WANTED

Chapter Eleven

Elizabeth sat at the kitchen table watching Nickolas while he cleaned glass and stew off of the floor. What a strange man. He made quick work of the debris and mopped the floor. His movements were smooth and calm. He didn't seem angry at all.
Her pa would have beaten her bloody for that mess, Nickolas was so different. Even when he had cause to hit her, he was calm and gentle. Pa said her husband wouldn't need a reason to hurt her, said it was a man's right.

Elizabeth cried and begged when her pa bent her over the bed and raised her skirts. "Think yer all grown, now. Think yer a woman. I'll tech ya wat a woman is t'a man. Is all yer good fer." No amount of begging would make him stop. All because she smiled at a boy in the mercantile. Elizabeth closed her eyes and tried to drown out the pain, thinking of pretty things, she made believe that she was a princess in a tower waiting for her knight to come and slay the dragon..

She could still feel her Pas' rough hand pressing her head into the filthy blanket, feel the sting of his hips on her backside, when Nickolas set a steaming cup of coffee before her. Gentle hands thumbed tears from her cheeks. " 'Lizabth," his soft gravely voice brought her fully into the present. He was crouched beside her chair, looking as tortured as she was. "What's going on inside that pretty head of yours?" Pretty, no one had ever said she was pretty before. She wanted so badly to trust his kindness. But Pa taught her better than that at their core all men were like Pa. He'd made sure she'd never forget it.

"Talk to me, Elizabeth. What's wrong?" He seemed genuinely worried. Maybe she could trust him, just a little.
"I-im confused." She couldn't tell him the horror of her childhood. But maybe she could try to understand this strange man.
"Maybe I can help. But you gotta tell me what's going on."
"Y-you didn't p-punish m-me. A-and you cleaned m-my m-mess." For a split second, Nickolas looked angry. She'd seen it before when she told him about the wagon train, a flash of anger. Was that his true nature? Was he waiting to show her who he really was? Maybe he'd wait, keep track of everything she did wrong, and punish her at the end of the day.
"Why on earth would I punish you?" He was definitely angry but also sad.
"I-i broke you t-things, and I-i made a m-mess." Did he want her to confess? They were both there, he knew what happened.
"Accidents happen, Elizabeth. I startled you, that's all. It's nothing to fret over."
"B-but,"
"No buts. The only harm done is the cuts on your feet, but they aren't too bad, should be fine tomorrow. Now, let's eat our supper and be done with it."
"I d-dont understand."
"Elizabeth, you could brake ever dish in this house, and I would not lay a finger on you." He was serious. Elizabeth focused her attention on her plate, still puzzled about her strange husband.