Bought my Life

2. Lips are Sealed

***Narrator***Hastleton Town Cottage***Wednesday

When he returns to the cottage he overhears his men referring to her as “slave girl” and he couldn’t bear to hear them call her such. “From now on I don’t want to hear any of you call her “slave girl”; we will call her... Jane Doe until we can find out her real name. Understood?” He ordered. When he reached his room where she was having dinner; she was still seated quietly and her plate was completely cleared. “I knew you had to be hungry,” Marcus says amused. “Here, I found you some pyjamas, I will let you wash yourself in my washroom then you can sleep in my bed and have goodnight of sleep. We have two hours of travelling ahead of us. I will sleep in the guest room, let me know if you need anything” he adds. Marcus turns on the shower and gives her privacy; Jane did not get a chance to shower for almost two months. The warm water was making her body tingle, she had forgotten the feelings of shampoo in her hair and soap on her skin. She felt like a layer of shame was being washed off her; she was crying, she was afraid to become a s*x slave or something worse. He keeps trying to make her comfortable. What was he planning, was he saying the truth?

She turned off the water, she grabbed a towel and dried herself; she then wrapped my hair in it. She put on the nightgown Marcus had left for her. She then lays down in bed but she cannot sleep… She hadn’t slept more than a few hours here and there since she was abducted. Her thoughts were clear for only a short period of time and she couldn’t communicate… she found it impossible to formulate her thoughts into words. Slowly her tiredness took over and she fell asleep.

She woke up in a panic after a couple hours of sleep; she had night terrors and they always seemed real, she couldn’t remember where she was and why. Everything was confused in her mind, she had to run; she remembered being held captive and it was time to escape.

***Narrator***Streets Hastleton Town***Thursday

“I wish I could take these off”, referring to her restraint. “But I hear you are very aggressive” he grabs a silk scarf and starts tying her hands; he then takes off the ropes that were restraining her wrist. The silk is soft even on her wrist wounded by the rope. “Can I remove the ankle restraints and trust that you will not run away, this time?” He waits for an answer, “I know you can’t speak but do you understand?” She nods; he releases her ankles and she takes 2 steps back. She had tried to escape during the night, his men had tied her again… He had intervened on time as the authorities were getting ready to take her in because she was indecent in public. They found her in the fountain, she had jumped in after she realized she was cornered.

It was an outrageous event, a lady escaped in a nightgown to end up in the fountain. He had to plead for her freedom; he had to bribe the sheriff… he felt like he almost lost Mary all over again. “Don’t worry, you're safe… come with me, I will find you something to eat and drink.” He says as he covers her with a blanket; he calls his men and tells them to fetch some food, drink and clothes. He doesn’t force his presence on her, she is weak… who knows what happened to her that made her stop talking. She is thin but most of all, she is terrified.

He was trying to not be mad about her escape attempt, she couldn’t have known the consequences. Once she had the chance to eat, she changed into the blue dress he found for her. “Much better, let me see your ankles,” he asked. She pulls the dress up enough to show off her ankles. “These must be painful, I will wash your ankles then I will put a bandage on them… same with your wrists” She is tense the entire time he is cleaning her wounds and bandaging them. She moves away as soon as he is done. It’s time to continue travelling back to the villa... She was not what he wanted to buy from town. She is the spitting image of Mary; he couldn’t let anyone out bid him. But she is not Mary; he kept repeating to himself.

***Narrator*** Hastleton Villa***Thursday

Jane was so tired that she slept through most of the trip, when they arrived, she woke up abruptly. It is nighttime, her adventure in the fountain cost them most of the day. Marcus decided to use the back entrance to bring her to the villa. He brings her to the third floor into a beautiful room, there is a large bed, a seating area with a television, a dining area and the ensuite washroom. It was an apartment, “You will be staying here until we can find out more about you, I will order a doctor to see you tomorrow. I will remove the scarf from your wrists but no more acts of violence towards my staff,” he says as he proceeds to untie her. “I will call you Jane until we know your name; you are not a thing, you deserve a name,” he continues as he releases her.

She looks terrified she is always at arms length. He can’t help thinking that someone must have hit her. A young lady enters the room with clothes and towels; she puts the towels on the bed and she puts away the clothes. She leaves a nightgown on the bed and takes the towels to the bathroom. She then runs the water to prepare a bath. Marcus removes the bandages slowly before she takes a bath. “Lara will help you bathe and get ready for bed; I will not lock your door but expect you to stay here. We will visit the villa tomorrow and then you will be able to roam around without worrying me,” he says as he leaves her with Lara. She is a beautiful blond with hazel eyes; her uniform is impeccable. She helps Jane to get undressed while the bath is filled with warm soapy water; she helps Jane get inside the bathtub. Lara washes her long black hair then she scrubs her hand and feet. With a cloth Lara washes her face and body. She then lets her relax in the warm water. She eventually drains the tub and helps Jane dry and dress herself; she brushes her long black hair. Jane then goes to bed but she cannot sleep; she is thinking about her escape; why is this man so nice? What does he want from her? Why is he calling her Jane?

***Narrator*** Hastleton Villa***Friday

The next morning she was woken up by Marcus shouting “Where is she? I thought you said she never left?” “I promise you, I was guarding all night,” the security guard replies. When Marcus reentered he found her crawling out from under the bed. It was the only place where she felt safe enough to fall asleep. “Jane, what are you doing under your bed?” He says calmly, “We have to get you dressed, your doctor will be here in fifteen minutes,” he continues. “Rose will help you get dressed, I will be back” Rose had shorter curly brown golden hair; she was young and she had an outfit already picked out. Rose grabs a cloth and washes her face gently; she then proceeds to remove my nightgown. She let herself get dressed; Rose leads her to the seating area to wait for Marcus.

As soon as Rose leaves the room, Marcus emerges, “You look fabulous, your doctor will be here shortly… Can I stay while she examines you?” He asks, she nods to say “yes”, “thank you, I am worried about you” he continues. There is a faint knock on the door, “come in,” Marcus says; an older lady with glasses walks in. “Doctor, I am so happy to see you, let me introduce you to... Jane,” Marcus leads the doctor towards her.

After Marcus explains the situation the doctor frowns, she then proceeds to examine her starting with my throat. “There are no physiological reasons why she cannot speak, Lord Hastleton… she must be in a state of shock, her brain has blocked her ability to speak or perhaps even communication in general. She is semi conscious, she is mainly aware of her surroundings but she is also gazing in her thoughts,” the doctor explains. “How do I help her?” Marcus asks. “Being patient is the first thing to do, then establishing a routine will help give her a sense of security and also talking to her like she has the ability to answer. One day without thinking she will answer you,” the doctor replies. “How long will her recovery be?” Marcus asks. “God only knows, could be days, months or in the worst cases years…” she answers. “Thank you Doctor… Rose?” Marcus says as Rose reappears into the room. “Will you please accompany the Doctor?” Marcus asks. Rose nods “yes, Lord Hastleton ”

It was now time to show Jane around the Villa, it was a large building 4 stories tall with three wings. “My father built this Villa fifty years ago; I bought it back twelve years ago. I was raised here before my father passed away; my mother then moved to the Tuscanton manor… she couldn’t bear to be reminded of my father from the walls of her house,” Marcus explained.

The north wing was where the staff and their families resided; it was not accessible from inside like the staff had their own apartment building. That wing was divided into 18 apartments and 15 bedrooms; the staff that were unmarried had a bedroom; they also shared a kitchen and living room. The married ones had a three bedroom apartment so they could raise their family. The staff was very loyal as Marcus paid all their medical expenses and he paid for the education of their children. They didn’t make a lot of money but they also didn’t have to spend any; they lived rent free and all food expenses were covered.

The west wing was where the bedrooms and apartments are located and the east wing was where the kitchen, the Ballroom, various seating rooms, offices, studio and the dining room. On the south side there was a beautiful garden. Marcus shows her around his property explaining where she might go and where was forbidden to her. This room on the second floor in the west wing was locked and she was not to go in there; in fact, no one was allowed in his deceased wife’s room.