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EMMA
"You may do with her as you wish. I wash my hands of her."
These were the words that I first comprehended as I awoke, my mind unusually foggy. Everything that came before was garbled as if I had cotton stuffed in my ears. My eyes felt as if lead weights were pressed upon them, too heavy to open, and a bitter taste coated my tongue. My head thumped in time with my beating heart. I didn't want to surface from the safe warmth of my slumber.
"Surely she could be spoken for easily enough. A hasty marriage. Her face and body are more than appealing to any man." A woman responded to the man's insistent words.
"No," his tone was emphatic, sharp. "That will not suffice. My money, if you please."
My head was clearing enough to recognize the voice. It was my step-brother, Thomas. Who was
