Read Online The Life of Anna, Part 1: Enslaved by Marissa Honeycutt - Free Book Online Page B

smile.
    *****
    I stared up at the gilded ceiling as I lay on the bed, spent and happy from lovemaking. Devin had changed back to the person I knew as a child. He loved me! The thought spread over me like warm honey.
    Devin ’s confession had amazed me. My harsh training had been a necessary evil. He didn’t like to see it. He let Jack take care of it so he didn’t have to. To prepare me for what was next.... Whatever that meant.
    I smiled and looked out the window. The sky was blue above the high hedges with a few fluffy white clouds. I couldn ’t remember the last time I’d been this happy. My heart wanted to leap out of my chest and dance around in the sunshine.
    A knock at the door yanked me out of my quiet revelry and I jumped. I pulled on my clothes and went to open the door but the knob wouldn ’t turn. I tried again, turning harder and the knock sounded again.
    “Mistress?” came a female voice from the other side.
    “I can’t open the door.” I pulled again but there was no change.
    “It’s all right, Mistress. I can open it. Step back so I don’t hit you.”
    I took a step back and the door opened. A girl about my age stepped through the opening with a tray of food. She was a few inches taller than I was, with long blond hair and brown eyes. A long, flowing purple dress fluttered gracefully as she moved across the room. She wore a plain silver collar around her neck.
    She put the tray on the table and turned to greet me with a bowed head and slight curtsy. “My name is Maggie, Mistress. It is a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to serving you.” She gave me a cheerful smile, though her eyes betrayed a tinge of fear.
    “Hi, Maggie,” I said shyly, bowing my head as she did. “It’s nice to meet you, too.” I stood awkwardly for a moment, not knowing what to do.
    She must have sensed my discomfort because she motioned towards the table. “I’ve brought you some lunch, if you’re hungry.”
    My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn ’t had breakfast. “I’m very hungry. Thank you.”
    “Please sit,” she said and lifted the covers off the plates.
    Steam rose from the plate and my mouth watered at the aroma of chicken and vegetables. I hadn’t seen a meal like this in years; Jack wasn’t much of a cook and I had lived on frozen meals and cereal. It looked and smelled delicious. “Oh, this looks so good!”
    “Is there anything else you require, Mistress?”
    “Um, no,” I said, not sure if there was something else I was expected to need. “Not that I can think of.”
    Maggie smiled. “I will return later to collect your tray.” She gave a small curtsy, went to the door, and knocked. She turned to me as it opened. “The door is locked for your protection, Mistress. Wandering around the Manor alone is not wise.” She glided through the door and it closed behind her.
    I was too hungry to consider her words and proceeded to devour my lunch. It was as good as it smelled, but too soon it was gone. Then again, if I had eaten any more, I probably would have gotten sick.
    I picked up my iced tea and explored my room a little more thoroughly. Two closets filled the space between the fireplace and windows. One was empty but the other held several dresses, similar in style to what Maggie wore. Several were sheer and white.
    I wandered over to the bookshelf, sipping my tea as I scanned the leather-bound books. Classics: the complete works of Jane Austen, my favorite author; Sherlock Holmes; Alice in Wonderland; Little Women; Wuthering Heights, several Charles Dickens novels; Cranford; Middlemarch; Les Misérables, and others.
    Oh, I couldn ’t believe all these books were here. I had been an avid reader as a child, devouring book after book any time I had the chance. Jack hadn’t brought any of my books when I moved in with him. He had promised to buy me new ones, but never did. Instead, he distracted me with sexual touch every time I asked.
    But now I had two shelves full of them! This