Another Chance with the Duke

Ch 2 Part 2

The taste of copper filled Evalynn's mouth as she bit the inside of her cheek. She couldn't bring herself to open the unassuming wooden door in front of her. Unlike most of the doors, this one was cheap like the ones used in the servant's quarters, though oddly enough it was three times as thick. Evalynn knew what awaited her inside and she could only hope that her mother would lose interest quickly this time. It was a pointless hope, though; her mother had never once gotten bored with punishing her in the name of love.

Swallowing through her tightened throat, Evalynn knocked on the door softly until she heard her mother's voice beckon her in. The inside of the room was dim, with a plush red carpet that covered the entirety of the floor except for a spot in the middle where there was only rough bare stone. The only lighting came from a few dimly flickering sconces spread around the stone walls of the room.

Next to the center circle of the room sat a brown leather chaise where her mother lounged, sipping a cup of steaming tea from a small porcelain cup. Across from her sat a small table covered with a white cloth.

"You're on time, at least you can do something right." Edith sneered and nodded her head up toward the ceiling above the stone circle. "You know what to do."

Fighting to keep her knees from shaking, Evalynn walked in front of her mother, untying the dress that her mother had been so insistent on her wearing and letting it drop to the floor. The air in the room was as frigid as Evalynn remembered and she barely stopped herself from hugging her body to try and stay warm.

"Arms up."

Steeling her nerves, Evalynn raised her arms above her head obediently while she waited for Edith to put her tea down and stand up. A metal clanking sound filled the room as the skeletal-looking older woman pulled down a set of slightly rusted iron shackles hanging above Evalynn's head. The feeling of rough, biting iron cutting into her wrists made Evalynn want to recoil, but she knew that doing so would just prolong the situation.

"I'm glad to see you're not talking back like you did earlier."

After clasping the shackles on Evalynn's wrist and locking them in place with a metal pin, Edith walked over to the table situated behind Evalynn, and she could hear the familiar sound of a heavy cloth being pulled away and tossed to the floor. The hairs on Evalynn's body stood up and painful goosebumps formed on her arms. Her mother lingered behind her silently, using Evalynn's own anxiety against her. It was one of Edith's favorite forms of punishment and one that Evalynn had always been particularly susceptible to because no matter how she learned to deal with the pain, Evalynn could never seem to deal with the fearful anticipation.

A deafening crack filled the room before Evalynn felt a sharp, cutting pain on her back. Then there was a pause before three more biting hits. Tears welled up in Evalynn's eyes as she tightly grabbed the rough, gritty chains connecting her shackles.

"Do you know why I'm doing this?" Evalynn's mother asked curtly, circling around Evalynn while jabbing the tip of the thin birch switch into random parts of Evalynn's body. "Answer."

"Because I spoke out of turn," Evalynn choked out, her voice quivering.

Edith shook her head, grabbing her daughter by the face so that they were staring at one another. "Wrong."

Another sharp jab knocked the wind out of Evalynn and she could feel her body trying to tighten and struggle against her will.

"You're here because you asked pointless questions." Edith slapped the side of Evalynn's ribs with the switch, sending a shudder through the girl's body. "Who you marry and why are none of your concern, do you understand?"

"Yes, Mother," Evalynn choked out through her closed throat.

A cold bony hand smacked the side of Evalynn's face, making her lose her balance, which in turn caused the rusty shackles on her wrists to saw into her skin.

"Did I say you could talk?" her mother growled maliciously. "Maybe twenty more lashings will remind you of your place."

Twenty. Evalynn counted each hit, focusing only on staying quiet and trying to stop her body from convulsing from the pain. It was only after the twentieth hit that she allowed herself to slightly relax.

It was a mistake. She had let her guard down. She had trusted her mother's words. She cried out as a twenty-first hit impacted her shoulder, cracking the switch back and breaking it. Edith cursed behind her, giving her a moment of reprieve to catch her breath, but it didn't take long for her mother to pick up another instrument to beat her with.

The abuse continued for what felt like an eternity in the dark, timeless room and it was all Evalynn could do to keep herself on her feet. With each second that passed she could feel her mind getting cloudier until she could barely focus her eyes on the world around her. It was a familiar feeling. The same feeling that had gripped her as her life slipped away the night before.

The shadowed visage of Edgar's broad toothy grin snapped Evalynn to attention. Behind her she could hear stumbling and the clatter of a metal tray onto the soft red carpet. Then a thinner, suppler switch hit Evalynn a few more times. But Evalynn felt nothing. Nothing beyond a seething rage that boiled in her chest and coursed through her veins. Only Edgar's disgusting snaggletoothed grin filled her thoughts, numbing the outside world. Her mother was nothing compared to him.

"Hmph," Evalynn heard Edith huffing from behind her. "We'll end it here today."

Edith's tone told Evalynn that her mother was telling the truth this time. From her mother's breathing, it seemed the cause was likely because her mother had run out of stamina. The only physical activity the woman did was walking from one room of the mansion to the other. Her mother was weak compared to Edgar. She was old and frail and lacked the pure cruelty the Earl had. Her actions were the tantrum of an aging woman whose beauty had faded, and who was desperately fighting for a sense of control in her miserable life. Edgar was just a pure sadist. A sadist she would need to face in the coming months.