Surrendering

Surrendering

Prologue

   Edwards entered the room and cleared his throat with an odd sound of sorts. Sarah did not draw her attention away from the book she was writing. Edwards observed her ink stained fingers and took in a deep breath.

   "Hum," Sarah mindlessly answered.

   "Lady Sarah there is an officer her to speak with you," Edward said.

   "Very well Edward. I will only need but another few minutes to-"

   "Lady Sarah this cannot wait. It concerns...your father." He took a few steps towards Sarah sitting behind her writing desk. Her gaze flew to him. "I will escort him in." Edward then turned slowly and left the room.

   Sarah rose from her desk and began wiping her fingers feverishly, stained with ink. She noticed her hands had begun to tremble. Sarah bit up her bottom lip as the realization of Edward's tone was setting in now.

   Edward emerged through the doorway followed by a young officer who was removing his hat. Mary, Sarah's maid slipped in behind him, doing her best to disappear into the background of the wood paneled wall.

   "You are Lady Sarah Mcmay I presume?" The young officer asked.

   "I am sir." Sarah heard the fear in her own quivering voice.

   "Lady Mcmay, I have some unfortunate news to discuss with you concerning your father Benjamin Mcmay."

   Sarah does not recall much from that point forward. The next six months were but a blur in time for her. The life that she once found comfort and loving security in...Is gone forever, only to be replaced with the company of her father's brother Lester Mcmay and his unfortunate looking assistant Sylvester Collins.

   Her days are long and spent doing her best to avoid Collins and his grabby hands. The night of November 03, 1798 was the result of Sarah's unsuccessful attempts at avoiding Collins and his demanding grasps on her body. He had cornered her in the kitchen late that night. The estate was quit and still. She knew better than to leave her room after a certain hour at night for this very reason alone.

   As Sarah stood with her back to the entrance of the kitchen, she heard a clicking on the floor behind her. She froze and hoped that he might over look her in the dark that engulfed the room. The scent of his cologne waffled in the room around her. It was a foul smell of wax and misty musk from the cellar. The potent odor lingered in every room long after his departure from it. She wondered sometimes what his time was occupied with below her feet.

   "Click, click, click," his cane marked the floor with an echo as he purposely struck it with force against the tile.

   Sarah immediately turned to face him. "What do you want Collins?"

   "Ha ha ha. Now is that any way to address your future husband Sarah?" Collins said as he drew closer to her. He stopped about four feet from her and gawked at her body as he licked his lips repeatedly.

   Sarah's stomach began to curdle at the thought of him touching her in any way. She watched his beady black eyes scan over her breasts and down to her hips. His thin small frame of a body began to hunch forward slightly.

   "I would rather be locked in the cellar and die chained to the wall than marry you."

   Collins smiled at her with an excited evil grin. Almost as if, she had given him an idea. "Your avoidance of me is growing tiresome Sarah. The game of cat and mouse is over. You see Sarah; I grow impatient when I don't get what I want." Collins slammed the bottom of his cane to the tile floor breaking it into large pieces at his feet.

   Sarah jumped at his roaring sudden rage. Collins then lunged towards her took a hold of the upper arms. He bit her on the neck as he pushed himself on to her body, causing Sarah to fall to the ground.

   Collins placed his cane against Sarah's throat and said, "You are only making this painful for yourself. Although I do not mind watching, you suffer. I actually find myself growing pleasured by it.

   The pressure from his cane was making it almost impossible to draw in air. Sarah heard a loud clank and Collins fell off to the side of her body on the floor.

   Sarah looked up to see Edward standing over her with a large heavy fry pan in his hands.

   "Lady Sarah are you injured?" He held out his hand to help her up.

   "No," she said. As she stood, her tears began to run down her cheeks. She had not even been aware she was crying.

   "I have arranged for a driver to take you to Lady Wilcox home, but you must hurry."

   Sarah heard Collins begin to stir on the floor at her feet.

"What will become of you Edward? I cannot possible leave you."

   "You can and you will." Edward took Sarah by the hand and guided her to the front doors. He placed her in the carriage and told the driver to ride hard.

   As the carriage pulled away from Edward, Sarah placed her hand to the chilled glass pane of the small square window. Sarah watched him until his image grew too small to see. She closed her eyes and shouted, "Stop!" to the driver. "I have changed my mind and need to be taken somewhere else."

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