Later that day Becky sat at the kitchen table facing Glenn, whilst he told her what her new 'job' would entail. It was hard to stop her jaw from hitting the table.
Apparently she was to cook whatever he happened to bring in from the traps, after skinning it and gutting it, and she was to clean up the place. Wash his clothes, pick up after him. She didn't have too much problem with that, although skinning the animals and gutting them made her feel a bit queasy, she was sure she wouldn't be able to do it. No, apart from that there didn't seem to be a problem. Then he told her she would be expected to chop wood for the fire, collect kindling and, if he was too busy, then she would have to reset the traps. The snow would need digging away from the cabin as it got deeper into winter, and this too would become one of her duties. She wondered briefly if he would be doing anything at all, but she didn't make a sound of protest. Some of the things she knew she wouldn't be able to handle. She had never chopped wood in her life and she wasn't exactly big and strong. Still, she would do everything she had to do, within reason, to stay away from her home.
She waited patiently and with not a small amount of trepidation for him to outline her duties in the bedroom, still not able to believe she had agreed to any of this.
Glenn stopped talking and looked her in the eyes for the first time since he had started, looking for signs of rebellion, but all he saw there was a faint look of panic. Now all he had to do was say what he expected of her in bed, and it would be done. It was harder than he'd thought it would be, especially with those huge blue eyes looking at him like that. Nevertheless, this was what he wanted. "The other...duties," he began hesitantly, forcing himself to stare her right in the eyes and not back down, "are simple enough. You're to be in my bed when I want you, whenever I want you." He waited for her to say something, but she remained silent, just staring at him. "With no arguments," he added, waiting to see if she would say anything to that. Still nothing. He narrowed his eyes. "And you're to do anything I tell you to do in that room," he went on, seeing her swallow. "Anything at all, whether it be with your hands, or your mouth, or both." He cocked his head to one side and studied her as her face went red. But still she didn't say a word. "And I'll take you in any way I see fit."
Becky couldn't help it, her mouth fell open and she stared at him aghast. Surely he wasn't serious? she thought, then the unwelcome realisation hit her that he was dead serious, that he expected to pay her like a whore, so she should behave like one. She couldn't do that, she decided, but she didn't know how to get out of this situation without him taking her home. He obviously wasn't going to just let her leave. She wracked her brain for ideas and then swallowed down her nerves. "Okay," she said quietly, surprising him. "When do you want to...start?"
Glenn stared at her in astonishment again. "Well, not yet, you're not in any condition...what with your back," he said, trying not to let his shock show on his face.
"My back's fine, I'm fine. I want to start now," she said, looking down at her hands. "Shall I wait in the bedroom?"
He found himself just staring at her now, his expression similar to the one she so recently wore. Then he gave a mental shrug. If she was ready for this, then who was he to argue? His body was already starting to stir at the thought of her in his bed. "If you're sure you're okay, then yes," he said and stood up, holding out his hand to her.
Becky jumped when his arm shot out and she looked warily at his hand. Damn, this wasn't what she had planned. She cleared her throat. "No...I...can I get ready first? On my own? I want to look nice," she said, indicating the robe she was still wearing.
"Oh, yeah, of course," Glenn mumbled and she gave him a small smile, hiding how pleased she was as she went into the bedroom and closed the door.
As soon as she knew he couldn't see her anymore she looked around the room, her eyes lighting on the window and rushing over to it. It wasn't locked, she thought deliriously as she pulled it open as quietly as she could. She gazed out and looked around, seeing nothing but trees and snow. This was her chance and she had to take it. Clothes would be a problem, she thought, but after looking through Glenn's stuff she managed to steal a pair of jeans and a huge shirt, using a belt to tighten the jeans around her waist. The legs took forever to roll up and she started to get a bit panicky that he may come in the room before she had escaped. Finally she was done, but she had no shoes, and there was no way she could wear his. She opened another drawer and rummaged through, coming up with several pairs of socks. They would do, they had to. After she had pulled them on and rolled them up over the cuffs of the jeans, she looked down at herself. Well, she wouldn't win any beauty contests, but who would be looking? Ignoring the pain her back was giving her from all the exertion, she climbed up onto the dressing table and squeezed herself out onto the window ledge, dangling her feet over the side and giving one last look back into the room. When she saw the door handle start to turn she panicked, giving an audible gasp and then pushing herself off from her perch to fall to the ground below. Unfortunately she hadn't known how much higher this side of the cabin was off the ground, and the deep snow hid the fact from her, so she landed in snow that was up to her waist. The coldness of it knocked the breath out of her and she risked a look up, seeing Glenn's head poke out of the window and look incredulously down at her.
"What the hell are you doing?" he bellowed and she jumped, his voice making her start moving. She pushed through the heavy drift and began the heavy work of getting away. How she had ever thought that snow was light and powdery, she didn't know. Because this was thick and heavy and incredibly cold, and she was making barely any progress at all. Thankfully, the drift started to level out a bit and she was able to speed up, the snow only eighteen inches deep here.
Glenn had watched her move away from the cabin and then cursed, looking at the window and knowing his big body wouldn't fit through the aperture. He rushed out into the main living area and tugged his boots on, adding his coat as an afterthought. She might be acting crazy, but he certainly wasn't. He flung the door open and started after her, smiling grimly when he saw she was still visible, her small body a pathetic sight trying to battle through the whiteness. Glenn was far bigger and much stronger, and he started gaining on her easily, a fact she became aware of when she looked back.
She tried moving faster but her feet had become numb in an alarmingly short space of time and she felt her progress slowing instead of speeding up, and her panic increased even as her strength started to disappear. Nothing could save her from Glenn when he could move so much quicker than her, and she felt his hands close around her waist and lift her up before she could take another step. She felt so tired and miserable at her failed escape that she couldn't even bring herself to fight him, and she hung there limply as he swung her up in his arms and carried her back towards the cabin.
Glenn looked down at her pale face and miserable eyes, and he found himself feeling sorry for her and guilty for his own behaviour. "Where did you think you were going?" he asked her.
Becky looked up at him briefly and then looked down again, shrugging. Now what was he going to do? As far as he was concerned she had agreed to his deal, and she wondered how she would be able to back out of it.
"Nothing to say?" he asked her, his voice a growl as he thought about her escape attempt.
"Sorry," she mumbled then burst into tears, howling into his shoulder as he carried her through the front door. She hated her own reaction, knowing that if she felt stronger she would be fighting him like mad.
Glenn stood looking helplessly down at the young girl in his arms and had to swallow down the emotion that suddenly clogged his throat. Okay, so, he wanted her. But all she had done was think he was nice, and now he had proved to her he wasn't and made her cry. He felt like shit. His lips thinned and he sat her down on the couch, standing staring down at her with his hands on his hips. "You realise there are traps out there? You didn't even have the sense to put shoes on, for God's sake!"
Becky sniffed and glared up at him through watery eyes. "I don't want to stay here."
"You agreed to my terms, if you didn't want to there was no-one making you!" Glenn said irritably, his own guilty feelings assailing him.
"Yes there was!" she argued, sitting up straighter and intensifying her glare. "You said you'd take me home if I didn't agree. I don't want to go back there!"
"Well where the hell do you plan to go then? Because you don't want to stay here either!" he bellowed at her, shocking himself because he rarely shouted at anyone these days.
"I don't care where I go, as long as it's nowhere near you!" she cried, jumping up from the couch and almost running for the door again.
Glenn stared at her aghast, then reached out and grabbed the back of her top, pulling her roughly away from the door. Unfortunately he used just a little too much force and she gave a gasp of pain when his hand made contact with her back, his fingertips running hard across the cuts there. She tried to get away from his hands but only managed to make herself fall backwards, and she ended up laying on the floor, all the breath knocked out of her. Her eyes squeezed tightly shut as her back hit the floor and she felt tears of pain run from her eyes. Had she been able to breathe properly she knew she would have screamed, it hurt so bad.
"Oh shit," Glenn mumbled, crouching down and picking her up instantly, his face contrite. He hadn't meant to hurt her, only to stop her from leaving. Great idea, he thought sarcastically, almost as great as your little plan to get her in bed. All he had managed to do was hurt her and he hadn't intended to do that at all. He had to find a way to repair the damage he had caused so she wouldn't leave. He knew it wouldn't be easy.
****
Ellie was sitting staring out of the sitting room window when a deep voice spoke from behind her, making her jump. "How are you feeling?"
She turned her head and looked up at Mark, only able to meet his gaze for a second. "I'm fine, thank you."
Mark sighed deeply at her soft voice, and ran a hand through his beard. She had eaten half the food Lizzy had put on the table and he had tried twice striking up a conversation, but it had proved an impossible task. He had no idea how to go about being nice to her, and it showed. Just being in the same room as her made him feel uncomfortable because of the way he had treated her so far. Now was no different. "I have work to do in my study," he said, turning away from her. "Feel free to look around the house, if you wish."
Ellie watched him walk out of the room and relaxed her tense muscles. She felt as if he were going to pounce on her at any time, and she couldn't relax in his company. She didn't understand him. He treated her like crap, then he was nice, albeit reluctantly, then he was nasty again. She didn't know what to expect from one moment to the next. Still, he seemed to be in an okay mood right now, and he had said she could look around, and she intended to take every advantage of that invitation. This house was huge, and she wanted to see all of it.
She decided to start upstairs and she knew there were three floors, having seen another staircase behind a thick curtain. She didn't know if it was a hidden entrance or not, but she wanted to get a look at it. Architecture like this had always fascinated her.
The first floor had mostly bedrooms on it, the majority of them unused and the furniture draped with dust sheets to keep it clean. There were several bathrooms, some of them en-suite. All the furniture appeared to be very old, but it was all in good condition. The hallways on this floor were a bit creepy, being panelled in dark oak and with wooden floors to match. The only bit of colour were the strips of carpet that ran over the wood, mostly in deep burgundy shades. Even the tapestries and wall hangings that were dotted around were in the dark shade, adding to the general forbidding atmosphere. Even so, it was a lovely house, it just needed brightening up a bit. She reached the curtain she had spotted before and drew it back slowly, looking at the narrow stairs that stretched beyond them, leading up into darkness. There was no light switch that she could see, and she had no torch, but she decided to go on up anyway, maybe she could find a switch further up.
She carefully climbed upwards. When she reached a small landing she smiled, seeing that the stairs started to spiral, and she realised this must be one of the imposing turrets that she had seen from the road. Luckily there was a little light from a small window when she reached the room at the top, and she glanced around her at the cluttered room. There must have been years worth of treasures stored here, she thought in wonder, touching a painting that lay in front of a pile of other paintings. It was of a beautiful blonde woman, but it had been badly damaged and she wondered how it had happened. It looked as if someone had taken a knife to it. There were boxes scattered around the room, all with writing on them detailing what was inside, and she was surprised to find dinner services and other similar items boxed up. The room was quite fascinating to her and she searched it quietly for some time, her eyes eventually finding a tiny table that sat underneath an even smaller window, it's surface free of the dust that covered everything else. Someone must have come up here recently, she thought, reaching out and picking up the ornate wooden box that sat on the smooth surface.
As she opened it the sound of music floated to her ears, and she smiled. It was a musical jewellery box, something she had always envied when she had seen her stepsisters with one, something one of their many boyfriends had bought for them. This one was beautifully made, carved and inlaid with different woods to create a textured pattern that gleamed in the light. Her fingers touched the small gold chain she found inside, tracing the petals of the golden rose pendant that was attached to it. It had to be the most beautiful, delicate piece of jewellery she had ever seen, and she longed to put it on. Just as she lifted it out of the box, a voice boomed behind her and she dropped the whole thing nervously.
"What the hell are you doing in here?" Mark bellowed as he came up behind her, his face a mask of fury when he saw what she had.
"I....I'm sorry...you said...I could explore," she said feebly, feeling like she had been caught stealing. His next words verified that sensation.
"So you thought you'd try to steal my possessions?" he snarled, picking up the box and the chain, checking it over to make sure it wasn't damaged.
"I wasn't stealing...."
"Get out! Don't you ever come in this room again!" he shouted at her, making her swallow nervously and her face lose all of it's colour. He slammed the box down on the tiny table, almost breaking both things, the turned his furious face towards her.
Ellie had seen enough and knew he would really hurt her if he got hold of her, so she turned and ran, not stopping until she had reached the ground floor. She looked back and saw that he thankfully hadn't followed her, but she was in complete panic anyway. Her nerveless fingers fought with the heavy front door, but she eventually managed to tear it open and then she was running again, out into the snow covered driveway and onwards, as fast as she could go.
