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He snickered and stared down at her stomach. “I should let you get big in your pregnancy,” he said. “You’d no longer be the belle of the ball . . . someone so pretty no other woman compared to you.”
He kneaded his chin as he looked her slowly up and down, then gazed again into her eyes. “But, no, that isn’t what’s best for me,” he said, dropping his hand to his side. “I need you to be tiny and beautiful. That brings attention to me. Yes, tomorrow I’ll take you and have you fixed. You’ll not be allowed to get big with child, not while you’re in my house, and probably never, for I’ve heard that once a woman has an abortion, it messes her up forever inside.”
He laughed. “That’s just fine with me.”
Unwilling to listen to another word, Jessie turned and rushed into her room. She closed the door between herself and Reginald as Jade stood and watched, horrified.
Again Jessie rubbed her lips, trying to erase the vile taste of vomit, then felt the heat of her face where Reginald’s hand had surely left an imprint from hitting her.
“Reggie, oh, Reggie,” she sobbed. “Why? Oh, why?”
Then she flinched when she heard someone being slapped out in the corridor.
She knew that Jade had just been struck.
Reginald was shouting at Jade, telling her to mind her own business and get back to her room or he’d make her wish she’d never been born.
Jessie hung her head and cried as she heard Jade’s sobs and the sound of running feet as she returned to her room.
Jessie knew that she must flee, and now, before daybreak, or her future would be altered forever.
She eyed the window. Yes, she would leave as soon as she thought Reginald was asleep.
If only she could take Jade with her. But Jessie had to consider Lee-Lee’s welfare. If Jade was missing, Reginald would take it out on Lee-Lee, and there was no way to help her escape the crib tonight.
Jessie’s own future was in question now, and her unborn child’s life lay in balance.
Everything she would do from this day forth would be for the welfare of her baby!
Chapter Twelve
Jessie couldn’t believe it. She had actually been brave enough to leave Reginald’s house and was now on the lovely white horse that he had given to her for her riding pleasure, never guessing that she would eventually use it to escape his madness.
With only the clothes on her back, she had fled as soon as Jade told her that Reginald was asleep again.
They had embraced, shed a few tears, and then Jade watched from the front porch as Jessie rode into the darkness of night.
Jessie was concerned at how much her hands still hurt as she took control of the horse’s reins. She was glad that Jade had applied one last bit of ointment to them before she left and had slid the soft gloves onto her hands. She hoped that in a few days the hands would finally stop hurting.
But she had more on her mind than worry about her hands. She wasn’t sure now what her future held for her.
As she rode beneath the stars and the sliver of moon, she had no idea where to go to find Thunder Horse’s village. Finally she decided she would just ride in the direction of the sacred rock and pray that she’d find him.
And then a new thought came to her like a bolt of lightning. Even if she did find where Thunder Horse and his people lived, it would not be wise to arrive there in the middle of the night. Sentries might be posted and take her for an enemy.
She wished the moonlight were brighter, for if it were, the sentries would see that she was a woman. But the moon wasn’t bright.
She had to find somewhere to stay until morning.
She glanced over her shoulder in the direction of Tombstone.
If only she could have gone there, things would have been much simpler for her.
But as it was, Reginald had the townsfolk eating out of the palm of his hand. She could not reveal to any of them that she had left him. They probably wouldn’t even believe her when she told them the reason why.
Somehow he had them blinded to the sort of man he was. If they were to learn about his “cribs,” ah, then they would know the devil that he truly was.
“Where can I go until morning?” she whispered as she clutched the reins, trying not to think about how painful it was to do so.
