The Pits of Passion

by Amber Flame

  “Well, madam,” he said, “when you were in the Magistrate’s office, Mr. Pramburg came along and told me you wouldn’t be needing me anymore and that I should take the carriage and put it in his own stable and then go find myself another position. I tried the missionary but the woman’s husband got perturbed, so I went looking again. Finally I found Mr. Benjamin and he hired me on board his ship. Nasty work, this, but all I could find.” He stood expectantly before Elizabeth, looking over her head.

  “Oh, Trevor!” she said. “I felt terrible when you’d gone but I didn’t know where you were. Now we can be together again.”

  “Yes, madam,” Trevor said stonily. He took her lunch off the tray and picked up the tray to leave.

  “Thank you, Trevor,” she said happily. He turned and walked out. She felt immensely better now knowing her faithful and trusted servant had not been compromised by her difficulties. She had worried greatly about him but now she was relieved. She ate her lunch feeling lighter than she had for days. She almost floated out of her chair but she ate a biscuit and right away it weighted her down. After lunch she sat and looked out the porthole for a short time then retired back to bed.

  That evening Benjamin returned to the cabin and was working on his ledgers when Elizabeth awoke. She lay still and watched him for a moment, wondering what sort of marl her husband was. In all her adventures, she still didn’t know him very well. Actually, she couldn’t tell the difference between him and Franklin, but she knew there was a great difference. And it wasn’t all below the belt.

  Benjamin must have felt her gaze on him for he suddenly turned toward her. His ice blue eyes softened as he met her stare, and she blushed slightly.

  “I’m glad you’re awake.” He got up and came to sit beside her on the bunk. “I have something I wanted to discuss with you. How are you feeling?”

  “Fine,” she answered. The nearness of him made her suddenly shy, and she cast her eyes down to the floor.

  “Good,” he said. He rested his hand closer to her arm but not touching her. He smiled at her happily.

  “We’re almost to France,” he began. Elizabeth studied him as he spoke, eager now for his words. “We should be docking late tomorrow if the wind is with us. If it’s not, we won’t get there for another week. Would you like to take a little holiday in Paris?”

  “Oh, yes,” she said. “I have never been to Paris.”

  “Good. We can take a few days and see the sights. I know you’ll like it.” He paused as if that subject was settled and he was not quite sure how to move on to the next. His hand inched toward hers and covered her fingers, the gentle touch burning her flesh. She was suddenly apprehensive.

  “Elizabeth,” he began, “ I know you’ve been through a lot, and I know you need time to recover, but about our marriage....”

  He left the words hanging and stared meaningfully at her, his blue eyes delving into her very soul.

  “Really, Mr. Elliott,” she said, suddenly angry. “After being taken captive by your horrible brother and having all sorts of atrocities forced on me, you ask about our marriage? As if I haven’t been used and abused enough? As if I haven’t been defiled and deflowered already? How dare you?” She drew herself up indignantly, her cheeks flaming with anger.

  “You’re beautiful when you’re angry,” Benjamin said. His hand pressed hers.

  “Oh!” Elizabeth said and snatched her fingers away. Benjamin would have liked to do the opposite, but he knew she was upset. He smiled good-humoredly at her anger, which only made her madder. “You’re just like your brother.” she accused.

  “No, I’m not,” he said. “I thought I told you about that.”

  “I don’t want to hear it!” she cried. “Why can’t you just leave me alone? I’m sick and tired of being used by you Elliotts, so just leave me alone!” She threw herself down on the bunk and pulled the sheets up over her head, presenting her back to Benjamin. Then, remembering Franklin’s penchant for backs, she scooted away from him to the wall. She heard Benjamin chuckle and then felt his weight lift from the bunk.

  “All right, pet,” he said. “I’ll leave you alone--for now.” His footsteps sounded across the wooden floor and then the heavy cabin door opened and closed. Elizabeth was alone.

  She turned and looked about the empty cabin angrily. Why did these things keep happening to her? Why were men always so demanding? And why did Benjamin leave without even trying to get fresh? She was glad he had left, but disappointed too. She was beginning to feel lonely for the first time since she’d been rescued from Franklin.

  CHAPTER 5

  The next afternoon there was a cry all about the ship of “Land ho!” and Elizabeth could see the dark mass rising out of the horizon. “That’s France!” she said to herself. The thought was like adrenaline in her blood, and she could feel it pounding in her head. She hoped France would be as exciting as she’d heard. But would Benjamin still take her to Paris? And what would he expect if he did?

  For the rest of the afternoon she stayed by the porthole and watched France loom closer and closer. Trevor brought her some lunch at one point, but she could only pick at it and then return to her lookout. She was far too excited to eat.

  Not long before sunset, Benjamin came to the cabin with a bundle under his arm. Elizabeth glanced at him cursorily, then back to France. She was not eager to converse with him, since it always seemed to get back to the same subject.

  “Can you see it?” he asked cheerfully. She didn’t answer, but he didn’t seem to notice. “I’ve brought you some clothes, since you can’t go traipsing about Paris in sailor’s dress. Try them on and see how they fit.” He tossed some drab articles on the bunk for her and purposely turned away.

  At first unwilling to do anything he suggested, Elizabeth took stock of her dress and realized he was right. She hesitated at the bunk, afraid that he would turn to look as soon as she disrobed, but the idea of wearing feminine skirts again finally won out. She threw off her make-do outfit and pulled the first gown over her head. It was an ugly color, a drab brown with no bright trim to break up the darkness. Still it was not a bad fit and lay smoothly over her hips and buttocks. The bodice however was a trifle tight, causing her breasts to swell above the neckline like two ripe, beautiful cantaloupes.

  “Let me see,” Benjamin said. Forgetting her anger momentarily, and wanting a second opinion, she turned and allowed him a lingering look. “Well,” he said finally, “you certainly do wonders for an ugly gown. On you it looks beautiful.” He began to step toward her, but she quickly turned her back.

  “Please don’t,” she said levelly. “There’s still another to try on.” She knew by the sound of his footsteps that he had honored her wish.

  The second gown was thin and threadbare but clean. It was a dove gray color and fit much like the first, except there was lace at the throat and wrists. She allowed Benjamin a look at this one too, and was secretly glad at the compliments he paid her.

  “Which one do you think I ought to wear in Paris?” she asked.

  “Oh, the brown, definitely,” he said. She wondered if it was really a matter of fashion or if he just liked seeing her swelling breasts rise above the neckline. But she supposed it didn’t matter.

  “Who’s gowns are these?” she asked. It had just come to her that she was the only woman on board ship--or was she?

  “Well, uh,” Benjamin began awkwardly. “Actually, they, uh, belong to, uh....”

  “Yes?” she prompted. She was beginning to see red and had already decided to scratch the girl’s eyes out. She didn’t care if she had turned Benjamin away; he was her husband and no hussy was going to have him!

  “Well, I suppose you would have found out anyway,” he said helplessly. “They belong to Trevor.”

  “Trevor?” she almost screamed. “What are you talking about? In all the years he had been with my family he never brought a woman to....”

  “No, no, I don’t mean that,” Benjamin said. “He didn’t buy them for
a woman.”

  “Then what do you mean?” she asked, perplexed. “If he didn’t buy them for a woman, who did he buy them for?”

  “Ahem,” Benjamin said, then added under his breath, “For himself.”

  “For himself?” she cried. “What do you mean?” The gown began to make her skin crawl and she had a desperate need to rip it off her body. As if he had read her mind, Benjamin stepped forward and took her hands.

  “Now, Elizabeth,” he said quickly, “don’t be like that. I think it was very nice of Trevor to loan them to you. He didn’t want to at first, but I told him you had nothing to wear and I promised him you’d take care of them. They’re the only gowns he had that you could wear around town.”

  Elizabeth quieted, thinking he was right and she should be grateful. After all, she wouldn’t be able to go out at all if she had to wear those sailor’s hand-me-downs.

  “Very well,” she said finally. She folded the brown one up carefully and set it at the foot of the bunk. She kicked the sailor outfit into a corner. It was such a relief being in a dress again that she didn’t dwell on where it came from. She would think about that later.

  “We ought to be docking shortly,” Benjamin said. As if to illustrate the point, the ship bumped against something hard and Elizabeth had to steady herself against the bunk.

  “Is that France?” she asked.

  Benjamin rushed to the porthole and looked out. “Damn it, I told the men to call me before they docked her. They’ve probably put all kinds of scratches in the side.” With a quick turn and a bound, he was gone out of the cabin.

  Elizabeth took this time alone to gaze out the porthole and get her first impression of France. At first it didn’t seem very different from any other port, but then she noticed the funny little hats of the men and the languid, feline movements of the women. The scene around her was almost like a play being performed for her eyes only. She saw a man hauling a fishing net from a boat in order to mend a hole in it. A thin, jaded-looking woman sauntered over to him and stood watching him disdainfully. Finally she reached a hand down to his pants and he began to pay more attention to her. Farther along the dock, Elizabeth saw some children playing noisily with a dead fish. They squealed and laughed and hit the fish with a stick, and Elizabeth warmed to see them playing so happily. She wondered if she would ever have children of her own.

  To the other side of the dock were an old woman selling fish and her daughter selling crabs. The old woman was blind, and her sightless eyes turned beseechingly on noisy passersby. When a stroller came close enough, she would clutch their arms desperately, thrusting a limp fish into their faces and talking rapidly in her poetic French. Her daughter called out and beckoned to people walking by as well, and if a man chanced to stop long enough, she seized his hand and placed it modestly down her bodice against her breasts. To emphasize her salable items, she would grind her hips meaningfully against his and roll her eyes. Elizabeth wondered if body language was always such an integral part of French communications.

  She contented herself with watching and waiting until she saw some of Benjamin’s crew unloading goods on the dock. Then she realized how long she’d been trapped on one ship or another for so long and she was impatient to get off. She began to fidget with the lace at her throat and to toy with her honey colored hair. She wished Benjamin would come back so they could leave for Paris.

  Finally he did come back, but it was well into dark before he did. She could no longer see the people on the docks unless they passed directly under the street candles and she was growing bored and restless. When Benjamin strolled into the cabin, she could have hugged him with relief. Instead, she stood by the wall and lifted her chin regally.

  “So you finally remembered me,” she said coolly. “I thought perhaps you had forgotten I was even here.”

  ”I could never forget you,” Benjamin said. He came close to her and stared down into her emerald green eyes. The corner of his lip twitched as if he would smile at her any minute, but she kept her expression level. “Are you too angry with me to spend a few days with me in Paris?” he asked teasingly.

  She stared up into his ice blue eyes, wanting to slap his handsome face, but knowing she would not. She would go to Paris, although she reminded herself that she was not giving in to any demands he might make on her. He would find out that she was not a woman to be bought by favors.

  “I have never seen Paris,” she said, dismissing his earlier question, “but I should like to.”

  “Good,” Benjamin said. “I’m afraid it’s too late to start out tonight, so we’ll stay over here for the night and get an early start tomorrow. I’ve had Trevor go on ahead to the inn and get us a room and order our dinner, so we should be going. Are you ready?”

  At the mention of food, Elizabeth was suddenly very hungry. As a matter of fact, her stomach felt as if her throat were cut. She gathered up the extra gown and lifted her skirts daintily above her trim ankles, then let Benjamin lead her out of the cabin.

  The fresh night air felt refreshing on her face after living below decks so long, and she breathed deeply. Benjamin stood and waited for her like a dutiful husband, then took her arm as they started down the dock.

  “I am capable of walking by myself,” she said, as if he had asked.

  “You don’t have your land legs about you yet,” he said. “It will take you a bit to get used to it again.”

  “I’ll be fine as soon as we get off this dock. I wish it wouldn’t move and roll so.” She stumbled and almost fell down, but Benjamin’s hand tight on her arm kept her upright.

  “That’s what I mean,” Benjamin said. “This dock is moored to solid rock and isn’t moving at all.”

  They made their way through the streets, Elizabeth crowding close to Benjamin when she noticed the grimy beggars that prowled the dock area. Before she hadn’t been close enough to see the toothless grins that leered at her, but now the grizzled faces were much too close. She hung on Benjamin’s arm the whole way to the inn.

  Trevor sat waiting for them at a table and as soon as they came in, he signaled for their plates to be brought. The steaming mutton smelled like the most delicious cuisine ever set before her, and Elizabeth needed no more prompting. She had finished her plate and the last of her bread when Benjamin was still eating.

  While she waited, she looked about the common room at the French people. They looked remarkably like English people, with the exception of their dress, and it seemed odd to Elizabeth that they muttered and cursed in a foreign tongue. She wished she could understand what they were saying.

  “Well, pet,” Benjamin said. “Have you had enough to eat?”

  She forced her eyes back to his and realized that he had been watching her watching the other people.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Good. Then you’ll probably be wanting a bath and a good night’s sleep. Trevor, may we see our rooms?”

  “Yes, sir,” Trevor said. He got up and led the way up some stairs at the back of the common room. Elizabeth remembered that the dress she was wearing was Trevor’s and she felt suddenly embarrassed. She cast her eyes down to the wood floor at her feet and realized uncomfortably that Trevor was wearing high-heeled patent leather boots.

  At the top of the landing, Trevor walked down a narrow hall past several doors and finally stopped at one. He pushed the door open and stood aside, allowing Elizabeth and Benjamin to go on in.

  The room was small, but clean, and Elizabeth noted with satisfaction that there was a big wooden tub of steaming water for her bath. The thing she didn’t like was the large double bed staring back at her. Suddenly Benjamin seemed too close, and she moved a few steps away from him. She feigned interest in the porcelain bowl and pitcher on a low table, hoping he would leave. Luckily, he seemed to take quick store of the situation and turned to leave.

  “Why don’t you relax, pet? I’m going back downstairs with Trevor for a while. If you need anything, just scream.” Elizabeth suffered a small kis
s on her cheek before he left.

  Feeling instantly more active now that she was alone, she made sure the door was locked and then shed her clothes. She found a clean rag and a bar of scented soap and climbed carefully into the tub. The water was still very hot, but instantly relaxing as it caressed her tired body. It got fresh once, but she pushed it away. She leaned back in the tub and let the water soak away all her weariness and fatigue.

  After she had washed herself thoroughly with the scented soap, Elizabeth toweled off with a fluffy white towel that had been left for her. She dried her skin until it turned a blushing pink and she felt greatly invigorated. She dressed carefully and took more time brushing her hair than she had in weeks. Just being able to get so completely clean was a godsend to her, and she was in high spirits by the time she was done.

  Her toilet out of the way, she took time to examine the room. There was a sturdy chest of drawers that she put her second dress in, and she found clean men’s clothes in there as well. She noticed an array of bottles, and she found perfumes and colognes and she dabbed a bit of one behind her ears. Then she moved to the window and opened it so the cool evening air would dry the cologne. She stared out at the darkness and noticed two figures embracing in the shadows below.

  “I’ve missed you, Christine,” a low male voice said. Elizabeth thought his mouth must have been muffled against the girl’s hair because she could not hear him clearly. Unable to control her curiosity, she leaned out the window.

  “I’ve missed you, too, Benjamin,” the girl’s voice said. For a moment Elizabeth thought that was very curious that the man should have the same name as her husband. Then she realized that man was her husband!

  “You must be tired after your trip. Come in and let me get you some supper.”

  “No, Benjamin, not yet. I just want to look at you, to feel you. It’s been so long!”

  “All right,” Benjamin said. “But here, put my cloak around you. It’s getting chilly out here.”