CHAPTER I
"Have you ever explored what it would be like with another woman?" Cara glanced
over towards her, one delicate eyebrow arching with the question.
"Explored what? Sex?" The question caught her off guard, leaving Ruth squirming
on her seat as she fiddled with the soft, long skirts of heavy velvet. "I`ve thought
about it, from time to time. Just haven`t really ... I mean why would I?"
The last thing she`d expected was to walk into this type of conversation. Cara and Ruth
had been sharing company most evenings for the past year or more now. Not once had the
subject come up before, not even after they`d kissed a few weeks ago. That brief, sensual
moment of passion that had passed between them had left her flustered, wanting more, yet
fearful of bringing the subject up. And now, as Cara fixed her with a firm, cool look she
could feel it, the sense of discomfort between her thighs, that deep seated, unnamed need
that rose to a burning level.
Love, passion between two women was permitted, even encouraged by some of the teachings
of the Goddess, just as long as it was given freely.
"Because you`re interested in doing so and a lot more besides, no matter how much
you might want to deny that." A cold light gleamed in Cara`s gaze. "I think
you`d like it if someone took charge of you, if they showed you the way. Protected you
from those who might use you in other ways."
She couldn`t deny that it was far easier for her to listen to other people, do what they
suggested she do instead of going her own way, even when her good sense said don`t do it.
Run, get out. A little like they were doing now.
"I`m not sure what you mean," Ruth stammered, brushing a stray strand of dark
hair back from her eyes, trying to assume an air of confidence that she lacked. Did she
want to kiss her again, or explore a little more? A part of her tensed at the thought,
just as the delicious images that gained life in the back of her mind teased her with the
hints of passion she had only dreamed of tasting. "Perhaps this is a conversation
best left for another time. I should get back home, Papa will be returning in a few weeks
and there`s a lot to take care of."
She glanced away, letting her gaze fall on the wealthy surroundings of the parlor. Even
without a man in her life and her parents long dead, Cara had managed to acquire enough
wealth to keep herself comfortable for the rest of her natural life. How her friend
managed such a thing she couldn`t be certain of and had always been far too polite to ask.
Yet now, like the conversation, the soft furnishings and blatant wealth sat ill at ease
with Ruth.
"You`ve got plenty of time, besides I`ve come to enjoy your company and would do so
one last time."
"I`m not sure I understand." Ruth pushed to her feet, the thick skirts
threatening to tangle about her legs as she took a step away from the chair. "But I
really should be going."
No one else seemed to visit Cara, not in all the time she`d been dropping by, and the
looks she`d seen the older woman given by the villagers ... no, Cara had never harmed her,
never would. Such foolish thoughts weren`t becoming, nor were they kind towards her
friend.
"Well, I am sure you will, you see a dear friend of mine has taken an interest in
you, for himself and his family. It`s an arrangement that I`m sure you will come to
appreciate in time." Cara didn`t move from the chair, instead she spoke softly over
the lip of her glass of wine. "Do sit down, dear child, you`ll not be going anywhere
just yet."
"What are you talking about?" A knot formed in her stomach, one that left her
shaking, fearful at the barely hidden suggestion of trouble. "I have to get home,
I`ve got things to prepare. There`s the baking that needs to be seen to and some mending.
Papa is expecting to find the house in order when he returns." Her gaze darted
towards the closed door, then back to the calm Cara and her unreadable expression.
"Even if you tried to leave you wouldn`t be able to, dear Ruth. So I suggest you sit
down now and make yourself comfortable before the gentlemen arrive." Cara gestured
towards the very chair that Ruth had sprung from.
Her heart raced, nipples hardening against the thick material of her demure gown. Despite
the fashions some of the young women had chosen to wear this spring she`d opted to remain
in her concealing dresses, as befitted a virgin. And that was a status she planned on
keeping until she married. Even if that seemed old fashioned, so many women of her age
were willing to barter away their maidenhead just for a few moments of pleasure.
"What`s going on, Cara? Why are you acting so strange?"
Cara set the glass down and folded her hands in her lap. "You really are a naive
little thing aren`t you, my dear. Well then let`s see if I can`t explain a few things to
you. I`m a finder, Ruth. I find women for gentlemen who are willing to pay a respectable
fee. Some want brides, others wish women who are trainable and compliant. You, dear child,
fall into both categories for the one that has chosen you."
"Marriage?" The rest went over her head for a few moments. "But I can`t
marry, my father isn`t here to sign the papers."
"I use the term bride in the loosest of senses, as you will belong to this man as
his legal wife, and property. To be trained in the manner he sees fit, subject to his
whims, desires and the service of his family." The older woman`s gaze didn`t leave
Ruth`s face. "I`ve not looked you over to the depth that I normally do the women I
sell on, but in your case I don`t believe that`s needed. You`re untouched, the goodwife
you see for potions confirmed that for me, for the right amount of coin of course, and
your reaction to a single kiss, even from a woman, made it very clear the passion that is
hidden under those drab gowns you like to hide in."
Had she had too much wine to drink? That would have made sense except for the clarity in
Cara`s words and eyes alike.
"This is a joke?" She held onto some hope that her friend had been playing some
strange practical joke and that in a moment she`d smile, laugh and tell Ruth how silly
she`d looked.
"No, it`s not, and I believe you`re already aware of that or you wouldn`t keep
looking towards the door." Cara clapped her hands sharply. "Though I think it
might be best if we prepare you for your new station in life before your buyer arrives,
don`t you?"
We? She didn`t like the sound of that, and any thought she`d had of staying and trying to
make sense of Cara fled at that. With a cry of panic she dashed towards the door only to
see it open in front of her and two men walk in, blocking her path.
Tall, dark eyed, grim faced, they reached for her, grabbing an arm each as they dragged
her back into the center of the room, kicking and protesting.
"Oh, there`s no need to keep quiet here, the wards I have on the house will prevent
anyone from hearing your screams, dear child. I`ve done this a time or two before, if you
recall?" Cara waved one hand towards the two men in a delicate flurry of slender
fingers. "Strip her down, but take a care not to bruise her too much, I`m sure Lord
Gavin will want that luxury for himself. He did seem to be very intrigued by her pale
skin."
Dark eyes, pale skin, long legs and firm breasts, she`d caught the glances from men
before as she`d walked through the village on market day. She`d heard the whispered
comments, soft calls that she`d tried her best to block out before they`d turned her
cheeks scarlet.
"You can`t do this to me," Ruth protested, twisting in the grip of the two
men.
"But my dear child, I can and will. How else do you think I`m going to keep up this
level of luxury?" Cara nodded to the men. "Strip her down."
Cloth tore under harsh grips, ripping at the seams, shreds tossed to one side as the
dress vanished under their hands. A scream of fear tore from her lips, panic fueling her
struggles as she tried to break free from the men that held her tighter than any chains
might have done. Goddess above, this couldn`t be happening to her. Women didn`t betray
each other like this, women were protected now, they had been for a hundred years, since
the great laws had been passed. No more forced marriages, slave contracts, they could even
own land in their own names.
Unthinkable.
"This goes against everything the Goddess speaks of, the Priestesses will curse you
for this, curse you and cast you down into the under world!" Ruth kicked out, trying
to break free as hands reached for the linen shift she wore beneath the dress.
"She`d have to know about it first, and I fear the Goddess, if she even does exist,
pays little attention to those who do not call upon her, or those who are sworn to another
path." Cara waved the two men away a little, not enough to shed the grip they had on
Ruth, but so she could step close.
"How can you do this to me?" She`d thought of kissing Cara again, of doing so
much more, now the thought of the woman touching her skin left it crawling in disgust.
"Because it`s what I need to do, a pity really. If Gavin had not decided he was
interested in you I might have slowly welcomed you into the delights I have to share. But
I can only hope he won`t mind me claiming a few small touches before he arrives, or at
least a kiss. Yes, a small kiss. He won`t object to that as it will leave you
whole."
Whole. Untouched. Goddess, what dark desires would he seek to inflict on her body?
"Please, Cara, we`ve been friends, I beg you don`t do this too me."
"What could you possibly offer me that would make me want to change my mind?"
Cara leaned forward, brushing her lips over Ruth`s throat, nibbling, her fingers caught in
the thin shift that still covered Ruth`s body. "He`ll pay me a handsome sum, enough
to keep me going for a year or more."
Slender fingers caressed down over her shoulders, cupping lightly covered breasts, thumbs
playing over hardened nipples until Ruth trembled, her body caught between a soft, growing
passion and the fear that surrounded her heart. "Please, I`ll give you whatever you
want."
"Kiss me then, kiss me with everything you still lay claim to."
She nodded, meeting Cara`s gaze fearfully as the other woman leaned closer. In a moment
their lips touched, a soft brush of pleasure fueled by fear shot through Ruth`s body, lips
parting as Cara pressed the kiss deeper, slipping her tongue against Ruth`s, stroking,
claiming. Breath caught in the back of her throat as she felt Cara`s insistence and tried
to respond to it with an eagerness she no longer felt. Goddess, how could she trust a
woman who had already sought to betray her, sell her on, but what other choice did she
have?
With a soft whimper she leaned into the kiss, seeking, hoping to please, to change the
other woman`s mind. Find a way to escape the slavery, the marriage forced slavery that
Cara wanted to sell her into. She nibbled against Cara`s lips, her arms still held tight
by the two men, only to cry out as teeth bit down hard into her own bottom lip.
Fingers caught at her nipples, twisting at them, pain shooting through her body as she
arched under the harsh grip. Pain that lanced down between her thighs, firing the desire
that already bubbled there. What sort of sick, twisted individual was she if that type of
touch, forced, taken without mercy, could arouse her?
Slick need, she`d heard the words before in passing. The sort of thing used to speak of
the sluts that worked in the tavern, not one applied to a woman of her standing, yet now
she could feel it, a slick, heated need that threatened to coat her inner thighs. Would it
have taken much more to turn her into a moaning little whore, just like those girls in the
village?
"You`re such a sweet offering, delicate, the hint of the passion and promise within
your body. You have so much delight to discover about how the body can react, but I`m sure
your new husband will teach you everything you need to know." Linen ripped under the
woman`s grip, the shift, the last veil of modesty between Ruth and those in the room, fell
away.
"Bitch, you said..."
The crack rang out, one hand slapping hard against Ruth`s cheek, dazing her vision as a
soft cry of pain and fear followed the sound of hand against flesh.
"Now, now, that`s not really the sort of language you`ll be permitted to use.
Slaves must learn to show respect to their betters." Cara touched her other cheek,
lifting her gaze back up to meet the cold one she offered. "Just as you will learn to
kneel before free men and women, a lesson that should begin now. Put her to her knees and
bind her hands. Her owner should be here shortly."
Ruth wanted to cry out, scream for help, but the wards would make it pointless. Her cheek
stung from the slap, no blood, just heat and pain that radiated across her face, her gaze
recovering even as the two men forced her down to her knees, her wrists bound in the small
of her back with a thin cord, the sort that would cut into her flesh if she tried to twist
free.
Shame claimed her skin, turning it scarlet as she struggled on her knees. The softness,
the side of her that normally sought a way to please others, now hid at the back of her
mind as a rage came to the fore front, a need to struggle, kick free, find a way to break
out of the situation. Foolish. Naked, bound, on her knees, how could she find a way out?
It was more than that, though. Far worse than the humiliation of being held naked on her
knees in front of three people was the knowledge that a part of her, a small wicked part
of her, enjoyed it.
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