New and Strange Book 2

The Unlikely Deal

Eliza let out a puff of smoke...thinking of everything she'd done to give her boy the best life she could provide for him. She'd had a certain set of skills she'd learned from her mother, but she'd never originally wanted to use them. Elizabeth had wanted to be different from her mother, to be better, but she'd ended up having to rely on those skills just to make sure she and her boy would be okay.

She could still remember what she had done...

———

"Ma'am, I don't think you realize how serious this is. This is the third time this week that Alastor's gotten into a fight."

"Did my boy start the fight?"

"Who started the fight didn't matter, the point is that he just can't seem to get along with the other children! They're all afraid of him."

"Answer my question, if ya would Principal..." Elizabeth looked down at the nameplate on the desk, "Owens. Did my boy start the fight? And please be honest. Your predecessor rather enjoyed pinnin' all sorts of things on my boy, but a lovely lady such as yourself seems much more understadin' then a tubby, old, white man."

Principal Owens seemed a bit shocked at how well spoken Elizabeth was, as well as how she was so open to insulting the previous principal, "I...no. Alastor hasn't started any of the fights he's gotten into. A lot of the children, as well as his teacher try to say he did, but I asked everyone in his class, as well as Alastor himself. Some say it was the other boys who started it."

Eliza gave a wide, yet strained grin, "And what are ya plannin' on doin' to keep my boy from such violence?"

"Mrs-"

"It's Miss. I've never been married."

Principal Owen's jaw seemed to drop a bit, but she caught herself, "I see- Well, the other parents are insisting Alastor be expelled from the school."

"Are you tellin' me that you want to expel him?"

"N-No Ma'am! I really don't think it's his fault. A boy of his color gets picked on by both our black and white students, and I don't think it's fair to him to expel him for that." The principal looked down at her hands, folded on her desk, something about this woman was incredibly intimidating to her, "That is to say, if something doesn't change soon, I can't stop the school board from expelling him. He has a history of getting into trouble."

"I see." Elizabeth stood up, putting her hands on the desk and leaning closer, making the principal's breath catch. Even if she was intimidating...Elizabeth was an incredibly beautiful woman, eyes shining with sharp wit and intelligence, eyes her son would one day have.

"M-Miss- this seems a bit-"

"Hush now suga." At the sound of Elizabeth's voice, Principal Owen's mouth shut, "Now, why don't you just tell me who these parents are that want to throw my boy out of school, and I'll take care of this little issue, and save you the trouble." Eliza's voice was incredibly enticing, washing over her, compelling her to do what Elizabeth wanted.

"I- Ma'am, I'm not allowed-"

"Perhaps you aren't allowed to, but don't you want to?" Eliza's hand cupped the principal's chin and made her look her in the eye, "What's ya first name, sweetness?"

Her voice spoke before she even fully registered the question, so lost in Eliza's gaze, "M-Marianne."

"Such a beautiful name. Marianne, are you a mother?"

"No ma'am."

"Such a shame, I think you'd be a good mother. Are you married?"

"Engaged."

"Do you love him?"

"What?" Marianne felt her mouth run dry.

"Do you love the man you're engaged to?"

"..." Marianne looked away from Elizabeth's seductive gaze, "My parent's arranged it. He's the heir to the that canning factory right outside of town." Why was she telling Eliza this? It was as if she wasn't in control of the words tumbling out of her mouth, like Elizabeth was somehow drawing them out of her.

"But do you love him?"

Marianne looked back up at Eliza, "No...he's a cruel man, and he wants me to quit my job once we're married."

"And you don't want to?"

"I love my job, but he's going to be my husband."

"Let me share a little secret with you, Marianne." Eliza sat on the desk, positioning herself so that her legs came down on either side of the woman, skirt hiked up to her thighs, "Men want to control us women because they're afraid of what we can do when we realize we don't need them in our lives."

"You really believe that?"

"Honey, I know it's the truth." Elizabeth suddenly pulled Marianne closer, up and out of her chair, hand coming to rest on the other woman's hip, "Now~ why don't I show you just how good it is to not rely on a man, and you tell me what it is that I want to know?"

Marianne could feel her breath catch as she felt her hands on Eliza's waist, "...okay."

———

Eliza walked out of the office to find Alastor waiting for her, kicking his feet from the chair he sat in, "Hi Mama..." He spoke in the tone he always used when he thought he was in trouble.

"Hello Cher~" Elizabeth grinned and looked back inside the office, "Good luck cancelin' your engagement, Marianne."

"Y-Yes of course- thank you." Marianne was currently buttoning her shirt back up as Elizabeth closed her office door.

"Am I in trouble, Mama?"

"No baby, ya ain't in trouble. After all, ya didn't start this."

"So what now?"

"Now we go home, Cher. I'll get ya fed and drop ya off at Mr. Kurt's." Kurt was a friend of Elizabeth's who watched Alastor whenever she had to work late.

"Why am I goin' to Mr. Kurt's?"

"Cause Mama has some business to attend to."