The Girl With The Sunset Eyes {Historical Interracial Romance/ #1 Blake Series}

Chapter 26

Lester is back from his travels, after dinner sherry was a merry affair, even if afterwards wasn’t. Two hundred pounds! I worked so hard for everything I own, and now it seems everything I touch is being destroyed in front of me.

December the twentieth, 1795, London England.

Year of our Lord

Diary of William Blake

Katherine couldn’t look across her; her eyes were currently fixated to the newspaper which William read. Her eyes scanned the pictures, the words which she could read and the two hands which held them. William’s hands were pale white, clenched on the newspaper, which made it crumpled and harder to read. However, Katherine did not want to anger him further and so didn’t mention it.

Katherine held her stomach, protecting the babe inside from being hurt, even though she wasn’t sure entirely why. Her mother said she would be a good mother, a protective mother, and it seemed this babe was her starting point. However, it was Watson’s. Aaron Watson, who raped her since she was fourteen, five years ago and eventually, got her pregnant. Katherine almost chuckled, her humour was bitter, it had taken so long for the man to fill her womb with his seed and keep it there.

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Katherine realised this babe was her punishment for running away. Sure she hadn’t been found, but now Watson had escaped from her dreams into her life. Now he had hit her where she could never let go, voluntarily, as a woman he had hit her womanhood.

Katherine felt deflated, he had finally won. She would never escape slavery, now she had condemned her child to it as well. Katherine snorted, by accident, and then continued to go along with the vehicle she was in. She couldn’t control anything in her life, why should she bother?

The carriage continued to move, Tommy’s whistling could be heard because the window was open, and Katherine had listened to it throughout the journey. After William had stopped talking to her, it was a good idea.  He had asked her if she wanted to marry Julian. He had discussed it with Julian, and they both agreed he would protect her and look after her. Once she had refused, he had not spoken to her, his orders through the housekeeper.

She was a nice old lady. Katherine could see the sympathy in her eyes, when she had told Katherine to dress him, through her. When Katherine had, he still asked her through his servant or she figured it out herself.

Katherine traced the glass of the window. Her brown fingers played with the cold tufts of ice that had either fallen or had been stuck there from previous snow showers. She crushed it, melting it, with her finger tips, as she listened to more of her upsetting but subconscious thoughts.

“Mr Blake, we have almost arrived,”

William closed the newspaper, ignored Katherine and continued to stare out the misty window. The carriage was slower than usual because of the snow. But the view outside was beautiful, as London became covered in snow.

Although it was quite far into the day, the sun still streaked orange and the skies mixed it with the white flakes in the air. The buildings, some which were as extravagant as William’s, others of lesser qualities, were covered in Mother Nature’s virginity. However, it meant the roads either had carriages or were empty, most people too cold, only some too poor to afford to stay out of the snow.

The carriage was extremely warm compared to outside. Firstly, Tommy had been ordered to leave heated coals underneath the seats, and this had been before the journey and not just during. Also, Katherine and William both had thick quilts, flasks of soup and shoes for warmth. Many were not as fortunate, and would continue to wear shoes from three summers ago, in the hope some snow wouldn’t reach their frost bitten feet.