A Time for Honour

Chapter 27

'Get off me,' Cassie shouted, as she tried to struggle to free herself from Ellington's firm and painful grip.

She managed to release one of her arms and then swing it in the general direction of his head. As her arm flew towards him, she attempted to wrench the other one free from his vice-like grip. As her hand swept towards his face, he ducked out of its path and tightened his grasp. 'Now, my dear,' Ellington said, a wry smile on his lips and amusement in his voice, 'why are you making this more difficult for me, and more importantly, harder for yourself?' He shook his head and sighed. 'My dear Cass, you will only hurt yourself if you continue to struggle in this undignified manner.'

Cassie, however, did continued to struggle, as his fingers dug painfully into the top of her arms. 'Take your hands off me,' she said indignantly.

'No,' he said firmly, 'no I will not. You see, my dear, you are coming with me. I am not letting you escape this time. I have let you slip through my fingers before, and believe me, I will not let that mistake happen again.'

He now had both of her arms securely in his grasp, and she knew there was little chance of escape. Even though it felt counterintuitive, she stopped fighting against him and stood still. As she stared at him, her eyes flashed with hatred, but surprisingly, not fear. The fear she had once felt for him and that had kept her inexplicably tied to him for all those years had vanished. In its place, all she was left with was a deep-seated loathing. A revulsion so strong, that it dwarfed the original sentiment it had replaced.

'That's better,' he said, as he loosened his grip. 'If you behave yourself, like the good little girl I know you to be,' he said, his voice dripping with condescension, 'I will be lenient with you.' He smiled at her, but there was no amusement in his cold eyes. 'And, I can be very forgiving, under the right circumstances.'

Cassie continued to look at him directly, with defiance in her eyes. 'I will never come crawling to you for forgiveness,' she said, her head held high and her voice full of rebellion, 'never.'

In that glorious moment of mutiny, she realised that she had never stood up to his dictates and that she had never revolted against his cruelty. During the eighteen months, when she had been with him, she had passively allowed him to control and manipulate every aspect of her life. She had never questioned his authority, even when he had asked her to humiliate and debase herself publicly. Cassie had changed. She was no longer the naïve little seventeen-year-old girl, who was eager to please him, she was now a woman with her own mind. Over the past year, she had tasted the freedom that she had once taken for granted, and she was not going to lose it without putting up a fight.

She laughed out loud, as she looked at him directly. What could he possibly do to her that he had not already done? Hurt her? Humiliate her? Take away her freedom? No, she thought to herself, he had already done those things to her, and she had survived. No doubt, if he did them to her all over again, she would still survive.

Cassie looked at him, this time with contempt, and then spat in his face. 'I am not frightened of you anymore,' she said, with a sneer, 'my fear of you has been replaced by loathing.'

Ellington's triumphant smile quickly vanished. 'That, my dear, was a mistake,' he growled, as he freed one of her arms and slapped her hard across her face.

Cassie fell to the ground with the force of the blow, but it did nothing to dampen her contempt. As she looked up at him, she smiled. 'No,' she said, still challenging him with her voice, 'I do not fear you anymore.'

'Do not worry, you little bitch,' he said, not disguising the fury in his voice, 'you will.' He bent down and picked her up roughly by the top of her arms. 'I give you my word,' he said, as he began to drag her towards the house, 'by the time I've finished with you, you will be begging me for mercy.'