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Chapter 4

Anne woke the next morning. The sun kept shining through the white lace curtains and it eventually woke her from her half sleep. She had been trying to understand what happened the previous night and what it really meant. Anne walked down the spiral staircase in her nightgown and sat at the dining table for breakfast. She found her sister and Aunt Bertha sat drinking tea at the table.

‘Well girls. We are officially in February. How is the new century treating you both?’ Bertha asked glaring down at the newspaper. Anne reached for the floral golden teapot that rested in the middle of the table. She began to pour herself some tea.

‘I would say it is going well. It could be full of new exciting adventures!’ Wilma answered. Anne remained silent and began to sip from her small teacup. Bertha smiled at Wilma and then it fell silent. Bertha looked at them both awkwardly and embraced the newspaper tighter.

‘Oh look at that! A brand new camera named the “brownie” by Kodak. That looks promising! I may buy one of those to take pictures of my formal events.’ Bertha said as she finally set the newspaper down.

‘Speaking of events, how did it go with Sheldon last night? I saw you dancing with him, we all did.’ Wilma asked her sister. Anne tried to hold back the tears. She did nothing but stare over at her sister and hold the teacup up to her mouth as though she was in a state of shock.

Anne looked down at the floor and didn’t know how to answer that question. Wilma was about to ask if she was okay but she was interrupted.

‘I am sorry if you felt that I was interfering with your personal life last night when you came back from Sheldon’s home. He just isn’t right for you. Believe it or not I do want the best for you and that’s not him.’ Bertha said with a wide spread smile on her face. Anne examined her body language and she didn’t like what she saw. Who was Bertha to decide who was right for her?

‘I hope you are sorry. I know this is your home and you have a right to know where we are at all times, but I feel you can be too forceful with us. I do want some privacy in my life.’ Anne’s sharp tongue slashed the room with her abrupt words.

Bertha did a double take on her strong headed niece. A course of shock and horror ran through her. She tried to imagine the handsome young Sheldon bowing down to Anne and conforming to her every demand, but it was impossible.

‘Very well. If you want to make a thing of this then fine. I am merely trying to stop you from making a big mistake. He is the type of man that would want your maidenhead but not your hand in marriage.’ Bertha replied, raising her voice towards the end.

Anne sighed. She knew in her heart that her vicious Auntie was correct but it pained her too much to accept it. Although she did wonder why Bertha’s opinion of Sheldon had suddenly dropped.

‘Nonsense Auntie. Anne knows what she is doing. I think Sheldon seemed very keen on our Anne. Perhaps even enough to marry her. He was besotted.’ Wilma began to obtrude.

‘Yes, he was looking at her as though he was undressing her with his eyes. And that is the problem.’ Aunt Bertha replied sharply.

Anne gave her a look of dismay mixed with naivety. She chose to dismiss her statement, despite her liaison with Sheldon the previous night. Anne sat and thought about what could come of Sheldon’s desperate lust for her and whether he truly was attracted to her or if he was playing a mind game. She didn’t have much experience with men, except for the odd flirty comment, but she knew that what happened with him the previous night was not the way it was supposed to go.

‘Do excuse me, I have some things to sort before my morning walk.’ Bertha said. She placed her napkin over her plate and exited the dining room.

Wilma and Anne were left alone sipping expensive tea in flowery 17th century tea cups that had been passed down from Aunt Bertha’s ancestors.

‘Well? Are you going to tell me what really happened last night? Did you let him - you know - have his way with you?’ Wilma began to whisper. She had an excited grin on her face.

‘What! That is outrageous to even think that of me, sister! I thought you had an innocent mind. But suddenly it is filled with filth. You should know that us women never let men have their way with us until our wedding night!’ Anne shook her head and gulped another mouthful of the delicious tea.

Wilma ducked her head in shame, hoping she had not overstepped the mark with her older sister to assume such things.

‘I apologise. Well, did he at least ask the question? Because that is what men usually ask women around for dinner for.’ Wilma insisted on knowing more. She raised her eyebrows and narrowed her head to be ready for the answer.

‘He did not ask the question. I found him to be most unfavourable. In fact, I do not wish to ever set eyes on him again. He is not to my liking.’ Anne declared, her voice sounding cold but powerful.

‘Not to your liking? Oh, be reasonable. He is so handsome, surely if you don’t get on then you can marry him for his good looks! Come on Anne, I need you to get married so I can see how it’s done and maybe Aunt Bertha won’t be as hard on me if one of us are married.’

‘For whatever reason, Aunt Bertha does not want me to marry Sheldon Winchester. She is set dead against it. And I cannot even recall out loud what happened last night, I am still in shock myself, mainly about his vulgarity. I do not want to hear anymore about it, okay?’ Anne put her foot down and put a stop to the conversation before Wilma knew too much. Although Wilma did give her a look of curiosity.

A small but steady servant approached them and quietly cleared the dining table once the teapot was empty. Anne raised a napkin to her lips and patted them delicately. The peaceful silence was then interrupted by Bertha shouting from down the corridor.

‘Anne? Anne! Get yourself here at once!’ Aunt Bertha yelled from the drawing room. Anne ushered to the drawing room to see what fate had brought her this time. Wilma timidly followed to see what the shouting was about.

‘Yes Auntie, what is it?’ Anne said unenthusiastically.

She soon noticed Sheldon standing perfectly straight by the door. Wilma smiled generously at him and curled the end of her hair with her finger.

‘What happened last night will NEVER happen again! Do you understand me? Sheldon here has told me everything!’ Bertha yelled in Anne’s face.

‘I hope not! If he has told you the truth then you will know why he is no longer a perfect suitor as everyone once thought he was. I wish to never see this man again. May I go now?’ Anne answered, folding her arms and letting her words flow out perfectly like the calm but firm tune of a flute.

‘I beg your pardon! He is not a perfect suitor because of your actions? You ought to be ashamed of yourself girl! What would your father say if he saw you acting this way? There is no need to be so flirtatious!’ Aunt Bertha cried out. Wilma stood and listened in the doorway.

‘I am still in shock, I was not expecting you to be so…outgoing and forward.’ Sheldon said with sad eyes but a wide arrogant grin.

‘Wait, what exactly has this man told you, Aunt Bertha? Because I am sure that his record of events will not match mine!’ Anne suggested. The whole room was shocked by Anne's courage and demeanour.

‘He told me exactly what you got up to last night when you went around for dinner! You threw yourself openly at poor Sheldon and when he rejected you and begged you to stop, you tried your luck with his father! What on Earth can I do with you? No man will marry you if you act like this! You are supposed to charm your way into a man’s affections, not seduce them!’ Aunt Bertha cried. The shock made her wrinkles look more creased and her face turned apple red.

‘That is not how the night played out! He made advances towards me and I rejected him! I swear that is how it went! Do you really think if a woman had overpowered him he would be here telling people? No! He would keep it to himself out of shame!’ Anne cried, praying for her family to believe her over a rich spoilt man.

‘She does have a point, Aunt Bertha. I doubt Anne would lose her self control on the first night of knowing a man. Please, support her for once and not—’ Wilma dashed to Anne’s defence but was abruptly interrupted.

‘Enough! I do not want to hear this subject raised again, especially not in public! The wonderful Sheldon here has agreed to keep your advances under his hat to protect our family, so be grateful! He is forever in our favour and we are in debt to him! This cannot get out and you Anne need to rethink your whole attitude if you want a husband! Do not do this to me again!’ Aunt Bertha yelled. She grabbed her gloves and headed out for her morning walk.

Anne stood hanging her head in shame and anger. She knew she had done no wrong except stopped a man from having his way with her. Wilma chased after Bertha to try and talk her around to Anne’s side of things. Anne was left alone with Sheldon once again.

‘Well played, I must admit. I almost felt sorry for you. But she was never going to believe you, was she? That woman is always waiting for a reason to hate you.’ Sheldon said smugly.

‘Why do this to me? We both know that you got angry last night when I was not the girl you hoped me to be! I am not interested in that kind of relationship before marriage, no real lady is!’ Anne cried, her voice almost breaking with anger and fear.

‘And yet your eyes were glued to my father like a love struck teenager. Once you saw him, my good looks faded out of your mind and you have never looked at me the same way since. Am I not desirable? Am I not all a woman wants?’ Sheldon said angrily before slamming his hand full force onto the drawing room table and then continuing, ‘you should have done as I said! No woman tells me what I can and cannot do! If I want something, I always get it! So from now on, you will do as I say or your whereabouts last night will be all over the papers!’ Sheldon yelled.

Anne could feel the weight of his demands, the confidence in his voice, the look in his eyes. She knew what he expected of her. If she did as he pleased, her whole life would be ruined. After all, nobody married damaged goods.

‘So? As your Aunt Bertha said, you owe me. And you will continue to owe me until I find some other way to keep myself entertained. Debts must be paid!’ Sheldon continued to yell.

Anne froze on the spot as Sheldon began to unbutton his trousers.

‘Please, just stop this! My sister and Auntie will be back any moment now! She can pay you to keep it out of the papers, honestly I—’ Anne cried, she had never felt so powerless in her life. She had learnt her lesson about male power the hard way.

‘I have no lust for money! I have plenty of it. What I need is pleasure.’ Sheldon said with a wide smirk on his face. He viciously grabbed Anne’s hand and placed it into his trousers. Anne froze. She didn’t move her hand away or do anything but stare at Sheldon in fear. He continued, ‘do it or my story about you will be in the morning paper. Nobody for at least 100 miles will marry you.’ He laughed as he spoke. The power he had over her was immense. She knew there was no escape.

‘It’s easy. Move your hand up and down until I—. This is me being kind. I have chosen a way for you to pleasure me that will not leave a mark on you. See? I am a generous man. If it helps, think of my father.’ He whispered. Anne’s disgust in him grew by the second. She no longer saw a sophisticated attractive man, but a bitter evil one. She wondered how George and Sheldon were related.

Anne had never anticipated that her first sexual experience would be a forced one in her Aunt Bertha’s drawing room. She had dreams of Sheldon after seeing him in the street sometimes and they were of a similar nature, but they both enjoyed the experience. Anne realised that it was blackmail but that there was no way out. She began to stimulate his member and watched his face turn to pleasure. It was a pretty sight, she thought. But his foul personality outweighed his charmingly good looks. She twisted it in her hand and pulled it closer. He let out a screech of intense pain.

‘I am not having you blackmail me like this, did you really think I would do as you say? Put the story in the papers tomorrow, do your worst! I will just tell people the truth and we will see who wins in the end.’ Her furious tone of voice echoed in his ear and she finally let go of him. He held himself in pain as she walked out of the room.

‘I will get you for this Anne Spenbourne! Nobody humiliates me twice!’ Sheldon yelled after her and she believed him.

END OF CHAPTER 4

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