Bad Girl

Skin & Bone

'It's a personal object of my fathers I assumed if anyone would know where it is it would be you, you were married after all.' Cruella smirks. 'Like his lucky tie?' Victoria replies sarcastically. 'No darling a little more sentimental.' Cruella remains calm. 'Narrow it down.' The Baroness looks annoyed. 'I discovered his will, it was in a box in the safe behind the portrait of the smiling woman in his office. As you know it leaves all of his fortunes to his firstborn child, and if that never happened then it went to you.' The Baroness looks bored she knows what the will says and she ignores it anyway she didn't want to lose everything to a child he begot with the help. The Baron was a strange one he preferred the company of men, and would occasionally copulate with a female in the hope of an heir but he never once tried anything sexual with her. She was his trophy his prised possession she was to be kept chaste and beautiful, to stand still and smile.

'Yes.' The Baroness replies not bothering to lie or act like she doesn't know. 'And my birth certificate was kept in a locked box given to me by.' 'John.' The Baroness speaks and Cruella looks over her shoulder. John freezes. 'Your ladyship.' he greets solemnly. 'Don't be all formal John she is an ex-convict, not a noblewoman. Call her by her name.' Cruella instructs. 'Yes Baroness.' he inclines his head to Cruella. 'Victoria.' he greets. The Baroness stares at him coldly her eyes filled with betrayal. 'John was under the impression if there was any other I don't know, paperwork or deeds. You'd know where they were?' she gestures casually. The Baroness stares at John as he collects their tea cups he refuses to make eye contact with her. 'I am sorry to disappoint you but I have no idea. The Baron was a very peculiar man.' Cruella nods. 'Tell me about him?' The Baroness frowns turning to Cruella. 'Huh?' Cruella relaxes in her chair. 'My father, tell me about him, what was he like?'

The Baron straightens a painting for the third time. 'It's not accurate.' he paces up and down. Victoria reclines on the chaise reading her newspaper. 'It's fine dear.' she replies boredly. 'It's not straight.' he complains looking at it from afar. 'It's not the only thing.' she mutters under her breath. Mistake. His hands are on her throat choking her, her bright blue eyes widen as he stares down at her the vein popping on his forehead. 'Wilh-' she chokes. 'Stop.' he lets go and runs his hand stressfully through his hair as she chokes for air. 'Fix your makeup, your lipstick is uneven it must be perfect.' he grumbles walking away.

At dinner they dine with several couples discussing the usual, ie who's doing well in business, the women are expected to discuss lady-like indulgences. Wilhelm is watching his wife out of the corner of his eye as she pierces a potato with her fork biting into it nodding away at one of his friends. 'Victoria.' he speaks quietly. She laughs at the man's joke. 'Victoria.' he speaks a little louder. The Baroness continues her conversation pretending to give a damn to make him look good. Victoria jumps catching a scream in her throat as the Baron plunges his fork into her thigh. 'I say Wilhelm is your wife alright she's gone dreadfully quiet on us.' The man lights his cigar under the table he pulls the fork out which is just as painful making her jump again. 'She has clearly eaten too much.' The Baron explains.

Half of her food she has not even touched yet. 'I told you before dear to stop stuffing your face I married you because I wanted a trophy wife, not a prize pig.' The table awkwardly laughs at his joke. 'Apologies my dear, I was too engrossed in the conversation to notice, forgive me.' she keeps a tight smile as she speaks. The Baron gets up and walks over to a very petite blonde. 'May I?' he asks her husband who nods. 'Stand for us, Marguerite.' The young woman stands. 'Look at her, she is a dream,' the woman blushes. 'Thank you, my lord.' The Baron looks at his wife. 'This is what a wife should look like, you are the fattest woman at this table, you insult our friends by making them dine with a sow and not a lady.'

The Baroness keeps smiling because it's all she can do everyone looks uncomfortable. 'Well, I won't have my figure for long.' The blonde tries to help interrupting. The Baron turns back to her with a frown as she hugs the side of her husband. 'We are expecting.' she announces. The table congratulates her, the Baroness keeps smiling. 'I'm so sorry.' The Baron consoles like he was just told there was a bereavement. The woman laughs. 'It is what I w-' The Baron waves a hand at her. 'Not you, all women are imbeciles who want children and for the lower class this is acceptable but your poor husband wanted a wife who would look good by his side. Now I expect he will be likely to stray. A pity.' The table is silent.

Victoria rubs her forehead feeling a headache coming on she is starving. The tray outside the Baron's office has some leftover food. Looking around no one is watching, in the office she overhears screaming as she shakily reaches for a bit of cold toast. The door flies open the Baron looks outraged he slapped the food out of her hand. 'Come, come, here.' he drags her into the office. 'Is that what you want to end up looking like? That!' He points to the heavily pregnant woman who is in tears. 'Your lordship please, I have no money to raise this child.' she begs. 'Your ladyship, Baroness, I have been a loyal servant have I not? I did not want this child, I can not afford this child.' The Baroness doesn't speak she does feel bad for her maid but frankly, she's so hungry she has no energy. 'I told you! Come the time of my death my child will inherit that fortune and with any luck you will give me a boy. Birth him, raise him, or her of course but I do not wish any further contact. You,' he turns to the Baroness and drags her back out of the room. 'Useless woman.' he lifts the plate of leftover food tossing it over the stairs.

'John!' The handsome dark-haired valet is walking along the corridor. 'Yes your lordship.' he greets. The Baron for a moment forgets everything as he touches the face of his new employee. 'My beautiful boy.' he whispers dreamily. 'Take my wife back to her room and lock her inside, and make sure the fat cow receives no more food or heads will roll.' John inclines his head as the Baron walks back into his office slamming the door the screaming starts again. John looks at the Baroness and nods for her to walk. 'Your ladyship.' The Baroness sighs and starts heading to her room when the starvation gets too much and she collapses. Luckily into John's arms, she immediately regains consciousness. 'S'going on?' she is aware she is being carried. 'You fainted your grace.' he carries her to her bed laying her down. Reaching into his pocket he brings out a wrapped package. 'Eat.' he instructs. 'But the Baron?' she shakily reaches for the roll. 'Who's going to tell him?' John winks. The Baroness smiles up at him. 'Thank you, John, you are such a good...help.' he leaves locking the door.

Cruella is sitting up now. 'How do I know you didn't just make all that up? To gain sympathy.' The Baroness gestures at John. 'Well ask him, you trust him.' John stayed still as the Baroness spoke. 'The Baron was not a kind man.' he confirms her story.

You run your fingers stressfully through your hair. 'Fuck!' The car approaching flashes its lights a few times up ahead as it draws in. You frown you can't think of anyone you know. You run up to the car the young woman rolls the window down. 'I heard, we got word at the station that a very ostentatious car was driving erratically away from the scene. I believe you have heard of Cruella De Vil?' Yes, you have the Baroness had told you the full sorry story and you don't believe that your woman is any safer with her than at Wormwood. 'Darcy I know I'm just out of prison and we aren't friends or-' 'Get in!' she stops you rambling. You get in the passenger seat as the car skids off to Hellman Hall. 'Why are you helping me? Not that I'm complaining.' you add. 'Because Reynolds is playing god and I didn't sign up to work for a tyrannical misogynistic maniac. He's been torturing the woman for days and I didn't have the spine to do anything.'