Will You Teach Me… ?
Hello Everyone ! It is so good to be baaaaack ! I've been working on this for months, and to be honest I didn't know whether to publish it or not. This fiction WILL be toxic and twisted. Yes, this is intentional. No, I'm not romanticizing rape. Yes, the mood of the whole fiction will be pretty much similar to Season 5, episode 10. Brianna will be forced to interact with Stephen and no matter how she feels at some point, she will always seek justice. This fic might be some kind of weird redemption arc for Stephen BUT this version of Stephen Bonnet is very much the same as in canon (although a bit more obsessed with our heroin). You have been warned.
I can't wait to read your comments and hope you will be as supportive and amazing as you were during The Clover and The Tartan !
Man That You Fear
June 1773
Brianna Fraser dropped into one of the wooden chairs on her parents' porch and let out a weary sigh. After two days spent trying to save the crops from the grasshoppers, then another two more washing the sheets they had used to direct the smoke, in order to rid them of any smell of liquid manure and coal, life was back to normal with its share of exhausting chores. Now add to this a three-year-old to raise and a husband who was still slightly upset about the details of her encounter with Stephen Bonnet in his prison cell… It was the first time in days, if not weeks, that she actually managed to sit down and relax. Alone. Roger had left to help the other men in the fields, Claire and Jamie had just returned to Fraser's Ridge after Aunt Jocasta's third wedding, and Marsali was looking after the children somewhere in the house. Only the sound of the wind in the trees and the chirping of birds disturbed the silence. She closed her eyes, enjoying this brief moment of peace, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
The voice that woke her with a start almost knocked her off her chair and her eyelids fluttered before her eyes fell on the stranger standing a few feet away from her. A strict-looking, well-dressed man wearing a white wig was staring at her as if awaiting an answer to a question she hadn't heard.
"Brianna Fraser MacKenzie?", the man repeated, raising his chin.
"Herself", she replied, hopping to her feet. "How can I help you?"
The man did not answer and pulled out a sealed letter from inside his jacket, which he handed to her. As soon as the letter was between her fingers, the man spoke again.
"Mrs. MacKenzie, you have been sued and ordered to attend Wilmington court. All the details are in the letter that I just gave you. Now that you are officially informed of the situation, you may know that any refusal to appear in court will have consequences on the judgment that will be passed there. In other words, I recommend you to come…"
Brianna stared at the man, who was probably the equivalent of modern bailiffs. "Sued? In Court? But… who would do such a thing? And why?"
"As I said before, all you need to know is in this letter… Again, I highly recommend that you appear in Court on time and… if possible, in your Sunday best…", he concluded with a contemptuous look at the simple dress she wore to work in the fields or in the house.
Brianna glared at him but didn't say anything. She watched the man get back on his horse and gallop off Fraser's Ridge before unsealing the letter with shaking hands. It could only be a mistake. She had done no harm to anyone in this century, at least nothing that could not be settled amicably. It had to be a mistake...
Her heart skipped a beat as she read the first handwritten lines on the parchment. This had to be a nightmare. Yes, that was it, she was still asleep and the bailiff's visit was just a dream. That message couldn't be real… She felt like she was about to scream and put a hand over her mouth.
"Brianna?", Marsali's voice came from the open front door. "Is everythin' alreit?"
Brianna collapsed on the porch steps, struggling to breathe, and handed her the letter as her limbs began to shake uncontrollably. Marsali literally snatched the parchment from her hand and read it, her eyes gradually widening with each line.
"I, the undersigned Stephen Bonnet, born in the year 1737 in Sligo, Ireland, hereby summons Mrs. Brianna Ellen Fraser MacKenzie, residing in Fraser's Ridge, North Carolina, to appear before the North Carolina court at a hearing to be held on July 14, 1773 at 2 p.m. If she were to be absent, the defendant is informed that a judgment might be passed against her on the sole arguments of the plaintiff...", Marsali read in a high-pitched voice. "But… what exactly has he got against ye?"
"Keep reading…", Brianna whined, still trying to keep control of her breathing and vocal cords.
Marsali's eyes scanned the next paragraph at high speed, before widening again. "Interference with parental authority? Denial of parental reits?... What kind of a joke is th-... Moral damage?", she yelled, furious at the last word. "What about yer moral damage? Do they even care?"
Without even knowing if her knees would be able to support her weight, Brianna scrambled up to her feet and took the letter back like a robot. She didn't need to read it again, however. Every word, every stroke of the quill was engraved in her mind as clearly as if she had taken a picture of it. She stared for a long time at Bonnet's signature at the bottom of the page, taunting and humiliating her, and realized that he would never allow her to move on and overcome the trauma he had inflicted on her. How could the court allow this man to sue her, his bloody victim? How could he even apply to the court when he had escaped death sentence twice for piracy, murder and smuggling? None of this made any sense and yet the explanation was simple: whatever some men did, they always found a way out, but if a woman dared to commit a tenth of their actions, even to ensure her own safety, she would not be granted any preferential treatment. Centuries passed and some things, no matter how unfair, remained set in stone. Immoveable.
Brianna clenched her fist on the parchment, crumpling it, and wondered how she would break this horrible news to her parents. And Roger. Oh God, Roger… This whole story could only come to a sticky end, in blood, tears and violence. She could never let Bonnet get any rights over Jeremiah. Jamie would probably go mad with rage and commit the irreparable. Roger… She didn't even want to imagine his reaction. They could go back to the twentieth century, but with the significant risk that Jemmy would not be a traveler, or worse, be sent to another era. No, leaving this century with a three-year-old was not an option. But abandoning him into Stephen Bonnet's hands wasn't one either.
"Ye're not actually thinkin' about goin', are ye?", Marsali protested, guessing by Brianna's expression that she was seriously considering complying with the letter's demands. "Ye could run away with Roger. In another colony?"
"No…", Brianna breathed, shaking her head. "If I don't go, I will not only lose the case, but also Jemmy. And I refuse to live as an outlaw when we are not criminals."
"But if ye go, ye'll lose anyway!", Marsali cried, arms folded across her chest. "Ye ken that bairns belong tae their father, no matter what!"
Brianna pursed her lips, refraining from telling her that no, she didn't know, because where she came from, full custody was more and more often given to mothers. "They can't let a man like him win. They just can't. And the only way to make them understand is to go there and defend myself!"
"I'm afraid Roger willnae agree with ye…", retorted the blonde with a disapproving pout.
"Yeah, well, Roger isn't the one being taken to court. I am…" She bit her lip, aware that she had been a little too harsh with poor Marsali. But from the start, she had always and only thought about Roger. How he would react knowing she had been defiled by someone else, that she was pregnant, and finally that she had told Bonnet about her child. Every single time, she had worried about his opinion before even questioning herself about how she felt, about her own suffering, hiding the most squalid details so as not to trouble him. Details that during her many sleepless nights, she ended up drawing in crude black and white. It had been a while since she had last drawn his face. Since she had tossed all her sketches of the pirate into the fire, hoping it would set her free. Boy, was she naive...
July 14th... She had only a short month left to find a lawyer, prepare her defense and get to Wilmington for the hearing. But with what money? Jamie's whiskey business added a little extra to what they got selling the crops and treating patients. But would that be enough to afford the services of an experienced lawyer? The only one she knew was her aunt Jocasta's, who had asked for her hand four years earlier. A certain Neil Forbes… She didn't like the thought of asking a man she had brutally rejected for help, but she might have no other alternative. She folded the letter abruptly and was about to slip it into her apron pocket, when Roger's voice rose nearby. "Why the long faces…? Is there a problem?" He noticed the parchment and the red wax seal in Brianna's hands and added: "What is this?"
Marsali glanced one last time at Brianna and disappeared inside the house so as not to get involved in the coming argument. The redhead bit her lip and turned to her husband, trying to look determined. But her eyes were shining with such terror and doubt that Roger's frown only deepened.
Slowly, she handed him the letter without a word. As if he had sensed that this had something to do with him, Jeremiah came running on the porch, his wubby – one of Brianna's old scarves he had been carrying around for at least two years – trapped between his adorable and drooling lips. Brianna immediately took him in her arms: reading that awful letter had triggered in her the almost sick urge to hug her son and never let go. She saw Roger's eyes scan the lines, his eyebrows rising higher and higher on his forehead as he read, before looking up in awe. "Is this a joke?"
"Does it look like one to you?", Brianna spat, a tad more harshly than intended. "I guess we have a different sense of humor..."
In shock, Roger read the letter again. But every word, every sentence, was perfectly clear, so much so that when he finally looked up, he couldn't help but let his gaze linger on Jemmy, who was patiently sucking on his wubby, his head propped up against Bree's shoulder and neck. Unfortunately for Roger, Brianna saw it: the flash of bitterness that had crossed his hazel eyes at the sight of the boy's blond hair and blue irises. Jemmy had his mother's eyes, but his golden hair was nothing like the MacKenzies' or the Frasers'. Roger had not studied genetics, but he knew for a fact that the genes responsible for blue eyes and blonde hair did not stand a chance against brown eyes and hair like his own. Statistically, if Jemmy had been his son, his hair should have been dark. And not as blond as a field of wheat...
"Stop that…", Brianna said, pulling him out of his dark thoughts. She had read his mind so easily that he wondered for a moment if he hadn't been thinking aloud. "Jemmy is your son."
"Ye cannae be sure."
As every time this delicate subject was brought up, he saw Brianna's eyebrows frown in pain. "He is to me. Period."
Roger raised his eyebrows, nodding slowly. "That's not what ye told Bonnet when ye went tae visit him in jail… And look where it got ye."
Brianna gritted her teeth. She had already explained her decision to visit the pirate during her pregnancy: she wanted to forgive him before he was hanged, to move on with her life, but also to give him the illusion that there would be something left of him in this world, a child he would never know. At that moment – whether Jemmy was indeed Bonnet's son or Roger's – she had just wanted to bring some peace to a soul that would soon be swept off the face of the Earth. How could she ever have imagined that the pirate would escape and then attempt to get his son back, three years later? And how could Roger even blame her for it? He who had abandoned her to her fate less than an hour before she was raped, then again when he had found out she was pregnant and probably by another man? Roger had his share of responsibility in this story and had only given his support after months of internal deliberation. And not entirely. Nevertheless, Brianna had forgiven him. A favor he didn't seem particularly inclined to return. As she did not want to start yet another argument over a topic that had already been discussed over and over again, Brianna shook her head and went back inside with Jemmy.
~o~
That same evening – after leaving Fraser's Ridge to Ian, Fergus and Marsali – Roger, Brianna, her parents and Jemmy had left for Cross Creek, hoping that Neil Forbes, Jamie's aunts' lawyer, would accept their case. They had decided to go there directly, rather than wasting precious time in unnecessary correspondence. There was less than a month left before the hearing and it would already take eight days to reach Cross Creek, and one more day to get to Wilmington. The only letter Jamie had written, his hand shaking with anger, was addressed to his aunt Jocasta, warning her of their arrival in River Run. Jamie's first impulse as a Scot had been to "find Stephen Bonnit and shoot him reit atween the eyes", but Brianna had convinced him not to. If Bonnet had succeeded in referring his case to court, then he had probably found a way to clear his name before that. Killing him in cold blood would therefore make Jamie a murderer and he would be sentenced to death. And neither Brianna nor Claire wanted to take that risk. The only reasonable solution was therefore to request Forbes' services...
"I hope he forgot the trick you and Lord Grey played on him...", Claire muttered, clutching the edge of the cart as it passed over a deep pothole.
"He is a professional, he'll get over it", Jamie grumbled, tightening the reins around his right wrist. "Jocasta would nae have made him her closest legal and financial adviser if he wisnae worthy of troost."
Roger frowned. "What trick?"
At the front of the cart, both parents stiffened and exchanged awkward looks. Behind them, sitting next to Roger, Brianna's cheeks flushed. The incident with Forbes and how she had wriggled out of his proposal claiming to be engaged to her father's friend, Lord John Grey, had not reached Roger's ears and she had never bothered to tell him about it since this fake engagement had ended the second Roger had reached River Run, ten months after their argument in Wilmington and one month after Jeremiah was born.
"John and I pretended to be engaged so that I would not have to marry Mr. Forbes, as Jocasta wanted me to…"
"When did that happen?", Roger asked with a hint of annoyance.
"During my pregnancy." This time, Brianna had been voluntarily harsh with him, so he would understand that "during my pregnancy" actually meant "the nine months during which you decided to abandon me after you slept with me, lied to me and humiliated me". She had also been able to forgive him over time, but Roger and his recent fits of jealousy did not make it easier for her.
"Any other secret fiancés or men ye want tae tell me about before we get tae Cross Creek? We have a week ahead of us, do ye think it will be enough tae list them all?"
Brianna opened her mouth wide, outraged at his unfair and unnecessarily hurtful remark, and she wasn't the only one: Jamie had brutally pulled the brake and turned around, eyes sparkling with rage.
"I have always been very patient with ye, Roger, because I was ashamed of the way Ian and I had treated ye… But if ye ever hold Brianna responsible fur things over which she had no control, I will bring ye back tae the Mohawks and trade ye again fur a pair of trinkets."
Roger's mouth closed and he looked away, as Claire reached out to grab her daughter's hand. Brianna smiled sadly and chose to focus on the only person in the cart who did not seem angry, disappointed or unhappy to be there: her son, sleeping soundly against her left breast, her old scarf crumpled between his tiny fingers.
The week's drive to Cross Creek was particularly long and tense. Roger and Jamie had hardly spoken to each other and Brianna hadn't been very talkative either, keeping her smiles and soft words for Jemmy who seemed absolutely delighted with this unexpected trip, spending nights under the stars by the fire and discovering new lands. The kid had always been quite easy-going, curious about everything, and pleasant with everyone. So much so that he was over the moon when he saw River Run, his great-great-aunt Jocasta, the stables full of majestic horses, the pond in the backyard, and especially his favorite person in the whole world (after his mother) : Phaedre, the young maid that took care of Brianna when she visited the plantation. Phaedre adored Jemmy and the feeling was mutual, and after freshening up a bit before they left for Forbes' office, Brianna knew Jemmy wouldn't even notice she was gone. As usual, he would spend hours in the kitchen with the young African American baking delicious cookies, devouring them, before taking a long nap with a full stomach and a wide smile plastered on his buttered lips.
Neil Forbes' office looked more like a small aristocratic living-room than a law firm. All of the waiting room chairs and sofas were covered in thick royal blue velvet, highlighted by the subdued glow of candles planted on sparkling silver chandeliers. Everything was decorated and cleaned to perfection, and Brianna didn't even dare to sit down. Roger and her parents, although they were all dressed up for the occasion, seemed to share her dismay as the four of them remained standing for long minutes, waiting for the lawyer's previous appointment to end.
When the office door suddenly opened, the Fraser-MacKenzies all jumped and straightened up. Forbes appeared in the doorframe and seemed surprised for a moment to see so many unannounced people in his waiting room, when he thought he was done with his day's work.
Forbes was a rather short-legged man with a slender face, close-set eyes and a turned-up nose, which made him look like a weasel. His eyes went from one impromptu guest to another, before finally landing on Brianna. She had expected him to be surprised, but there was something else in Neil Forbes's eyes. Something that looked like… anger? No. Contempt…, she understood a few seconds later. It didn't matter. If he was as good a lawyer as Aunt Jocasta claimed him to be, he would know how to put their differences aside. Or, worst case scenario, he would refuse to defend her. She had nothing to lose anyway. Walking towards him with a pleading glint in her eyes, she greeted him with a shy smile.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Forbes..."
"Mrs. MacKenzie…" His tone was cold, professional and detached. But he also seemed quite nervous, as if her presence was not welcome. He glanced briefly over his shoulder and half-closed his office door before taking a few steps into the waiting room. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"I need a lawyer", Brianna blurted out. "I have been sued and have to appear before Wilmington Court on July 14th. My aunt... says you are one of the best lawyers in North Carolina and strongly recommended that I come and request your services..."
"And you thought it was appropriate to come to my office unannounced?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Forbes. It's just… we only have three weeks left to prepare our defense and I thought we would waste precious time exchanging letters to arrange a meeting…"
The lawyer pursed his lips and lifted a haughty chin. This time, there was no doubt left: it was indeed contempt that Forbes' eyes vomited in her direction. Brianna frowned. After all this time – more than three years for Heaven's sake! – he still hadn't got past his failed marriage proposal? He couldn't be serious? Fucking male pride...
"It doesn't matter. I cannot take your case. Now please leave my office."
"Excuse me?", Roger and Claire exclaimed in unison.
"My aunt has entrusted ye with the management of her estate fur years and now her niece is in trouble, ye refuse tae help her?", Jamie growled, leaning slightly forward, his blue eyes flashing with anger.
Brianna narrowed her eyes, analyzing Forbes' demeanor, and let out a sarcastic burst of laughter. "I can't believe it... Are you still mad at me for refusing your hand? We barely knew each other back then, and I was pregnant by another man! It would have taken a lot more than one dinner to become your wife, I'm sure you can understand that?!"
"And yet, you accepted Lord Grey's proposal…", Forbes retorted immediately. Roger winced slightly, as if he also shared the lawyer's opinion, but Brianna didn't see him. She was too amazed by Forbes' lack of maturity.
"It was a setup! Lord Grey and I were never engaged! I just wanted to save time! Jesus Christ, if I had known you were still obsessed with this stupid incident..."
Forbes raised an eyebrow, and a hint of superiority added to contempt in his small eyes. "How presumptuous of you to think that this is the reason why I will not handle your defence..."
Brianna and her mother exchanged a look. What other reason could he have?
"Our… common mishap would not prevent me from defending you, if I could. I am a professional, Mrs. MacKenzie, whether you believe it or not." Brianna raised her eyebrows in irony, but he chose to ignore her. "It turns out that I am facing a conflict of interests here… You are a young woman with minimal education and although I don't expect you to grasp the intricate workings of my profession, I am sure you will be able to understand that I cannot represent the plaintiff and the defendant…"
Dead silence hung over the room and Brianna thought for a moment that her ears had failed her. Had he just said he couldn't defend her because...? Behind Forbes, the office door swung open again and Brianna's brain didn't immediately process the information sent by her optic nerves. A man had just appeared on the threshold. His gray-green velvet suit – embroidered with silver thread and adorned with buttons of the same color – looked brand new, as did the immaculate scarf wrapped around his neck. One of his palms was resting on a cane, but his somewhat rude way of holding it contrasted with the elegance he tried to achieve. His blonde hair was tied back in a neat ponytail and an S-shaped scar crossed his left cheek to the corner of his eye. The young woman felt a shiver of terror run down her spine when her gaze finally met Stephen Bonnet's. He stared back at her, his eyes half-closed and his perpetual mocking grin plastered on his face. Those two cold irises, that scar, and that calculating smile were the only things that hadn't changed since their last meeting in his cell, three years and a few months earlier. As for the rest… Bonnet seemed to have crossed paths with his fairy godmother, who had turned his old pirate rags into a gentleman's outfit, without – however – succeeding in improving the rest of the man. The question is… what kind of evil pumpkin does he turn into after midnight?
Bonnet was still staring at her and Brianna only noticed her hands were shaking when she reached for the back of a nearby chair. Roger said something she didn't make out, but she couldn't even ask him to repeat it. The pirate's green irises had drained her of all her energy, of all willpower... leaving only one thing: primal fear. Surprise, disgust, anger… She left those up to the other members of her family. Suddenly Bonnet's eyes left hers and his head snapped to the side. Jamie was swooping down on him, but was held back in extremis by Claire who yelled at him to calm down. Rightly so, for Forbes's voice rose before Jamie had even crossed half the distance between him and his daughter's rapist.
"Mr. Fraser, if any harm should come to my client, you will have to join your daughter at the dock... And if you still intend to ignore my advice, know that every blow will work in our favor... No judge would ever grant custody of a child to a woman whose parents behave like common barbarians."
"Would he grant it tae a man who attacked a defenseless young lass like a wild animal?", Roger barked, turning to Forbes. Claire, who was still trying to restrain Jamie, glanced anxiously at Brianna. Her husband's violent reaction worried her just as much as her daughter's lack of it, and she'd rather not imagine what Brianna felt at that moment, having to face her rapist unexpectedly. It was different from the jail, when she had had time to prepare...
Bonnet opened his mouth, ready to express his thoughts, but Forbes pointed his index finger in his direction. "Do not answer that, Mr. Bonnet." The Irishman closed his mouth and his smile slowly returned to his lips, as his eyes went back to their initial activity: staring at Brianna. Their gazes no longer met, however, and he saw the young woman's irises lingering in horror and disbelief on his elegant outfit, from his brand new buckled shoes to his elegant scarf. Deciding that he had caused enough troubles for the day, Bonnet slowly crossed the room, passing with almost insulting ease in front of Jamie – who was still held back by Claire – before stopping by Brianna. This time, the young woman's blue eyes left his expensive clothes and went back to Bonnet's, much to his delight. Her lips parted, her whole body was shaking and he couldn't help but feel an intense satisfaction. He couldn't have dreamed of a better reaction to his transformation.
"Close your mouth, darlin'… It's not very polite…", he huffed. He would have loved to put a finger under her chin, in order to force her mouth shut, but then the healer would certainly not have enough muscles in her body to stop her Scottish giant from gutting him alive.
"Ye bloody bast-", Roger began, taking a threatening step towards him. Bonnet's hand instinctively squeezed his cane, ready to attack or defend himself, but Brianna seemed to come out of her trance and reached out to stop her husband. Before shaking her head, begging him not to do anything stupid. Smirking, Bonnet headed towards the exit, glancing insistently at Roger's simple clothes. The dark-haired Scot was dressed like a peasant going to church, and certainly paled in comparison. Perfect. He had always hated Roger MacKenzie and his way of judging him, thinking he was better than everyone else. When he had hired him on the Gloriana to work as a simple sailor, MacKenzie had kept discussing orders and questioning his authority as a captain. Again today, MacKenzie had called him a wild animal, trying to establish some sort of superiority... However, the one whose outfit oozed luxury and easy money was definitely not the young Scot's. And in matters of justice, few were the peasants who prevailed against rich citizens. Especially those who, like the pirate, had won the game of influences...
Bonnet's contemptuous expression was such that Roger immediately understood its meaning and he could not help but look ashamed for a moment. How could he, the youngest professor in Oxford University, have fallen so low compared to a common thief and murderer? Bonnet silently bit his lip, and his eyes squinted again with intense satisfaction. Turning away from Roger, he looked one last time at Brianna. Even in that modest dress, with her scared doe eyes, delicate features, and flawless, pale skin – the lass could have made a queen turn green with envy. Why she had chosen a lad like MacKenzie was still a mystery to Bonnet. His smile stretched further to the left, causing his scar to twitch, and Brianna shivered when she saw the lust in the Irishman's eyes. The same lust as that night in the tavern. Terrible images immediately came to her mind. The way he had tucked a few locks of blonde hair behind his ears, his shoulders swaying as he made his indecent proposition. His eyes widening as he yanked her scarf off her cleavage. I'm going to be sick… He has to go… Or I'm going to be sick…, Brianna thought as she felt her knees wobble. But luckily, after savoring her terror for a few seconds, Bonnet finally left the room without a word, the sound of his cane echoing in the hallway long after he had disappeared.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Soooo, how was it? Good? Freaky? Bad? Terribly scary? It can only go wrong for Brianna, YOU KNOW IT, but HOW can such a man win? What will happen to her and Jeremiah? Any ideas? I can't wait to read your thoughts! Next chapter will be published next month and believe me, it is a MASSIVE emotional rollercoaster. xD See you next month !
Xérès
