Pricing The Heart

Chapter 3

Eloise heard him enter; fear immediately jolting up her spine as she listened to him cross the room. She imagined she must serve him tonight in ways a woman was expected to serve a man, and although she did not look forward to the experience, she hoped it would end early enough for her to execute her escape plan.

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 was needed and quietly exit the room.

Something tugged at her neck, reminding her of the rope tied to it. Silently cursing James for the humiliation he had put her through all evening, she braced herself for the pain and discomfort that would accompany the stranger's next move...but it never came. He instead released her and stepped back, his soft footsteps fading across the room.

A small frown settled on her face at the sound of the squeaking rocking chair. She opened her eyes and stole a glance at him, her frown deepening when she found him on the rocking chair with his head thrown back against the backrest.

What was he doing?!

Confused, she watched him for several minutes until his loud snores began filling the room.

Perhaps he didn't think she was attractive, for she had never met a man who chose to sleep in a chair rather than next to a woman. Still, attractiveness never seemed to matter to James—neither attractiveness nor willingness.

Shoving the thought aside, she scrambled to her feet. She needed to leave before he woke up, she thought, hurrying to his side where his coat was draped over his knees. She crouched down before him and silently buried her hand in his pocket. A small smile settled on 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 would make a fortune from this, she thought, rising to her feet. If she was lucky, its absence would not be noticed until she was gone.

She turned to him, guilt stabbing her heart. He had shown her great kindness in rescuing 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 didn't believe she had a choice. She couldn't trust him not to hurt her like James had, and she was afraid an opportunity to escape might never present itself again.

She had to go! Certainly she wouldn't be missed, for he had been unwilling to buy her in the first place. And as for his watch, she suspected he was wealthy enough to replace it.

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 also to return to the cottage in time to pack a few of her belongings before James returned from the tavern to find her.

Her limbs protested her actions 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, thankful when she found the door locked. The fact that it was locked meant James wasn't home yet, for he never locked the doors; he was always too intoxicated to remember.

She unlocked the door quickly, stumbling in the darkness 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 closed her trunk and tucked the items in a carpet bag before rising to her feet and crossing the room. She reached the door when the memory of the watch drifted to her. Fearing she might have lost it in her haste, she buried her hand in her pocket and extracted it.

It was then the door swung open to reveal James.

*

"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. Reaching out suddenly, 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 tightened her grip on the watch; she couldn't lose it, for it was her only hope of freedom.

"James, please..." she begged.

"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..." The words died on her lips as his fingers curled around her throat, stealing the air from her lungs.

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 shrouding her vision as her 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!