeling even more than when he took her from behind. Mitchell began to lift his own hips to meet her downward thrusts. His thick penis slid in and out of her moist flesh, deeper and deeper. The rhythmic squeaks of the bed’s rusted springs grew louder, and finally Mitchell heard Elizabeth begin to moan. He rapidly increased his rhythm until her slender body on top of his started to shudder. When her soft moans rose in intensity, he knew soon he would give the young girl her first orgasm. Chapter 30 November 11, 2008 – In Walker’s fourth-floor apartment Once Robyn left to return home to San Francisco, Samantha surprised Walker with her unexpected request. Across the room, Edith held the sleeping baby and waited to see how her son would respond. For long seconds, Samantha remained next to Walker, her hands twisting nervously, until she managed to say, “The staff over at Hannah’s Home has more than enough to do right now with the older children. I want to keep Genji, and Edith promised to be her baby-sitter when I have to work.” Seeing Walker about to speak, Samantha gave him no chance to object. “While you were gone getting the books, we decided what the mansion needs is a baby.” “Do you mind if I say something, Sam?” At his words, Samantha’s body tensed. Walker suddenly felt like the lowest creature on earth, a worm crawling in mud. I’m such a fool, a stupid bastard, not to see what was going on, he thought, seeing the pleading in her beautiful eyes. Sam knows she’ll never have her own baby after what Colin did. Instead of speaking, Walker left Samantha and went to where Edith was silently watching them. After leaning down to kiss his mother’s cheek, he whispered, so only she heard, “I can’t give Sam a child any other way, so will you accept Genji as your grandchild?” Unable to speak, Edith simply nodded and handed the sleeping child to her waiting son. When her parents forced her give Walker up for adoption when he was only a few days old, Edith had spent an unloved life for the next 50 years. After her son managed to find her, he brought the aging woman to share his magnificent home with other unloved and abandoned elders. Today, she not only had her son back, but he offered her the precious gift of a grandchild. Walker went back to where Samantha anxiously waited. Once he sat down, he carefully placed Genji into her arms. “I know you said you can’t marry me, but I would like to think of Genji as our baby daughter. May I?” * * * That evening, alone in his apartment, Walker knew his beautiful redhead, the woman he loved more each day, was almost there. All he needed to do was be patient, and soon she would be his wife, sharing both his life and his lonely bed. Continued in next segment
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