Helping Elizabeth (EDITING)

Helping Elizabeth

Prologue

London 1830

Lady Elizabeth Alves walked through the empty park clutching her bonnet tightly to her chest. She was late and knew she was in trouble too.

As she walked faster, scanning her surroundings with wide eyes, she found the thought of being scolded by her parents and being shut in her bedchamber more and more tempting than walking alone without her chaperone. She was shivering all over. She wasn't sure whether it was from the slight chill in the air or the fear that was slowly crawling up her spine, but she knew that it was too late to regret the risk she took by walking back alone to the mansion as soon as she heard a twig snapping behind her and soon enough, before giving her actions a second thought, she hiked her skirts and started running towards home with her bonnet abandoned on the ground behind her. Completely and utterly following her survival instincts.

But it was too late.

Not a moment after this fact flashed before her eyes did she find herself harshly pulled back by her arm just when she saw the mansion coming into view, but again, it was too late. Nevertheless, Elizabeth wasn't going to give up so easily. She knew she had no other option but to fight for her life. It was either get abducted or fight her way out, even at the cost of her life. She wasn't going to let the man take advantage of her without even trying, so she turned around and kicked the burly burly man with all her might in the crotch. The man's knees buckled before they gave away, and he sprawled on the ground with his hand clutching his crotch. To her utter disgust she felt her dinner rising up her throat when she smelled the liquor seeping from the man's mouth. He groaned from the pain. Ignoring the bitter taste in her mouth, she forced herself to swallow the bile as she ran towards her parents house

The cold wind bit her sweaty face and exposed arms, and her hair was sticking to her face. She felt her palms sweating and her knees were shaking badly. Never in her life had she felt this helpless or scared.

"Mama! Papa!" Elizabeth screamed at the top of her lung as she heard fast approaching footsteps behind her. The man was up again and just mere paces behind her. She dared not steal a glance behind her for fear of dying of heart failure, for her heart was skipping a lot of beats. 'Mama! Papa!' She screamed again, but now fat tears gathered in her sapphire eyes and they were threatening to spill down her cheeks but she fought hard to hold them at bay.

The mansion as now coming into full view, and she yearned to tuck herself under her covers and sleep soundly as if this wasn't happening. She shouldn't entertain such thoughts when she didn't know the end of this chase.

As the thought of being in her bedchambers safe and sound crossed her mind, she was pulled back against a hard chest rather too harshly, bruising her upper arm.

But she wasn't giving up just yet.

Elizabeth screamed again, the tears streaming down her face. She snapped out of her reverie and realized that the man was dragging her roughly by her arm with her feet hitting the small pebbles on the ground and getting scratched by the rather sharp grass she was being dragged along. Small whimpers escaped her trembling lips, her face was flushed and her hands were shaking.

"Please!" she whispered, tugging on her arm to no avail. Elizabeth tried digging her feet in the ground but she was slowly losing hold on the thread that was keeping all her fumbled and mixed emotions at bay. She was on the verge of exploding into hysterical cries.

"Hush! you little twit." he said, throwing her against a tree. As soon as her back collided with the rough bark she hissed from the pain. She forgot her pain when he crawled on top of her, because all her thoughts suddenly vanished when the fear enveloped her from head to toe, with an arm around her waist and another trying to pry her legs open, Elizabeth examined her surroundings, her eyes wide from fear and her hands and legs were shaking uncontrollably, nothing but her survival instincts pushed to the surface, so she started hitting the man with her fists, and then she started clawing on his face until she felt bile rising up her throat again when she felt the dirt and skin gathering under her nails.

She tried pushing him away but her attempts to free herself were to no avail. The hammering of her heart against her chest was so loud and clear in the silent night, but silence wouldn't save her. Instead, she started screaming for help until her voice grew hoarse. His sloppy lips came crashing down upon her open trembling mouth, smothering her cry. Disgusted by his touch she retched then and there, and the man drew away with a disgruntled groan. He wiped away the vomit from his mouth and attempted to kiss her once again. Elizabeth felt lightheaded, dirty and helpless.

When he tried licking her lips she bit down on his lashing tongue, and the metallic taste of his blood filled her mouth. Elizabeth stopped herself from swallowing it when she felt his hands loosen against her arms, and she gave him a hard shove so that he sprawled on the ground, and scurried away.

She turned around, spat the blood that was still in her mouth and started running for home, hoping that he wouldn't catch up with her again.

But the sound of her rustling skirts and thundering heartbeats were loud enough for her not to hear a pistol being triggered. She took a left turn and heard the distant sound of shouts. One voice was particularly familiar.

Her papa was on his way to help her.

Just as soon as she heard the voices she came to a quick halt when she met her father's sapphire eyes.

"Pa-" she stopped midway when she heard the sound of the pistol firing and the sudden piercing pain that shot through her right shoulder. She daren't look above her right shoulder for fear of seeing the blood that was already drenching her favorite pale blue gown.

As Elizabeth lifted her head she saw her father's pale face. She fell to her knees when she tasted the metallic taste of blood. This time though it wasn't the blood of the man chasing after her, it was hers.

"Papa," she whimpered, fear lacing her voice, ear of leaving life at just the young age of two and twenty; fear that she was really going to die tonight.

She met her father's eyes for one last time before darkness enveloped her. Panicked shouts faded to nothing as she drifted into unconsciousness.