Saints and Sinners

Chapter Nineteen

Riverside Mansions

Meadvale

Surrey

Pamela Cartwright winced as the liquid was pumped into her bowels and wondered what Miss Bates was playing at, leaving her alone for so long. She had been strapped tightly to the cleaning frame, and the enema machine had been attached and switched on, but she had not been washed, or fitted with her catheter, and it was getting late. She had been hoping to talk to her husband before he left for one of his meetings, because she was sure that she was close to earning his forgiveness. It was time to put their disagreements behind them, she felt, but it was impossible to do that if she was not given the chance to speak to Reece, and to show him that she had learned her lessons. On reflection, she had to admit that she had acted rather unwisely in Boston, overplaying her hand somewhat, but his reaction had been callous, or at least she thought so. In twenty-one years of marriage, they had suffered their ups and downs like any couple, but she was loyal and she loved him, even if he had taken his role as master of the house a little too seriously in recent months. They had never been particularly religious really, but Reece was committed to his career with BIB and conspicuous piety was necessary if he was to progress. So, Pamela had become what he needed and even accompanied him to London on his first tour, where she had been a great asset to his ambitions. Her behaviour when they returned to Boston might not have been ideal, when seen in a certain light, but he had messed up as well, and blaming her for everything was unfair. His anger and subsequent treatment of her and Candice had been ruthless and unkind, but things were getting back on track and she felt that his black moods with her were easing a little.

"Comfortable, Pam?" Reece Cartwright said, taking her by surprise as he appeared from behind her, in his shirtsleeves with his hands in his trouser pockets. He was still a handsome man, she thought, at fifty, lean and toned, and she still loved him, but they could not go on as they were. She wanted to reconcile with him, to go back to how things were.

"Our bodily functions must be managed, Reece...but no, it is not comfortable?"

"Then you will be pleased to hear that it is your last time...where you are going I think you will be provided with more basic facilities?" He suggested, walking around her, staring at her naked body.

"Where am I going, Reece? Back to Boston?" She asked hopefully, but he just smiled and shook his head.

"No...I am staying here...perhaps forever...but I can't stay married to you, Pam...and we can't divorce...that really is impossible here?" He sighed, taking his right hand out of his pocket and stroking her left breast with his fingertips, remembering closer times, when she was younger and rather more alluring. It was a shame, but that was no longer the case.

"Reece...no...I love you...we are getting through this...I forgive you for your reaction...it has not been very pleasant...but we love each other...if you would just let me help you again like I used to, we can put everything right?" She insisted, not really understanding what he was going on about, but stung by the mention of divorce.

"I don't love you, Pamela...and there is no 'we' anymore...I am donating you to the Order this morning and our marriage will be annulled as soon as you take your vows...I am rather selflessly giving you up for God, in return for a little compensation...and then...in a month or two...I will marry a nice local girl from a good family." He told her, enjoying the look on her face as he spoke. "You are still relatively young and they can still get a good thirty or forty years out of you..."

"I am not taking any vows...you can't do this?" Pamela said, but the clip around her vocal cords was already contracting, choking off her voice. And Reece was not doing it. There was a nun standing to her left, with a remote in her gloved hand, and two more approaching the cleaning frame.