Disclaimer: I don't own "The Patriot", Elizabeth, Christine and Joanna are mine.
Ariana3000, Libertineangel, Demon, SassyBrunette, DeceptiveKindness - Thank you for the reviews, I'm glad that you like it. I try to do my best.
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IV. Joanna
Elizabeth laid down on the bed and fell asleep for the next few hours. When she awoke, her sister was in the room, sitting on a chair on opposite to her.
"You don't look too good." Christine said, looking at her sister. Elizabeth turned her head to the frameless mirror that hung on the wall beside the bed. She truly didn't look good. Her hair was a mess, she had bags under her eyes, she was more pale than usual, her lips were swollen and an ugly bruise was visible on her arm, where the dress sleeve didn't reach.
"I'm fine." Elizabeth said blankly.
"I still don't know how you could do that." A look of annoyance mixed with exhaustion appeared on Elizabeth's face. "It's horrible. You willingly spoiled yourself. What mother would say? How could you?" Christine continued. "We promised her…"
"No! You promised her! I merely nodded to have peace! Besides, in a situation like this, she would understand! Anyone would understand!" Elizabeth cut off her sister's lecture, not wanting to hear it, especially now. "Anyone except you Christine. Can't you see that I did it to keep us alive? If I wouldn't, we'd starve to death."
"Earlier you found other ways to get money." Christine murmured, the look of a child that didn't get what it wanted on her face.
"Earlier not being caught for stealing was easier." Elizabeth spat.
"What? You stole the money we lived for earlier?" Christine asked outraged.
"Oh, wake up Christine. Where did you think I got it? People now are afraid of hiring people they're not sure of. They take everyone for a spy. You think I haven't tried to find work?"
"But I thought…"
"You thought what?" Christine didn't say anything. She just turned her head away.
When night fell and 9 o'clock came, Elizabeth went to the Colonel. In the morning he told her to come every night unless he told her otherwise, and so she did. She came to him every night and every morning when she returned to her room, Christine was waiting for her with another lecture about sins and such.
Not more than a few days after everything started, while going back to her room a woman with fiery red hair stopped her on the way. She had very sharp features and was undeniably attractive. The green dress she wore perfectly fitted to her hair and her pale complexion. Elizabeth recognized her, as one of the women that lived in the same house as she did.
"Hey, kid!" She called her. Elizabeth stopped and looked at the woman, she was standing just a few feet away. "Congratulations, you just became the Butcher's newest whore." She said with a nasty grin. Elizabeth turned away from the woman and started walking away. "Don't worry, a month, two at the most and he'll be through with you!" She shouted behind her.
As Elizabeth later found out, the woman's name was Joanna and she was 23. Some time ago, she had been the one to keep the Colonel 'company' at nights. It seemed that she had felt something for Tavington then. When he got bored of her and exchanged her for another girl, she instead of sulking about it started poisoning the other girl's life on every step. Now she continued to do this to every other girl that now took her ex-post. It was clear to Elizabeth, that what Joanna felt for the Colonel wasn't just something and it definitely didn't end. Only that it changed into jealousy, a very venomous type of jealousy.
Elizabeth truly felt sorry for her, but she wouldn't allow her to poison her life more than it already was just because she had heart problems. But since Elizabeth found that fighting Joanna was just leading her to spitting out more venom, she decided to plainly ignore her. She didn't have the strength for this.
As for her 'job', with time, Elizabeth started looking forward more to going to the Colonel's quarters than returning to her room. Christine was constantly criticizing her and what she did. Her lectures didn't have an end. At least he didn't lecture her. To tell the truth, he didn't give the slightest damn about her and he didn't hide it. At least he didn't lie to her and didn't give her false hopes.
First Elizabeth tried to be indifferent to the matter and she quietly asked herself how Joanna could fall in love in someone as cold as him. But as time passed, trying to be indifferent was getting harder and harder. When lying in bed with him although she was exhausted, she couldn't sleep. She just watched him as he slept with his back to her. As she did this, she was more and more tempted to touch him, to feel him. Still, she was too afraid that she would wake him. It took her a long time to gather her courage.
After she crossed that barrier, on the next night she couldn't stop herself from moving closer to him. On every night she waited till he fell asleep, and then moved closer, laying her head on his shoulder, only to be brutally pushed away in the morning when he awoke. Somehow, she started feeling safe with him, safe like she hasn't felt for a long time. On every day Elizabeth just waited for nightfall to go to him. When he left for a week, she couldn't deny that she missed him. She yearned for closeness, closeness and safety that she hasn't felt since she lost her home.
She started to understand Joanna's constant bitterness mixed with her behavior that made her remind a vicious snake, biting everyone on its way. But even though Elizabeth understood her, she couldn't stop hating her and her behavior. She was no saint and being forgiving never was her strong side.
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Sorry for the short and boring chapter, but if you like it and want me to continue, PLEASE REVIEW. If you think it is crap review and tell me. Constructive criticism would be appreciated.