Pricing The Heart

Chapter 3

As Eloise listened to the stranger enter the room, she was riddled by fear. She dreaded the thought of serving him tonight in ways a woman was expected to serve a man, but knew she was without a choice.

She stiffened as he approached the bed, and stifling the urge to cringe as his icy fingers grazed her throat, she held her eyelids shut. She would lie still through the ordeal like she had done severally with James. Once it was over and he lay sleeping beside her, she would take what she needed and run.

Something tugged at her neck, reminding her of the rope tied to it. Silently cursing James for the humiliation he put her through all evening, she braced herself for the pain and discomfort that would accompany the stranger's next move. But pain never came, and moments later, the stranger released her. She frowned as she listened to his footsteps march across the room. She stole a glance at him, her frown deepening when he settled on the rocking chair, threw his head back against the backrest, and closed his eyes.

What was he doing?! She watched in confusion for several minutes until the loud sound of his snoring filled the air. She realized then he wouldn't claim her tonight. Perhaps he was too exhausted, or simple uninterested. Did he not find her attractive? What sort of man resorted to sleeping in a chair rather than next to a woman?

She was unable to make sense of the situation as she scrambled to her feet. She had to leave before he woke up. She snuck up to him, where his coat was draped over his knees, and crouching before him, buried her hand in his pocket.

A small smile touched her lips when her fingers grazed the object she was looking for. The tiny diamonds engraved around the case of the pocket watch winked at her as she pulled it out. She knew it would fetch her a fortune, much more than enough to realize her dream of freedom. She only hoped the owner would not notice it was missing until she was halfway across town.

She turned to the stranger, guilt stabbing her heart. He showed her great kindness when he rescued her from James, and his decision to abstain from forcing his needs upon her tonight spoke highly of his character. Stealing from him was in poor taste, but she had no choice. There was no other means by which she could truly be free. And if she stayed, risking her life on the off chance that the stranger would not be as abusive as James, she would never get the opportunity to escape.

She had to go! She ignored the guilt she felt as she tucked the watch in her dress and rose to her feet. Surely the stranger was wealthy enough to replace the watch. As for her, she doubted she would be missed. The stranger had been reluctant to purchase her in the first place. If he ever felt disgruntled by her disappearance, she was certain he would easily find a woman to take her place.

Propelled by fear, she turned from him and hurried out of the tavern.

The chilly night air bit into her flesh, and the weight of the snow as it wetted the hem of her dress made it nearly impossible to walk. But she was in a hurry, not only to get away from the consequences of stealing from the stranger, but to get to the cottage in time to pack a bag before James returned from the tavern to find her.

Her limbs protested her quick movements for over half an hour until she spotted the oil lamp that lighted the porch of their little cottage. She ran the rest of the way. She was thankful the door locked. It meant James wasn't home yet, for he never locked the doors; he was always too intoxicated to remember.

She unlocked the door quickly and stumbled in the dark for several seconds, until she found the lamp on the worktable and lit it. The darkness gave way to the sparsely furnished room with a single work table and a cot.

Crossing the room to her trunk in the corner, she dug in it for the things she thought were essential; two of her favorite dresses that were handmade by her mother, a winter coat, a shift, a scarf, and a pair of stockings. She knew she couldn't take everything along, not only because the extra baggage would prove to be too much to carry, but also because it would slow her down.

She stuffed her things in a carpet bag. She paused when she reached the door, remembering the pocket watch. Fearing she'd lost it in her haste, she extracted it from the fold of her dress. A soft sigh of relief drifted from her at the sight of the watch. But her relief was short-lived, for in that moment, the door swung open, and James appeared.

*

"James..." the words barely left her lips, her lungs constricting as she stared at him.

He raised a bushy brow. "I thought I was rid of ya," he slurred, his gaze shifting down to her hand, where she clutched the gold watch tightly. "Wot is that?" He stepped forward, and her heart sank. She jumped back to get away from him, but he was quicker. He grabbed her forearm, tearing her sleeve as he forced her forward. Her fingers weakened around the carpetbag, and it fell to the floor.

Horrified, she clung to the watch as tightly as she might cling to life. And this watch was indeed her life; it was a chance at the only life she wanted to live. Without it, she would be subject to the abuse of men forever.

"James, please..." She tried futilely to appeal to him.

"Wot do ya 'ave in your hand?"

Gritting her teeth at the pain that shot up her arm as his fingers dug holes in her flesh, she fought to maintain her grip on the watch. "Nothing! It's nothing!" she cried.

"It doesn't look like nothin' to me," he snarled, gripping her wrist so tightly she feared it might snap as he worked to uncurl her fingers from around the watch. "Give it to me!"

"No..." His fingers circled her throat, cutting off her words and her air supply. Desperate for air, she clawed at his wrist with her free hand. But he didn't budge. "Jame..." She tore her lips apart in a useless attempt to force air down her throat, her limbs weakening as her fingers released their grip on the watch. "Ple...ease..."

Her head swam. Darkness shrouded her vision. Her weakened knees gave way beneath her, and she collapsed against him.

A/N

Hi everyone! How are you? How'd your week go? (Let me know in the comment section)

So, for health reasons, I'm abstaining from sugar, and can I just say how impossibly difficult it has been? My body is literally craving sugar, it's ridiculous! I've been feeling really low on energy and I'm not even sure what to do. If you have any alternatives to sugar, let me know in the comment section.

Also, did you enjoy this chapter? I'm trying to create some kind of balance with my updates, so I'm thinking twice a week. Maybe Fridays and Sundays, depending on how not-so-crazy my schedule is, we'll see.

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this chapter, please remember to vote and leave a comment behind.

Have a good weekend!