Jane Feather - Charade by Unknown (howl and other poems .TXT) 📕

eyes of St. Estephe.Her head was pounding sickeningly and the candle he held shot sparksbehind her eyeballs. She averted her head and the

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laughed. "Youare not comfortable,

ma belle?"

he questioned, taking her chin andturning her face back toward him.

"I am perfectly comfortable, thank you, sir," she responded with atravesty of a smile. St. Estephe chuckled in rich satisfaction.

"We will amuse ourselves," he promised. "You will become more amenablewhen you have experienced your position for a little longer." He lefther, taking the candle and plunging Danny into pitch-darkness. She hadlost all sense of time and lay still in the darkness until her eyesbecame accustomed. A thread of light indicated a closed window shutter,another filament showed her the door. Apart from that there was nothingexcept the sensation of her damp britches clinging to her thighs, anuncovered mattress beneath her, and the straps cutting into her wrists.

She slept again and awoke to the same darkness and the pressing demandof her body. But there was no way she could free herself. Her legs wereunfettered but her hands were held fast. She opened her mouth to callout and thought again of the stories she had been told of St. Estephe.If they were true then her humiliation and degradation was his objectand to plead would only increase his satisfaction. Danielle gritted herteeth andbent her mind to the business of making some sense out of all this. Ifthe

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was simply an agentof the revolutionary committee, why hadhe not betrayed them in Paris? It would have been easy enough. But heappeared on the scene long before she had begun this adventure, hadtalked to Justin of an old friendship between their fathers . . . hadappeared in London, all charm and eagerness to offer his services. AndJustin had disliked him and mistrusted him from the outset withoutknowing why ....

The door opened. For an instant bright daylight flooded the room andDanny took in her surroundings, such as they were, before the doorclosed again and the dim flicker of a tallow candle pierced the

reneweddarkness.

"Madame?" a soft anxious voice spoke. "I am permitted to release you ifyou wish to use the pail and

take some food."

"Then in the name of charity do so," Danny groaned.

"You will please try not to ... There are guards outside the door," thevoice stuttered unhappily.

"Je comprends,"

Daniellereassured. "I will make no move to escape."The straps were undone. She rubbed her reddeped wrists, and stretchedthe cramped muscles of her protesting shoulders and upper arms beforemaking use of the facilities.

She looked at the bread, cheese, and pitcher of water with a frown."When will you come again?"

"I cannot say, milady," the voice whispered. "When the

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tells me."

"I see." Danielle spurned the food despite her hunger pangs and slakedher thirst with but two sips of water. The less she put inside her atthis point, the longer her body could resist nature's imperative calls."Will you tell me what you know of this place?" she inquired gently,pacing the floor and swinging her arms as she flexed the muscles in herlegs and feet. "Are we still in Brittany?"

"Mais oui, madame

—but fivemiles from the coast. The cottage belongs tomy father. The

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has paidhim well for its use and my services."The girl's voice was very low now. "I dare not disobey. If I displeasethe

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my father will beatme and I cannot bear it another time."With a simple movement, the girl slipped her blouse off her shouldersand Daniellestared in horror at the crusted welts crisscrossing her back.

"Have no fear," she said quietly, "I'll not put you in further danger.What is your name?"

"Jeanette," the girl replied. "Milady, if you will not eat, I must . .." She gestured toward the cot.

"Bien sur."

Danielle lay downon the rough mattress and allowed thegirl to fasten her wrists again.

"I dare not fasten the straps more loosely," Jeanette whispered in softapology.

"No, I understand." With a supreme effort Danielle smiled and the girlleft, taking the tallow candle and returning Danny to her dark prison.She knew now that it was a tiny room, no more than seven paces inlength and perhaps five in width, containing the cot and a lowtable—nothing more. Outside there were guards and five miles away thecoast. It was little enough to go on but she had to think of somethingconstructive to blot from her mind thoughts of Nicky and Justin and thefear of her unknown destiny at the hands of St. Estephe.

Her arms began to ache unbearably. She moved up the cot, trying to easethe pain, but there was little relief to be gained from the tinyadjustments she was able to make. The continuing darkness did nothingfor her slowly despairing spirit, and hunger and thirst raged. Dannyhad faced many dangers, but never before had she been quite withoutresources and, as the long hours of confinement passed, she foughtdespair with every fiber of her strength.

It was six interminable hours later when St. Estephe entered thedisorienting darkness with a bright

lantern that he placed carefully onthe small table.

"Alors, ma belle."

he said,looking down at her. "Do you find that youare still perfectly comfortable?"

His eyes mocked her as she blinked inconfusion at the sudden light.

"Perfectly, thank you," she replied through dry lips.

"You cannot be comfortable in wet clothes," he argued, bending over hersupine figure, patting her down with intimate hands. Danielle held herbreath and bit back the scream of revulsion. As he began to unbuttonher shirt, she curled her legs and kicked him in the stomach. St.Estephe drew back with a gaspof pain. "That was foolish," he said almost gently, and with quietdeliberation hit her across the mouth with his open hand.

Tears sprang in her eyesand she tasted the salty blood from a cut lip.

"Would you prefer that I have my men strip you?" he inquired casuallyas her shirt tore apart beneath his hands.