CHAINS TO FREEDOM.✔

Chapter One

1841- Van Diemen's Land

The whip uncoiled its tendril finger, cracked like a lightning strike and bit into her shoulder. Jessica jerked forward, her hands sinking into the soft earth. She sneered at the wet ground, clenched her fingers around a pad of muddied grass and pulled.

Finding the strength to stand she turned to face him and then threw the sodden mess as hard as she could. Better dead than in chains.

Pead, the muster master lurched to the right. He straightened in his saddle, swept his long dark hair back over his head, and then nudged his horse forward yanking hard on its reins to circle her.

A smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he shuffled the whip from one hand to the other before leaning toward her from his saddle. "You need to move faster or my strap will kiss your arse next time."

Drenched from the downpour, Jessica struggled to stay on her feet as she stared up at him in defiance.

"Move." Pead's horse jittered backwards and forwards. Its muscles flinched causing raindrops to shimmy over its beautiful chestnut coat.

No longer afraid, Jessica stood her ground as he came closer.

"Remember, woman, it's not I who is in chains." Pead curled his lip and raised the whip above his head as if to strike adding, "Any more mud throwing and I promise you I won't hesitate to use this with full force."

She covered her face with her hands and hunkered down to protect herself as a male voice hollered, "Mr. Pead, sir!"

The muster master let the whip drop, stood in his saddle, turned and looked to where Murchison led more convicts further down the slope. "What do you want, man?"

"The creek, sir, shall we wade through it or find a place to cross, sir?"

"We wade through it, you fool. The house would be no more than an hour from that side." Pead jabbed the heels of his boots into the animal's gut.

Jessica watched it lunge forward and down the slope, hooves sinking deep into the wet earth.

*

An icy chill swept through Jessica's body as she sank into the water. It sucked the breath from her lungs and eased the scorching pain from her shackles to then gnaw at her bones. She dragged her body through the long grass and weeds clawing her legs and snaring the fetters on her ankles.

"Get your rear end moving, woman!" Pead plunged his stallion into the creek. Jessica gasped as water gushed over her face. She lost balance and tumbled face first, the weight of her restraints dragging her down into the muck and reeds. As she tried to find a foothold a hand grabbed her hair. Searing pain ripped through her skull. Jessica gasped and spluttered as she was pulled to the surface.

Pead took hold of her arm, dragged her through the current and tossed her onto the bank. She scrambled to her knees, clutching the grass and mud as she continued to cough and fight for breath, her body caught in a violent spasm as it expelled the fluid she had swallowed.

"Get up!"

The whip caught her on the backside. She jerked forward, swinging her head around to see him leering down at her body where the thin fabric of her dress clung to it.

"You keep this up woman and you'll feel something other than my whip on your arse."

Hate burned in Jessica; it gave her the power to stand.  Men in power were all the same. One day every man who'd controlled her would get his comeuppance. She'd make sure of that, but for now, she was too tired and weary to do anything more than scowl at him.