Cotton & Lace

The Ball

My face flushed and my eyes widened.

What is he doing here? I thought.

Andrew didn't seem bothered by his presence. This was a relief as it meant he had no idea. Reed took my hand and kissed the top of it while also giving me a slight bow and a wink.

I felt my heart flutter. His touch was magnetic. I didn't want him to let go. However, he did and he continued walking into the house.

Soon all of our guests had made their way inside and so we joined them in the ballroom.

It was filled with the sound of a band playing, people talking and laughing, and the smell of different dishes wafting through the air.

Andrew and I lead everyone in the first dance and then Andrew slipped away once our dance was finished. I was taken by multiple different men to dance. With each dance, I looked for Reed. I caught a glimpse of him finally dancing with a girl. When our eyes met, he tilted his head to a doorway and I took the clue.

As the music lulled, we both slipped through the doorway. The foyer was mostly empty with the exception of a few couples tucked into corners giggling and kissing. Reed took my hand and I looked around wildly to find a place we could disappear to. I lead us to a door that went into the basement, rushing down the dark stairs, and through the rows of cans, bagged grains, barrels, and discarded furniture. Once we were at the back of the basement, hidden behind the shelves and furniture and a layer of dust, we embraced eachother.

Reed pushed me back against the wall, kissing me hard.

"I have missed you so badly. I cannot sleep, I cannot think, I cannot live without you with me." He said.

"I miss you too, I have been going mad without you!" I said.

We stayed there for a while, kissing and holding eachother. Our hands all over the other's body, our lips relishing in the feeling of being reunited.

"How and why are you here?!" I finally asked.

"I was invited." Reed said.

"But how??? No one knows where you are." I said.

"I go to town to check the post office for any letters. My family leaves letters there for me and your invitation to my family was there." Reed replied.

"You never told me who your family was." I said realizing this fact.

"It never came up." Reed shrugged, dismissing the conversation.

"After his family leaves, he wants to try for a baby" I said.

"No...please. don't. I can't stand the thought of another man touching you. I need you to myself." Reed pleaded.

"I don't want to. I don't want this. I only want you." I said.

"Just run away with me. We don't have to be apart." Reed said.

"But where will we live? How will we live?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it. We will figure it out." Reed said nearly begging.

"Okay..let's meet tomorrow, after dark." I said.

Reed nodded, pulling me close and kissing me once more. I took him by his hand and we started walking to a door in the basement. I opened the door and we stepped out on the side of the house.

"I need to get back." I said sadly.

"I know. But just one more day apart and then we will have forever together. " Reed said reassuring me.

He wrapped me in his arms, the side of our bodies pressed against the house. We kissed longingly once more, his hands on my hips and pulling at my dress skirt. I playfully slapped at his hands.

"Stop! Someone will see us!" I said giggling.

"Mmm...but it's so hard to leave you alone." He said.

We kissed again and then pulled apart. He went to a horse tied at the front of the house and I slipped in through the front door, making my way back to the ball. I saw Andrew dancing with one of his siblings and was relieved to know that he was still in attendance and probably didn't notice that I had disappeared.

The ball ended an hour or so later and everyone said their good nights as we all made our way to our rooms. Andrew was already in his bedroom when I arrived. He was sitting at his desk, a glass of an amber colored liquid in a glass beside him. He looked drunk but also bothered. I contemplated asking what was wrong but wanted more so to just disappear into a sleep.

Andrew stood as I came into the room.

"Close the door and sit down, Sadie." He motioned to a chair in front of his desk.

I sat wearily, unknowing why he suddenly had any interest in me when we were out of the sight of his family.

"My father saw you tonight." He said.

"Well of course! We were at the ball after all." I said, trying to cut the thick tension in the room.

"Do not play me as a fool, Sadie! You know exactly what I mean! He saw you kissing that Sullivan boy!" Andrew spit the words with strong distaste.

I flinched. How did he know Reed. How did anyone see us. I thought we had been careful.

I looked down at the floor.

"Perhaps your father was mistaken.." I tried to say calmly.

"Are you calling my father a liar?!" Andrew roared.

I flinched again, nearly trembling with the fear of what was going to happen.

"No..." I said almost in a whisper.

"Is this what you have been doing when I am not home? This is exactly why people are talking. Because here you are, spending nights away with this man, a married woman, my wife, with another man! No wonder you haven't been apt to have a family, you've been playing house with someone else! " Andrew yelled, stumbling over his words. He was drunk.

"My father said that I should send you back to your parents or even just throw you at that Sullivan boy to continue acting as a w***e. But no, I have a better idea. The church says that when a wife is disobedient, that she should be punished accordingly. Therefore, I am going to do just that." Andrew said this coldly and with a hint of mischief that caused my skin to crawl.

I kept my eyes cast down, afraid to look at him, afraid to provoke him any further. I had never seen him angry, to be honest this was the most I had seen of him period.

He walked out from behind his desk and came straight up to my chair, grabbing me by my arm and yanking me up, causing the chair to tumble down. I gasped, becoming startled by his actions. He put his hand on my shoulder and shoved me down onto his desk. I heard him fumbling in his pockets and then pulling something out that made a clicking sound. He grabbed the back of my dress and used the object to slice the corseted ribbons apart instead of untying them. He then grabbed me by my hair, pulling me upright and jerked my dress down to my waist. He then used the pocket knife to cut the rest of it open, allowing it to fall to the floor. I immediately hugged my chest, tears stinging my eyes. Then he cut off my hoop skirt, it hit the floor with a dull thud. My fear intensified and I let out a whimper. He grabbed me by my hair again, jerking me so hard that I lost my footing and fell to the floor. This didn't make him stop, he only pulled harder until I was on my feet again. He shoved me face down on the bed.

"Andrew..please....I am sorry...please don't hurt me.." I pleaded between whimpering.

Andrew let out a chuckle. "Too late for apologies now." He stated dryly.

I lay there, too afraid to move. He had stripped me down to just my chemise, corset, stockings, and shoes. I didn't know what his intentions were, but I knew in this vulnerable state, it could mean nothing good for me. I let out a sob at this thought.

I heard the sound of his belt coming undone and being pulled from the loops of his pants. I could hear his hands fumbling with the belt for a few seconds. I wanted nothing more than for all of this to end and I tried to console myself with the thought that this time tomorrow night I would be in Reed's arms.

My thoughts were interrupted by the abrupt stinging on my backside. This was followed by another strike, and then another. Andrew was pulling his arm up behind his head and swinging hard with his belt to strike my backside. Some of the strikes landed on my butt, others on my thighs, and some on my back. I screamed out in pain, the tears now streaming down my face. The burning of the back of my body making me feel as though I was on fire. Andrew was relentless continuing these strikes for several minutes. Each one more painful than the last. My mind became numb with the pain.

After several minutes, he stopped. I heard him take a step back, dropping the belt to the floor. I laid there, unable to move out of fear and pain. The tears still pouring down my face and low whimpers and sobs escaping my lips. Andrew walked to his armoire and opened a drawer, pulling something out. He then returned to the bed and slapped my butt hard with his hand.

"Turn over! NOW!" He shouted.

I slowly rolled onto my back, the quilt pressing on my skin causing me to sob loudly with pain.

Andrew grabbed one of my ankles and jerked hard, pulling me to the edge of the bed. I yelped loudly. He then took my leg and shoved it against the poster of the bed, wrapping a rope tightly around it so that I was unable to move. I stared at him in fear. Before I could react he grabbed my other ankle and tied it tightly to the other poster.

"Andrew..please..please..I am begging you to stop." I begged.

"Ha! No wife of mine will be acting like a common w***e! You will not make a fool out of me!" He yelled.

My body clenched. I knew he was drunk and could not be reasoned with anymore. Was this how he was always? Was this why he spent most of his nights away from home?

He pushed my chemise up to my hips and then lowered himself down to his knees, his eyes nearly level with mine. I stared at him wide eyed, afraid of what more he could do.

He snorted and then spit directly onto my v****a. He then took two of his fingers, rubbing them over the spit and shoving them inside me. I screamed out in pain, the tears running down my face and into the bed.

I could feel his fingers moving around inside me. He then pulled them out and used two fingers from his other hand and put two on each side of me, pulling me open. He leaned his face in close, peering inside of me like I was a specimen. He pulled back and then slapped me hard directly on my v****a.

"Exactly what I thought! You're not innocent at all! You've been f*****g that Sullivan boy haven't you!?" He was screaming at this point.

I closed my eyes tightly, unable to move, and not knowing what to say or I even should speak at all. The sound of his pants hitting the ground made me open my eyes, only to see him holding his c**k and stroking it between my legs. He forcibly shoved himself inside me. I let out a scream of pain, my body shaking with pain and fear. He thrust in and out of me hard, my body clenching so tight I felt as though I would shatter beneath his thrusts. He pulled back his hand and slapped my face hard.

"If you're going to pass your dirty little cunt around to everyone, then I deserve to have it too. I am YOUR husband after all. This was supposed to be mine first." He said between gritted teeth.

I closed my eyes, the tears still rolling out. I tried to think of anything else, anything at all to remove myself from my body.

Andrew finally let out a moan, pushing himself deep inside me one final time before pulling out completely. My body slightly relaxed but was still tense from the pain and anxiety. He untied me from the bed and pointed to a pillow.

"You will lay there quietly and you will not move until I say so." He said sternly.

I nodded and slowly crawled to the space and laid in a fetal position. He climbed into the bed beside me and quickly passed out. I laid for hours crying before eventually falling asleep as well.