This story has inappropriate themes and may risk triggering someone, themes such a drugs, kidnapping and rape.
Sorry for not warning you at the beginning of this book. When it's about to happen I will put bold writing so just skip to the bold after that.
Lillian's pov
(1 year ago)
I walked in from the garden, where the roses had started to bloom, where the birds had been chirp. Spring was finally here, and so soon it would be my baby, the precious child that had been growing in me for nearly eight months. I placed my hands over my stomach and smiled, my life was finally coming together. Rick and I could be happy, with the family he and I have always wanted, the dream house, chocolate and most of all dream husband.
Rick and I were so happy, and nothing could ruin that, well almost nothing because I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts that hadn't heard anyone enter the house. I noticed just a little bit too late. As fast as my pregnant body could, I turned around and that's when I felt a small sting in my arm and the floor below me began to sway. Like when I was drunk, so many months ago. You always were a traitorous little fiend, floor. I hit the ground with a loud thump and everything around me faded out. Then the world turned to black. The last thing I heard was an oh-so familiar laugh.
***
My head was pounding as I came back into consciousness, my hands etched up slowly to rub my aching skull but got stuck after a few inches. At this my eyes flew open and I saw two ropes binding my hands down, but that is not what fazed me, not by a long shot. My unmentionables were bruised and my stomach was protruding from under my clothes. And did I forget to mention that I was almost naked, with only my chemise and pregnancy corset to cover me. My unmentionables shown to the world. There were ropes around my ankles as well keeping the tied to the legs of the chairs, 'ah so he had learnt from last time that I'm not some helpless maiden.'
I wiggled my wrist around for a moment as I felt my baby kick. I was starving and I knew it would be affecting the baby by now. I lowered my hand as far as I could, which really was not far at all and I tried to touch my stomach. 'Damn maybe he had learnt, these are some exquisite rope tying skills'. I said in my head as I stared at what bound my arms and I heard another familiar cynical laugh from above me.
"Ah Miss Linton, nice of you to join me." Lord Dalgliesh's calm and overly charming voice reached my ears. I knew underneath his facade he was just an evil man, who's insecurities about his past and wealth was hiding by a thin layer.
"It is Mrs Ambrose, to you, you scumbag, you insufferable rake, you ibn himar..." I cursed at him in every language I knew before finally inhaling deeply which felt like glass down my throat. I heard a throaty laugh from ahead of me before a round of clapping. " you kidnaped me and now you are clapping?" I screamed at Lord Dalgliesh, " what is wrong with you?"
Lord Dalgliesh straighten up before he stood up off the desk he was lounging on, he leaned towards me before whispering. "Kidnap is a very ugly word, I prefer... acquired." He walked around my chair, almost assessing me, making sure I was bound properly. That there was no chance of escape. "It was all too easy to acquire you my dear. I would've thought Lord Ambrose was more protective over his play things, especially in your condition. Now you are just a helpless maiden, all alone." Dalgliesh pressed a small dagger to my corset. Proving a point I suppose. When he pulled it away he leant back on his desk, his hawk eyes still inspecting me.
I struggled against my bindings without hope, since I was down to my chemise there was no where I could've hidden a weapon. Before it had just been in my pockets that adorned my dress. " I can take care of myself, I am not some fickle little girl. As you leant from last time I know how to tie my own laces. Why don't you let me out if these and I can show you." I told him harshly, I needed to protect myself as well as our baby.
"You know Miss Linton they have word for people like you. I bet you didn't think I knew." Dalgliesh started, he moved a little paper around on his desk before picking up one specific piece. He cleared his throat before reading it out loud. "One Mrs Rikkard Ambrose, symptoms point to early stages of conception. Nausea, mood swings, appetite increase and lower bodily swelling. Diagnosis: pregnancy, seeming to be about four months along. See I can already tell you're pregnant, most people can. Now do you know what I find interesting about this little piece of paper. The time stamp. This reads 18th of June. If I recall properly, which I always do. Weren't you married on the 2nd of April. Well these dates done seem to match up do they. Four months pregnant it says here. But you've been married for three? So I ask again, did you know there is a word for women like you, do you know what it is."
I sat there in stunned silence for a minute, I knew Dalgliesh had ways but how was he able to access that medical file. I glared at him icily. Not dining to respond to his accusations. That was until he walked over and hissed in my ear one small word. "Whore." A shiver went down my spine at that word whispered so hardly into my ear.
...
That night I could hardly sleep, the chair I was in was highly uncomfortable. The baby was pushing on my bladder and I need to pee so bad. But it was one of the best I had been kidnapped, you know , minus the company. There were no rats or cockroaches, there was no mould, no blood stains. It felt like he wasn't even trying to scare me with my room. Then I realised, of course, this is Dalgliesh we are talking about. The man who hides behind his perfect gentleman facade. Of course the room he gave me would be so nice, but I knew that didn't mean I would be getting off lightly. He had finally got me, Rikkard Ambrose's weakness.
When I finally did get to sleep it was a very deep one. I was practically sleeping with my eyes open, so when I heard the door handle rattle I sat straight up, alert to everything around me. It could be anyone on the other side of that door, a servant bringing me food, a guard checking in, the devil himself. I did the best I could to make myself seem calm even though I was terrified inside.
Dalgliesh opened the door with his normal fake smile on face, he walked in and closed the door behind him. "Ah Miss Linton, you're awake. Good. I brought you something to eat. Can't let you starve to death that would be no fun." He placed a piece of what looked like rye bread in my lap. The only problem with that is the fact that my hands were tied to the chair arms. Too far away for me to reach.
"Too kind. You always were the gentleman Lord Dalgliesh." I said looking down at the bread my stomach clenching by how hungry myself and the baby were. I felt my mouth water so I casted my eyes up to the evil man. "Now have you come back to torture me already or..."
Lord Dalgliesh's smile faltered for a second before his facade came back stronger. He gave out a cynical laugh and stepped towards me. "Is that something you would like. You seem very eager. I suppose that would make sense for a whore like you. I really do hope you've changed your idealisms because otherwise what I have in store for you would be no fun at all."
Warning mention of rape ahead, do not read if this may be triggering for you.
Dalgliesh reached into his shoe and pulled out a little dagger. There was an evil glint in his eyes when he stood up again at his full height. "See Miss Linton, there was always something about you that I found interesting, almost irresistible. At first I thought it was your connection to Mr Ambrose. I mean just that made you one of a kind but after a while I realised there was so much more to you." Dalgliesh's ran the knife down the front of my corset until he let it rest over a much more sensitive part of my body. " an intelligent woman who speaks her mind and isn't a gullible little lamb. Rare, beautiful. That is usually what I look for in items to put to my collection. It really is a pity that I can't keep you but for now I must just enjoy what I can."
"I'm not going to let you hurt him like this." I did not like where he was heading with this, I knew this man was capable of truely terrible crimes and this was definitely going to be one of the worse ones. His fingers went near my face to the back of my corset so I bit down on his flesh.
"Son of a bitch..." Lord Dalgliesh pulled his arm back quickly and clutched it to his chest, he looked extremely mad. He hand raised faster than I could track and soon I felt a sting across my face. Tears sprung to my eyes. Dalgliesh walked back to his desk and grabbed something out before quickly pouncing on me. He shoved a gag into my mouth. It was similar to the one from the jungle but a lot cleaner and of softer material. "I'd like to see you bite me now." He hissed out, his hands returning to the back of my corset. A few seconds later the strings were loosened and the material was on the floor. Tears ran down my cheeks now, my pregnancy belly was very obvious now, as well as other contributors. I felt a tug on my chemise and then a ripping sound was heard. I suddenly felt very exposed, and in this moment I knew the feeling was justified. He had ripped the front of the chemise open leaving my whole body exposed to the eyes of this pervert.
Lord Dalgliesh's eyes took in my body and it made me feel so disgustingly dirty, only one other person had seen my in this state and now more than ever I wish he was here. Dalgliesh swung the dagger around his finger, he then lifted it up, the glint of the blade matching the same look in his eyes. "See as I told you before Miss Linton. I always get what I want." He brought the blade up to my face and slowly dragged it down my cheek. I felt blood swell on the surface of my skin and and my face began to sting. This scene was so familiar from the time in the jungle.
That's when it hit me, I mightn't make it out if this alive. Fear laced through my body, I no longer cared that I was naked, or the cut on my face. All I cared about was the fact that I didn't get to say goodbye to Rick and that our baby mightn't survive this encounter. They would never get to meet their father.
I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't notice Lord Dalgliesh untie me and then tie my wrists together. I felt him drag my by them over to his desk. My tears were on full cascade mode, I didn't even try to stop them now. Struggling against the bond of my wrist I tried to escape but I knew it was no use. My fate was sealed.
***
Hard topic over
That night I felt so much pain as he used me to his will. He was relentless to the pain and blood. By the end of the night I felt numb, I had stopped struggling, stopped fighting to get away and just later there emotionless. Somehow we had ended up in a bedroom that connected, my hands ended up tied to the end posts of the bed. My body was aching and I knew that bruises would form all over my body, if I lived that long. Around those bruises were cuts, some shallow others so deep it showed bone. When Lord Dalgliesh left he cut my bonds and left me laying there behind a locked door.
As I lay there bleeding out I knew, there was no knight in shining armour that was going to save me, this wasn't like the books my sisters had read when we were growing up. The maiden and the hero don't find each other, they don't kiss passionately and then defeat the bad guy, they don't get their happy ever after.
The blood pooled around me as I struggled to breathe, I didn't bother clutching the wounds, instead I put my hands on my swollen stomach and prayed for the life of my baby. That if I die at least the baby will survive. Maybe god has mercy on people, or maybe he was feeling kind today but that last thing I saw before I took my final breath was Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh standing near me, surgeon next to me with a baby covered in blood in his arms. I let out a final smile and closed my eyes.
I couldn't bring myself to write the actual rape scene, so it just describes her pain and how she felt. I know it's a lazy ending but this chapter was so very hard for me to write.