Afterthought by M J Marlow (red white royal blue .txt) 📖

trunks were loaded. The car moved away from the port and headed towards London. She fell asleep and woke as the car pulled up in front of one of the old London townhouses in Regency Square. Despite her anger, Evangeline was quite intrigued by the line of white buildings set in a block across from a park. Sylvie took her inside and led her upstairs to a bedroom in the back. There were bars on the window of the prettily decorated room. “You’ll be locked in here,” Edward told her, “unless we require your presence elsewhere.” He looked over at Sylvie. “We will begin the lessons immediately. See that she is given the antidote to the muting agent and then prepare her for me.” He closed the door and Evangeline heard the lock being engaged. She watched as Sylvie ran a bath for her and laid out an emerald green evening gown with a slit up each thigh that appeared to be filled with more emerald green lace. The slits were still there, only camouflaged. She felt like she was being prepared for her execution, Evangeline thought as she took the bath and was rubbed with a perfumed cream all over her body. The scent made her head spin and she knew this was its purpose as she began to fill a strange lethargy. Sylvie combed out her long raven curls and left them hanging around her body. She handed Evangeline a pill and a glass of water and the girl took the pill only when Sylvie told her she’d be able to speak again. Then Sylvia put a strand of gold chains around Evangeline’s neck and a set of gold bangles on her wrist before handing her a pashmina in emerald green and gold and black. “He’s ready for her,” Aileen smiled as he unlocked the door and came in. She walked around her daughter, smiling. “He is going to be very pleased with you, Eva. You have grown into a very beautiful young woman.” “Mama, please don’t do this to me,” Evangeline cried for help. “We belong to him, baby,” Aileen said to her as Sylvie helped Evangeline into a pair of black strappy high heels. “We must do as he says.” She took her daughter’s hand in hers and led her out of the room and down the corridor to the master bedroom. “Here she is, my love. Ready for her lessons.” Edward turned from the windows overlooking the street and the park and smiled. He held his hand out to her and Evangeline remained where she was. Aileen pushed her forward, not allowing her to refuse. Edward pulled a chair out from beneath the small table set up in an alcove by the bed and Aileen made her sit down. There was a bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne in it. Edward poured out two glasses. “You’ll learn to obey me, Princess,” Edward frowned as Evangeline threw hers into his face and tried to run. He was holding her down as she struggled on the floor after Aileen had tripped her. “I would prefer not to have to resort to drugs and programming with you,” he continued as he made her sit again; “but I shall if you force me.” “Is that what happened to my Mama?” Evangeline asked him coldly. “She told you to go to hell and so you turned her into your pleasure slave in retribution?” “You are a very perceptive child,” Edward laughed as he sent Aileen away. “Your mother is a very beautiful woman. As I grew up around her, I found that I wanted her as my own. But she met Stefano and would have nothing to do with me.” He ran his fingers along Evangeline’s arm and felt her shudder. “I waited as she gave my rival a son and the I started the attack.” “You told her you’d murder my brother if she didn’t come to you,” Evangeline guessed. “He probably started having inexplicable bouts of ‘clumsiness’? The man’s smile confirmed her suspicions. “Have you always been such a bastard?” “I can be far worse, my sweet,” Edward laughed. He grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm up behind her back until she was on her knees sobbing in pain. “You are being groomed to become an acceptable wife to a rich and powerful man. If you are a good student, and do not fight me, I shall see that he is also a kind man. Otherwise,” he hissed and ran his tongue along her lips, “I shall choose the most sadistic and perverted man I know for you.” “There are men worse than you?” Evangeline snapped back at him. She expected him to strike her, but instead he laughed and assured her that he was mild compared to most of the men he associated with. “We will begin by getting you used to being touched and petted,” Edward told her. There was a knock on the door and he went to open it. Evangeline watched warily as two tall, gray-eyed men with blond hair walked in. They were dressed in tuxedos. Their bored expressions altered immediately as they saw Eva. “These are Geoffrey and Gerome Lassiter. They have been chosen to be your instructors, daughter. They are both highly skilled in the art of seduction.” He smiled at the look of shock on her face. You thought I was going to be the one? You’re my stepdaughter, Eva. Such an act would be immoral.” He looked at the boys. “You’ll be taking her to the opera, gentlemen. As long as she remains a virgin, you have carte-blanche” “Yes, sir,” the twins said in tandem. Edward left the room and they turned to watch as Evangeline rose to her feet and backed away. “Don’t run,” Geoffrey smiled as he caught her by the wrists and yanked her back. “We’ve only just started, pretty,” Gerome added as he moved behind her. He looked at his brother as he put the shawl around Evangeline’s shoulders. “Our own little doll, brother,” he smiled and offered her his arm and Evangeline was helpless to refuse. She put her hand on his arm and they left the bedroom and hurried out to a waiting limousine. “How shall we begin?” “You won the toss, brother,” Geoffrey replied. “Your call.” “We’ll bind her,” Gerome nodded after some deliberation. He poured a glass of champagne for each of them and watched as she poured hers out the window. “Yes,” he nodded as he got out a pair of handcuffs and slipped them into his jacket pocket. “Definitely bondage with this one.” They drove to the Opera House and the twins escorted her in with all gentility. It wasn’t until they arrived at the private box and the curtains were pulled closed that Evangeline knew she was in a lot of trouble. She tried to run but Geoffrey was at the door, cutting her off. Gerome sat her down and cuffed her wrists behind her back to the rail of the seat back. Geoffrey knelt between her legs and he smiled at her as he reached through the slits in her skirt to pull her underwear slowly down her body. “No,” Evangeline cried as this happened. “Please don’t do this to me! It’s not right!” “Consider this just another subject you must learn, Princess,” Gerome said as he took his handkerchief and gagged her with it. He leaned over the back of the chair and pushed the bodice of her gown down to expose her breasts. “You are so beautiful,” he sighed as his hands began to stroke her. “You were made to be pleasured and to give pleasure.” Geoffrey nodded as he heard the opening strains of the Wagner opera begin. “You will be our masterpiece, Princess.” He raised her up off the chair and pushed her skirts up around her waist. Then he lowered his head between her legs and began to lick her. “Ooh, darling!” he laughed as Evangeline bucked and writhed to get away from him. “Such fire is going to be glorious once we have taught you to use it.” He went back down and Evangeline screamed in protest. It wasn’t right what they were doing to her. She did not want their hands on her like this! She continued fighting them but they just laughed and continued petting and stroking and kissing and licking. There wasn’t an inch on her body they did not assault as the music crashed on the other side of the curtains. Evangeline screamed but no one could hear her over the music. She passed out and the twins looked at her in disappointment. They had hoped to get much more from her before terror sent her crashing into the darkness. As Geoffrey began to stroke her again and bring her back to consciousness, the door slammed open and two very angry young men stood there with clenched fists and murder in their eyes. “Get your filthy hands off of my cousin!” David roared as he and James pulled the Lassiters off of Evangeline. The Lassiters, being the cowards they were, fled and David removed the handcuffs. He held Evangeline as she sobbed in terror. “They wouldn’t stop, David,” Evangeline cried in despair. “I screamed and I tried to fight, but it wasn’t enough.” “It’s all right, baby.” David’s voice was calm and gentle as he stroked her cheek. He could see that she was close to fainting again; her eyes wild with terror. “It’s all right. James and I are here now.” They helped Evangeline to her feet and took her out to the alley where a car was waiting. Evangeline saw Gideon and four other people in the vehicle as she slid back into the darkness, overcome by the shock of what had happened to her. Gideon drove them tot eh airfield and turned Evangeline over to her father. He was enraged as he heard her whimpering. He had never thought it possible for Aileen to be so deliberately cruel to anyone, especially not to her own child. “I don’t care what you have to do, Lyndon,” he said as he turned go get back aboard the jet. “You will stop that bastard and get Aileen away from him before he does any more damage to my child, or anyone else. Hush now, my sweet child,” he crooned as he boarded and the hatch closed behind him. “Papa is here. You’re safe now.” A week later, Evangeline leaned on the railings of the new corral and watched as Pierre worked with his new horse. Silvano had decided he was skilled enough to graduate from a pony and the boy was glowing with pride at being trusted with such a huge responsibility. His first horse was a chestnut gelding with a white blaze on his nose and white stockings on all four legs. Pierre waved at her and Evangeline smiled at her young cousin. He started working on giants with the animal and she slipped back into the fog that had seemed to settle on her since the episode with her mother and Edward and the Lassiters. “Brrr!” a man’s voice sounded behind her. Evangeline looked up in a panic and the man was instantly repentant. He had been told the girl was wounded and he had been thoughtless. “I’m sorry, Princess. It was just such a shock to see the way your mood shifted so rapidly.” He held his hand out to her. “My name is…” “Gregory Dumont,” Evangeline finished for the tall, dark-haired man with the most beautiful brown eyes she had ever seen. She shut down appreciation of his physical form. “Father told me he had hired a new riding instructor for the orphanage.” She turned back to watch her cousin. “I’m certain you will be fine.” She knew she was being rude, but she just didn’t care. She was being weak by allowing herself to wallow like this. “I’m sorry,