The Damaged Bride

Chapter 4

Bridgett swallowed hard at this statement, her heart sinking deeper into her chest. His face held the same revulsion for her as it had for her grandfather. Holding back the tears that threatened she listened as he continued.

“Ours is it to be a marriage of convenience. My convenience,” he said, moving to hover menacingly over her. “You are not to be a servant here, nor are you to be the lady of the house. You will have no say in how I run my farms, keep my animals, or anything to do with my time. I will give you a small allowance with which to keep yourself, but beyond that I will have little to do with you. When I do decide to come to your bed, it will be to produce an heir. Once you are with a child I will stop.

“We will continue in this way until you have produced at least two sons. After that I will never return to your bed again. Do you understand this?” he demanded.

When Bridgette did not speak, Marcus leaned further over her. Unable to keep the tears back any longer, Bridgett looked through them at this man she was married to.

Marcus stood looking down at her from his six foot height, his long brown hair pulled back from his anger reddened face with a leather thong. As his deep blue eyes bore into her green ones, she tried to answer, but was unable to find her voice. Finally she simply nodded her assent, unable to speak.

“Good then” he said, straightening quickly. “I have business to attend to. You are not to disturb me while I am working. Ever! Your dinner will be brought to you here promptly at six.”

Stopping at the door he turned to look back at her cowering form.

“For the sake of your own safety and my soul,” Marcus said over his shoulder. “Stay out of my sight.”

With a formal bow he left her, his last words stripping Bridgett of her last hope for happiness.

Bridgett pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them close she buried her face into them and cried until she had no tears left. Now that he had clarified his reasons for marrying her, she felt even more alone than she’d ever felt at her grandfather’s house.

While living there she may have been ordered around, subjugated and even beaten, but at least it had been her home. Now, she didn’t even have that, nothing here was hers except her few thread bare gowns and her now ruined wedding dress.

Standing stiffly, she retrieved the gown, holding its torn remnants to her cheek. It had been made from the only gown of her mother’s she’d been able to save from her grandfather. All of the others had been given to his favorite woman at the time, her few pieces of jewelry went into his coffers.

“Mama,” she sobbed into the fabric, collapsing back into her chair. “Mama, please help me.”

Her dream of finally being happily married and out from under her grandfather’s thumb was shattered beyond repair. She was just a pawn, being used by her grandfather and Marcus in a deal for land and heirs.