CHAPTER THIRTEEN
VICTORIA
“Tell me what you want me to do to you, Victoria?” Nicholas stands before me. He's naked, but I can’t make out the lower half of his body. It's hazy. That seems so strange.
“I can’t,” I whisper back.
“Do you want me to touch you here?”
He touches my breasts, and I let out a moan.
“Maybe here.”
He dips his finger into my mouth, and I wrap my tongue around it.
“No. Definitely here.” I feel my pussy start to throb.
“Please,” I whimper. “More.”
“You like that.” That arrogant grin crosses his lips. I want to smack him in his face, but he touches me down there again, and I buck off the bed.
“Fuck!” I squirm under his touch. “Take me. Make me yours.”
“Who am I to disappoint, my little Duchess?”
CRASH!
I sit bolt upright in my bed. My breathing is fast, and the ache between my legs has my hand fly there to touch myself in the hope of relief. It’s then I notice the human-shaped shadow moving in my room.
“Nicholas?” I pray it’s no one else. The person’s physique is the same stature as my captor. “Is that you?”
“Sorry.” A deep voice rumbles. Then the intruder pulls at something by the wall, which reveals a secret door through which he disappears. I rub my eyes. Was I dreaming that as well as Nicholas about to take my virginity? My hand is still between my thighs, and I’m wet there. That part was a dream. I think I’m going to suppress the dream because otherwise it will freak me out. The more pressing matter is the man who was in my room and where he’s gone? I turn my bedside lamp on and swing my legs out of the bed. I put on slippers and pull a lightweight robe over my shoulders. It’s summer, but there’s a little chill in the air tonight. There always seems to be in these big houses. Nothing looks out of the norm in my bedroom. Well, except for the mirror that I stare into daily, wondering how this has become my life. It’s slightly ajar from the wall. I pull it, and a doorway opens. A secret passageway. My heart flutters with excitement. Maybe, this is a way out. The person, whoever he was, was showing me how to escape. I look around for anything I can use to light my way. I’d do anything to be back in my bedroom at home, right now. I have a love of candles. Then again, I wouldn’t need this secret tunnel if I were at home. I can’t waste any more time and decide that I’ll just have to enter it in the dark. I pick a couple of books up and wedge them against the door, to keep it open and offer a little light. Especially when I turn on the overhead light in my room to add illumination. I peek inside the doorway. Spider webs are everywhere. My stomach churns. I’m such a wimp when it comes to those little creatures with eight legs. Big girl pants time, spiders can do a lot less damage to me now than the other occupants of Oakfield Hall. I step inside the dark stone corridor. Oakfield Hall is a brick mansion, and this hidden chamber must have been built within the walls. I chuckle as I imagine the clandestine liaisons that they may have been used for in the past. I look to my left, and it’s boarded up, so I can’t go that way. Right it is. My heart is beating so fast I’m sure that I can hear it vibrating off the walls. I hear a noise up ahead and quicken my pace a little. There is no light. I’m terrified, especially when I bump into some stairs and only just manage to keep my footing. I bend low to the floor and trace them up in a crouching position. I have no idea what I’m touching, and I really don’t want to know. I get to the top of the steps and look around. It’s still pitch black. Surely, to get out of this place I would need to go down, not up. I’m not going to take any chances with my footing again, for fear of tumbling downstairs, I keep low and crawl along the floor. Up ahead, I see a flicker of light. Is this where the person who was in my room has gone? Maybe they’re waiting to free me? I scamper forward quickly, on all fours, then stop and listen at the doorway where the light is.
“Silly, silly. You shouldn’t have left the room.” I hear from the other side.
I push the door slowly. It creaks open and sitting there is a man. I recognize his features, instantly. They’re the same as the ones I was just dreaming of, but younger and paler. Nicholas must have a brother.
The man swipes his hand across his head, around his nose, and taps the floor twice with his foot.
“Hello,” I say quietly.
He looks up at me with fear in his eyes.
“You can’t be here.”
“You were in my room?”
“Yes.” He does his strange movement again. It seems to be some sort of tic.
“Why? Who are you?”
“You must go back.” He scrambles a little farther away.
“I won’t hurt you. I just want to know who you are?”
I slide my body out of the secret passageway and step into the room. It’s opulently decorated like a sitting room. A television sits in the corner with a games console attached to it, and a table is laid ready for breakfast. I went upstairs in the tunnel — I must’ve come to the second floor. There’s a door to the other end of the room, and I wonder where that leads.
“You have to knock before you come in.”
“Knock?” I enquire in confusion.
“Please, do it four times.”
The man’s strange behavior is getting worse. The agitation in his stance flooding the room with more fear than I have. I don’t know why, but I go back to the doorway and knock four times.
“Come in,” he calls quietly. “Thank you.” He places both his hands down on his thighs and starts to tap a two beat on each leg alternately.
“Hello, I’m Victoria.”
“I know. I’ve read your file.” He leans over to the side and picks up a wrapped gift. “I was bringing you this, but you moved the chair. I crashed into it and knocked the vase over. You shouldn’t move furniture. It makes it more difficult to understand.”
“I’m sorry.” I find myself apologizing again. “I’ll put it all back. Can I ask who you are?”
“I’m William, Nicholas’ brother.” He doesn’t meet my gaze but hands me the present. “Open it.”
“I…” I’m lost for words. “You didn’t have to get me this.”
“I want you to like me — when you become Duchess.”
His blunt verbiage is surprising in this house of lies.
“I don’t think I’ll become Duchess but thank you anyway.”
“You should have more faith in yourself.” He waves the gift insistently in front of me. I take it and unwrap it. It’s a book on art.
“You didn’t have to get me this.” I reach forward and try to touch his hand in thanks, but he pulls it away.
“I’ve seen you read all the other books. This is the third one in the collection about Rembrandt. You spent a lot of time on those books.”
“You’ve been watching me?” I shuffle farther away from him. I don’t like the fact that he’s been invading my private space.
“We can watch all the girls via the screens.” He nods toward his TV. I must pale or look like I’m going to throw up, which I certainly feel could happen, because he gasps. “That’s one of those things that I’m not supposed to say out loud, isn’t it?”
“It’s a little scary to know that people are watching me.” I raise my eyebrows. “Why aren’t you supposed to say it out loud?”
“I have autism. I often say things I shouldn’t. I can’t help it. When I first saw you on the screen, I told Nicholas that you had the best tits I’ve ever seen.”
I must blush because he groans.
“See. I really can’t help it.”
“That’s ok — it’s nice to be appreciated.” I laugh and this seems to relax William, a little, as he settles down. “Why haven’t you been with your brother and father when they’ve been...um?”
“Torturing you?” he offers.
“Pretty much.”
“My father doesn’t allow me out with his society. He’s embarrassed by me. I’m the reason my mother died, because I was wrong. It’s better if I just hide out up here.”
“That isn’t right. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. I’m used to it. Safer to be in these four walls than out there.” He looks toward the door — a means of escape. I take a sharp inhalation of breath. This could be my chance.
“You don’t want to go through there.” He taps my leg.
“Why?”
As if by magic, the door opens and a sleepy looking Nicholas stands in the opening.
“What the fuck!” He exclaims and stomps toward me. “What the hell are you doing in here?” He grabs me and pulls me to my feet like I’m a rag doll.
“Get off me,” I shout and attempt to kick out. I just miss his leg.
“Nick, it was my fault. Please don’t hurt her.”
Nicholas looks toward the door that I entered the room through.
“You’re an idiot. Damn it.” Nicholas’ grip on me becomes even tighter and drags me back to the hole in the wall. “Get to bed, William. If our father asks about this, you haven’t left your room all evening. You hear me?”
“Yes.” William holds the book up for me. “I just wanted to give this to her.”
“Not now. I’ll come back and get it later.” Nicholas pushes me back through the door and starts to shove me through the dark corridor. I remember there are stairs somewhere around here, and just as I’m about to tumble down them, Nicholas grabs me. He slams me against the wall. I can’t see him, but I can feel the anger emanating from him.
“If anything happens to William because you were in that room, then I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”