Free Romance: Luther's Property by Laurie Burrows

pain and anger,
everything muffled and mumbled together as the fought each other.   Due to their kicking, scratching and
screaming, the girls didn’t realize that both Isaac and the Madame had entered
the room.
    “LADIES!”
    Ellen was the first
to stop, her chest heaving as she panted, trying to catch her breath.   Emma was on the floor gasping for air as she
reached for the edge of her bed to pull her up to her feet.   Both of the women looked down at their feet
as they waited for the Madame’s next words.
    “Why in the grace of
heaven are you two tearing each other apart?”
    Emma and Ellen both
stayed silent, not wanting to admit anything to the Madame.
    “Mr. Dhelhare has
chosen a bride, but if you two don’t speak up right this instant I will send him
away and nobody will be allowed to marry this man.”
    The women both
gasped at the same time and moved their heads up to stare at each other, both
women raising a hand to point at the other one, as they spoke in union.
    “She let him soil
her!”
    All three women
gasped.   Ellen and Emma were both shocked
that their sister would tell on them, and the Madame was shocked to hear two of
her women were impure after only a short time with Isaac.   The Madame turned to Isaac and glared at him.
    “Tell me that isn’t
true Mr. Dhelhare.”
    “Well umm…”
    Isaac coughed to
clear his throat, unable to form any words.   He couldn’t even think of a way to defend himself against the
accusation, because it was true.   Both
women had tarnished themselves in some way with him.
    “Get out!   Get out of my house right now!”
    The Madame slapped
Isaac across the face and made her demand for him to leave.   Isaac caressed his stinging cheek and took
one last look at the sisters before scrambling out of the room and out of the
house.   Once Isaac was gone the Madame
turned to the sisters and glared at them.
    “Do you have any
idea how hard it will be to marry you two off now?   Especially you Emma.   No man wants a woman touched by another
man.   Both of you, go to the wood shed,
and do not come out until I have called you.”
    The sisters hung
their heads in shame and walked out of the room.

 

Chapter Nine

 
    Emma curled up in
the corner of the basement, crying against her knees as Ellen paced back and
forth in front of the woodshed door.
    “Why are you crying Emma?   It’s not like you were going to ever get
married anyways.”
    Emma looked up at
Ellen, her face bright red and covered in salt water.
    “What?   Why are you being so mean?   You’ve never said that before, you were the
one saying we’d find someone to marry me some day.   You were the one that believed I could!”
    Emma began to cry
harder, causing Ellen to walk up to her sister and bend down to be eye to eye
with her sister.
    “Maybe it’s time to
make you face reality.   I mean really
Emma, you let that man destroy any chance you had…”
    Ellen sighed and let
herself drop the rest of the way to the ground, getting more comfortable as she
spoke to Emma.
    “I just wanted to
know what it was like…I knew I’d never get married, and he was so nice.”
    Emma was sniffling
and crying as she tried to explain herself to her sister, but all Ellen did was
shake her head and disbelieve her sister.
    “That’s no excuse.”
    “Well why did you do
it?”
    “To ensure he had to
marry me. “
    “I thought you said
you’d refuse him.”
    “I know, but I’m
tired of waiting around for a man to come and whisk you away.   Isaac is gorgeous…and large.”
    Ellen made a grunt,
causing Emma to flinch from the painful thought of them together.
    “Oh my lord.”
    “What?”
    Emma looked
confused, wondering what Ellen was thinking.
    “You’re in love with
him.”
    “No…”
    “Yes you are, impure
Emma is in love with the scoundrel cowboy.”
    Emma burst into
harder tears, unable to deny her sister’s words.   Ellen realized that she was right and that
saying it was only hurting