Contains a serious sexual experience of rape. Please do not read if it offends. You have been warned.
Lilly POV
I had arrived back at my Algiers home. The old plantation style home brought back many memories as growing up as an only child. When I saw Cadence in the white dress, she gave me shivers going down my back. The white dress was the same dress I wore to my sweet sixteen birthday party.
My mother had gone all the way to New York to buy the special dress, but after looking at Cadence in the dress I looked like her on the day she wore it.
I pulled out Cadence's file and looked at the pictures from the photo shoot. The idea of the overwhelming resemblance made my heart flutter. They say everyone has a twin, but this was too much. I sat back in my settee drinking a glass of wine reviewing the photos.
I didn't plan on becoming a Madame, it just happened. I was sixteen and dated a young man named James Dillard briefly. He was from Pierre Part and he was the most handsome man I had ever seen. His skin was tanned and he had light green eyes. I had met him at the church fair in town. He was there with his cousins selling fried poboys at one of the food stands. I saw him and instantly wanted to know him better.
My cousin Beverly also had eyes for James, but James seemed to be smitten with me. After the fair I met up with him and we talked for hours until it was time for him to pack up. We said our goodbyes and promised to see each other in the weeks to come.
Weeks had gone by and we ran into each other at a soiree in Pierre Part. My father was a banker in Uptown and his friend George Mayer had invited my family to his home for the weekend.
I was excited that I would be able to see James again. When we arrived James was standing outside the house. With excitement in my eyes I ran up to him and hugged him. My father looked a little disturbed to see me hugging on a boy I should not have known.
"Lilly why are you hugging this strange boy?" My father asked with a scowl on his face. I turned around completely forgetting that my mother and father were staring from a distance. At that time Mr. Mayer came out the house with his daughter, Daphne and son, Tyler.
"What is the meaning of this boy? You should be out in the crawfish fields with your brothers, gathering crawfish for tonight supper. Why are you out here hugging on Mr. Monroe's daughter all willie nillie? Get out of here before I call the Sherriff out here."
She saw the embarrassment on James's face. He ran off towards the back of the house. I was in tears because he was the first boy that actually wasn't scared to talk to me because of my father.
"Father I met him at the Church fair. He is a nice boy and I just wanted to say hello."
My father grabbed me by the arm and said, "I didn't raise a whore. Keep your hands to yourself, you are not a woman you are still a girl and I disapprove of you having any contact with that boy, do you hear me girl?" I could feel the tears running down my face.
"Yes, daddy I understand." We walked in the house and Tyler and Daphne were snickering. I couldn't believe my father had embarrassed me in front of the Mayers'.
Later that night as I sat on the back porch, I saw a dark figure walking up the pathway.
"It's me Lilly, James. I just had to see you." James walked right up to me and sat on the step.
"I'm sorry your daddy went off on you about me today. He had no right to treat you like that." I smiled.
"It was worth it, to see you again. I have been thinking about you since the first time we met." I said giggling to myself.
"I have been thinking about you too Lilly. Let's go walk by the big oak tree by the lake." I stood up and he took my hand. This was the best part of my day. I was actually holding hands with this boy. The first boy ever!
We walked down to riverbank and I splashed the water around with my foot. The moon's glow across the water was eerie but with James sitting right next to me, I wasn't fearful. James sneaked a kiss on my cheek. The simple gesture had me smiling. I had never kissed a boy, but I wanted James to be the first. Turning my head, James was staring at me.
"Lilly you are so beautiful. I want you to be my girl. Will you be my girl? "
I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Yes!" I screamed.
He walked me back to the house as we were holding hands. He kissed me on the lips and said goodnight. I touched his lips with my finger. I couldn't help but smiled walking back inside.
The weekend had almost ended. My family had been staying with the Mayers since that Thursday afternoon. We would be leaving on Sunday afternoon. Ever since Thursday, I had spent every night with James. We talked and stole kisses from one another. In just one weekend I had fallen deeply in love with him.
I wasn't sure when I would ever see him again so I wanted to make the last night special. It was around dinner and everyone except Tyler was retiring for the night. Tyler was leaving to meet some friends in town. He always gave me a wondering eye when I was around. I was afraid of Tyler. Not only did he look at me with devilment in his eyes, but he always stare.
He was two years older than me and I was not interested. Mr. Mayer had approached the subject a few times of us possibly joining the two of us in dating, but my dad would always make up an excuse. My daddy was always protective of me.
I was his only child and daughter. A man would have to have a lot in order to even be considered a prospect for his Lilly. I was happy that for once my daddy would talk up for me. I knew my father would never approve of James. He was poor and simple and the Monroe's status in New Orleans meant too much too my parents.
After everyone retired, I eased out the back door and ran down to the old oak tree by the river. James was waiting at the foot of the bridge.
"There you are I thought you weren't coming."
I walked towards him and grabbed his hand that reached out to hug me.
"Of course I was coming. This is our last night together. I'm not sure when I will see you again. I am going to miss you, James. I wish you could come to New Orleans with me. We could get engaged, get married and raise our own family."
"Lilly your father would never approve and I don't have the money to support us both. You are use to living in a big house while my family shares a two room shack on the bayou. I wish I could give you the things you deserve, but I can't. Maybe one day, I can make it big and I can come for you and we can be together." I could see the hurt in James's voice as it cracked on his last words.
I had tears in my eyes. I wanted to be with James. He had stolen my heart and not to be with him, would surely kill me. I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him. I deepened the kiss under the starlit sky. The mood was set and before long we both laid naked on the blanket across on the grass.
I had given him the token of my love that no one else would ever have the pleasure of having. "I love you Lilly."
I began to cry. I knew in that moment he would always have a place in my heart. I looked at the sky as the stars had slowly disappeared and the sky had started to turn crimson. Our time together had ended.
I kissed him one last time and put my clothes on. "I will always love you too."
I ran off towards the house. I couldn't look back, if I did the pain in my heart would be too overwhelming.
I tried to run as fast as I could so no one would know that I wasn't there during the night. As I made my way up through the darkness I felt strong hands wrap around my waist. I looked back and saw Tyler with two of his friends.
"Where are you coming from this time in the morning?" Tyler asked with a slurred voice. I knew he was drunk and so were his friends. He tossed me back and forth between his two friends.
"Man she is a looker. I see why ya daddy wanted you to get with her. I bet she has something special between those thick legs of hers."
I could feel the tears stinging at the back of my lids. "Please leave me alone!" I shouted at them. Tyler raised his hand and slapped me across my face leaving a red bruise.
"Her ivory skin looks perfect in the darkness." The other one said. I was scared. I knew that look I saw in Tyler's face and it shook me to the core.
"Please, Tyler don't do this!" I said trying to run away. But it was too late. Tyler friends grabbed my arms and legs and drug me down on the ground. I screamed begging them not to hurt me. I closed my eyes as each of them took a turn raping me. I cried until my body went numb.
I woke up with the sun beaming down on my face. My clothes were ripped and my long blonde hair was full of grass and twigs. I walked back to house with blood on my dress. I was dazed and confused. Walking up to the Mayers house I went straight to the bathroom. I tried to get the stench of them off my skin but I made my skin raw. An hour later I emerged from the bathroom to my room and changed clothes.
I never wanted to come back to this place. My family left hours later and I never looked back. The memory of being with James was now just a distance memory. How come something so special turn into the worse day of my life?
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9 months later...
"Push Lilly, push the baby is almost here," I heard the mid-wife say. When my parents found out I was pregnant, they sent me away to Oklahoma to have the baby. I refused to talk about what happened that night. I didn't know who baby it could have possibly be. With sweat pouring down my face, I gave one more push.
"That's it, Lilly! One more push and your baby will be here." With all the strength I could muster I pushed. The midwife prepared the baby and another nurse maid cleaned off the baby.
"Congratulations Lilly, you have a beautiful baby girl."
The nurse brought the baby over to me and the baby opened her eyes. I smiled and cried looking into those big green eyes. It was what I prayed for, James's daughter.
Hours later the nurse came in and took the baby while I was slept.
When I woke up the baby was gone. My parents didn't want a part in raising the baby so I guess they gave her away. It was the second worst day of my life. I only got to hold her once, but the memory of those eyes would haunt me for the rest of my life.
Weeks later instead of returning home, I met a woman named Isabella. She ran a whore house in Oklahoma. I had nowhere else to go. I stayed with Isabella until I turned twenty one when my parents died in a train accident. I moved back to New Orleans and ran my parent's properties. I had made a name for myself working hard, putting men in their place.
The skills I learned working for Isabella helped me to obtain the domination I needed to be a successful businesswoman.
I promised myself no other woman should have to go through what I did. Someone would be there to care about them.
Lady Chatelain knew my story. She was the original infamous Madame of New Orleans. I had met her through mutual people and she sold her business to me. Madame Chatelain was ruthless and cutthroat. I could never be like her. I bought the company and changed everything. Thirty years later I was a very rich woman.
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"Are you okay, Ms. Lilly?" I heard Ben walking in the living room as he took a seat in front of me.
"Yes, but I need a favor? I need you to call that Private Investigator friend of yours?" Ben looked at me with confusion on his face.
I looked up from my glass of wine.
"Please have him come by in the morning before ten." I got up and walked up the winding staircase, if my intuition was right, happier days could be on the horizon.