The Fledgling Read online

  “You have to stop,” I cried. “You made me shiver inside. I couldn’t stop the feeling from coming.”

  “I did? Maybe you are not broken after all, but I need to make sure,” he insisted, as he continued to examine me with his fingers.

  “You know I’m not broken. You said you were sure I was fine,” I reasoned.

  “Maybe you are right,” he said reluctantly. “You did manage to sigh when I touched you, so I guess you are working right.”

  I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it made me feel better, remembering how his touch had made me feel so contented.

  Sheldon gave me a sideways glance. “Did you like how it felt?” he asked hesitantly.

  I stared at him. “I…I hadn’t expected that to happen.” I had to admit. “It was so surprising and strange.”

  “You have already looked at me. You should touch me too, now,” he said softly. “It won’t upset you, will it?”

  “I suppose not,” I murmured.

  “Good,” he said, and started removing his clothes. He lay down beside me. “Now that we are promised, and I know you aren’t broken, we can touch each other and kiss as often as we want, until we are married. That way, when the time comes, we will be practiced enough get married.”

  All of this need to touch and kiss, seemed a little frightening to me, but Sheldon was older than I was, and he had seen his father kissing and touching a woman, so I believed that he knew what he was doing. At the moment, I didn’t want to worry about it. All I knew was that Sheldon loved me, and he wanted to marry me. He wanted to make sure I wasn’t broken, and he didn’t want anyone else to touch me the way he had touched me. And the way he had touched me made me marvel at the result as I started to discover new things about my body that I had never thought about before.

  I woke in the night, to discover Sheldon touching me there again. “I thought you already made sure I worked right?” I murmured.

  “I have to practice, so I will know better how to make you sigh.” He explained. “I am the only one that can keep you working right, until we can get married. It might have just been an accident. I will have to keep testing you, to make sure you are always working right and that I can make it happen again without it being an accident.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t be doing any of these things,” I said stubbornly.

  “We can’t stop now, because we made the promise,” he pointed out. “Once you start doing it, you can’t stop until you get married, and then the baby making test will be done, and you get a baby. If you don’t get a baby, you have to keep doing that test until you do get a baby. It’s the law.”

  “The law?” I exclaimed.

  “Didn’t anyone ever teach you anything? It is God’s law that a man has to do that test with his wife every day, until he gives her a baby. Sometimes he has to do it more than once a day. They have to do it a certain way, though. It’s called missionary style. It’s against the rules to do it any other way, or God won’t let a baby come.”

  “But we are not married yet,” I reminded him.

  “That is why I am doing the first tests, to get us ready for the test after we are married. If we don’t do these tests, it may make it harder to do the baby making tests, when the time comes. Therefore, now that we are promised, they have to be done as many times as the man wants to do it, so we can prepare for the baby making test.”

  All of these rules started to confuse me, but apparently, I was so naïve that I needed a lot more education on the subject.

  Sheldon went back to testing me, and he wanted to keep testing me, until he was sure I was still working the way he said I was supposed to. I was beginning to like the tests, more and more, as Sheldon got better at giving them to me, but I was still nervous about whether what we were doing was acceptable?

  As Sheldon continued the test, he let out his breath, and kissed my cheek. “Now you have to touch me there, like I touched you. If you keep touching me, you will see that I am not broken either.”

  I took in my breath. “I’m not sure I know what you mean,” I mumbled.

  “Since you are promised to me, you can touch me whenever I ask you to. I’ll instruct you as you go along, if you want.”

  I gave a deep sigh. He had been so attentive in giving me the test, and they had a brought on an astound result, so I decided, I would try it.

  Sheldon showed me what he wanted me to do, and as I started feeling more comfortable, I became braver, the longer I did it. The test ended up working, but the way it worked shocked me, and I let out a little squeal of total surprise. He laughed and told me that was what was supposed to happen. It seemed to completely satisfy him as he explained that he was working right too.

  “I love you Floriana ,” he moaned against my ear. “I will always love you. You were very good at doing the test. When I’ve rested a little bit, you can do it again, in order to get more practice.”

  Now that we were promised, I would have to obey his wishes, and besides, he knew more about it all than I did. After all, the more we did what he said, the more we could prepare ourselves for when it was time to take the ultimate test.

  I never had to do the test again that night, because, we had fallen asleep, and then were awakened the next morning, by a banging on the door.

  “Are you in there Sheldon? Leave that little Trollop to herself and get busy with your chores! It’s time that girl started earning her keep,” Aldridge’s voice boomed through the door.

  “Go away, father. I don’t want to see your face this morning. I will be down presently,” Sheldon called back.

  “Don’t listen to him,” Sheldon whispered. “Stay in bed and rest. Your food is still on the tray. It was cold cuts, so it should still be suitable to eat. I’ll come check on you later. Keep the door locked. Remember, we can’t tell anyone we plan to get married, or my father will make you work the streets,” he insisted.

  I got up and opened the door for him, and then locked it, once he left. I stood in front of the mirror, looking at my skinny body reflected there. I was displeased with the slowness my breasts were taking to turn into full womanhood. I gazed at the triangle of curls at the juncture of my legs. I thought about how Sheldon had looked and felt to my touch, and what he had said about having to do the tests whenever the man wanted to do them.

  I was beginning to realize what men and women were made for. It was so a man could give and take tests with a woman, and then eventually do the baby making test, once they got married, I told myself. Only I couldn’t stop feeling confused because no one had ever explained all of this to me before.

  There were small red marks on my body, where Sheldon had sucked my skin into his mouth. It had brought such pleasure to me. I touched each spot his lips had tasted. I touched my breasts, and then I touched that place Sheldon had touched so many times during the night. It still felt sensitive and longing for more tests.

  He told me to rest, so I lay down upon the bed, and tried to go back to sleep. Much later, a knock came to my door, and I struggled to pull myself from sleep.

  “Let me in,” Sheldon was calling.

  I threw the covers back, and opened the door. I locked it, as soon as he entered. Sheldon looked at my nude body.

  “You are looking rested,” he smiled. “Father wants me to bring you down, and then show you your duties. How are your feet? I see the bandages are off.”

  “They don’t hurt as much,” I told him.

  “Good,” he shrugged. He hadn’t even kissed me, or told me he loved me, but I figured he was in a hurry to bring me downstairs before his father could get angry at him, so I didn’t complain.

  “Sit down,” he said, pushing me down on the bed. I thought he wanted to check my feet. I looked up at him expectantly. I saw his fingers, working with the buttons of his trousers.

  “You never gave me my second test last night. It’s important that I get one as many times as I need them, so when it comes time for giving you a baby, I will be ready. Since you missed one, I nee
d to take it now,” he smiled, as he released himself. “The sooner you can do it, the better.”

  “You never told me that,” I murmured as he lay down on the bed.

  “I was going easy on you, at first, because you are new to this, and I wanted to make sure you were able to make me work right. Now that I know you can make me sigh too, you will have to give me a test whenever I ask for it, because a man needs to sigh more than a woman does.”

  I knew I had to obey him, and not question him, like he had told me, so I leaned over him.

  “Father is expecting me to bring you downstairs. You will have to hurry.”

  I sat there, staring at him, a little unsure of myself. If his father was so anxious for me to come downstairs, why would he want to take time to do the test, I wondered?

  “You don’t have time to just sit there! If you don’t start right now, I will consider the promise broken, and I won’t be able to marry you and you will have to work the streets.”

  Sheldon was the only one who wanted me there, and he had told me he loved me, and wanted to marry me, so I began touching him, the way he had directed me to the night before. It seemed to take a long time to finish the test, even though he claimed he was in a hurry. He tangled his fingers in my hair, pressing my mouth to his, kissing me deeply, as I continued the test. When I finally succeeded, he smiled in satisfaction, and then buttoned up his trousers.

  “You are doing good, Floriana . Bring the bucket of dirty water down, when you come,” he said. He took the key from my fingers, and unlocked the door, leaving the key in the slot. “Get dressed. Then come downstairs.”

  I watched him leave. Before, he had been anxious to touch me as well, and kiss me. Now he seemed almost indifferent. But he had been in a hurry this time. Today was not like yesterday. I would be starting my servant chores, and we couldn’t keep taking tests, the way we had the night before. I thought about how he had told me that a man needs a lot more sighs than a woman, and I reminded myself to ask him why?

  When I entered the kitchen, Chandra was standing at the door. “You look different,” she said. “Where did you get that mark on your face?”

  “Your father hit me,” I told her. “He was angry at me,” I explained.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “It’s not important. It is over now,” I told her.

  “Cook is finished with lunch. You can eat what scraps you want, but the kitchen has to be clean before dinner time.” She looked down at my bare feet. “Why aren’t you wearing shoes?” she asked.

  “My feet are sore from walking. They have to heal before I can put my shoes back on,” I told her.

  “They are going to get cold. The tiles are like ice.”

  “That would probably feel better than wearing shoes,” I laughed.

  The door opened, and my godfather came into the kitchen. He scooted Chandra away, and shut the door behind her.

  “I know what you and my son are up to,” he grumbled under his breath at me. “Don’t get your hopes up. I have already picked out his bride, and you are not it. You think I would let the daughter of the woman who shunned me, marry my son? Besides, you have no money, and this place needs money to breathe new life into it. Had your parents left you anything, I may have considered it. But not now. Sheldon can sew all the wild oats with you, as he pleases, but if you end up having any little bastard children, I will lock you in the tower until they are born, and soon they will become our servants too.”

  Aldridge turned on his heel and left the kitchen, while I tried to hold back tears. I didn’t know what he meant by sewing wild oats, and I wouldn’t be having any children until after we got married, so how could he call my children bastard children, and threaten to lock me in the tower and then make my children servants? Maybe there was something Sheldon was not telling me about all these promises.

  I started heating water in a huge black pot, used for heating water, in preparation to washing the dishes. As I was clearing the mess, and stacking the dishes, the door opened, and Sheldon stood there, watching me.

  “Are you catching on to everything?” he asked.

  I took one look at him and burst into tears. He stepped forward and held him against me.

  “Is it too hard for you?” he asked.

  “No. It is your father. He will never let us marry. He said he had a bride picked out for you. That if I ended up having your children, he would lock me in the tower, until I gave birth, and then use those children for servants!” I blubbered against his shoulder.

  “Don’t pay any mind to him. He was upset because I dragged him off of you. He can’t force me to marry anyone. And he can’t stop me from marrying you,” he insisted. “No one is going to make our children servants.”

  “But he said he needed you to marry someone who had money.”

  “Because he has gamboled all my inheritance away,” Sheldon grumbled. “Don’t worry about it. I haven’t turned eighteen yet, and by the time I do, you and I shall get married, and then there will be nothing he can do about it.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked pleadingly.

  “Just be patient and you will see,” he promised, leaving me to my work.

  I finished cleaning the kitchen. By the time I was through, my feet were black with soot, and they were freezing. I poured some of the warm water into a bucket, and soaked my feet until they were warm again. I started to go to the stairs, but a hand rested on my shoulder.

  “Have you cleaned that tower room yet?” Aldridge asked me.

  “I haven’t had time to do it,” I explained.

  “You spent enough time up there all morning. Take a bucket of water with you. I will inspect it before dinner,” he demanded.

  I took up another bucket, even though there was still one bucket of water left in my room. It wasn’t easy carrying the bucket of water up the stairs, but I managed, and then I began wiping down the tower room.

  The window had been covered with soot and the floor was covered in dust. My bloody foot prints were still on the floor. I washed everything clean, and shook the blankets out the window, to get rid of what dust had collected on them over the years. I also shook the rug out the window.

  As I was making the bed again, I lifted the corner of the mattress, to tuck the sheet in, and my fingers touched something. I reached in farther, and pulled out a small book. I flipped through the pages. It was not a regular reading book. It was a book written by hand. The name Claudia Bogart, was scratched in ink on the inside cover of the book. It must have belonged to the woman who had been locked here all those years ago, I thought, as I touched the name with my finger. I pushed it back under the mattress. I wondered if it would tell anything about the woman who had leaped from the window. I would find out later, I resolved.

  The door opened, causing my head to jerk around, to see Aldridge walking into the room.

  “The room looks better,” he said, “But you look a mess,” he accused, roving his eyes over my body.

  “Take your dress off. I will toss it into the laundry basket, and have Chandra get you another one,” he said, and I just looked at him in shock. “Do it!” he said, stamping his foot. “Sheldon mentioned you were too skinny. I need to see for myself!”

  I pulled my dress over my head, since it was lose and really too big for me. I had not worn any of my under things because they were too dirty to put back on, and I had planned to wash them first. I just hadn’t gotten a chance yet.

  When I had lifted it, and tossed it at him, Aldridge, came up to me, and ran his finger over my ribs.

  “You could use some fattening up, but that doesn’t mean I will go lightly on your chores. This room needs another going over,” he sneered, and picked up the bucket of water I had been using to clean the floor and window with, and poured it over my head. “Now clean this all up again,” he said, pushing me to the floor, “with your hair!”

  He stood against the door seal watching me.

  “You heard me.”

  He shoved me with
his foot, as I started to bend down, causing me to sprawl on my stomach in the muddy water on the floor.

  “Get busy!”

  I began wiping the floor with my hair, and wringing it out in the bucket. My body was shivering, and muddy water slid down over my skin.

  “Keep it up!” Aldridge growled whenever I slowed. “You don’t look so pretty and defiant now, do you?” he taunted. “Do you need me to help you?”

  I was on my hands and knees, when another bucket of water, the clean one, was dumped over me as well.

  “Looks like there is more to keep you busy,” Aldridge chuckled. He placed his hand on the back of my neck, pushing my head to the floor. “That’s the way, sweet Goddaughter. All that long hair is coming in handy now.” I felt the sting of his hand as he slapped my bare bottom.

  “Now you keep that up, while I watch you from behind,” he told me, his hand now patting my bottom. “You do look inviting from this angle. No wonder Sheldon wants you. No, keep that bottom up, and your head down,” he instructed me, when I started straightening up, because the angle was hurting my back. “And keep moving back and forth like that, while you mop.”

  A low chuckle escaped his throat, but it sounded sinister, rather than pleasing. He was quiet, and I glanced over my shoulder, to see what he was doing. He was just watching me, with my dress hanging over his arm, licking his lips a little as he did. I turned my head away quickly, and continued to move, as I mopped the floor with my hair. I could hear him chuckling under his breath again, and then he started laughing out loud.

  “Finish mopping this floor,” he bellowed at me. “Then dump what little water that was in the bucket out the window. “Don’t slip and fall out of the tower, while you’re doing it, now, love,” he sneered.

  “What about fresh water to wash my body and hair with?” I asked.

  “You look just fine to me,” Aldridge chuckled. “You looked about the same when you arrived, why change it now? You don’t deserve to be fresh and pretty. It reminds me too much of your mother.”

  He walked through the door, and closed it. I heard the key turn in the lock. He had gotten the key while I had been washing the floor with my hair. My body shivered in fear and chill.