7 Chapter 6

The brisk pace gave her less time for reevaluation. Her feet sunk deep into the velvety grass bed with every progressive step. Her mind was bare of troubles. The opposition of the wind made her even more intrepid, she was going to stand strong and demand…not ask! Never again was she going to give in.

Her plain, pastel white gown hugged her legs tightly as she moved against the strength of the wind. Her long hair hung loose against her back, down to her pelvic bone- straight, glistening and as dark as a starless night. Her skin was a paler white compared to her gown but her most remarkable feature were her eyes, the bluest shade of blue. Her eyes were the sea; liquid, crystalline, brimming with life. They sparkled and glinted with unspoken promises, wondrous joy and plentiful wit. The lips were full, so full that as a child she had often complained to her sister about her 'large, ugly' lips, adulthood had accentuated the lustrous features. Hers was a sensuous mouth, one that beckoned to be kissed. From a distance she appeared soft all over, her creamy, smooth skin was luminescent, Emett had often craved touching her because he knew with every fiber of his being that she was the softest, most delicate creature he had ever held in his arms. On one hand it was because of her fragility that he wished to handle her with loving care and on the other, he couldn't help himself from imagining…..Francesca's sheltered existence meant that she never really understood ,completely, the extent of her effect on the opposite sex. She was a simple girl, the opposite sex…she had seen so little of it. She could only learn from the example of men like Emett, and he had never told her what was it that he liked about her or if it was just plain physical gratification that he wanted (she had concluded it to be the latter). Men like him, she thought, the ones who considered females to be dispensable objects, could not be trusted to give an honest evaluation of someone. If Emett found her attractive, she couldn't imagine other men thinking the same of her. Francesca believed that Emett wasn't like other men and since she was always readily available to him, he decided to indulge himself.

She intercepted him as he was coming down the main steps of his house. She had had her head bent down, so the first awareness of him was the realization of the fact that a pair of brown, expensive leather boots were hindering her progress. Her head gradually traveled up to bring to her view Emett's Grecian face. The shock of the sudden meeting evaporated in significant time. The threshold of his house was not the most ideal place for a confrontation but since it was fate, she hardly had any control over the circumstance. She muttered, "I was coming to see you, my Lord."

"Dispense with the formalities, Francesca", Emett commanded her. He wished that for once in her life she wouldn't defy him. If he wanted a certain form of familiarity between them to be a norm, he just wished she would let him have that.

"Never! You are my master, I'll address you as such."

Hopes were lost even before he had begun to hope! "Even if I tell you otherwise?!" and after a ruminative pause he continued, "Because of you, my life has been a living hell this morning."

Francesca doubted if he had ever faced anything even remotely in the same vicinity as 'misery' in his life, she remarked with compunction, "That is certainly not true…I will not believe it."

"What won't you believe? That you might have the power to ruin my day or the fact that I was having a hellish morning?" with that question he started ambling towards the fields, away from his house.

Francesca pursued him with agility. "Both!"

Emett, who was walking ahead of Francesca, smirked in secrecy, "Both! When I tell you something you better believe it because I don't ever lie to you. I might not tell you things but it hardly qualifies as lying."

Francesca asked amazed, "You say you are an honest man?!"

"Why, you sound surprised! My day has been ruined because of you, that is the truth. I feel like giving you an additional punishment for all that I have bore!"

From being surprised at a discovery, Francesca, quickly became tense at Emett's nonchalant remark, "Lord Ernest, please don't do such a thing! I beg of you."

"Oh! Calm down Franny! I am only jesting. You will serve the one month term as the cook's assistant and then you'll be free. Considering the fact that you slapped me, I think that this punishment mirrors nothing less than my advocacy of generosity towards the less fortunate." Emett wasn't trying to be condescending, nor was he used to displaying such pomposity, he was merely testing the waters, seeing how far he could go before Francesca's defiant streak would start to dominate. She was unruly; he sometimes pleasured himself by disconcerting her, it was the only way for her to ever feel unease, which he himself consistently faced in her presence- she could only register it in moments when he teased her willfully.

Francesca could not contain her loathing for long, she reminded herself that she had vowed to be strict with him but she felt completely dejected with the realization that Emett could never be generous and listen to her even if she were to exercise aplomb, a person has to have a heart to be a generous soul. Emett lacked a heart, he wasn't a human being. "I am deeply sorry for the indiscretion. I am regretful of my actions. I think about my mistake every second of every day! Can you not forgive me and give me no punishment? You are a generous man after all!"

She was baiting him. Emett knew that she was going to start pleading to him like the other two women; this was the final episode of the drama that had been unfolding all morning. He for one was glad that it was finally reaching its conclusion, the sooner this matter was cleared up, the sooner he was going to be able to get back to his work. His answer wasn't going to change. He tried to have fun with it anyway, "In addition to being a generous soul, I pride myself in being a righteous man also and it won't be right now, will it, if I let you go free without giving you a punishment? How am I to be ensured of the fact that you won't repeat your actions?"

"You just have to trust my word!" Francesca appealed to him desperately.

"Franny! I don't know if I have ever told you this but one of my many vices is the fact that I don't trust people easily," he was handling the situation with prowess, thus far there hadn't been any outbursts from either side. They were both being careful lest the other person become really furious. Francesca was the one trudging  treacherous grounds, she had to proceed with caution, "Well but can't you ever try to trust? Trust me?!"

Hearing her say these words was like the sound of a nightingale to his ears, in that moment Emett felt weak enough to tell her that he was willing to trust her and that he was also willing to waive off the punishment. She didn't mean a single word she had said and yet he felt that if he could show enough courage to give her his trust right now, one day she will actually value his commitment. For Emett bouts of emotional discomfort were few, all instigated due to Francesca, but he had learned not to initiate an outpour of affection and love in each meeting he had with her. Since she didn't like him as much as he loved her, he wished to shield his feelings by appearing in total control of them. He had to take care of his heart, but he wanted to love and be loved as well. "I don't think I can. My past experience has left me a complete cynic on the point!"

"So debating with you is futile?!" Francesca concluded with derisiveness plaguing her insides. She reprimanded herself. What had I even wished to achieve by coming and requesting him for something he'd never allow, she questioned her judgment. She felt hot tears forming at the sides of her eyes, she realized she wasn't going to survive this meeting in a manner better than her two predecessors, she decided to take her leave, "We don't have anything further to discuss, I will go then."

"Alright!" Emett saw Francesca turn away dejectedly and an idea struck him, "Wait...On a second thought, accompany me!"

This man! She never really could understand him, his swift change in mood was unsettling, "Accompany you? To where?"

A smile teased the corners of Emett's lips, "To the stream. After the tough day that I have been having, I decided to relax a little by sitting at the water's edge."

"Oh! I don't think I will be able to do that, I have some important things I need to take care of, you go right ahead!" She was so petrified by the idea of being alone with him somewhere, Emett could also see the obvious. Her face had suddenly acquired a pallor, she looked like a baby rabbit lost in the dark woods. Francesca had started to turn away, if modesty had allowed she would have run instead.

"Stop!" Francesca seized in her retreat and then he sternly ordered again, "Turn!" and she did. "Now, look at me!" She stared into his brilliant, blue, grey eyes, "I promise I won't touch you. Come!"

"I…" she found herself speechless, suddenly. His eyes had a hypnotic quality to them, for a second, she just lost the sense of where she was, who she was, who he was. She was in a trance, like a snake being controlled by its charmer. He had sounded so sincere just then, she felt she could give him a chance just this once. The prospect of going to the lake suddenly held considerable appeal, she found herself giving him a nod of compliance.

And then something even more amazing happened- he started walking away. He didn't try to grab hold of her and drag her along with him. He was adhering to his word. His sincerity compelled her to follow him as if she were a part of him, attached to his very soul. He walked ahead of her, guiding her, at times, through the dense bushes, then the massive forest, and the sinusoidal terrain.

The panorama surrounding them was a breath-taking sight. They were the two solitary figures in a sea of shades of green. The patch of the rolling hills that was lit up by the sun, illuminated the Earth in green-yellow gold. The subliminal areas (the ones where the sunlight didn't reach because of the intractable clouds blocking its descent to Earth) were a darker black- green. The endless fields were punctuated by tall, solitary trees.

They reached the water body with the approach of afternoon. The stream was in the heart of the tight shade of low-lying trees and the spread of tangled branches. At a time when the sun shone brightly, the stream itself lay in a pool of semi-darkness. The rushing water produced an even layer of smooth foam on top of it while it gushed forth bearing dark shades of green and blue, in places it was inky black.

Francesca was taken in by the majestic beauty of the scene, she felt like a mystic who had finally found the eternal religious truth. She had never been here before, this place had evaded her on her merry amblings. It was like a well kept secret; Emett's well-kept secret…

"I have never been here before, how is that?" she asked herself and him, feeling absolutely euphoric.

"It is entirely hidden from the world. Maybe that's the reason."

"How did you come across it then?" she asked suddenly curious.

"I think I had been around fourteen at the time, in those days I detested company, I was always looking for places I could hide away in, where no one would come looking for me. I was on one such quest when I discovered this stream. Imagine my joy, I had found a secret sanctuary for myself. I haven't been here in a long while though."

Francesca realized that this period was not very long after his mother's death and his mother's death had indeed changed him. He was no longer a jolly, carefree youth once he had experienced her death.

She looked around herself again, the place spoke of the experiences that had shaped Emett's life, it silently wished to conspire with Francesca, share everything with her. She tried so hard to understand the feeling but was interrupted by Emett who had suddenly become concerned by her stretched silence, "Francesca? Where are you lost?"

Francesca glided back to the present, "Nowhere!"

Emett smirked slightly in acceptance of her answer, "We should find a spot to sit down in, how does that one over there appeal to you?" He pointed towards a patch very near to the edge of the stream, the piece of land emerged with gradual ascent from under the water.

She had to agree with whatever he was saying, her mind was entirely empty of rational thought. "Yes! Fine."

They sat in the spot, facing the stream, not one another. Both of them stared at the noisy water body as if it were in a conversation with them, it acted like an intermediary between them both.

"You don't want to work for me," the statement was pure, honest realization and awareness.

Francesca didn't want to lie to him, it was more than evident what her feelings on the matter were but putting them into words did seem necessary anyway, "that is correct, Lord Emett."

"Stop that! For the last time I don't want you addressing me thus, stop being so stubborn, try being passive for a change." He was angry again.

"I believe that I have made it more than clear that I don't want to establish any closeness with you. Won't it be easier if you just forego with all the effort. You know I don't have any place for you in my life. Why are you so persistent?" It was like truth and honesty were being forced out of her. The more she tried to act like she was above all his lasciviousness, the more he was able to see right through the façade. Maybe honesty was the best policy where he was concerned.

He didn't want to hear her say these things, how was it that even after all this time he hadn't been able to inspire even a little lust or care in her, he began to doubt his own abilities, damn her for making him unsure of himself, "I don't have to answer to you, you know. I'll do as I damn well please." And as if he wanted to salvage some of his pride he continued, "you are not the only woman in my world, in case you haven't noticed. I can have anyone I want, you should feel elevated that for the present my interest is piqued by you ( I curse myself for that little mistake everyday) but I will promise you one thing, I will make you fall for me also. And then where will you go? What will you do? You'll suffer as I suffer, even more. You'll yearn for me day and night and then may be I'll never come close to you!" he was still looking at the water as he had said all that, at the end of the speech he was a little shocked by how much his words might have revealed to Francesca, he hadn't meant to go that far but her presence, so near him, was clouding his mind faster than getting inebriated on alcohol.

She couldn't believe her ears, he had actually sounded so desperate for her, was it real? It felt like he was hurt by her honesty and why boast of other women like that? His sexual conquests were public knowledge anyway. She would have to believe that it was a ploy to get her in his bed. And what had he said really, just that he yearned for her which, inadvertently meant that he was only trying to extricate sexual favors from her, well she wasn't going to be the one to fall for flowery avowals of lust, she held her honor too sacred for that.  And how was he so sure that he could inspire the same feelings in her as well, never would a time like that come, and if God-forbid it did, she'll prefer digging a hole in the ground and throwing herself in it than going up to him and admitting anything. "You… you shouldn't say all this to me, you know, we shouldn't be discussing all this."

He sat closer to the stream, she, some distance away from him, behind him. He turned around to look directly into her eyes, his stare was so intense it could have melted a glacier in the coldest of winter, "Why?"

"Why?!" she repeated feeling color gradually rise in her cheeks.

He nodded in her direction. She did not know how one could make a 'nod' a seductive gesture, but the nod was.

"It isn't proper", she replied a little shaken.

His face tilted in a half smile, "My behavior towards you has been anything but proper, Franny. Do you think I care about making changes now, I think we are past modesty and formalities. Don't you?"

His silken stare disturbed her deeply, there was an unmistakable glint in his eyes, she started to realize that she might, after all, have made a mistake in coming here alone with him. She replied too quickly, "I don't think that at all."

He laughed then and slowly advanced to where she sat, she instinctually started to back away from him. He put his right hand firmly on both her feet to stop her from moving further away. "I shouldn't have made empty promises to you Franny. I think I ought to apologize in advance."

It wasn't lust but fear of him that had her breathless, "A…Apologize for what?"

"I told you I wouldn't touch you!" he had now traveled right next to her body, his face was a mere inches from hers. "I have changed my mind now… Kiss me, Princess."

Her face felt hot and cold, his nearness created havoc in her mind, she wished he put a little distance between them and not use any endearments, endearments were indicative of warmth and he was anything but. "I … I don't want to." She shrank away from him in fear.

He lightly touched her chin, the caress did very little to calm her down, instead she felt spasms of fear rise up in her chest, no matter how much she tried to breath, her lungs didn't fill up, she gasped for air.

He moved his thumb across her jaw line with gentle precision as if he were touching a delicate flower and then his mouth descended on hers. She closed her eyes not wanting to witness the moment his lips touched hers. She felt tears stinging her eyes.

When he had his mouth on hers he moved his lips with gentle expertise, brushing light kisses on her swollen, strawberry lips. He wished to make her burn with the desire that consumed and clawed at him. It was therefore very disturbing to find her mouth so still, so lifeless. She didn't wish to participate in the kiss, he concluded. Furthermore, she tried to avert her head from him each time he came down for a kiss. Her non-responsiveness wreathed and burned his insides. He tried once more to cajole her by lightly kissing the side of her mouth, the kiss landed at the very edge of her lips but she struggled to avoid that as well. Outraged, he stood up swiftly and looked down at her in seething anger, "What is it? Why can't you ever want to kiss me?" It was then that he noticed her wet eyelashes, he had brought her to tears. He suddenly felt like an animal.

"I am sorry. I just don't feel that way about you." Francesca admitted blinking back the tears. She felt helpless because of his blatant onslaught, this time she hadn't even felt strong enough to rebuff his advances, nor strong enough to strike him again, the fear of another punishment was too strong a leash.

He looked at her, helplessly sitting on the ground, he felt so mad at her but he also felt so mad at himself. Her reaction to him was so different than other females that it was always hard for him to fathom it. Where other females begged him to come to their beds this infuriating little creature detested his very touch, he felt it wasn't all his fault that he had been raised to believe that his charms were potent. Why was it then that this girl couldn't stand his touch, couldn't enjoy his caress couldn't absorb herself in his kiss. He looked at her with scorn, "I am not going to continue kissing you. You can open your eyes, dry those tears and stop looking like a wounded animal!"

'On his command she finally opened her eyes to stare at him and judged for herself if he was lying. Her eyes were alive with vibrant color just like the sky after abundant downpour.

He held her gaze and promised sincerely, "I won't come near you."

She stood up then and backed up a few inches to put distance between them. She looked at him apprehensively.

"You are not caged or anything, Francesca. You can go away if you like. I won't stop you." He said that with an air of solemn authority.

The instant he finished his sentence Francesca turned around and ran as fast as her legs could carry her, Emett didn't watch her retreat for long, he turned around to look at the water once more. It seemed so dark, so ferocious.