Love in Chains

Chapter Two - Sold into Marriage

The next few days were filled with excitement as Jess, Chloe and Joanna waited to receive their offers. Chloe was a tall, attractive and thin girl who looked older than seventeen while Joanna was short and overweight with lots of pimples and awful hair. Both girls immensely disliked their half-sister Jess and had cried for weeks when they found out they would have to debut with her as it meant their chances for a good match were lowered. They appealed to their father with crying and fretting.

"Stop being fools" said Abner, "if your sister makes a good match, perhaps I will include one or both of you in the deal. Some of the men like to take girls from the same family."

The idea did not appeal to either girl or their mothers, as they realised that if a man took sisters, he would still elevate one, and the other would suffer. A single match was the best as it meant the new bride would be the youngest wife and if her husband lusted after her, she could gain great favours in his household. Nothing was worse, than to be trapped in a man’s house as an unwanted wife. It meant the woman would be like a slave to the elevated wives, doing their bidding and often taking the blame for anything that went wrong in the household. Men were required to control their women. As a result, corporal punishment was regularly meted out in important households as a way to humiliate and dissuade women from rebellion. In fact, it was so important that the law set out how much a man could punish his daughters and wives for transgressions.  

Joanna, the less attractive of the three girls, received an offer from a neighbouring farmer who had had some good crops and wanted to take on a second wife. The man was not very rich, so he needed to pay off her bride price in instalments, but this suited Abner as Joanna worked hard in the kitchen. Although the marriage would take place, Joanna would remain in her father’s house for another six months. On signing the contract with Abner, the farmer asked that Joanna be sent to him a few nights each week so she could be bred. The farmer hoped that by the time Joanna was sent to live with him she would already be with child, and it would add to his small family. On these conditions, Abner was happy to sign the contract to promise her away. Joanna cried greatly at her treatment. Life with a poor farmer would be hard and she would have to work a lot as well as raise many children. The man already had five with his first wife, and she would be sure to bully Joanna and make her do the bulk of the work.

In contrast to her sisters, Jess received many offers. Abner didn't tell his wives the exact number, but he was extremely happy with her display, and that week moved Lydia and Jess to the head table in the great eating hall. They were seated proudly beside him and the room was filled with jealousy and gossip about who had asked to marry Jess. It was no surprise the following week when Jess and Chloe were summoned to Abner's library where a number of old men waited for them.

"Gentlemen," Abner began "these are my daughters Jess and Chloe." The men murmured their appreciation as the girls entered. Jess felt their eyes prying over her. Her father had them walk around the room for their inspection. Jess kept her eyes low but was able to see the men through her lashes. Some of them were older than her own father.

"Are they both pure?" one of the men asked, his lustful eyes had stared at Jess from the moment she entered.

"Of course" Abner replied, "neither of the girls have ever spent an evening outside of my property, they have been guarded and chaperoned at all times. Both girls have slept in a locked room with my other virginal daughters since they were five years old. Both are pure and Jess is the most beautiful girl in this entire region, and she will not disappoint her husband. Her sister Chloe, is also a fine girl and we can offer..."

Abner's speech came to a halt as one of the men bellowed angrily: "Does she look at me? Sir! Does your daughter look at me?"

Jess kept her eyes down. Chloe instead, had quietly peered about her, to get a good look at the men. She knew it was forbidden but she imagined that if one of these men was to be her husband, she would need to know who he was. Now with great fear she kept her eyes lowered but it was not enough. One of the men had noticed her staring which was his reason for complaint and causing a public disgrace.

"You two will leave the room now" Abner said with rage "and when I call you back, this matter will be finalised."

Outside in the front room Jess and Chloe met Lydia who was waiting with great hope.

"What do the men want?" Jess asked her mother.

"Silly girl, they are bidding for you two, for your marriages" Lydia replied. Jess reddened slightly. They were older than she imagined her future husband would be. At the ball, she hadn’t been able to see the men who sat above them watching the display, so coming face to face with her potential husband, was a bit of a shock. In addition there was the matter of Chloe. Jess quickly explained to her mother that Chloe had been seen staring at the men. Lydia grew fearful because the law required a brazen woman to be punished and humiliated and since Chloe had behaved poorly in front of a group of powerful men, she would not get off lightly. Chloe cried quietly in the arms of her mother Sarah who stood nearby. Sarah was trying to reassure her, but it was easy to see that she was not happy with her daughter’s behaviour. When the girls were summoned back into Abner’s quarters, only two men remained. One was the man who had caught Chloe looking at him. The other was a man in his early fifties who was mature but quite attractive.

Abner began to speak: "the matter has been settled. Jess has been greatly favoured by Jabez and this marriage connection will elevate our family status so greatly, I am very pleased! My fourth wife bred well with me and this night I will take her to my bed as a reward for this fine match."

Jess smiled quietly to herself and bowed her lowered head further. She tried not to look directly at Jabez although she could see that he was not too old and fairly attractive. She thanked her lucky stars that it could be a good match after all. Abner now turned his attention to Chloe.

"Chloe, despite your brazen behaviour Jabez will also take you into his bed as a secondary, seed wife. As you are of the same seed as your sister Jescha, you will guarantee issue for Jabez as well as the continuation of my family line if Jescha does not bear a child. This is a great honour for you. All your children will be considered as Jescha's children and you will be her handmaiden, doing as she asks to please your sister and her husband." Chloe bowed her lowered head as the tears fell from her eyes, knowing what was to come.

"However, you have disgraced me in front of male society, and you have dishonoured Uriah, a married man, by turning your gaze upon him. You will remove your top garments and you will receive 5 strokes of the cane by Uriah, for his pleasure. At the same time, your future husband will stare upon your humiliation, at his pleasure. Each man will receive recompense for your lewd behaviour that had disrupted the dignity of our bridal contract ritual."

Jess quietly gasped with shock at the shameful punishment Chloe was to endure. Chloe kept crying as she removed her dress and bodice. Her small breasts were exposed to the men. Uriah approached her from behind and put his hand on her shoulder, pushing her to her knees. His lecherous eyes looked over her shoulder and took in her creamy white bosom as much as he could. As he was to dispense her punishment and she was to remain modest, Uriah was not supposed to see her nudity however, he stared at whatever he could see.

Chloe’s back was white and free of marks. Uriah felt excitement at what he was about to do. He was an old and harsh man who ran his household with an iron fist. He never allowed his women to show disrespect towards him. He had come to Abner’s house because he wanted to marry this girl. He knew she would cost less than her sister and her delicate thinness appealed to him but, when he had caught her staring at him, he saw disgust reflected in her face. Her small nose was delicately wrinkled, and her eyes gave her feelings away. He suddenly felt like an old man, a man in his late seventies who no young girl would ever desire and that feeling enraged him. With her appeal gone, he now wanted to take back his honour by giving her the punishment that was due.

Uriah swung the long cane back to hit her. With each stroke Chloe cried out in pain and humiliation as the men stared at her. Jabez stood directly in front of her, watching her naked breasts swinging forward as she was beaten and crying out in pain. He thought about how much he would enjoy his wedding night with these two girls and secretly hoped this girl would continue to be brazen in his household so he could continue her course of punishments. He laughed inside himself at the way her father had practically begged him to take her, giving him the opportunity to negotiate a lower price for Jess. He felt his loins tingle as he thought about how much he would need to educate both girls, especially if they were immodest.

Abner stood to the side, also watching his daughter and taking in her nudity. Although she was his daughter, he felt nothing for her. He had nothing to do with these girls other than to collect their bride money when it was time to marry them off. He gleefully thought how much Jess had brought in despite her sister’s indiscretion. As he watched the spectacle, he thought about his wives. Perhaps he had been too soft these last few years. The women were always jostling for the best place, but lately it felt like they were plotting behind his back. Taking liberties that women should not have. He needed to be stronger with them all, the wives and their daughters. In addition, to put them in their places perhaps it was time to take another, younger girl. Maybe he would take a daughter of Uriah and return the favour. After all, the man had embarrassed him by calling out his daughter in front of the others and rendering her bridal value worthless while also detracting from the value of his other more precious daughter. Yes, he thought to himself, he would certainly watch the next few debutant balls for any of Uriah's issue and he would enjoy taking one to gain some revenge on him.

When it ended, Chloe held her clothes in front of her chest and Abner took the girls outside to Lydia. He commanded her: "take care of these girls. Keep them modest and pure for their future husband." Then he added "and tonight you will find great favour in my bed wife."

Lydia nodded, her eyes shining with the joy of the match that had been made and the great benefit if would bring to her and her children.