Chapter 1
“Get back here!”Lydia whispered as she ran through the hall, her hair swinging back and forth as she raced towards the direction she had last spotted the cat. She had to get back before her parents noticed that she was gone.The house was big, beautifully magnificent, even more so than her father’s mansion. Nay, this was a mansion and she feared she might get lost in the endless maze of the long halls. Again, she spotted the cat running towards a corner, but when she reached it, her disappointment was beyond words when she found that the color led out into another hall."I should never have brought you here after all!" Lydia muttered under her breath, “Father will be mad at me if he finds out I left the spot he asked me to wait for him!”Now she was really lost, she thought as she looked around the hall frantically. Unlike the previous halls she previously ran through, this one had several doors, too many doors. She tried to open the first door she found by the right, but that one led into a neatly arranged room, with the white sheets perfectly folded.With the way everything looked tidy there, it had probably not been used in a while, Lydia thought as she shut the door carefully and stepped out of the room. But when she turned to leave, she bumped straight into a brick wall.But the sweet scent that filled her nostrils and the black shirt she saw when she looked up told her it was not a wall, rather it was a man. Slowly and fearfully, her eyes traveled up his tall frame and rested on his face.He was handsome, she had to give it to him, his beautiful long hair cascading down each side of his face and his perfectly pointy nose, though twisted to match the frown that creased his thick brows, was perfectly sitting on his face.His aura spelt authority, and she guessed correctly that he might be the heir of the Lincoln estates who her father had spoken proudly of several times. She was going to apologize to him for bumping into him like that, or for trespassing, but when his stormy eyes settled on hers, she swallowed hard.“We are not running any charity at the moment.” He said with disgust.Lydia batted her eyelids, “I’m not here for charity.”He took a moment to look her up from head to toe, but his nose wrinkled even more in utter disgust, “Then you are here to steal?”“No!”“Who the hell allowed a measly peasant thief like you into this estate?”"I am not a thief!"He scoffed, “I saw you coming out of that room, you were trying to run. Too bad you’ll have to learn the hard way today.”Lydia stared at him, her mouth hanging open. Never in her life had she ever been regarded with such disgust and indifference. He stepped back from her and tucked his hands into his pocket, his feet tapping the tiled floor impatiently."I accompanied my parents here. At the moment, I think they are discussing a business deal…""Discussing?” He cut in sharply, “What business would my parents be discussing with peasants like you?” His hand went to his hair in exaggerated surprise. "Let me guess, you stole something and now they are trying to apologize on your behalf?""Why won't you let me talk?” Lydia snapped angrily, “I’m trying to explain myself but you won’t even listen. My cat ran off and I was trying to find it! Why are you accusing me…?”"What? A cat?"Lydia suddenly lost her cool and looked Derek in the eye menacingly, “Yes, a cat!”“You mean your say opened that door and went in and you were trying to go after it?” He asked with an accusing frown.She shook her head and hissed, “You are just insufferable. Too full of yourself and quick to judge, but I’ll let this slide because it’s your house.She made to walk past him but he dragged her back with a force that made her stagger, “Apologize.”Her eyes widened, "Apologize? For being called a thief?”“Do you know what you just did? You just made me miss an important meeting, and you just insulted me after being caught snooping around my room looking for what to steal. Let me see, I have a right to have you whipped right now and no one will question me for it.""What?!" Lydia gasped.“Apologize.” He said again.She thought about giving him a punch to tame his tongue but she decided against it. The last thing she wanted was for her parents to come out here and end up having to apologize to him on her behalf. So with an effort, she resolved to just walk away and ignore his insults.“Are you walking out on me, slave?” He called with a smirk."Watch your tongue, you mannerless idiot!" Lydia fired heatedly, she was trembling with rage."She curses too,” he said thoughtfully, “Your punishments are really piling up.”She couldn't believe just how arrogant and proud one person could be, her eyes ran over him with a tight frown creasing her brows. If she had even imagined for one second that this man was handsome, then it was a mistake. She had never seen or met anyone with a more disgusting attitude than him."I don't have time to engage you in any meaningless conversations, now if you'll excuse me.""Don't even dare!"His voice halted her, "Excuse you?"He did not answer her, instead he turned around and yelled with a loud voice, "Guards!"Three men ran towards him as soon as he said the word, all three stopped beside him and waited for him to speak. He watched her with a smirk and even dared to wink. Then he walked towards her and started walking around her in circles. Without a word, it looked like he was weighing her appearance, trying to check if she was worth the punishment he was about to met on her.She didn't know what to say, the men he had called looked like they would snap her neck if he gave them a nod to do it. And she knew better than to say anything then, because she realized in that moment that her fate was in his hands. His house, his guards and she at her mercy.When he stopped in front of her, the smirk was still there on his face, but it was laced with disgust."You stand accused of theft and trespassing, and your words to me have been demeaning and very insulting. Not ideal for a lady, but then again, I know you are a measly peasant." He sighed before continuing, "But regardless, you must be punished accordingly, and I'll decide how later."Her chest heaved as her body trembled in utter dismay, "You are sick!"He turned to his guards, "See?"The three men charged towards her at once, but she took a step back in fear. She would stand no chance against any of these men and she knew it."Don't touch me! I'm not a thief!""Take her away!" Derek said coldly.Chapter 2 “Let me go!” Lydia yelled as she twisted and turned in the hands of the two guards holding her, but their grip was unwavering. Their hold on her hand was so tight that she could almost feel her bones cracking, the more she struggled, the more pains she felt. but Derek was following closely behind them, obviously enjoying her cries. "What the hell is going on here?" A new voice suddenly asked, halting both Derek and the guards holding Lydia. It was his father, the resemblance between him and his son was uncanny. The man frowned when he saw Lydia still struggling in the hands of the guards, he came running towards them, and following closely behind him were Lydia's parents and Derek's mother. Apparently they had heard the commotion and they all came out to investigate."I was only looking for my cat when I bumped into him," Lydia began to explain without waiting to be asked, "He wouldn't even let me apologize or explain when he started hurling insults at me, then he asked h
Chapter 3Derek Lincoln sat staring moodily out the window of his room. That peasant slave really, how could they even imagine linking him up with a girl like that? He scoffed, she was beautiful, but he wouldn’t take her to his bed even if she was offered to him free of charge! His parents had introduced many young ladies to him, but he did not find any of them appealing enough, so he showed no interest in any of them.His parents simply couldn't understand his attitude. His father knew he could be charming and polite if he chose to be because he treated the women in their family with the greatest respect. But Derek just didn't give a damn about other women or what people thought of him. He refused to play the gentleman, no matter how it embarrassed his parents. He had arrived last night from a month's stay at their estate in the country. "If you are planning on forcing some more of your different friends daughters on me, I swear I'll leave this town for good!" Derek hissed at his m
Chapter 4For Lydia Gates, marriage was bondage. To some women, it was a gateway to heaven but to her it was not something she wanted for herself, not even her worst enemy if she could help it. She had watched her parent's relationship deteriorate as a child, it had gone from bad to worse. Growing up in the care of her nannies, they told her stories. Stories of how loving their parents had been when they first got married, how inseparable they were, how strong the bond they shared had been. Lydia wanted none of that, and especially not with a man she barely knew. A rich white man would treat her like a piece of trash. Certainly not, she could get everything she wanted and she intended to. Without a man, and certainly not a white one. How her parents had managed to keep the family estate and the legacy going, she could not tell. It was probably the only thing her father still enjoyed doing- working. She had seen him work tirelessly over the years to ensure they maintain the position
Chapter 5Already tired of watching the same thing happen over and over again, she sighed impatiently for the sixth time in five minutes. But she knew she couldn't move, and shouldn't be seen. Sir Roberts had warned her against it, being seen by the crew members would only mean turning herself in as a slave to be sold across the sea or worse, as a sex slave for the crew men on the ship.The kitchen was not exactly the best place to hide, not with all the heat still hanging and the ocean breezes. Once they were out to sea it wouldn't be so bad, but now, with the huge brick ovens radiating heat since before morning, and steam rolling out of pots on the stove from what promised to be a tasty evening meal, it was hot as the devil's welcome.The cook and his two helpers had discarded most of their clothes by the time the crew started wandering in for a quick breakfast, a man or two at a time strolled into the kitchen occasionally, since the hours before takeoff were the busiest time aboard.
Chapter 6With Annoyance, he stalked down the hall, the thought of several ways to escape his father's devilish plans plaguing his mind. Of Course he could not think of any, it was not like his father to make empty threats, if he had said it, and in the presence of that coffee colored old man, then he definitely meant it. Three days had passed already and he had heard nothing concerning the matter from his father or his mother. It was on Daniel, his brother who tried to give him the reassurance that marriage was not as bad as he thought and tried to make him think it could work for him. "The fact that it's working for you should not make you think it will work for everyone, and certainly not me." It was all he could say to make his brother leave him alone, that too seemed not to be working. "You can look at our parent's marriage if you need another instance, Derek. They have been together for…" Derek rolled his eyes, "Spare me the sermon and get out of my room, Daniel. Your wife n
Chapter 7Dressing in a man’s clothes was not as difficult as staying with a man in the same cabin, or pretending to be a man and an errand boy at the same time. Nancy sighed for the umpteenth time, her patience was running thin by the minute, she had been standing by the men who had come in with Sir Roberts that morning, waiting for their breakfast to be over so she could have hers. It came with being a cabin boy, she was told. The men chatted on with no care in the world for the boy standing by them, not the least bit concerned if she had eaten. Only Sir Roberts spared her glances occasionally with pleading eyes urging that she remain silent to prevent the men from seeing through her disguise. Nancy understood perfectly, she was no stranger to hunger or starvation and she could not risk being discovered now. Last night, she had overheard a girl screaming in a distant cabin as men took turns on her. She could tell which class the girl belonged, for even on the ship, there was an hi
Chapter 8For hours after the men left, Nancy was still curled up at a corner in the cabin. She had lost track of time but she knew it was over hours. Victory lay curled in a ball at her feet, she had managed to get up and feed the poor little kitten. She still felt sorry for the way the lousy Luppet had kicked the cat, not like she had a say in the matter, the knot in her chest grew tighter by the minute. They had no regard for women, or blacks for that matter. And she was here, a black young woman, surrounded by men, a group of white slave traders, in search of a woman to satisfy their urges. Nancy had never felt so helpless, how long was she going to keep her disguise? What if Sir Roberts decided to spill? And what had he said about selling her off at the gates? He had said he'll think about it, and by God he would. Every single person on the ship knew what the gates meant, it was their worst nightmare and fear. The place where people were priced and auctioned like pieces of fish
Chapter 9For Nancy, the weeks slipped by really fast, it was like the flight of a butterfly. She had no awareness of the time, spending most of the days in the cabin. She knew that three weeks had gone by already since that started sailing only because she had asked Sir Roberts. She spent most part of the day in the cabin, with Victory being her only companion during the day and Sir Roberts during the night. Over the weeks, the bond between her and Sir Roberts had grown rapidly, it was almost like he was a friend turned brother. After the last night they had the conversation about Luppet, Sir Roberts had not tried to touch or even do anything inappropriate to her. He had even grown to love Victory like his own. When they did not have visitors in the cabin, they would both chat away for most part of the night. It was magical to Nancy, how two people from completely different races could get along so well, it would have been even better if he was a girl. She was convinced they would