Rose Hill, 1779

"Judy, will you please pass me the onion pie," said Lady Angeline. Judy huffed, offended to be even asked - but Abbigail served the Lady before they could say anything. "This tastes marvelous!" She exclaimed, licking her lips.

"Abbigail is a splendid cooker," George complimented, with a small wink. The slave smiled shyly and returned to her post after serving Lady Angeline.

"On another matter, I would like to make you all an offer!" said Lady Angeline. Quinn frowned and stopped her fork mid-air, waiting to see what would come out of her aunt's offer. "I would like to buy one of your slaves," she said. Quinn wasn't surprised at all. Annoyance would actually be the closest description to how she felt.

"I don't think this is the right time or place to discuss this sort of matter," George said with a chuckle. Quinn blessed his heart for always doing what she needed done.

"Which one?" Judy asked, covering her full mouth with the cloth napkin.

"Rachel," Lady Angeline replied with a shrug - as if she had just said the first name that popped up in her head. As if she didn't have a whole plan behind it. Quinn's hand ran cold as she watched both her parents raising their eyebrows, but for fully different reasons. Russell was caught in a coughing fit

"No, you can't take her," Russell answered with a scoff, when he was finally able to breath again.

"Why not?" Quinn asked, turning to her father. She didn't want to let out any accusations in her tone of voice, but the way he started to fumble with his hands didn't leave her any doubts.

"Yes, Russel, why not?" Judy pushed further, for once helping Quinn - even if she didn't know yet.

"Well, do you wanna sell her?" Russell asked with a curious frown. He had always been a good actor - everyone in their family was. They wouldn't have been able to live together otherwise. He coughed again. "I would advise you not to, but at the end of the day is still your choice," he said with a shrug.

"No," Quinn answered with a roll of her eyes. It disgusted her to see him pretending nothing had ever happened. That he was simply doing what she wanted. As if that was ever the case in that family. As if anyone ever cared about what she wanted.

"Are you sure?" Lady Angeline asked with a small smirk, that Quinn was almost sure she was the only one that could see. "I could pay you enough to buy at least three new slaves, all for yourself."

"I said no," Quinn reinforced, placing her fork at the edge of the plate a little too forceful. She was ready to end that conversation - she had been ready even before it began. She hadn't consider accepting that offer not even for a second.

"Why not, Quinn?" Judy asked. "This is actually a great idea! I know that you might be hesitant because it looks like she is finally learning how to behave, but she's only fooling you Quinn. I've seen it in her eyes - she's the worst type of slave we could have. I'm sure she'll stab you in the back soon enough. Lady Angeline is doing us a favor!"

"May I say again how I think this is not the right time for this discussion?" George tried once more, but his father simply placed a hand on top of his as if he was just calming down a child who had been interrupting the adults' conversation. It infuriated Quinn how belittling her father could be - but then again, a lot of things about him seemed to be upsetting her lately.

"Rachel is mine, and she's not going anywhere. There is no discussion," Quinn stated, grabbing back the fork and taking a piece of ham to her mouth in an attempt to finish the conversation. Lady Angeline took another glance at Russell, but he simply shrugged.

"She is right, there's nothing I can do. Rachel is her property," he said.

Something about the way he said it infuriated Quinn even further. Maybe because he didn't know Rachel had become much more than just a property. Or maybe because Quinn knew that those words that slipped out of his mouth didn't mean he respected her enough to leave her property alone.

Quinn walked inside her room slamming doors, and Rachel jumped in startle dropping the pillow she had been fluffing up. Quinn had told her to stay in her room during dinner that night, and Rachel hated not knowing what was going on - even more now that she saw how worked up Quinn was.

Everything had been too perfect on those last days. Of course someone had to come along to ruin everything.

Rachel had enjoyed Lady Angeline's company when she first met her. The woman had been kind and caring. She made Rachel feel like more than a simple slave. She kissed her. It never felt as good as Quinn's kisses, but still. Quinn wasn't the kindest and had more than a handful of flaws - but she made Rachel feel things that Rachel wasn't even close to being able to explain.

"Is everything okay, miss Quinn?" she asked as Quinn pulled the pins out of her hair with all her strength, bringing along whole strands of hair out off her scalp. Rachel walked over to her to try to help, but Quinn winced and she took a step back.

"No," Quinn answered coldly. It had been a while since the last time Quinn had answered her like that, but Rachel felt like she had earned the right to try once more. They were just getting closer. Quinn couldn't go all the way back so suddenly.

"What happened?" she whispered, placing one gentle hand on Quinn's shoulder. Quinn stopped and sighed deeply, before sitting on the bench and giving in. Rachel started untangling her hair and waited for an explanation.

"Nothing happened," Quinn replied, and Rachel didn't have to give it a second thought to be able to see Quinn had been lying. Quinn was tense from the tip of her toes to the end of her nose, and if Rachel had learned something on the last nights they had spent together was that she knew exactly how to help Quinn get that tension out.

"Do you need help?" She asked with a small smirk, lightly scratching Quinn's scalp when she was done brushing the long hair.

"No," said Quinn, getting up at once and walking to the dressing room.

They didn't exchange one word as Rachel stripped her bare and helped her into her night gown. None of them said anything as she covered Quinn up either. She knew how far she could go, and she wasn't willing to unnerve Quinn even more - especially knowing how she would be the one to face the consequences if the meaner Quinn made an appearance. But as she turned around to go to sleep in the dressing room, where she should have been sleeping for the past months, Quinn sat up in bed again.

"Where are you going?" Quinn asked.

"To sleep, miss Quinn," Rachel answered. "Do you need anything else before I go?"

"But why are you going there?" Quinn asked with a frown. The confusion in Quinn's face surprised Rachel. It was almost as if Quinn hadn't realized how distant she had been all night. If Rachel couldn't help, she didn't want to be the one to make it worse either. And she surely didn't want to have it all taken out on her.

"Well, my wounds are all better, perhaps I should go back to-" Rachel tried to reason, but Quinn lifted her hand to stop Rachel before she could even finish.

"Shut up," Quinn said with a shake of her head, and pulled down the covers of the other side - Rachel's side. "Come here," she said, and Rachel wondered how she could be so rude and yet so soft, all at the same time.

Rachel never knew what was an order and what was a request, but either way she wouldn't deny what she was being asked. It wasn't even because of how comfortable Quinn's bed was in comparison to thin sheet she would lay on in the dressing room.

It was just the way Quinn mindlessly wrapped her arm around Rachel's waist and dropped a quiet kiss on her temple before falling asleep. It was the way her heart swelled and how she felt it wouldn't fit inside her chest anymore. And it was the simple fact that she felt confident enough to steal a peck of Quinn's lips and know that it was okay.

When the night came, and it was only the two of them on that bed - it was always okay.

"Why are you so impressed by my aunt?" Quinn asked out of nowhere.

Rachel made Quinn's bed as she had breakfast in the small table by the window. Quinn seemed tense ever since the night before, but had turned down every attempt of Rachel trying to understand what was happening. Suddenly, she made it all clear.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked in a murmur, buying herself time.

"I've seen the way you look at her. The way you behave when she's around," Quinn shrugged, and it made Rachel want to giggle. The way she tried to pretend it didn't affect her. It was heart-warming, to say the least, that Quinn would get so jealous of her.

"Well, she's a Lady, miss Quinn," said Rachel, opening up the curtains. Quinn cringed when a streak of light hit her eyes. "I simply treat her accordingly."

"I'm a Lady too, did you know?" Quinn asked, and this time Rachel couldn't hold back her chuckle. "It's true. My dad is the marquess. We just don't use the titles here."

"I know, milady," Rachel answered playfully. Quinn didn't seem to be amused by it.

"She fancies you," Quinn teased.

"I know that too," said Rachel. Quinn huffed.

"What about you?" Quinn asked. Rachel thought of playing dumb again, and asking what Quinn meant by that - but she knew perfectly well. And it was so surprising that Quinn would have such an open conversation with her, that she chose to reply honestly.

"May I speak truthfully without the fear of punishment?" Rachel asked, stopping her chores to look Quinn in the eye.

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked. Rachel knew Quinn, too, was buying herself time.

"If I tell you what I really think and feel, will you promise not to punish me for it?" Quinn nodded, and Rachel went on. "I think she's a good person. She was the first one to treat me well in this house. I'm fond of her." Rachel could see Quinn tensing up even more, and resumed her chores to give Quinn the time to digest what she just heard.

"What about my father?" Quinn asked, and Rachel nearly dropped the water jar she held in her hands. She had no idea Quinn had any knowledge about that matter. "Someone I trust told me they have seen you two together. Tell me what happened."

"Nothing happened," Rachel answered quickly, with a shake of her head. Quinn raised an eyebrow in disbelief, and Rachel explained herself afraid Quinn would lose the trust she had in her. "He went after me a few times, but nothing ever happened."

"What did he say to you?" Quinn asked in a frown.

"That I should leave the door open so he could stop by at night," Rachel answered in a murmur. Quinn gasped. "But you know, your door is always locked. He couldn't reach me. Nothing happened." She wasn't sure who she was trying to reassure more, Quinn or herself. She knew it was a mere matter of lucky that she had been able to hide for so long.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Quinn whispered, playing with her tea just to avoid Rachel's eyes.

"Well, Quinn, would you have believe a slave instead of your own father?" Rachel asked with a sad smile. Quinn didn't answer her. She didn't have to - they both the answer. Rachel had almost thought the conversation was over when Quinn spoke again.

"This is disgusting," Quinn sneered to herself. "What makes they think they're entitled to have you?"

"The fact that I'm a slave," Rachel answered. She didn't know if Quinn had really waited for an answer, but the question felt too obvious for her. Quinn got up and stopped Rachel with one hand on her shoulder. Rachel shivered when she saw the pain in Quinn's eyes. If only Quinn knew everything Rachel had ever been through.

"If anyone else comes onto you, you tell me. No excuses," she said. Rachel nodded. Quinn left a shy kiss on her shoulder, and walked into her dressing room. "Fetch me a gown, I need to be dressed."

The contrast between the care and the assertiveness made Rachel sigh. She wanted to trust Quinn and to let go of herself to feel everything her heart forced onto her, but it was hard when she constantly reminded of their positions.

"What is there between you and your slave?" Lady Angeline asked, sitting by Quinn's side. Quinn tried to act relaxed, but only she knew how quick her heart beat against her ribcage.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Quinn answered, without letting her eyes wander away from the book in her hands. She could see her aunt's reactions in her peripheral vision, but didn't let it affect her.

"Oh, you know perfectly well," she scoffed. Quinn ignored it and turned the page in her book. "I'm warning you, Quinn. You should tell me before something happens. Before someone else finds out."

"Are you trying to threaten me?" Quinn asked with an incredulous huff, finally putting her book down. "I have nothing to tell you."

"I know what you did to the letters I sent her," said Lady Angeline. Quinn was caught back in surprise and sealed her lips. "That's right, Quinn. I know more than you think. The walls in this farm have ears. I know everything, I'm just waiting to hear it from your mouth."

"And what exactly do you wanna hear, aunt Angeline?" Quinn asked in the most mockful voice.

"That you like Rachel," Lady Angeline said. The easiness she let go those words made Quinn get lightheaded, but she acted tough. She wouldn't let go so easily. "That you were jealous when you read the letters I sent her, because you love her."

"No, I don't!" She answered by instinct, but felt her heart falling at her own words. Didn't she? She had no idea. She felt something for Rachel, and although she wasn't sure it was love, it felt wrong to deny it so fiercely.

"This isn't the life you want, Quinn," said Lady Angeline, ignoring Quinn's attempts to lie to her. Quinn's palms got sweaty and, again, she was glad no one could notice it. "That won't work at this farm. People in here won't admit it. They're not open minded enough."

"Again, I have no idea what you are talking about," Quinn got back to her book, trying to act as if she didn't care at all about the doubts her aunt tried to put in her head. As if they weren't there since forever.

"I'm serious, Quinn, I'm trying to help you," she said. "Come to America with me. Things are easier there. No one will know, and no one will be able to do anything against you. I'll help you out, and perhaps you can even get more advanced painting lessons."

"You can't be serious," Quinn chuckled. "This is my home, and I have no reason to leave it. I'm not sure, are you not hearing me or just ignoring me? I told you, I don't know what you are talking about," she said. Inside, her whole body shook. Outside, she was a steady rock.

"You can bring Rachel, I wouldn't mind," Lady Angeline went on. "We could share her, and I wouldn't even charge you of rent and food."

That was all it took. Quinn had been patient enough and tried the best she could to maintain her composure - but to hear her aunt talking about Rachel like that was a whole different thing from reading the nasty things she had written to Rachel. Quinn lift her hand, but stopped it mid-air when she realized the consequences her act could have.

"If I were you, I would leave this room right now before I do something both of us would regret," Quinn said, closing her hand in a tight fist and lowering it to the side of her body. Lady Angeline rose a single eyebrow and started to laugh. Quinn frowned.

"I knew it," Lady Angeline answered with a giggle. "If I had known before that all it took to get a confession of you was to make you think of me fucking your slave, I would have told you before."

Lady Angeline left, but the image in Quinn's mind never did. She fell back onto the chair and felt her eyes welling up as her face blushed deep red in anger. She was jealous, yes.

She couldn't say she loved Rachel.

But she couldn't say she didn't either.

"I feel trapped," Quinn cried out, holding her tears as George wrapped her arms around her. "I'm scared she will tell someone or do something and I just know I could never stop her, she has so much more power than I do," she said with a sob. "But at the same time, I don't wanna move to America with her. I couldn't stand being there alone with her for the rest of my life, George!"

"Quinn, she can't do anything to you. Don't worry okay?" He said, hugging her tighter. She nodded between sobs, but she couldn't be as sure as he was. "I'm here and I'll always be on your side. Besides, she can't use that against you because you could use the exact same thing against her. Everything will be fine."

"I hope you're right," she whispered, burying her head on his shoulder. "I asked Rachel about father and she said it's true. I'm so angry, George. I feel like this whole farm is built on lies and that I'm the last one to realize that."

"You're right, Quinn. Everyone knows. This is just how things happen around here, and it is horrible indeed, but it's almost impossible to change it. I should know," he let out a hurtful chuckle. Quinn sighed.

"It's just so absurd that they think they can go after Rachel and do whatever they want to her simply because she is a slave!"

"Quinn?" George asked, and she lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him. "How is that any different from what you have been doing?" Quinn gasped and pulled back, wrapping her own arms around herself protectively. If someone had shot, her she wouldn't have felt so attacked.

"It is completely different!" She exclaimed, but George didn't say anything, and she knew she would have to think further. "Well, for starters, she's mine!" She said, but soon realized that argument sounded as unfair as the ones she had been condemning earlier. "And I didn't go for her just because she's a slave and couldn't say no!"

"Why did you go for her, then?"

"Well, because-" Quinn took a deep breath and shook her head. It was under pressure when her biggest realizations always hit her. When she didn't have the time to come up with excuses. "Because I think I might love her!" she cried out, saying the one thing that her mind had been yelling at her and she simply couldn't ignore anymore.

"You think?" George asked, and Quinn groaned, sitting down and hugging her own legs.

"Yes, I think. I can't know for sure because I have never been in love before, but I have never felt like this before either. She's the first person that has ever made me feel things so intensely and whenever I think about her I feel like my heart will explode and I used to think it was because I hated her so much but then I see people doing things like that to her and I realize I don't want people even talking about her cause I want her to be only mine and I just want to protect her and make sure she is okay and- well, if that isn't hate it must be love right?"

"Quinn, calm down, alright? You are a rambling mess and you're barely making any sense," George said with a smile. Quinn couldn't understand how he could smile in a time like that. "If you love her, that changes everything. That makes you better than most people in our family, and I'm very proud to hear you say that out loud. I know it mustn't been easy for you. But you've hurt her while you were confused, so it's not me that you need to tell that to. She's the one to needs to be reassured by you. And it should be soon, before you lose her to someone else who's not afraid of using everything they got to get what they want."

The thought of saying those words out loud to Rachel terrified her. But nothing was more terrifying than the thought of losing Rachel to anyone.

Rachel laid by her side, as her brother's words resonated inside her head. She loved her, but she would never be brave enough to say it. Rachel closed her eyes, and Quinn could almost see her drifting into sleep - but she couldn't let her go. Her body needed Rachel, it needed someone that would be strong enough to pull the words out of her mouth. And she didn't know anyone stronger than Rachel.

Quietly, she brushed her thumb against Rachel's cheek. Perhaps if Rachel were asleep, she could take it as a sign that she just shouldn't say anything. Rachel opened her eyes at once. Quinn's stomach fluttered. Rachel's eyes begged for the words she couldn't say, even if only unconsciously. Rachel turned to her side to face Quinn. She always knew when Quinn needed her, even if Quinn wasn't willing to admit. Her heart swelled all over again.

"Will you kiss me?" Quinn asked. She wanted- needed it. But she wasn't giving Rachel any more orders when it came to that kind of matter. If they were doing anything, Rachel would have a choice. She wanted to know Rachel was into it as much as she was.

Rachel smiled, and it was almost as sweet as her taste. The taste that never left Quinn's lips, no matter how long it had been since she had last touched them. Rachel leaned forward and the simple smell of her breath already made Quinn shudder. They kissed, and Quinn was a puddle. She didn't have to give any further instructions. Her hunger was all the indication Rachel needed, and soon enough Quinn was pinned onto the bed as Rachel straddled her.

Her night gown was up her stomach in a matter of seconds, and every inch of her body was being kissed. With every kiss, Quinn's lips quivered to say those words, but all that left her mouth were moans and moans and moans - until Rachel covered her mouth with her hand. Quinn licked her palm and Rachel slapped her thigh. Nothing would be able to suppress the groan Quinn let out.

Quinn gripped Rachel's side and dug her nails against Rachel's stomach in an attempt to get her gown up. Rachel shook her head and grabbed Quinn's hands.

"Rach," Quinn cried out, but Rachel stopped it with her mouth. Out of that bedroom, Quinn was a queen, ordering and getting all her wishes granted. In their bedroom, she had no voice. Rachel led their way, but still, Quinn got all her wishes granted anyway.

"I'm touching you first," Rachel whispered against her mouth. Quinn nodded with all her heart. As if she could ever say no. She became undone under Rachel's touch, arching up her back until her hair was caught by Rachel's hand to keep her up. Their chest pressed against each other, breaths in synch and heart beats slamming in the most beautiful song.

Rachel's touch was raw and and ruthless and she loved it. Her fingers carved deeper within Quinn, and her mouth hovered by Quinn's earlobe close enough for Quinn to hear the shy moans Rachel let out - it only made Quinn want her more. She loved every second of it. She needed Rachel to feel the same. She needed Rachel's heart to explode against hers in a love that would either kill them or be their salvation. And in the secluded escape of their bedroom, Quinn felt shameless in her begging.

"Let me touch you too," she whispered in a cry, grabbing a fistful of the sheets - anything to keep herself obedient to Rachel's orders. "Please, Rachel," she asked.

Even when surrendering, Rachel didn't let Quinn take control. She grabbed Quinn's hand and guided it exactly where she wanted. As if Quinn didn't know. As if they hand't learned each other's body by heart, enough to be able to travel it blindly and bring the other down within seconds. The first loud groan escaped Rachel's mouth, and Quinn chuckled in pleasure. She would be able to come with that sound alone. But it was only a moment before Rachel grabbed the back of her neck to make her forget who she was.

"Bite me," Quinn asked, and Rachel did. Hard, above Quinn's breast.

Her skin burned and bent against Rachel's lips. The half moon of Rachel's tooth was immediately marked down on her clear skin, almost as pink as the QF that adorned Rachel's shoulder. She regretted everything she had ever done to hurt Rachel, and she would take every single one of her acts back if she could. But her fingers traced her initials on Rachel's skin, and she felt the fire under it that meant that Rachel was hers, and only hers, and nothing else would ever matter. Rachel groaned again, and pulled her closer. And Quinn knew she felt it too. They shared that fire, and it was only theirs, and it was all that mattered.

"Does Lady Angeline make you moan like that?" Quinn asked in an angry groan, and Rachel slapped her face. It was unexpected - but not more unexpected than how much pleasure Quinn found on the act.

"Shut up," Rachel whispered back. Quinn wanted to obey, but how could she, when Rachel touched her like that? Their rhythm sped up with Rachel's words. Quinn wasn't sure which one of them liked it better when Rachel was in command. Quinn's legs started trembling, and she knew it was close. Rachel knew too. "Wait for me," she said.

Quinn had no idea how to do so. She tried to steady her legs around Rachel's hand, but each flicker felt like a push closer to the abysm and all she wanted to do was fall. To let herself fall, deeper and deeper in love with Rachel. But she knew it would be worth to wait until Rachel was able to fall with her. And they did, together. Bodies crumbling down the mattress, intertwined and sweaty, shaking and gasping. The three words never felt so close.

Her body immediately missed the heat brought on by Rachel. The breeze that entered through the breaches on the window got them back to reality. Even those words wouldn't be able to express the happiness she felt to know that she could drop a sweet kiss on Rachel's cheek after such an intense moment, and it would still feel natural. As if her body had been made to fit perfectly against Rachel's bare one.

"Should we light up the fire?" Rachel asked, brushing away goosebumps in Quinn's arm. It was heartening to see Rachel changing back to her sweet self. There were so many versions of her hidden inside that body, and Quinn delighted in learning every and each one of them. She nodded, still out of words to agree out loud.

Rachel had always struggled with the fire. From day one, it was the one thing she couldn't master. She kneeled by the fireplace, and Quinn watched as she struggled to get the fire going. With a chuckle, Quinn got up to be by her side. Distance was unbearable then. She caught the fire plow from Rachel's hand and worked it with a familiarity that left Rachel opened mouth.

"I didn't know you could do that," Rachel whispered, watching Quinn with knit together eyebrows in curiosity. Quinn looked up at her and smiled, but sighed right after.

"I watched slaves doing it, and I learned," she shrugged, but when for a second it crossed her mind that Rachel could conceive that as condescending, she explained herself. "Sometimes I feel like you're more intelligent than me. That you can do things I never could," she whispered, catching Rachel's attention and drawing in a deep breath. If only courage would come with the air. "And it scared me, that I couldn't live without you. So I learned," she said. Rachel gave her a shy smile and caught her hand. It was the simplest act, and somehow it made up for all the things unsaid between them. Except for the ones Quinn needed to say the most. "I still can't, though. Live without you."

"Quinn?" Rachel asked. Quinn lifted her head to realize how close Rachel was. Her hair fell around her face, a change from the usual tied up bun she had during work days. Quinn had never seen an angel, but she couldn't imagine it looking better than that. The crackling of the fire only made their proximity feel more intimate - even more than when their bodies became one moments before. "I'm not doing this with anyone else," Rachel whispered.

It was all Rachel had to say. It erased all the doubts that could have clouded Quinn's mind and cut all the ties that were keeping her on the earth. She was free to fall. Every insecurity her aunt had tried to ground onto her head had vanished with a simple sentence. Rachel was hers, and only hers. And she knew exactly what she had to say to give Rachel the same joy she was feeling after hearing that.

"Rachel?" She asked, although their eyes were already locked. She closed them, because it was all too much. She felt Rachel's hand against her hand, and it was enough. "I love you," she whispered, barely audible. The grip on her hand was tightened instantly. Rachel's lips caught hers at once, and it tasted just like the words she wanted to hear, but didn't.

I love you back.