CHAPTER TWO

"Can you speak, child?" Mark's deep voice rumbled across at her and Ellie jumped, swinging round to look at him with large eyes.

"Y...yes sir," she said quietly, her mouth dry with the fear and uncertainty she was feeling about her future.

Mark nodded, his face not losing any of its stern expression. "Do you know what's going to happen in the morning?"

"We're to be married," she replied hesitantly.

"That's right. Do you know why I've chosen you to be my wife?"

Ellie shook her head and Mark gave a small smile, which to her eyes looked evil. "I chose you because you came at the right price. I need a son to inherit my estate and I won't have him be a bastard. That's the only reason I'm marrying you, so if you have any dreams of happily ever after, you can damn well forget about them."

Ellie didn't know how to reply to that and so she remained silent, her face paling slightly at the realisation that she would have to lay with this man, even though she didn't know him.

"Nothing to say, girl?" Mark asked, raising one eyebrow.

"No, sir," she mumbled.

Mark frowned and his eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't be thinking of running away by any chance?"

"No!"

"You'd better not be, because I'm an excellent hunter, you wouldn't be too hard to find. And once I had found you, you'd wish you'd never been born. I don't tolerate insolence either, so be careful what you say to me. If I ever find you to be sharp tongued I will deal with you harshly, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Ellie said, her voice getting quieter every time she spoke. She wasn't getting a good picture of what her life would entail.

"So tell me...Ellie isn't it?...tell me what you think you'll be required to do at your new home?"

"I...don't know....I assume I'll be cooking and cleaning, looking after your needs..."

"Oh, yes, you'll be looking after my needs. You will be ready for me any time I wish to have you, do you understand that?" Mark asked her, his eyes glittering with some unknown emotion. He was tired of females trying to twist him around their little finger, now he knew better and this girl would do everything he wanted or she would pay dearly. His narrowed eyes ran down her body and then back up to her eyes, pinning her with a steely look. "Come here."

Ellie stared at him dumbly, not wanting to be anywhere near him. "I said come here!" he bellowed, grabbing her arm and dragging her across the seat until she was sitting on his lap. She squirmed and tried to pull away from him, uncomfortable being so near to a man like this. His other hand moved up and grabbed the back of her neck, keeping her head still as he lowered his mouth to hers and roughly kissed her.

Ellie had never been kissed before, although she had seen her stepsisters kissing men often, but she couldn't imagine that they would enjoy such a painful experience. He was crushing her lips underneath his and she tasted blood as the soft tissue was pressed against her teeth, forcing her to open her mouth. Mark was deliberately being brutal with her, unable to prevent himself from taking out his frustrations on her soft mouth.

When he drew back he saw how swollen her lips looked and that her eyes were full of tears, but she surprised him because she didn't allow them to fall and she didn't say a word to him, instead lowering her eyes and pressing her trembling lips together. He nodded and thrust her back on the seat next to him. "Good, perhaps you'll be worth the money I paid for you after all. We'll soon find out."

A short while later the car drove through the gates to the estate Mark owned and Ellie glanced out of the window, watching as they wound their way through the tall oak trees that bordered the long road to the house itself. And what a house. It was the most enormous mansion Ellie had ever seen, and the most dark. There were shutters on the windows and they were all closed at this moment, not letting any light out from the interior. Gargoyles and wicked looking goblins gazed down from their perches on the corners of the building. It could have been so beautiful, Ellie thought, if it was well kept and the shutters painted a soft colour, but she had a feeling that this was the way Mark liked it. Grim and disturbing, like himself.

The car stopped suddenly and Mark threw the door open, not bothering to wait for the chauffeur to open it for him. He issued a sharp order to the man and then leaned in the car. "Come with me," he said, his voice quiet now but his eyes intent as he held his hand out and waited to see if she would do as she was told. Ellie was too frightened of him to disobey him and she took his hand, shivering slightly when his huge fingers engulfed hers and he pulled her out of the car. He walked to the front of the house and opened the door before thrusting her inside where her eyes took in the darkness and shadows that seemed to consume the interior. "Welcome to your new home," Mark said sarcastically as he took in her fearful look.

***

author note: this is a sub-plot, please don't be confused!!!

Rebecca White sat curled up on the window seat in her bedroom, gazing mournfully across the extensive grounds that surrounded her house. She was trying desperately to take her mind off the pain she was experiencing from the latest beating her father had given her. She knew without looking that her back was a mass of red welts and bruises where his belt buckle had hit her, only now she felt that it was bleeding as well. She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand, hating herself for crying, hating even more the fact that her new 'mother' had witnessed those tears. The tales her stepmother, Isobel, had woven this time were at least partially true, but Becky still hadn't deserved such a punishment. Her father was so drunk nowadays that he was only vaguely aware of what he was doing anyway, and he never remembered anything the next day. Isobel had told him that Becky had stolen books from their own library and smuggled them over to her friend Ellie on the neighbouring estate, along with other items which she had claimed she'd taken. Apparently Becky was guilty of theft of Isobel's jewellery, something she had never done, and this beating was the outcome. Becky was sure that Isobel wanted her dead, and she had to admit that she felt like dying right at this moment. She tensed as her door opened and she turned her head slowly and painfully to see Isobel standing there looking triumphant.

"I've got some wonderful news for you," the older woman said cattily, her eyes narrowing as she moved towards Becky. "You won't be able to take anything over to your friend Ellie any more, because she's gone."

Becky frowned when Isobel didn't elaborate, hating having to speak to this woman to ask anything, but needing to know. "Gone where?"

"She's been sold. Anne-Marie got a good price for her, or so I hear, from that man Calloway up on the mountain. She's to be his wife, they say. Such a shame he's taken, because I would have loved selling you to him instead. Still," she said, smiling nastily, "I'm sure we can find someone just as suitable given time." With that said she turned and left the room, not bothering to lock the door this time, a fact of which Becky wasn't ignorant.

Ellie had been sold? Becky felt her stomach turn over as she thought of what her friend could now be going through. She, too, had heard the rumours about the man on the mountain and she knew Ellie was aware of them. The thought that she could suffer the same fate spurred Becky into motion and she realised she had to get away, before Isobel could make good her threat. She quickly packed a few items of clothing into a folded sheet and some toiletries, laughing almost hysterically as she wondered if she'd ever be able to use them, and then she tied the sheet up and picked up the bundle. It was freezing outside and she knew that they would be getting snow soon, so she set about dressing herself in a few layers of warm clothing, making sure she had several pairs of socks on her feet. She could barely fit her feet into her walking boots when she'd finished, but she thought that her shoes being a little tight was the least of her worries. Finally, she took one last look around her room and then crept stealthily out and down the stairs, listening carefully as she went. She could hear Isobel and her father in the study, the woman's tinkling fake laughter ringing out and her fathers deep voice mumbling something she couldn't make out. She slipped past the room and grabbed a thick coat, scarf and gloves from the large coat rack in the hallway, not putting them on straight away as she didn't want to get caught. Just as she put her hand on the front door to open it she heard soft footsteps behind her and she swung around to see who it was, her eyes wide with the fear of discovery. The old cook, Maude, was standing there, looking sad but understanding.

"Maude..." Becky whispered.

"Don't you worry, lass, you get going and God be with you. I won't say a word. The way they've been treating you and now what's happened to Miss Ellie.....you go and please, keep yourself safe." The old woman gently hugged Becky, mindful of her back, and she pushed her gently out of the door with tears in her eyes.

Becky put the coat on and rushed through the rapidly darkening gardens towards the woods that spread out beyond the grounds for miles. Her biggest worry at this moment was getting lost in the dense forest, but she was willing to risk anything to get away from this house.

It would have been so much easier, she thought, if she wasn't so scared of the dark, because night was drawing in and the woods were pitch black, not a hint of light to be seen anywhere. She looked up as she entered the dense woodland, hoping that maybe the moon would be out tonight and help her, but it wasn't to be. it was a dark, moonless night and she knew she would have problems navigating through the trees.

But she had no choice, she had to do this. Surely getting lost in the woods was far better than the alternative, that of staying at her father's house with that evil bitch?

She walked for what she estimated to be an hour, not having put her watch on before she left. The sky she could make out above the trees was now as black as the surrounding forest and she was finding it hard going, literally walking with one arm out in front of her so she could avoid walking into a tree. To make matters worse she suddenly felt something small and cold touch her cheek, and then another and another.

"Oh great," she muttered as the snow started falling more rapidly. At least it would help light up the darkness somewhat.

After another hour she was starting to panic. The snow was quite thick in places and, even with the extra socks and clothing she had put on, she could no longer feel her feet and just to keep walking was starting to feel agonising. She stopped walking and looked around her, trying to get her bearings, but she knew she was totally lost. It didn't really matter at this stage which direction she went in, because she could be ten metres or ten miles from the nearest road and she wouldn't know it until she stumbled upon it. She took a deep breath and plunged onwards, hoping against hope that she would find some sort of shelter before her strength gave out completely.

Glenn Jacobs pulled his coat closer around him as he finished chopping wood and stood the axe next to the large tree trunk he used to chop the smaller logs on. He frowned when he heard a faint noise in the distance and raised his head, staring out into the darkened woods and seeing if he could make anything out. He listened for a few more seconds and then shrugged. Probably just his imagination, no living person except him would venture this far into the woods, especially not any of the villagers because they knew that he lived out here. They were all scared of him, even though they didn't know him, and he preferred it that way. He had only one friend, Mark Calloway, and he hadn't mentioned coming to see him anytime soon.

He hefted some large logs up onto one huge shoulder and carried them into the warmth of his cabin, depositing them near the fireplace before he went back out and repeated the process. Before long he had put them all inside and was tidying away the tools he had used. He sighed deeply. He was so tired and yet he knew he had to finish all this before he could sit down and relax. His dinner was cooking over the fire, a huge pot of rabbit stew, and the smells of the succulent meal were wafting out of the cabin, making his mouth water. It reminded him that he had yet to reset the traps in the surrounding woods and he strode out to do the small task.

He had barely taken any steps when his foot hit something and he almost fell. He turned and looked down at whatever it was that had tripped him up and was shocked to see a young girl laying unconscious in the snow, her face obscured by the swathe of black hair that covered it. The snow had fallen whilst she was unconscious and she was half covered with the freezing flakes.

He cursed deeply as he studied her, half tempted to just leave her out here. But the heart that many thought was dead wouldn't allow him to do such a thing. He bent down and stroked her hair away from her face, his hand stilling as he took in her pale features. She was beautiful, he thought, unable to resist running a finger down her smooth cheek. Her eyes fluttered briefly at the contact, but she didn't wake up and he scooped her up, finding that she weighed virtually nothing at all in his arms.

Just his luck, he thought, to find some helpless person so near to his cabin. Now, he supposed, he was going to have to look after her. Either that or let her die out here in the cold. He cursed again. Well, pretty she might be, but he was certain that when she woke up and saw his face she would run screaming.

He carried her reluctantly into his cabin and hesitated over where to put her, not sure whether to put her into the bedroom where it was colder, or here on the sofa in front of the fire. She needed the warmth, he decided and put her down on the overstuffed sofa, unbuttoning her thick coat and drawing it open. He had to get rid of these clothes, too, because they were soaked through from the snow and she could well die from pneumonia if he didn't get her warmed and dry. He only hoped she didn't wake up whilst he was undressing her, the last thing he wanted was a hysterical woman screaming rape at the top of her lungs, even if there was no-one out here to hear her except him. He knew what his temper was like and he knew that that sort of reaction would likely make him lose it.

He quickly and efficiently stripped the clothing from her small body, trying not to let his eyes linger on the soft flesh he revealed. But when he got down to the last layer of clothing she was wearing he found it stuck to her back and he turned her gently over in his arms, staring in shock at the dried blood that was causing it to stick. What the hell had happened to her? he wondered, laying her back on the sofa on her stomach and fetching a bowl of water and a cloth.

He wet her shirt and slowly started to remove the material from her raw back, using more water when necessary to loosen the stiff cloth. When he had released it he took the top off and bathed her back, frowning as he carefully wiped over the red welts, half of them cut open and bleeding. Who had done this to her?

When he was quite sure the wounds were clean, he dried her and rubbed some antiseptic ointment into them and then took the bowl back into the kitchen. He was grateful now that he had a fully stocked medicine cabinet, because up until now he had never needed to use any of it. Now, he took a fresh bandage down from the shelf, one that was used for making a sling, and some sticking plaster, carrying them into the main room and kneeling back down next to her prone figure.

He made quick work of folding the large bandage into the right shape and placing it over the girls back, using the plaster to stick it in place, being careful not to put any of the plaster over the ends of any cuts. Finally, satisfied with his work, he finished removing her clothing and went in search of a robe for her. He came back with one of his own towelling robes, the only thing he could find that tied in any way and would have even a faint hope of staying on her body, which was tiny compared to his. He put it over her back and slipped her arms into it, manoeuvring her until she was across his lap and he could wrap it around her and tie the belt. He took a quick indrawn breath when he saw her naked breasts, a slight flush of colour moving up over his face at the sight of such beauty displayed before him. He gritted his teeth and covered her, his face grim as he tied the belt and then laid her on her side on the sofa.

It had been some time since he had been with a woman and his body had reacted predictably to her nakedness. Thank god she wasn't awake, he thought. He fetched a blanket and tucked it firmly around her, watching her eyebrows twitch as he did so. She had stirred several times when he had been bathing her back, but she still hadn't awakened. He frowned as he thought about that. He hoped he didn't have to go into the village and kidnap the doctor, because he knew the little man wouldn't come here of his own accord. No, he would keep an eye on the girl and when she woke up he would feed her and send her on her way. If she needed a doctor, then she could damn well find one herself.

Glenn had a deep mistrust of people which was the reason he had retreated to these woods and had built this cabin. He wasn't short of money, and he had a large home beyond the forest, but he rarely went there anymore, preferring his own company. He was sick and tired of the way people looked at him, at the fear that they couldn't disguise. The women were the worst, he thought grimly. He ran a finger down the crooked scar that blemished one side of his face. Disgust was the emotion he usually saw on women's faces, occasionally pity. He couldn't stand either one. He had never known anyone to look at him with love or trust. Everyone he met was scared of his sheer size, everyone except Mark Calloway, and that was only because he was the same size himself, and he distrusted people in much the same way. They had become friends because of their mutual dislike of people, but they soon found they had more than that in common. Mark was possibly the only other person in the world who had seen him smile, something he didn't do very often anymore.

He looked at the girl again and wondered who she was. She was young, maybe no more than twenty, and very pretty. Somebody, somewhere must be worrying about her by now. Maybe he should try and wake her up? he thought and kneeled down next to her again, putting one big hand on her shoulder and giving her a gentle shake.

"Hey, wake up," he said slowly, his voice sounding rusty even to his own ears where he hadn't spoken to anyone in a while. He watched as her eyebrows drew together and her eyelids flickered, but after a second she settled down again.

He gave her another shake and this time her eyes shot open and she stared straight at him, her eyes growing huge in her face when she saw him leaning over her.

Glenn gave a tight mocking smile and waited for her to scream, and he was shocked when her features relaxed and she just looked at him curiously. "Who...who are you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

He stared into the large clear blue eyes that were studying him and tried to find any hint of fear or pity, but could find none. What was the matter with this girl? She should be terrified to find herself in a strange cabin with an even stranger man, but she only looked faintly wary and very curious. Her voice bought him out of his musings.

"Sir? I'm sorry...how did I come to be here?" she asked, worried when the man hadn't answered her previous question. She let her eyes roam over his face, taking in the rugged contours and the deep scar that marred what would otherwise have been a very handsome visage. His brown hair was long and curly, slightly unkempt and hanging over his eyes, which were a warm hazel and he was currently frowning at her, his mouth a tight line underneath a beard and moustache. Becky glanced quickly around her and tried to sit up, groaning as she did so and felt her back start stinging intolerably.

"No!" Glenn said, not intending to shout but shouting all the same and making her jump. His voice softened when he saw her reaction, the first fear she had shown since she had woken up. "No, don't move, you'll hurt your back. Lay still and let me get you some food," he offered, rising to tend to the stew, giving himself time to think.

What the hell was the matter with him? He was going to feed her and kick her out right? Yeah, right, he thought. Like she was in any condition to go back out there tonight, or even tomorrow. He shouldn't care, he told himself, but she hadn't been scared and she hadn't cringed away from his face. He shook off the thoughts and filled a bowl with the steaming stew, moving back over to her and offering it to her without a word.

Becky took the bowl and smiled shyly at the man, sniffing appreciatively at the food, her stomach grumbling loudly where she was so hungry. "Thank you, it smells wonderful. Are you sure you have enough...?"

"There's plenty, just eat," Glenn said abruptly, feeling a bit uncomfortable having another person in his cabin with him.

"Okay, I...well, thank you."

He watched silently as she began eating, finding himself smiling at the amount she managed to consume and the speed with which it disappeared. She finished the bowl and gave a happy sigh, feeling full and warm, even if her back was giving her quite a bit of pain. Her eyes opened and she found the man staring at her again, his eyes holding hers for a second before he took the bowl and placed it on the hearth, fetching another for himself and filling it. Becky stared, wide-eyed, at the sheer size of this man. He was like a giant! she thought, watching the way his shirt stretched across his huge shoulders, the way his enormous muscles bunched underneath it when he sat down. Glenn caught that look and quickly turned his attention to his food.

Why had she been looking at him like that? he thought. She didn't look scared, she looked...he frowned. He couldn't work out exactly how she had been looking at him, but it hadn't been in a bad way, he was sure of that much.

"What's your name?" Becky asked softly and Glenn jumped, not having expected to hear her speak again, for some reason.

"er...Glenn. My name is Glenn Jacobs," he muttered, starting to eat again.

"Glenn," Becky murmured, trying his name out for size. She was a bit overawed. She had no idea how she came to be in this cabin, or why she felt oddly comfortable being here. But she found this man fascinating. He was enormous and he was nice looking too, even with that scar. He didn't seem very inclined to talk though, and she glanced nervously around the cabin, taking in how cosy it was. She shifted underneath the blanket and suddenly realised she wasn't wearing her clothes anymore and she lifted the blanket to see what she had on. It was some sort of robe, by the looks of it, and it had to be his because it was about ten sizes too big for her. She shifted again, trying to work out what she was wearing underneath it, her cheeks going pink when she found out she was completely naked beneath the towelling.

Glenn glanced up when he heard her gasp, and he saw her looking underneath the blanket, her face bright red. Her eyes shot up to his. "Who...where are my clothes...who..." she stuttered, looking incredibly embarrassed.

Her discomfort made Glenn feel more relaxed and he gave her a rusty smile. "I had to take your clothes off, they were soaking wet and you could have become seriously ill. I've got a dryer out in the back room, so I can have them dry by morning. In the meantime I thought you'd be better off wearing my robe," he explained easily, surprised at himself.

"Oh, of course....It was cold outside...."

"Yeah, it was. You were laying underneath a blanket of snow, and if I hadn't tripped over you, you'd have been dead by morning."

"I see....oh...well...thank you..." she stuttered again, swallowing as she thought of this big man seeing her naked.

Glenn studied her quietly. He wondered if her face could go a deeper shade of red than it already was, but he doubted it. "What's your name?" he asked her.

"Rebecca White, I live....I lived just beyond the forest," she said, grimacing as she thought of why she had run away.

"And how did you come to be here?" Glenn asked, wanting to know how she had come here and also how her back had come to be in its present condition.

Becky looked at him, biting her lip and wondering how much she should tell him. He was a stranger after all, and he might feel obliged to take her back home. Her indecision was clear to see and Glenn narrowed his eyes. "Don't try lying to me, because I'll know if you do," he advised her, his chin raising.

"I wouldn't lie, I just don't want you to...I don't want to go back," she said, biting her lip so hard now that it started to bleed.

Glenn dropped his eyes to her full lips and reached out one big hand, his thumb smoothing across the bottom one and pulling it out from between her teeth. "Don't hurt yourself, honey, just tell me what happened," he said gently, surprising himself again at his tone and the endearment he had used. He wasn't a nice person, anyone could tell her that. But for some reason she made him want to be nice.

Becky blurted out the whole sorry story and then burst into tears, unable to suppress her emotions with the fear and worry about what would happen to her now. Glenn stared at her, his eyes widening as she cried. He wasn't used to this, and he didn't quite know how to handle it, but he swallowed down his own trepidation and pulled her towards him, folding his arms around her as she cried. Okay, he thought, this isn't so bad. In fact, it felt quite nice, and she obviously wasn't complaining. Her hands were clinging to his shirt front and she was resting her cheek against his massive chest, feeling his heart beating steadily behind the thin fabric.

He rocked her slowly, listening as her crying slowed and her shoulders stopped shaking, her body relaxing against him. It took him a while to realise she had fallen asleep and he laid her carefully down on the sofa again, wrapping the blanket more securely around her and stroking her hair back from her tearstained face.

He had finished his food and he was incredibly tired, wanting to go to bed, but he didn't know whether to leave her in this room all night. Oh, to hell with it, he thought, picking her up and carrying her through to his bedroom. He couldn't leave her out there in case she woke in the middle of the night and panicked, he reasoned, so it was better that she stayed with him and he could explain himself to her in the morning. He balanced her on his knee whilst he pulled back the thick quilt on the bed, laying her down and then covering her up again.

Becky was vaguely aware of a floating sensation and then something soft under her back and she snuggled deeper into the softness, her head burrowing into the feather pillow. Glenn moved out of the room and set about securing the cabin for the night, damping down the fire and putting the fireguard in front of it. He locked all the doors and then switched the lights off before going back into the bedroom.

He wondered briefly if this wasn't a huge mistake on his part, because the sight of a woman laying voluntarily in his bed made his heart clench. This was something he had secretly longed for over the long, lonely years, something he knew was just an illusion at the moment. That fact didn't stop a spark of hope from lighting up within him.

After a quick visit to the en-suite bathroom he pulled his clothes off, all except his shorts, and climbed into the huge bed next to Becky. He couldn't relax, though. The fact that there was someone in his cabin with him had made him feel slightly uncomfortable anyway, the fact that that person was a female and was in his bed made him feel even more so, but in an entirely different way.

When Becky gave a small sigh and turned over in her sleep, burrowing closer to him, he tensed, wondering what to do when one of her arms flung out and over his chest. He knew he couldn't lay awake all night worrying about what she was going to do next, so he took a deep breath and pulled her over towards him, settling her head on his shoulder and encircling her with one arm, the other pulling the covers more securely over them both. This was much better, he decided, a smile of pure bliss settling on his face as he enjoyed the comfort of a warm body against his own for the first time in years.

His eyes closed and he fell asleep, the smile still on his lips as he drifted into dreamland.