Read Online Wilhelmina A Novella by Ronnell D. Porter - Free Book Online Page B

Abberdean had just been standing. Where his words were once kind, there was only cruelty now. He had forgotten me, conscienceless and totally apathetic to my existence.
    The governess silenced the room as she approached the end of the dining room table, and both Mr. Abberdean and his friend took their places at the far end of the table.
    He didn’t even spare me a second glance.
    The governess clapped her hands and a young servant brought Yvette by hand. The attention in the room piqued with interest as every eye watched Yvette walk through the door. She was scared stiff and nearly frozen stiff with anxiety, but I smiled and waved ever slightly when she glanced in my direction. I saw her shoulders relax a little.
    When the governess approached, the slave girl wasted no time in exiting the room, leaving Yvette stranded.
    ‘I remember when I was standing in her spot, those long years ago,’ Rosa said. ‘Before I was off waging wars - in the simple days when all I had to do with myself was admire my own beauty.’
    ‘This one is no exceptional beauty, but she is obedient, and quite lively,’ The governess said.
    ‘I will start the bidding at two thousand,’ Francis began.
    I was shocked; were they actually bidding on Yvette? They were actually talking about her like a piece of livestock. Mary had made no mention of this, nor Charles. This was not what any of those girls had been working so hard for, nor what they had been promised. She was not supposed to be sold to anyone like a slave; she was not a piece of property.
    ‘Three thousand,’ one of the dark men said.
    Francis tipped his fingers. ‘Six thousand.’
    ‘Seven thousand,’ Mr. Abberdean tipped his hat, and I was stunned. Was he actually joining in this travesty? I was stultified and felt a little woozy. It felt like the only dreams keeping me alive were really just wicked little shadows waiting for the right moment to sink their fangs into my heart and poison my heart from the inside out. I was falling into a maelstrom - into an ocean without meaning.
    The blonde at his side whispered something into his ear urgently, but Mr. Abberdean brushed his comment off of his shoulder.
    ‘Nine thousand,’ said a woman with warm chocolate brown hair seated near me. Her bid was almost a whisper. There was no way that the governess could have possibly heard her. And yet the cold woman glanced up at the bidder with a nod.
    ‘Any others?’ The governess asked.
    ‘I’ll double her offer,’ said the blonde beside Mr. Abberdean, who sat silently without comment. He couldn’t possibly be Mr. Abberdean, he just couldn’t be. My Charles was kind, and would never partake in the bidding of an innocent and misled young girl like she was a common whore.
    ‘Twenty thousand,’ said the woman in the corner, a devilish expression shading over.
    ‘Well, newcomer, would you like to double Camilla’s offer again?’ The governess asked, intrigued. The blonde man backed down and sat there silently. ‘Any other offers?’
    The room was dead silent as they all stared at Yvette with disappointment. The governess extended a hand toward Camilla, and the sultry woman slithered up to the head of the table with the grace of a doe. Yvette stared at the tall curvy brunette, just as confused as I was, clearly frightened beyond words.
    Camilla stroked her face with a gloved arm, but Yvette flinched away.
    ‘Don’t be afraid,’ Camilla cooed. She closed the distance between them and kissed Yvette. That was the moment that my boundaries had been crossed.
    ‘What is going on here?’ I demanded. It took me a moment to realize that I had spoken out loud. When Camilla, along with the rest of the room, turned her attention to my horror-stricken face, a deep, dizzying nausea ailed me. She gauged me like a predator, but soon turned her attention to Yvette, locking their lips once again. The rest of the room turned to watch as well, except the blonde beside Abberdean. He simply stared at the