Heart of a slave

The encounter

TRIGGER WARNINGS. THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES SEXUAL VIOLENCE

That night, at dinner, Dimitri spoke briefly to his grandmother about the management of the estate, the improvements, and what needed fixing. He also questioned his brother openly about slapping the girl. Leonard shrugged and laughed, "She is a slave, brother, relax!"

Upset, Dimitri clenched his teeth. "I will not have you hitting a slave for such a ridiculous reason!"

Noticing Dimitri's anger, Lady Noelita intruded to resolve the conflict. "Your brother is right, Leonard. Please refrain from hitting the slaves unless it is a serious matter "

Leonard stared at his brother with open disdain, angry that his grandmother had taken his brother's side again, especially in the presence of others.

Dimitri stood up and excused himself and his crew. They had all decided to ride to the nearest tavern, an hour away, where there were drinks and women. His grandmother stood up and excitedly informed him of her yearly soiree that she was planning. She ended by telling him that he would have the pleasure of meeting and courting the daughters of her acquaintances. Dimitri was not interested but nevertheless smiled and kissed his grandmother goodnight.

***

"Finally," Nathan said, as they approached the tavern. "I felt like an old hag for the past few nights."

The tavern had a bevy of scantily clad, beautiful young ladies dancing invitingly and waiting to be elicited. Dimitri smiled devilishly and gave each crew member money. He waved at a pretty brunette who was looking in his direction. She approached him and he whispered in her ears and she eagerly pulled him away into a quiet area.

It was after midnight when Dimitri and his crew left the tavern, all with a satisfied grin plastered on their faces. Their journey back was done in silence.

***

Siwhetta went to bed that night exhausted. She had never worked so hard before. She wanted to forget her master's strange behavior towards her. There were whispers from the cooks that he had openly rebuked his brother for slapping her. It made her even more worried. She had been there for less than two weeks but was already arousing much attention. She nervously asked the head maid-servant if she could pass-on her shift to another maid-servant who was willing to go to the master's bedchamber. She explained by recounting what had occurred that morning.

Ms. Edgar, who was the head maid-servant, listened to her distress and immediately relieved her of the duty. She had since taken a liking to the young lady and didn't wish her to get into any more trouble.

When Siwhetta had finished dinner, she decided to go to the lake with the other ladies. They would bathe and wash their hair there. Siwhetta took the lavender pouch and took a nice cold bath which was long overdue. She did whatever little laundry she had and returned to the slave quarters where she kept company with two other ladies. She was freezing and tired. It took them much time to walk back to their rooms. Siwhetta often wondered why such a big estate but it reminded her of her home, Africa; so bountiful with land. She donned the softest nightgown she owned and brushed her hair. Siwhetta saw that the other women were fast asleep. She yawned and blew out the candle and before she knew it, she was fast asleep in slumberland.

Later that evening, the door swung open noisily. Startled, she opened her eyes. Vaguely, she became aware of light permeating the walls of the room but overcome by exhaustion, she turned over and dozed off again.

Suddenly, hands tugged impatiently at her clothing. Alarmed, Siwhetta kicked her attacker, hitting him in the torso. He grunted, the room went dark, she cried out to her roommates. No one replied. She sat up and felt her nightgown ripped off her body and callused hands gagged her. Her attacker threatened if she screamed, he would break her neck. Siwhetta was no fool; she would not let her attacker have his way with her; she elbowed him in the abdomen and bit him.

Alton howled in pain and in retaliation slapped her sharply. She cried out and darted out of the room before he could reach her but could hear him pursuing her in the dark. Without looking back, she kept on running. With her heart pounding, she ran towards the plantation with her assailant in hot pursuit.

A short distance away, Siwhetta heard a rider approaching. In desperation, Siwhetta ran towards the horse and rider, screaming, "Help! Help! Please help!"

Dimitri, at the time, was on his way home when he heard a cry of distress near the slave quarters. It was the piercing screams of a woman. What the devil is going on there? he thought, and rode swiftly towards it. Anxiously, he jumped off his horse and hid behind the bushes. He grabbed the screaming woman when she came within reach. Siwhetta's naked body fell into his arms.

The attacker fled the scene.

Dimitri placed her gently on the ground and surveyed the area for her assailant but he was nowhere. He muttered a low expletive in frustration, as he immediately recognized Siwhetta. Angrily, He placed her on the horse and cantered off to the front of the manor. He entered the hallway with her and hurried up the stairway to his bedchamber. She smelled of lavender. He turned on the lamp and placed her on his bed. She lay quietly; the poor girl, out of terror, had swooned. 

The limp, naked body was breath-taking in the glow of the lamp. It was a sight to behold: small waist as he had imagined, perky breasts and a small mat of hair covering her private parts. He looked at her hungrily. Her hair was disheveled and cushioned her face. She shifted and turned over and he gasped when her naked round buttocks came into full view. He had the urge to caress them but instead just gazed at her admiringly.

Siwhetta opened her eyes, eventually. She was disoriented. Adjusting her eyes to the light she searched her surroundings. Where am I? she thought. She was naked and felt uneasy. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed that someone was watching her with piercing cobalt eyes. Tension filled the room. She panicked. Was this her attacker? She was in her ladyship's house; no one would believe her. She started to weep.

Dimitri approached silently, but with a few long strides, he was upon her. He held her face roughly, looked into her big eyes and snapped at her. "What is going on? You thought it was fun to run away from your lover naked in the middle of the night?"

Irritated, Siwhetta pulled away from him intending to leave the room. Frantically, she searched the room for her nightgown. Then with as much pride as she could muster, she turned and walked towards the door but before she could reach the knob, Dimitri was hovering over her. He was furious that she would not answer him. He had never placed a hand on a woman, in reprimand, before, but this one tempted him. "I ask you again: where were you coming from at this time of the night, naked? I demand an answer!" he fumed.

Alarmed, Siwhetta returned heatedly, "I was nearly raped, you bastard!" She slumped on the floor with her face in her hands.

Dimitri watched as she began to sob hysterically. He cringed, hurt by her pain. It wasn't long before his hurt transformed into rage all over again. Absentmindedly, he grabbed her, and moving across the room swiftly, dropped her on the bed. Siwhetta felt her breath knocked out of her lungs; she gasped.

He shot daggers at her with his eyes then growled, "You better tell me who did this. Now!"

She looked at him fearfully. "I'm afraid, I don't know, sir."

He looked at her as if she was lying. "Are you hiding for him? Tell me who was responsible for this. That way I can deal with it."

She yelled, "I don't know. I said I don't know. You are hurting me!"

He hadn't realized how firmly he was holding her wrist. He released her and took a chemise from his trunk on the floor and shoved it towards her. "Put this on!" he ordered. He was angry at the effect she was having on him even when she was in the midst of such a crisis. "Get dressed!" he snapped.