The watery early morning sunlight
barely penetrated the thin curtains, but the moment that it grazed the Abbe's
face his eyes snapped open. Maybe it
was his sleeping conscience, but his mind was instantly weighed down with
stirring emotions. He rolled slowly
onto his side and drew in a sharp breath as he saw Madeline's sleeping form,
her body exquisitely rising and falling with her deep even breathing. A slight
feeling of apprehension trickled through his mind...surely, now he would have
to quit his job here at the institution. He had a reasonable sum of money stashed away...reasonable for a man of
his class anyway. He needed to take her
away from this, anything just to be with her, forever. His eyes, deeper than the Pacific Ocean and
twice as green, continually studied her beautiful face, features so radiant,
they might have been painted on by a master of the arts. God, how he loved her. He watched with a
childlike fascination as Maddie slept, her long, feathery eyelashes gently
brushing her sleep-flushed cheeks, full mouth parted slightly as she
dreamt. He ached to reach out and touch
her lovingly on the cheek, his hand hovering in the air, but with an endearing
smile he set it back down again for fear of waking her. Maddie awoke to see
Abbe staring lovingly down upon her, his soft, tousled black hair framing his
handsome face, eyes bright and full of love and hope, soft lips curled in a
gentle, satisfied smile. He greeted her
emergence from her dream-washed cocoon with a gentle, featherlight kiss on the
lips.
'Good morning my love' he said in that soft, sweet voice that made the
hairs on her neck stand on end. Maddie shut her eyes and sighed
contentedly. 'Good morning.' She felt a
tender, almost ginger finger trace the outline of her lips. She opened her eyes and giggled girlishly,
the ever-brightening sunlight making her deep blue eyes sparkle with
vitality. Despite the early morning
chill, she felt warm and safe, like a fire was flickering deep within her. Abbe
gathered Maddie into his muscular arms, naked flesh against naked flesh,
savouring the feeling that he had wanted for so long. He had thought that giving into temptation, especially of the
sexual kind, was a sign of weakness, but now he felt stronger, more fulfilled,
and more ready to take on the world than ever before. 'Maddie' he whispered. 'I
love you...I love this. I've never felt
so happy in my life.' He felt Maddie's chest rise and swell against him with
her still-sleepy rhythm. She nuzzled
into his neck, feeling almost childlike again, arms wrapped around him ever
tighter. Almost inaudibly, she breathed
'I love you too.' Abbe pulled her tighter and laughed gently, the laugh that
made Maddie's stomach plunge with excitement. 'I'm going to squeeze the life
out of you at this rate.' Maddie
laughed and kissed his neck gently. She
pulled away with the reluctance of a child from a toy, each inch away from him
seeming like a mile. A flittering look
of panic contorted across Abbe's face, simultaneously amusing and saddening
Madeline. 'Maddie? Where are you going?' She brushed a wayward
lock of black hair from his forehead. 'Oh love,' she whispered, 'the day is growing bolder, and I must leave
to my laundry duties.' He clasped her hand tightly. 'How about,' he breathed, 'If you didn't' Maddie giggled nervously, 'Abbe, I do still
have a job, and you do too'. He thought
for a while. 'What if I didn't go to work either?' Maddie was confused. 'Abbe...what are you talking about?'
A sudden rush of adrenaline
washed over his body. 'Maddie, lets leave here, soon, today now!! If we stay,
it will have to be in secret, if we leave, we can proclaim our love to
all!' His somewhat idealistic eagerness
and the flames burning in his eyes made Maddie explode into giggles. She didn't mean to, but the gushing emotions
that she had felt in such a short space of time overwhelmed her. She placed a
pale hand over her mouth and tried to control herself. There was a glint of mischief in Abbe's eyes
and she reveled in it. 'Feeling
coquettish, Maddie?' Maddie flung her arms around Abbe and kissed him hard,
temporarily forgetting that she had linens to wash. Suddenly, a loud knock at
the door disrupted their playful kisses, 'Abbe, I'm here for ya linens' came a
harsh voice that they both recognised as Charlotte's. 'SHIT!' Maddie whispered. Abbe covered her mouth with a hand. 'Hide' he mouthed. She nodded, and dove beneath the bed, still
naked as the day her god made her. Abbe
hurriedly threw on his nightgown, gathered a few miscellaneous sheets in his
arms, and rushed to the door. 'Good
morning Charlotte' he said graciously as he opened the door, without a trace of
breathlessness. 'You're looking well'. Charlotte eyed him suspiciously, which was nothing new, since she viewed
everyone in such a manner. It still
made Abbe's knees weak with panic, however contrived. 'As do you Abbe' she retorted, pulling the sheets from his arms
and trotting down to the next room. Her
shrill voice grew quieter as Abbe closed the door, leaning on it and letting
out a heavy sigh of relief. He leant against the door, doubting his own legs of
the support that they would offer. He
hastily scampered over to his small mirror, scrutinising his face to show any
sign of deceit or arousal. Maddie
scrambled from underneath the bed and clambered onto the bed, still
giggling. She put a mocking finger over
her mouth, faking shame. 'Ooh Abbe,'
she murmured, 'I have nothing to wrap myself in.' Abbe slowly turned from the mirror and grinned, making Maddie's
heart flutter. She eyes his nightshirt
like an antique inspector estimating the price of an heirloom. 'That looks like it would suit me just
fine. But it would look even better on
the floor.' Abbe walked slowly over to the bed and sat next to Madeline,
tracing her collarbone with his finger and nearing in for yet another
kiss. But, as their lips were about to
meet, a loud shriek came from one of the inmate's cells. Maddie,' he began. She
held a finger to his lips. 'I know...go' she whispered. He smiled, kissed her gently once more, and
disrobed to put on his clothes for the day, enjoying the intoxicating feeling
of Maddie watching his every move.
Maddie dealt her chores with a singular happiness and song in her step
that day, a fact unknown and unnoticed by all but the one who noticed her
almost as much as the Abbe did. The
Marquis de Sade whispered as she collected his linens. 'Come Maddie, visit
me. I need to relieve
some...tension' The exotically placed
pause in his speech warned Maddie of an impending sexual attempt, but she felt
so powerful, today, she could conquer all. Before, such a purr through the
small gap in the Marquis' door would send an illicit thrill through her, the
virginal laundry lass visiting the sexually charged pervert- it was strangely
arousing for both parties. She turned
the key in the lock and entered the room, basket of linens under her arm. Marquis was leaning back in his ornate
chair, legs up on his desk. He had the
cocky arrogance of a roguish criminal, a gleam in his eye somewhat
unnerving. But today, Madeline was not
at all intimidated. He let his legs
fall to the floor and eyed her like a tiger eyes an antelope. 'I have a new manuscript.' Maddie set down
her linens and dusted herself off. 'Oh
do you now? What is it about this
time?' The Marquis tried to ignore the faltering nonchalance in her voice. 'A lovely young aristocrat with a raging
desire for all things perverted.' Madeline sat down, perching herself on the edge
of his chez lounge. The Marquis leant
forward suggestively. 'Would you like
to read it? Usual price.' He reached to
pull her to him but Madeline pulled away and picked up her basket. 'Not now Marquis, I have a lot of work to
do.' Marquis shrank back into his chair and raised an eyebrow. 'Oh, I see. You've been getting it somewhere else
haven't you Maddie?' She had to admit,
he was good. Nerves tingled in her
spine as she shrugged off the accusations, 'Of course not Marquis...What makes
you say that?' He sensed the wavering
in the girl's voice. She was lying
through her pearly white teeth. 'You've
been fucked, haven't you?' He jibed. 'Virginal little Madeline, fucked like a slut. I bet it was that pussy of an Abbe'. At this, Maddie lashed
out, her senses inflamed by his defamation of her beloved. 'Don't you DARE
speak to the Abbe in such a way!! He's a far greater man than you could ever
be!'. 'Ah,' was the Marquis'
reply. He slid a skilled tongue over
aging teeth, contemplating his next move. 'So, he DID fuck you!' He let out a crowing laugh, attempting to push
all the rage and betrayal he felt into a bellowing guffaw. He failed. 'The
Abbe? You, and the Abbe?' To Madeline's dismay, she felt hot, angry tears fill
her eyes. Her lower lip trembled and
she felt the power of speech diminish within her. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps. The Marquis grinned, almost aroused at his
power over her, fuelled by the burning anger and jealousy that ate at his
insides. He rose to his feet and loomed
over Madeline, watching and analysing her, fully and painfully aware of her
beauty. 'I bet that he had to go and
whip himself after fucking you, overwhelmed by guilt. Tomorrow you'll find him bleeding to death in his quarters from
the self inflicted wounds to his wrists, and you'll be to blame for letting him
ravage you.' An evil leer smeared across his face. 'How WOULD you cope?' Madeline threw down her basket and lunged at the door, fumbling for her
key through her tears. Her trembling
fingers betrayed her motive, and she pounded helplessly on the door. Guttural sobs wracked her body, the lack of
air making her feel dizzy and nauseous. Marquis grasped the back of her dress and pulled her to face him. 'Is that all it was, fucking?' he spat. 'You,
Madeline, fucking a man of GOD?' Inaudible words escaped her lips, tears flowing
freely down her face and splattering the floor of the Marquis' quarters. He stared at her before hissing 'Get
out. I may write about whore, but I do
not associate with them.' He pushed Madeline out of the door, kicking her
basket out after her. After he heard
her walk away, he slumped in his chair and began to sob.
Abbe de Coulmier strode down the hallway towards the Marquis' quarters
with one word on his mind: Vengeance. He threw the door open with a flourish, barging in on the unsuspecting
Marquis. He grabbed the him by the
throat, and pinned him to the wall, anger giving him seemingly unlimited
strength. 'Now you look here Marquis'
he spat through clenched teeth. 'I love
Madeline, and no priest would ever waste his entire life's training for a
sordid little fuck' The Marquis was
shocked, but managed to keep hold of his cocksure attitude. 'Why, my dear Abbe, I don't believe I've
ever seen you quite so...emotional. I
guess that little bitch really gave you a good ride.' Abbe sucked in a breath of air, ready to strangle the man to
death, but instead letting the older man drop to the floor. 'You pitiful, perverted old man' He sneered. 'I know you love her too...I've seen how you look at her, how you speak
with her, I've even heard the soft cries of loneliness in the night. But she could never love you. You're just a puerile, cheap source of
entertainment, and that's all you'll ever be. No respectable people ever read that filth you write, only peasants on
the streets and perverts in the prisons. Maddie could never love you. But she loves me. And you just can't take that can you? you never thought that a
man of god like me could love her with the passion and devotion of another!
Well, Marquis, you're going to die a sad, lonely man, who was only ever good
for a cheap fuck and a quick thrill. No
woman could ever love a sick pervert like you.' The Marquis looked up at the Abbe,
and was, for the first time in his life, speechless. Abbe struggled to catch
his breath, his stomach churning with sheer hate for the man. Sweat had broken out on the Marquis's brow
and he wiped hurriedly at it. His voice
was shaking. 'Fine. If that's the way
you feel.' He pointed a garishly-decorated finger accusingly at Abbe. 'Wherever you go, and whatever you do, realise
that I know that you have succumbed to the emotion that I have created.' Abbe
scowled at the Marquis. 'It wasn't a
depraved lust Marquis, I hate to disappoint you. Does it arouse you to think that it was nothing more than a cheap
fuck?' He shook his head out of sympathy, but fury made his eyes glimmer. 'It makes me sick to think of how you looked
at Maddie and how you wanted to ravish her.' The Marquis glared at Abbe with a
frightening menace. 'It won't make my
readers sick when I write about how I fucked that cheap little laundry lass,
inexperienced and untarnished.' His eyes took on a faraway look. 'I'll write how I lured her into my quarters
with promises of lusty tales, how I forced her to scream time and time again,
fucking her countless times. How I
deflowered a young innocent, while all along the impotent priest ached with
longing when he heard her moans.' A sickening leer contorted the Marquis'
features, and Abbe felt that he was going to faint. 'You will die before you do such a thing.' The Marquis licked his
lips as if aroused. 'Is that a threat
Abbe?' 'Oh Marquis, it will not be I that kills you. Whether you rot in this asylum, or die while being buggered by an
insane inmate, I know you died inside the moment you found out that I have Maddie,
and that she loves me, that very moment your pulsating, blistering heart was
reduced to a shriveled, pathetic shadow of an organ, much like another part of
your anatomy. Marquis, I don't care if
you write your book or not, because you may have the words to remind you of the
love of your life, but I'm the one who holds her in my arms and feels her
tender lips every day.' he Abbe's words were like fire-tipped arrows piercing
his heart. He buried his head in his hands,
his body begin to tremble, then shake, and finally jolt with sobs. Abbe remained still, not to see the man cry,
but to his own emotional confusion rooting him to the spot. The Marquis held out a quivering hand to
him. 'Please...let me have her just
once.' His voice was like that of a man choking. Abbe shook his head. 'Marquis, I will not for many reasons. Firstly, I would not subject one as precious
as Madeline to such torture. Secondly,
she has already been touched and loved, your exclusiveness eliminated. And wouldn't that cease your enjoyment? To know that she has been loved by another?'
The Marquis wiped his eyes with the heel of his hand. 'I WANT her Abbe. I've
wanted her since I first set eyes on her.' Abbe ached to ask why the Marquis
questioned his worthiness, but bit back the words. Marquis shook his head. 'But
now you've got there first. She loves
you, not me.' 'I will never relent, Abbe,' Began the Marquis, quavering,
defeated voice belying his attempted harsh words. 'I'll always love her more,
always....' Abbe breathed deeply. He
had won, and they both knew it. The Marquis would never accept it, but Abbe
accepted that. 'Shush Marquis.' He
whispered. 'Don't waste your words' The
Marquis visibly crumpled, bitter tears leaving a jagged trail on his pale,
dusted face. Nothing more was said between the two men. Words were now an unneeded commodity. All had been said. All that could be heard
were the pained groans of inmates, sloshing of water in the laundry quarters
and Madeline's harrowing sobs. Each sob
clutched either man's heart like a skeletal hand, squeezing with growing
strength. Abbe turned on his heel and
left the room, ignoring the Marquis. Marquis just watched him, still slumped on the floor. Devoid of spark or life, he lay out flat,
corpse-like, staring at the ceiling, seeing nothing.
Abbe sat in the rocking carriage, an arm placed lovingly around a
sleeping Maddie. Leaving in the night
gave them the anonymity that they desired. A replacement had been recruited and was arriving the next morning. e
looked out at the stars that dotted the blanket of countryside sky that
shrouded their leaving. Maddie's
porcelain skin shone white beneath the moonlight, and her pure beauty still
took his breath away. A contented smile
curved her slightly parted lips as she slept. Kissing her forehead softly, he nuzzled into her soft hair and closed
his eyes, drowning in the pure, blissful sensation of freedom. Suddenly, a piercing, male scream cut through
the air like a whip, and the lovers bolted upright. 'NO! NO MADELINE! DONT LEAVE ME! NO....' The voice faded away,
and the sounds of a struggle took over, and slowly the air was as quiet as it
had always been. Maddie, visibly
shaken, turned her face to a similarly affected Abbe. She stroked his cheek sleepily. 'We're doing the right thing Abbe' she whispered, as the horseman's whip
sounded, and the carriage began to roll clumsily along the pebbled road. 'The further we are away from him, the
better'. She kissed him gently, and
returned to her sleeping position.
'I know Maddie,' he breathed. 'My
God, do I know.' Madeline squeezed her eyes shut, ridding herself of all
memories of the Marquis. Abbe stroked
her cheek, almost paternally, easing her off to sleep. The cool night air calmed them both, the
stars their map and the sky their limit. At last, they were off the path to hell.
