A Convict's Lover by Kayla Trautman (best ebook reader for surface pro txt) 📖

... don't come back. Tell Henry and Percy ... that I said to stay away."

"Julie, I can't do that." He said. She felt his hands on her upper arms and jumped, "Don't!" When he removed his hands he made a loud noise that was heavy with aggravation, "What did he do to you?! Nevermind, it doesn't matter because I'm taking you away from here. I don't care what he's done at the moment, he's not going to hurt you anymore."

"No!" She said, sternly. "I am not going anywhere and if you try to take me with you anyways I will have Mr. Thorn and any needed footmen to physically escort you to the door. Now just leave and don't come back, Jacob. I mean it."

"What has gotten into you, Julie? This is just crazy. I can't do that and you know I can't. We're family." He argued. She could hear the pain and pleading in his voice. She closed her eyes as a tear escaped her eyes, "No ... Jacob, we're not family ... not anymore. Now I'm telling you one last time ... go home and don't ever return to this damn place. Just leave me be."

She could feel the air being sucked out of the room as he just stood behind her. "Julie ..." He whispered but broke off in mid-sentence. After a few long moments she heard his footsteps on the floor and the door close, quitely. She tried to gather herself together but after a few minutes she broke and fell to her knees, sobbing.

***

"So I've heard that you've sworn off your family and that you never want to see them again?" Jeffrey asked her as they ate supper. Julie kept her eyes on her plate as she answered, "You heard correctly." He chuckled, "Why? I would've thought that you'd be nagging me to take you to visit them constantly. Do you blame them for shackling you into this marriage? I don't pretend to be ignorant to your opinion of this marriage or of me."

"I'm very content with this marriage. You're a great husband." She said. "Well, that's sweet of you to say, darling. Tell me why you don't want to see your family? You're going to have to see them once in a while, you know, it's only polite. Your father will be wanting to see how you are from time to time." He asked.

Julie nodded, "I know but I just ... it bothers me when my brothers talk down to me about my husband so I've decided that I won't stand by it anymore. I'm sure you understand. I'm proud of my husband. I'll always stand by you. I'll manage to see them when I have to but that's it."

She looked up at him to find him smiling. He quietly laughed and said, "As you should be proud of me; I give you everything you could ever need or want. I'm a perfectly good husband. They can think of me what they will because it won't come between us, will it, darling?" "Of course not." She replied as she looked back down at her plate.

Chapter 23

It has now been two years that Julie has been married to Jeffrey. She went on business trips with Jeffrey but she only went when Jeffrey told her that he had some business that involved her and some of his friends. On those trips it was only a small group of his friends that she had to entertain.  The group of thirty only came to visit maybe once every two to three months. It was still a short break for what it was but she was still grateful for the break all the same.

When Julie wasn't going on business trups with Jeffrey she was home reading a book, planting flowers in the garden, or taking a walk outside; just doing things at home. She never went to visit her father or brothers more than she had to. When she did have to go she kept to herself and barely spoke to anyone. She spoke when she was spoken to but otherwise she did her best to keep to her thoughts. Her brothers were there on only a few occassions here and there. The tension grew even thicker between them when they were there. She figured that they only went to the family gatherings from time to time to make sure she was still breathing but otherwise they didn't want to see her anymore either.

"Honey, we have some guests tonight." Jeffrey said as soon as he entered her room. She frowned, "Again? I thought they were just here the night before yesterday?" He smiled and leaned in to kiss her, "Apparently they liked the entertainment and can't help themselves."

She has been in bed all day yesterday and half of today. She was still bruised and sore in that area. She sighed, "Jeffrey, please ask them to come back another night. I still haven't recovered from their visit." He slapped her across her face, "Don't disrespect me. They're here for entertainment and they'll get what they paid for. Now they've asked that you just pull your dress up tonight. It allows them to use their imagination as well so you don't have to change into your chemise."

She held her cheek and nodded, "Alright. I'm sorry." He took her hand from her face and kissed her cheek, "It's alright. Just lay down and I'll send them in here one at a time." She nodded and watched as he left. She sighed and layed back on the bed. She waited until the first man entered the room and closed the door to pull her skirt up. He smiled and undid his trousers.

***

 Julie had tears stained on her cheeks as the last man rolled off of her. He sighed and did up his pants before leaving. He was just in there for fifteen minutes but she knew he found no pleasure with her. She couldn't help but cry, pleading him to stop. He usually made sure that he was one of the first men to have her so that he avoided anything like this. He liked his women lively and wild even if being wild meant being relunctant as she had been before she had finally given in; but even when she stopped fighting he liked the woman to be responsive and tear-free.

After about thirty minutes the door opened and Jeffrey came in, leaving the door open. He wasn't happy at all. He walked over to her and grabbed her face, "I thought we had an understanding? They pay me and you please them? I lost money because of you. I had to give him his money back because you were a lousy whore and couldn't please him even a little."

She cried, "Please, Jeffrey. I-I'm hurting. I can't ... I need ..." "A break? All you have to do is lay there. You're muscles may be exhausted but you will do what I tell you!" He yelled. He punched her in her stomach and she screamed. He ran his hand down and underneath of her dress and touched her roughly, "Does that hurt?" She cried and moved her hips away from him but he only followed. She grabbed his shirt, "Please, stop!"

She gasped when Jeffrey was pulled fast and hard away from her. She looked over and saw two men fighting. She pushed her dress down and rolled off of the bed just to fall flat on her front on the floor. She cried when she heard the door slam shut and footsteps coming her way. Hands grabbed her shoulders and turned her around on the floor. "You bitch!" He yelled and started punching her all over her body, her face included. She screamed and floundered around on the floor.

The man pulled off of her and thrown across the room. Another man now stood just a few feet away from her with his back turned to her. She turned on her stomach and managed to crawl under the bed. She screamed when she heard gun shots ring out and covered her ears. She was hurt and barely able to move and she was scared. She didn't know who this man was nor of what he wanted.

She screamed when she was pulled out from under the bed. She tried to fight as he turned her around but her efforts were as good as hitting him with a feather. "Hey, hey hey! Stop! It's alright!" A familiar voice yelled over her screams. She stopped and looked up at the man who was kneeling and holding her in his arms. He ... he resembled Daniel Horminion except that his hair was cut off; his hair just touched the back of his neck. She frowned and whispered, "Daniel? No, it can't be. Jeffrey killed him. Please ..." She licked her lip and she tasted the blood that was there. She also felt the blood that ran down her forehead.

"It's me, my love." He stroked her cheek. "I'm here. You're safe now. Everything's going to be alright. I told you that I'd save you." She turned her head away from him and closed her eyes, "No ... just ... leave me alone ... Jeffrey will be mad." She felt him pick her up and carry her through the room but she just let her head fall back over his arm, her hair falling towards the floor; she just couldn't keep her head up and soon she was out cold.

***

"I couldn't really tell you what Jeffrey has done to her these past two years. She doesn't tell us anything. She hasn't spoken to us at all in the past two years. For the first few months of their marriage she talked to us but then she changed because of him and he didn't want to talk or see us anymore." She heard her brother, Jacob, say to someone.

"She wouldn't talk to you at all? That's hard to believe because she wouldn't let me take her away before because she didn't want to leave you. She was very fond of the three of you." That was the man who had intruded into their mansion and beat Jeffrey up. Did they think that she was still asleep?

"She's changed so much. He broke her spirit completely. The very last time that I visited her she wouldn't let me touch her at all. She was a completely different person." Jacob said. A pain in her head  exploded and she groaned.

"Julie?" Jacob said. She opened her eyes to find Jacob standing beside the bed and the man on the other side of the bed. She frowned, "Where am I? What am I doing here?" Jacob touched her hand but let it drop when she quickly brought her hand back from him. He sighed, "You're safe, Julie. You're at my place. How are you feeling?"

"What?! No! I can't! I have to go back!" She sat up and tried to get up but Jacob sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around her from behind and held her back against him, "Julie, stop. You're not going back there." She put her head down and tried to get out of his grip but it was a feeble attempt, "Please let me go.