Cruel Beauty

Labour

The Baroness lies on the chaise lounge with her head on your lap as you absent-mindedly stroke her hair from her face. 'I'm scared.' she breaks the silence and makes eye contact with you taking your free hand and interlacing your fingers. 'What are you afraid of?' you ask gently as you play with the dark locks. 'It's getting closer now to my time, any day now I will give birth. I am afraid of the pain. Do you think me a coward?' she asks looking up at you. You gently stroke her exposed throat and she swallows. 'No. I don't. I think it's natural to be scared, but I know you will survive, you are a survivor by nature Victoria. Then you will be free from your curse.' she closes her eyes blissfully as you stroke her collarbones. 'May I ask something?' you bite your lip. 'Mhm?' she replies and you feel guilty for smashing her serenity. 'What do you intend to do after the child is born?' The Baroness's eyes open and she looks visibly uncomfortable. 'I intend to get rid of it.' you mentally kick yourself for breaking her mood. 'What do you mean, get rid of it?' you ask sounding ill at ease. She sits up drawing her robe around her. 'I am tired my dear, I will retire for the night.' she gets up and groans in pain holding her back then pathetically waddles to her bed. 'Victoria.' you join her wrapping an arm around her for support. 'I got you.' you help her to the bed then tuck her in. 'Goodnight Baroness.' you consider kissing her forehead but manage not to and head to your room.

It's one of the biggest storms to hit Britain in years, gale force winds blow through Hellman Hall you lie on your side staring out into the dark night watching the rain pelt onto the windows. The sea thrashes against the cliff and even the little rivers in the village below overflow with running water. The thunder rumbles and the lightning flashes lighting up your room, in the distance you hear wild dogs howling into the night. With a groan you turn on your side and use your pillow to cover your ears how anyone was supposed to sleep in this you had no clue. The Baroness lies in the room next to yours in her bed she can't sleep either, she twists her wedding band multiple times. Something you said bothered her earlier, what's next, what happens after the child is born? The baby kicks her repeatedly and she frowns. 'Stop that.' she orders massaging her stomach until the kicking stops. She can't sleep, she gets up and paces walking back and forth trying to quieten her inner anxieties. Victoria walks over to her vanity table and pulls the cover off of the mirror looking at herself with a sigh. 'What the hell am I going to do?' she places her head in her hands looking down she spots Wilhelm's precious family heirloom. The Baroness lifts the golden chain dangling the ruby in front of her. 'My payment.' she states bitterly then throws it angrily on her vanity table.

The Baroness double-takes seeing the necklace has come apart, she arches an eyebrow lifting it only to realise that it is in fact a key. She lifts it and studies it trying to think, it comes to her the wooden box he had brought her, it had a lock on it. Getting to her feet she struggles out of her room, the door creaking as she opens it she shivers when the cold air touches her ankles, not all of Hellman Hall is heated, only the necessary rooms. Hugging herself she travels to the East wing of Hellman Hall where the Baron spends most of his time. She tries the door of his study but it's locked she curses him and pouts that's when she remembers. Reaching up her fingertips touch the door frame and she finds the spare key. 'Got you.' she declares triumphantly and unlocks the door. The smell of stale alcohol immediately assaults her nostrils and she puts a hand over her mouth thinking the stench will cause her to vomit. Inside the walls are covered in books, there are paintings hung of naked women, and there is a large mahogany desk with a luxurious office chair pushed out behind it. The rain pelts harder on the window and Victoria enters, a loud, "clink", makes her jump but looking down she sees she's merely kicked an empty whisky bottle.

'Get a hold of yourself.' she scolds herself. Pulling up to her full height she strides into the room and sits in the office chair, the desk is littered with paperwork and clutter. She sees a stack of books, Agatha Christie novels mostly, and also a stack of resumes, full-time childcare, and nannies. She snorted at least he had thought better of himself to imagine she would stay at home raising his spawn. Opening the top drawer the Baroness finds another empty liquor bottle, opening the second is a little hard, she frowns seeing something has gotten jammed, with an extra hard pull the drawer opens. 'Oh!' she quickly withdraws her hand seeing the drawer is filled with underwear he has claimed as a trophy from the women he has taken. Her face wrinkles with disgust and she delicately removes a book stuffed down the side without touching the underwear. Frowning she flicks through it, every picture shows a naked or semi-naked woman fast asleep unaware that they are being photographed with a score next to their photo. When she comes across your picture a pang of anger hits her, how dare he! She removes the picture ripping it to shreds and stuffing it in the pocket of her robe. Stuffing the book back in she slams the drawer and then opens the last third drawer. It's the deepest and it stores the box he had previously stored the necklace in, reaching down she lifts it out setting it on the table arching an eyebrow.