Julianna: Chapter II
I yawned and stretched, not wanting to get out of bed. Recalling the events of the night before, I smiled and closed my eyes, envisioning those beautiful eyes... I would be left to sleep in this morning, I realized happily. Stanley would probably be asleep for another good two hours. Of course, then he would expect me to bring him large amounts of black coffee and tonic to calm his stomach and relieve the effects of the hangover, but until then… I sighed contentedly and lay there comfortably, relishing the quiet morning hours.
"JULIANNAAAAA!!!!!!!" the yell rang loud and clear from down the hall, pulling me out of my reverie, and I knew it was finally time for me to get up and tend to Stanley. "I'll be there in a minute!" I yelled back. Jumping out of bed, I dressed quickly, ran a brush through my hair and ran to see what he wanted, but as I ran past the staircase I halted in surprise. "Mary! How good to see you!" Stanley had obviously tended to himself, and was standing 3 steps down from me. "Good morning, Stanley…" He nodded to me and then walked down the hall to his room, shutting the door behind him. I sighed and flew down the stairs to meet my friend. After embracing and giving each other a kiss on the cheek, I led her to the parlor and we sat down. Taking my hands in hers, she smiled at me. "Jewel…" It was a nick name that only her and my mother had ever called me, and I smiled at the sound of it. "Jewel dear, you wanted to speak with me last night, but that… sad excuse for a man interrupted. I thought I would come by and see what it was." Searching my memory, I frowned and tried to remember. "I… hmm… oh yes! I was going to tell you about this man… but I…" "You what?" She looked at me suspiciously, and I smiled. "I will tell you now." 30 minutes later, the whole story had been related and Mary was very excited. "Well Julianna, what if he doesn't come by? You must seek him out. I will help you. Such a man shouldn't be forgotten you know!" I stood up, laughing, and took hold of her shoulders, for she had stood up and been nearly hopping in her excitement. "Calm down, Mary! I can't do that, I don't even know where he lives… perhaps he was visiting from far away. He DID say he would call on me, but you know men, always making promises they don't intend to keep. He was likely just being polite." She sat down and frowned… "Ah, but did you find out his last name?" I nodded, "Yes. Traven, I think it was…" She raised an eyebrow but kept silent, which indicated to me that she had no idea who he was. "Well, perhaps your paths will cross again, or maybe he really will come calling." I smiled, "yes, maybe." She rose to her feet and we embraced again. "I must go," she sighed. "Mother will be needing me." "Yes," I murmured. "It was good to see you, Mary dear… Goodbye…" She walked to the door and waved. "You will tell me if you see him again?" It was more a statement than a question, so I left it unanswered and she departed.
Two weeks passed, and nothing very eventful happened. As strong as I had promised myself I would be, it was getting hard. Stanley came home drunk nearly every night, often in the wee hours of the morning. I began to only write my compositions when I knew he would be away for a while, and I had to hide my papers. Rather than acting disappointed with me he often became angry if he saw me reading or writing and flew into a rage. I did my best to stay out of his way and do everything he asked. Late one afternoon I was reading in the parlor and Stanley was gone, as usual. A knock came at the door and I sighed, thinking it was probably someone looking for Stanley, wanting to collect on a bet or something. I walked to the door, opened it, and froze in that position. "Good day, Miss Christian... Miss Christian? Are you alright?" I finally found words and clumsily stated, "Yes, I'm… fine…” Won't you come in, Nathan?" He stepped partially inside, but was still in the way of the door closing. "Actually, Julianna, I was hoping you would join me for a stroll." I smiled tentatively, "Yes, that would be lovely, actually." Taking his offered arm, we stepped out into the sun and I pulled the door shut behind us. As we walked, I suddenly felt much better, and I let out a contented sigh. Nathan noticed and glanced down at me. "I don't know what goes on inside those doors but I know it must be better out here for so much to be spoken with so little sound." I smiled. "I feel… liberated." He breathed deeply, "Yes, I know that feeling well." I looked up at him and smiled, "I suppose there are those of us who felt liberated when we came across the seas to the America's. And then there are those who are still caught up in high society and aristocratic lifestyle..." I trailed off as I realized I shouldn't have been so free with my speech. I could scare people off that way. Not that I usually cared at all, but this was different. "I'm sorry, I ran away with myself a bit. I should be more careful." He laughed, "no, not at all! I enjoy it. It's quite… liberating, in fact." Sighing happily, I invited him to sit with me on a nearby bench, and we talked for hours of England, life in America, and our pasts. As the sun set, I reluctantly bid him farewell, though, to my joy, he promised me he would come again.
Cold, clammy fingers brushed my face, and I sat up with a start. A large hand clamped over my mouth and I tensed, then he spoke. "Juliianna…" the slurred speech brought me to the realization that I was awake, and that it must be Stanley who was sitting next to me on my bed. I tried to break free of his grasp, but he knocked me over, pinned me down with his other hand and kneeled over me. I flew into a panic as he began planting slobbery kisses in the vicinity of my mouth and then moved down to my neck, and I cried out. "Stop it, Stanley!" I kicked at him but it didn't deter him one bit. Hoping it was all a bad dream, I calmed down a little and as he freed one hand and used it to unbutton the sparse nightgown I was wearing, I tried to wiggle away. He was breathing hard and the stench of alcohol and tobacco was repeatedly blown into my face, and I began choking. Suddenly, I realized both of us were naked, he from the waist down and I nearly completely… I screamed and raised my head, then clamped my teeth on his shoulder - the easiest target I could find. "DAAM IT, JULI-…" I saw a fist fly at me, and after that, everything was a blur.
More Chapters
Chapter III
Chpater IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
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