CHAPTER THREE

Ellie was sitting at one end of a huge oak table, trying to eat the rich food that had been served up by the staff at Mark's house, but she was so nervous that she felt nauseous and she knew that if she ate much more she would be sick. She took a sip of the wine, trying not to grimace at the sharp taste. Probably it was incredibly expensive, but she wasn't used to alcohol in any form and she didn't like it. Her eyes darted nervously to the other end of the table where the man himself sat, eating heartily of the food he had been given. The table was enormous so he was quite a distance away from her, and so far he hadn't tried to initiate any conversation, something that Ellie was grateful for.

When they had arrived he had called for his servants and she had been shown to her room by a kind middle-aged woman, who had told her she was the housekeeper here. Ellie hadn't even had the presence of mind to ask the woman's name, still recovering from the way she had been brutally kissed in the car.

She broke out of her thoughts when she heard his chair scrape back from the table, her eyes shooting up to his to see what he was doing, her breath coming in shallow pants when she saw he was heading towards her, his face unreadable.

"Have you finished?" he asked her, his deep voice rumbling down at her from his great height.

"Y..yes..Sir," she stammered, cringing involuntarily when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her up in front of him. He was so tall that she didn't even reach his shoulder in height, and her neck was already starting to ache from having to look up at him.

"Come with me," he said sharply, turning and dragging her from the room and then up the staircase.

"Where are we going?" she asked breathlessly, her voice a little high-pitched in panic.

He stopped suddenly and she barrelled into his chest as he turned around, his hands shooting out and steadying her. "Didn't I tell you never to talk back to me?" he asked her, his voice harsh.

"Yes...but..." she tried talking, wondering what he was going to do even though she had only been asking a question.

"Don't say 'but' to me girl, I told you never to talk back to me. Maybe I'll let this one slip as my rules are new to you, but don't let it happen again, understand?"

Ellie nodded frantically, feeling like crying when he resumed their path and dragged her the rest of the way up the stairs and along the corridor. He took her into her room and closed the door behind them, his action of locking it making her freeze in the middle of the room.

"Now," he said, walking slowly towards her, his eyes running up and down her body, "let's see if your stepmother placed too much value on your hide. Take your clothes off," he ordered her, folding his arms across his impressive chest and waiting.

Ellie stood with her mouth open staring at him and trying to think of a way out of this. No-one had seen her naked since she was a tiny child, and she had no intention of stripping in front of a stranger, no matter what he might do to her. Whatever he could do to her once she was naked would probably be far worse than any punishment now. She gulped down her fear and shook her head, her lower lip trembling as she did so.

Mark's eyebrows lowered over his dark green eyes, his face taking on a look of amazement. "Didn't you hear me girl? Strip!" he said, his voice louder this time.

"N..no," she said as loudly as she could, her throat constricted with fear as she backed up a few steps, feeling her eyes fill with quick tears.

"No?" he bellowed, reaching out one arm and closing his hand around her throat. "Did you dare say no to me?"

Ellie's hands grabbed at his wrist, trying to remove it from her neck, but he was too strong and far too angry for her to make him let go. He was going to kill her, she decided, her mind going blank as terror overwhelmed her. Suddenly her last instincts for self preservation kicked in and she lashed out at him, landing a few blows with her foot on his legs, using her fists and hitting his arm and stomach, anything she could reach.

Mark stood still and took in the fury currently trying to attack him, his temper exploding when she actually managed to wind him with one of her small fists. He hauled her by her throat over to the bed and threw her down on it, not feeling even the smallest bit of pity when she hit her head on one of the bedposts and lay there dazed.

His hand went to the neckline of her dress and he tore it straight down the middle, exposing her body to his eyes. She started to struggle again when she felt the cool air on her flesh and he tried to pin her wrists to the bed, but surprisingly she moved too fast and managed to punch him squarely on the nose. He couldn't believe it when a trickle of blood crept down onto his moustache and he reacted without really thinking, slapping her with the back of his hand across her face, only to receive another blow back. It had been a weaker blow this time, but still enough to enrage him out of all proportion and he slapped her again, harder.

Her head whipped sideways and she finally lay still, the blow knocking her senseless. Mark glared down at her and compressed his full lips. He couldn't believe the way she had acted, or the barely remembered feelings that were slowly creeping up on him. He felt guilty! For God's sake, he actually felt guilty! He had bought her for exactly this reason, and now he felt guilty because he had been rough with her.

But in truth he knew that her face would probably haunt him tonight, the terror he had seen clearly in her eyes as she defied his order to strip. He felt a small smile tug at his lips that such a tiny creature would dare to argue with him, but he soon stopped smiling when he looked down at her half naked body laying unconscious on her bed. Maybe she didn't deserve what he had been about to do to her, or what he had already done, but he was damned if he was going to let her know that! He quickly pulled her dress to cover her and left the room, bellowing for the housekeeper at the top of his lungs.

When the older woman appeared he frowned down at her, trying not to look as guilty as he felt. This woman had known him since he was a little boy and she was as close to him as a mother ever could have been. He hated looking bad in her eyes above anyone else, which often made him snap at her when he knew he was in the wrong.

"Go and tend to the girl," he said abruptly and walked briskly away from her before she could ask any questions.

Ellie slowly opened her eyes and focussed on the bedspread underneath her cheek, moving her head slowly to look around the room. She was alone again, laying on her bed with the bodice of her dress draped over her nakedness. She cringed when the door opened, but it was just the housekeeper.

"Oh, my dear," the woman said, bustling over to sit on the bed and inspect the damage. Her hand softly brushed over Ellie's cheek, tracing the bruise that was already forming there. "Sit up darlin'," she said, helping the young girl into a sitting position. Ellie clutched at the ruined dress, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Where did he go?" she asked quietly.

"Don't you worry none, darlin', he ain't gonna do nothing like this again, not after I'm through with him anyway! Come on in the bathroom and we'll get you cleaned up," she said, taking her into the nearby bathroom and sitting her on the edge of the tub.

She introduced herself as Lizzy Green and she explained that she had been the housekeeper for as long as she could remember, ever since the master was young at least. She kept up a constant stream of chatter to try and take Ellie's mind off the fact that her nose was bleeding from the blow she had received. When she had cleaned up her face she stood back and looked the girl over.

"Now then, is there anything else that I can't see? Don't be shy darlin'," she said, giving a smile.

"I...I hit my head, I think...." Ellie whispered, starting to feel slightly woozy. She bent her head at the other woman's insistence and winced when she found the lump on her scalp.

"Yeah, there it is," Lizzy said, tut-tutting as she cleaned up the small wound. "It's bleeding a little, but it's just a small surface cut so it isn't too bad. My God, when I get my hands on that boy..." she mumbled, shaking her head as she efficiently tended to Ellie.

She helped Ellie out of her ruined dress despite her protests and went to get something for her to wear, returning a short while later with a night-dress that would cover her from her neck to her toes. "I imagine you'd like to just be anywhere but here, wouldn't you? Probably back at home safe in your own bed, hmm?"

"No," Ellie replied tonelessly. "I was never safe at home either, so it doesn't really matter where I am, not really," she mumbled, walking like a zombie into the bedroom and curling up on the bed on her side.

Lizzy stared at the young girl, her brow creasing with concern. Such a young girl to be so empty of any life, she thought, and wondered what she had endured in her life to make her so sad. Well, at least she could keep her safe in some small measure, she thought, heading out of the room to look for Mark.

She found him in his study swirling a glass of whisky under his nose, and her eyebrows rose in surprise. He very rarely drank these days, so he must be feeling bad about the girl to be drinking now. He glared at Lizzy as she walked in the room and closed the door behind her, and she glared right back with her hands on her hips.

"What?" he snapped, looking fierce, an expression that most people would have backed down from.

"Don't you 'what' me, boy! What do you think you're playing at, attacking that poor girl like that?" Lizzy snapped back, her eyes narrowing as his face flushed with guilt.

"I didn't attack her," he said, not making eye contact with her.

"Really? She sure looked like she'd been attacked. Well, you'll be pleased to know that I've cleaned her up and she's laying down, probably wishing she was dead, I shouldn't wonder!"

Mark took a swallow of the whisky, letting it burn it's way down his throat as he thought about the girl he had bought. "So?"

"So? So go and apologise to her!" Lizzy said, looking at him in amazement. She didn't like the man he had become, someone ugly and hateful, a man born out of betrayal.

"I will not!" he shouted, slamming his glass down on the desk. "I paid for her and I will get my money's worth out of her, regardless of how she 'feels'!"

"Yeah, I've already heard the rumours. That bitch of a stepmother of hers sold her, how do you think that girl must feel about that? Her whole life has been turned upside down and then you go and hurt her..."

"I already told you I don't give a damn how she feels!" Mark interrupted her, his anger stemming from the fact he knew he was in the wrong.

"And you're planning to marry her tomorrow?"

"Yes, I am. And if you don't like it, old woman, then you can leave!"

Lizzy shook her head sadly. "And leave that girl alone with you? I don't think so. It will be nice for her to see at least one friendly face in this house, if her life here is gonna be as bad as I think it will." She stared at the big man behind the desk, her eyes softening. He was like a son to her, since she had been with his family since he was a child and his parents had been coldly indifferent to him. She and her husband Carl, the gardener here, had treated him like their own. "Shame on you, Mark, for doing such an awful thing. What's happened to you?"

Mark shifted uncomfortably and turned to look out of the window. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Take care of the girl and get her ready for the ceremony tomorrow. I won't...I won't do that again, I promise," he said quietly and Lizzy gave a small smile, leaving the room and closing the door quietly behind her.

Mark sat staring out over the extensive grounds that surrounded his house, his full lips tightened in a grim line. Lizzy was right, of course, he should be ashamed of himself, and he was. He had never struck a woman in his life and it left a bitter taste in his mouth to have hit someone who deserved it so little. What the hell had happened to him? Sure, he was bitter because of his failed marriage. His second failed marriage, his mind helpfully put in. After what his last wife, Sara, had said to him when they split up, he had started hating all women with a vengeance.

His eyes darkened as he remembered the afternoon he had returned home, hoping to surprise his lovely bride. Well, he thought, smiling grimly, she had definitely been surprised. She had been in the middle of a passionate romp with one of the young studs from town, and he had just about gone crazy when he had seen them, picking the man up as though he were a rag doll and literally throwing him from the room. He didn't know whether he would have started in on his wife, he knew he had been angry enough to, but she had started flinging insults at his head and laughing at him. Her words still had the power to wound him, even in memory. He had always been a little self conscious about his immense size, and she had called him a freak, told him how she had just tolerated him so she could use his money, how she had secretly laughed with her friends when she spoke about how useless he was in bed, how ugly she thought he was....it had gone on for some time. He had thrown her out of the house and divorced her, burning all the things he had ever bought for her, all except a small gold rose pendant that hung on a simple thin gold chain, a gift he had bought to give to the woman he loved. A gift that had never been given at all. This he kept in a glass case in one of the turret rooms, a room no-one else was ever allowed to go in. To this day he didn't know why he had kept it.

He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to shake off the depression that thoughts of Sara always brought on, his thoughts returning to the girl who would now be his wife. He had heard about her, heard how her stepmother wanted rid of her, and he had deliberately offered a large sum of money to the cold woman, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist. He wasn't blind, he had seen how fearful the girl had been of the woman and he pretty much knew what her life had been like, if gossip in the town was anything to go by. She looked the complete opposite of Sara and that was one of the reasons he had chosen her, and he had fully intended to use her for his own pleasures, hoping that a child would come of the union. Now, even before the ceremony had taken place, he was regretting his actions and seeing things from her point of view. He had been labelled 'the beast' by villagers, rumours abounded of his violent actions whenever someone trespassed on his land. But he had a small spark of compassion in him that usually wouldn't see the light of day. This day, however, was different, and he felt like a heel. Lizzy, as always, had been right again. He knew he should apologise to the girl and he found himself standing up and making his way up the stairs before he even consciously thought about it.

Ellie didn't move when she heard the bedroom door opening again, knowing it wasn't Lizzy this time by the heavy footsteps that moved across the room towards her. She tried not to tense when a heavy weight sat on the edge of the bed, but she couldn't help it, a small shiver running through her; a shiver that intensified when a large hand descended on her shoulder.

"Turn over," his voice made her shiver again, but she obeyed his order, her face expressionless as she lay on her back so he could see her.

Mark stared at Ellie's face and lifted one hand to stroke the bruise that was forming on one side of it, grimacing when she flinched, but otherwise stayed perfectly still. "I didn't mean to do this," he said slowly, his voice deep and hesitant and her eyes briefly flickered to his before jerking away again when she saw that he was staring at her intently. "I apologise for hurting you," he continued, watching as she looked at him in shock again and then looked away, the only other sign that she had heard him was the increased tempo of her breathing. "Am I forgiven?"

Ellie looked at him again and this time found she couldn't look away from his mesmerising eyes, their deep green light piercing into her. She tried to think of something to say, but couldn't find anything. What could she say? Yes, you're forgiven, master? He owned her and he now had every right to do with her what he wanted. This was probably just some trick he was going to use to torment her and then he'd hurt her again.

Mark saw the distrust on her face and couldn't blame her for feeling that way, but he couldn't help feeling a little irritated as well. He never apologised for anything, ever, and it hadn't come easy to him although he thought he had done a pretty good job of it. "Well?" he asked her, his voice harder than before making her jump. Still she remained silent and his brows drew together in a fierce scowl.

Ellie watched the anger fill his face and waited for the blow to come, knowing he would probably punish her for not speaking, but in truth she really didn't know what to say.

"For God's sake, can't you speak at all?" he said, his voice rising at what he considered to be stubbornness and his hand grabbed her chin and raised her head up. He actually felt her gulp underneath his hand. "Speak!" he bellowed, his anger completely taking over now. "You stubborn little bitch, to think I actually apologised to you! Well, darlin', hell will freeze over before it happens again, you can be sure of that. You don't want to speak to me, then fine, but you ain't gonna leave this room or eat or drink one thing until you do!" He pushed her back on the bed, ignoring her stricken expression and marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him so hard that it nearly fell out of the frame. She shakily sat up on the bed and listened, but she hadn't heard a key turn in the lock when he had slammed the door, and she briefly thought about escaping. A hysterical giggle burst out of her mouth as she thought about that. It was really a case of 'how would you like to die'? She could stay here and starve to death or run away and freeze to death, not much of a choice. But there was a third choice of course, she could talk to him and then let him beat her to death over many months. Her eyes closed on a wave of despair. What had she done in her life to deserve this? She let the weak tears that she had been holding back for years seep from under her eyelids and gave vent to her depression, crying into the pillow until her exhausted body fell into a fitful sleep.

She was woken the next morning by Lizzy rushing around the room, placing different items of clothing over the end of the bed and tutting as she rummaged through the wardrobe. She looked up and saw that Ellie was awake, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Good, good, you're awake. Now come on, get in that bathroom and have a shower and we can get you all nice and ready," she said, ushering Ellie into the bathroom.

"Get ready?" Ellie asked, standing in the middle of the plush bathroom and staring at the older woman.

"Yes, for the wedding, my dear. I have your dress all ready for you and some nice shoes that the master ordered for you. I even think I have some nice ribbons and things for your hair, I'll go and get them once you're in the shower. Now, quickly, we only have an hour before the minister arrives!" With that Lizzy pushed Ellie further into the room and left, rushing off to find something pretty to put in her hair.

Ellie was in shock. She knew this was what was supposed to happen today, but after he had told her she wouldn't be leaving the room she assumed that he had changed his mind. Apparently not. She hurriedly undressed and stepped into the shower, washing and rinsing as quick as she could, not wanting to keep him waiting in case the consequences were bad.

By the time she was dried and left the room with a towel wrapped around her, Lizzy had returned and was waiting with a bunch of underwear in her outstretched hands. "Put these on, there's a girl, then we can get this lovely dress on you."

Ellie automatically put the underwear on, glad that the woman wasn't looking in her direction. She glanced at the dress and her eyes widened. It was beautiful. A proper wedding dress, fitted satin bodice covered in white embroidery, lace and pearls, a full skirt with an overlay of exquisite lace. If only it was a proper wedding, too, with a man she loved. She allowed Lizzy to slip the dress over her head and fasten it at the back, turning her to look at her reflection in the mirror. Ellie couldn't believe what she saw. For the first time in her life she thought she looked quite pretty, the dress fitting her to perfection, accentuating her tiny waist and full breasts. It was sleeveless and strapless, and her creamy shoulders looked young and elegant above it.

Before she could look any more, Lizzy pulled her to sit in front of the dressing table and started drying her hair, expertly coiling the long rich curls into an enticing mane down her back, pulling the sides up and pinning it against her head. She added a few small flowers and some ribbons, then placed a veil over it all, brushing it back from Ellie's face.

"There, you look lovely," Lizzy said as she stepped back to admire her handiwork. "We just have to do something about that bruise..."

Ellie looked in the small vanity mirror, seeing the bruise that covered one cheekbone with a purple colour. Luckily it wasn't very swollen, so if it was covered well it wouldn't be noticeable. Lizzy was a genius with make up as well as hair, and she covered Ellie's smooth skin with concealer, then added some mascara and some blush, as a last touch adding a slick of lip gloss to her full lips.

"Oh, my, he won't know what hit him when he sees you, he really won't," Lizzy said, beaming proudly at her.

Ellie took another look in the mirror and again was amazed at how well she looked with just a touch of make-up. "You look beautiful," Lizzy said.

Ellie frowned a little, but didn't bother saying anything, she knew she would never be beautiful, but it was nice of Lizzy to say it anyway. She found herself being ushered out of the room and the veil pulled down over her face whilst a bouquet was thrust into her hands. "Good luck, darlin'," Lizzy whispered as she led her into the elegant ballroom and moved her to stand beside Mark, who had been waiting impatiently to get it all over with.

He looked down as she joined him, his eyes roaming over her dismissively before he turned to the waiting minister and nodded. The man began the ceremony and Ellie had a feeling of being inside a dream, one she had no control over. She repeated what the little man told her to repeat and vaguely heard Mark doing the same before he slid a ring onto her finger and they were married. She felt his big hands on her upper arms and her eyes jerked up to his as he bent towards her, lifting the veil from her face, obviously intending to kiss his new bride. Ellie tensed but didn't try to get away, waiting for another brutal kiss like the one he had given her the night before. But she was surprised when his lips settled gently over hers this time, moving softly against her until she relaxed and he pressed a little harder, his tongue darting out and running along the seam of her mouth, coaxing it to open for him.

Ellie's eyes flickered closed as her mouth opened a fraction, allowing his tongue inside where it stroked slowly against her own. She had never felt anything so good, she thought while she still could, her mouth mimicking his movements as he deepened the kiss yet further, pulling her small body up against him and wrapping his arms around her, lifting her off the floor and still ravishing her mouth.

Mark had no idea why he was being so gentle, because he had intended to just give her a brief kiss and send her back to her room, but the fear in her eyes and her obvious expectation of brutality had made him want to get a response out of her. He had to admit it was good, even though she didn't really know what to do. She followed his lead and he pushed his mouth harder against her again, forcing her mouth wider open so he could really explore it. He felt his body harden against her thighs where he was holding her against him and he slowly became aware that they had an audience. It took all of his willpower to draw back from her and when he did he found himself smiling when she took her time opening her eyes, staring up at him with dazed blue pools as he held her off the floor.

"Good morning, Mrs Calloway," he murmured and watched as her expression changed from one of dazed pleasure to one of fearful realisation. He slowly lowered her to the floor but grabbed her hand, wanting to keep her tethered to him.

Lizzy and her husband Carl came over and congratulated them, along with a few other servants from the house, none of whom Ellie knew. The minister beamed at them and shook Mark's hand, and Lizzy directed them to a table at the back of the room on which she had placed several dishes of food, mainly breakfast foods because of the early hour. Mark watched as the minister and Lizzy filled plates for themselves and he pulled Ellie back a few paces, looking down at her with one eyebrow raised.

"So, wife, are you going to speak to me today or would you prefer to starve?" he asked, looking impossibly arrogant and very stern.

Ellie stared up at him and a spark of anger lit inside her that he would still carry out his threat even though they had just been married. She knew that to feel angry and let him see that was probably suicidal, but for some reason he managed to draw it out of her with that raised eyebrow. She tightened her lips and glared at him, earning a look of surprise and amusement from him.

"Think carefully, Ellie, before you decide to defy me," he said, his voice low but his eyes still sparkling with amusement. "Because I won't return you to your room straight away, I'll make you sit and watch me eat first, so you can see what it is you're missing."

Ellie could see the corners of his mouth curling in a smile as he looked down at her and she was incensed that he thought making her suffer was funny. She had been abused and laughed at her whole life, it seemed, and as scared as she was, she was also angry.

Mark saw the light of anger in her eyes, mixing with her fear of him, and he found that he was amused by her display of temper. He found her intriguing. "Well, what's it to be? All you have to do is say 'good morning, my lord' and you can eat all you like."

He watched as she took in a sharp breath when he said 'my lord' and then she gritted her teeth and lifted her chin, her eyes narrowing as she glared at him defiantly, trying to mask her fear of what might happen to her.

He actually laughed. "If that's the way you want it, who am I to argue? We'll see how long you can go without food, shall we?" He kept hold of her hand and dragged her along with him as he filled his plate, piling the food up high and then sitting at the table, making her sit in the chair next to him. She tried not to look as he started eating, but she couldn't deny she was hungry and her mouth started to water as the smells of eggs and bacon reached her nostrils. Every time Mark looked at her she made sure she looked down and didn't show him how hungry she really was. She hadn't eaten much of her dinner the previous evening and had already not eaten for a whole day before she came here, so her stomach was actually starting to ache now. But, she reasoned, she had been left without food for much longer than this before and she had made it through, even though she had been so weak by the time her stepmother had fed her that she could barely lift her hands to eat the food. She had done it before, she could do it again. Besides, tonight would be her wedding night and she would rather starve than go through that.

Mark watched her mutinous expression and gave a small smirk, eating his food with more enjoyment and smacking his lips together, making sure she could hear every mouthful. She wanted to be stubborn? Then she would have to suffer, at least for a short while. When he had finished his food he sat back with a huge sigh and patted his stomach, the smile on his face shrinking somewhat when he saw the way Lizzy and Carl were looking at him disapprovingly. He had the grace to look slightly ashamed, but he soon wiped the look off his face when he looked at Ellie again, noting the stubborn tilt to her chin. Whenever he felt guilty in the future, he told himself, he would just remember that look. He would teach her not to be stubborn and to do as he told her if it killed him!