Beatrice and the Beast, page 38
They stood that way for a long time, until the girl’s sobbing finally, subsided. Then after a short period of silence, Beatrice stepped back and turned her sad, tear streaked face up to the taller woman.
‘I’m sorry Rosa,’ she said as she sniffled and began wiping her nose and eyes with her hand.
The woman produced a handkerchief from the folds of her dress and offered it to Beatrice who took it gratefully before dabbing away her tears.
Rosa slowly shook her head as she regarded the girl with eyes filled with sympathy.
‘I would help you if I could child, but in a way, I am as much a prisoner here as you are.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Jacob will never allow you to leave the ranch until he decides otherwise, or unless you are accompanying him visiting other ranches.’
‘Do you mean I can’t go outside.’
‘Yes of course you can go outside and you can walk anywhere as far as the eyes can see. The land for miles around belongs to the ranch. But you will never be able to ride. No horses will be made available to you in case you try to flee the ranch. You would never be able to do that afoot and if you ever tried, you’d become lost and would very possibly, perish if Jason’s men didn’t find you first.’
Beatrice wondered if things could get any worse and consternation filled her mind as the hopelessness of her situation became apparent.
‘You said you are a prisoner too. Does that mean you can’t go any farther than the ranch boundary either?’
‘I have a little more freedom than you do, I can go to town as long as I am accompanied by one of his more trustworthy men and I think if I were very careful, I would be able to acquire a horse and one day, I will find the courage to leave. I am a prisoner of my love for him and that is far worse than your situation because I believe he doesn’t love me back.’
‘Oh Rosa,’ whispered Beatrice. ‘I made a terrible mistake by coming here and now I’m trapped in a situation I cannot get out of and what’s worse, I’ve come between you and Jacob and disrupted your life.’
‘’Jacob wants a wife by his side but he doesn’t consider me a suitable candidate and that is why he advertised for a mail order bride. If it hadn’t been you, it would have been another woman from another eastern city.’
‘What will we do?’
‘We will carry on as normal. You will marry Jacob and I will be there for him whenever he needs me. This is the way it has to be from now on and the sooner you accept there is no other way for you, the sooner we can all get on with living our lives. It is god’s will and there is nothing we can do about it.’
Ever since she’d left him talking to Zimmerman, Frank Zelletta had constantly, been in Beatrice’s thoughts and now, without realising she had said it, she spoke his name.
‘I wish Mister Zelletta was here,’ she murmured. ‘He’d know what to do.’
Rosa looked at her pointedly.
‘Zelletta does nothing unless he’s being paid plenty dinero for the job.’
Beatrice hadn’t realised she had voiced her thoughts so loudly, but she felt the need to defend Zelletta against any kind of discourtesy against his reputation.
‘Mister Zelletta is a good man who is only trying to earn enough money to start his own place. If he were here, he would help me or anybody who needed him. I have never met a more honourable or loyal man and I would trust him with my life.’
Rosa gaped at the girl in disbelief.
‘You love him,’ she gasped. ‘You love Frank Zelletta.’
‘Yes, I do,’ replied Beatrice defiantly. ‘He is the most wonderful man I have ever met and I don’t care who knows it.’
‘Does he love you?’
‘He told me he does.’
Rosa frowned and gave the girl a puzzled look.
‘Then why didn’t you stay with him? Why did you allow him to bring you here?’
Tears welled up into Beatrice’s eyes again and her shoulders began to shake.
‘I don’t know,’ she sobbed. ‘I have been so foolish to think I would be better off here than with a man I adore and want to spend my life with no matter what that entails. Now I will never see him again, I will never be able to tell him how much he really means to me.’
‘I do not understand how you could allow him to go. How can any woman love a man as much as you say you do and allow him to ride away?’
‘I don’t know,’ whined Beatrice. ‘I am a foolish, foolish girl. I have made a fatal mistake and now I have lost him forever. I would give anything to be given another chance to go with him.’
‘You have probably broken his heart,’ seethed Rosa. ‘How could you expect a man you have wounded so deeply, to give you another chance when you put luxury and security before him?’
‘I don’t deserve another chance, I know that. I made my choice and now I must live with it. But at least I have the memory of the journey we undertook and what we went through together to get here safely, and I will never forget him as long as I live.’
‘If he came back and asked you to leave with him, would you go?’
‘Oh yes Rosa. I would go in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t even need to consider it and I would follow him anywhere he wanted to take me.’
‘Are you saying that because what you have here isn’t what you expected and you just want to escape any way you can?’
‘I understand why you would think that Rosa. But that isn’t the reason I want to go with him. I now realise my time with him on the journey here, was the best time of my life, despite the dangers and I know now, I would be happy to live any way he wants just as long as I could be with him.’
‘I’m afraid you will never leave here unless Jacob wants you to. This ranch is like a fortress and is guarded by dozens of heavily armed gunmen. Even if Zelletta wanted to rescue you, he would never succeed against so many guns.’
‘I wouldn’t want him to try. I don’t deserve him risking his life for me. All I want now is for him to forget me and find the kind of happiness he deserves. After all he’s been through, that isn’t so much to ask.’
FORTY-THREE
After helping Beatrice out of the dress and picking out one of the plainer, more serviceable, cotton dresses for her to wear, Rosa took her on a guided tour of the ranch. It was much bigger than any of the residences she had known in Chicago and she felt it would take her quite a while before she would be able to find her way round with ease. There were many bedrooms on the upper floor and on the ground floor, she was surprised to be shown a large ballroom as well as a well-stocked library and a huge kitchen with many stoves and ovens, three large wooden tables a cold room and what seemed like hundreds of pots and pans and kitchen utensils hanging from beams. The dining room next to the kitchen, was enormous with a long, polished table running almost the full length of it and at least, a dozen chairs on either side with one at each end. There were various cabinets and cupboards with drawers, all highly polished, spaced around, and beautiful oil paintings hanging on the walls.
Beatrice was allowed to see all the rooms including a lounge for the men and a smaller one for the ladies, except one. This was Zimmerman’s office and only his close friends and associates were allowed to enter by invitation. Beatrice and Rosa were not considered close friends or associates and were strictly forbidden to enter the room for any reason whatever.
‘What if we required to speak to him as a matter of urgency?’ Asked the younger woman. ‘Wouldn’t it be prudent to knock and enter in that case?’
Rosa gave her a disdainful look.
‘We are women,’ she said. ‘What could we possibly have to say that would be urgent or have any importance to Jacob. We keep ourselves to ourselves unless he summons us. Anything else is none of our business.’
When they had finished the tour of the interior, Rosa led her outside. She had already seen the spacious courtyard but marvelled at how beautiful it was when she had a chance to fully, take it in. The whole courtyard was paved with cobbles with colourful plants and flowers all around. In the centre was a huge statue on a plinth which she easily recognized as Jacob Zimmerman and she was amazed at the conceit of the man.
Around the back of the main buildings were many out buildings including barns, stables with a large tack room attached, a blacksmith’s, two smoke houses and three buildings which Rosa described as bunk houses where the hands slept. Most of the cowboys were out tending to chores like riding the line, fence building, or looking for stray calves that may have wondered into arroyos or small canyons. But the two cowboys she did see, were very polite and removed their hats when the two women passed. However, there were other men around, two of them sitting on chairs outside a bunkhouse, playing cards, while two more were leaning against the wall, deep in conversation. They were all heavily armed and very unsavoury looking and as the two women passed by, all four of them openly leered, causing Beatrice to feel very uncomfortable indeed.
As they proceeded past the assortment of buildings cluttered around, the land opened out into broad meadow land with some of it fenced off into two large corals housing horses with another smaller one, containing goats and milk cows. In the far distance, Beatrice could make out mountains but they were countless miles away, whilst if she looked across the meadow to her right, she saw a large wooded area which was less than half a mile away. The whole area looked pretty and interesting and would be somewhere she would be able to walk and find solitude if she was so allowed.
‘We had better go back inside,’ declared Rosa as she lightly, touched Beatrice’s elbow. ‘Jacob is expecting you to join him for lunch and he hates to be kept waiting.’
Beatrice was beginning to feel like a prisoner, or worse, a possession to be kept locked away and brought out on certain occasions for the delectation of his friends. It appeared she would have no freedom or any say in anything she wanted to do. Her whole life would be in Jacob’s hands and only he would have the power to make her decisions for her.
She just had time to wash before Rosa hurried her to the dining room where two places were set on the long table; one at the end and the other at the side one place down.
‘Thank god he hasn’t arrived yet,’ said a relieved Rosa. ‘I will leave you now but you must wait standing until Jacob comes in and gives you permission to sit.’
I cannot believe I have to show so much respect to my future husband as though he is royalty or something, she thought. Who on earth does he think he is, the King of Texas?
Once Rosa had departed, Beatrice sat down at the table determined she would not allow herself to be tyrannized and humiliated by some upstart rancher who considered himself above her, simply because he was wealthy.
She was kept waiting far longer than she had anticipated and it was nearly an hour before he entered the room. When he did, she turned her head to regard him and was dismayed to see the anger on his face and the fury in his eyes.
‘Didn’t Rosa instruct you on the protocol when you dine with me?’ He snapped. ‘Stand up girl immediately.’
Beatrice quickly stood up from the chair and turned to face him.
‘Yes, she did instruct me but I waited such a long time for you to come, I felt the need to sit before my legs collapsed on me.’
‘Because you are new to my rules, I won’t punish you too harshly. However, you need to learn to obey my instructions, so you will go without food and remain standing while I take lunch.’
Beatrice stared at him horrified.
‘Is this the kind of treatment I am to expect from now on?’
‘You can expect to be punished for misdemeanours like being late for meals or not coming immediately when I summon you and of course, whenever you break my rules.’
‘I cannot live my life this way. You are expecting me to be a slave rather than a wife.’
‘Not at all. As long as you adhere to my rules which you will get used to very quickly, and be on hand when I require your presence, you will have plenty of freedom to do as you please.’
At that moment, a stout, elderly woman entered the room with a tray laden with plates of food, which smelled delicious to Beatrice’s senses and she became aware of how hungry she was. The woman laid one plate in front of Jacob who had by then, sat down at the head of the table, and was about to place the other where Beatrice stood when Zimmerman spoke.
‘Take that one back to the kitchen Martha, the lady won’t be eating until we have dinner.’
The woman sighed and replaced the plate of food onto the tray and left the room.
‘What do you hope to achieve by making me go hungry?’ snapped Beatrice. ‘You are treating me like a mischievous child instead of someone who you are about to marry.’
‘I will achieve compliancy from you eventually. You will learn to know your place in this household and live by my rules.’
He began to attack his food, cutting the meat into bite sized pieces before forking it into his mouth and chewing noisily while Beatrice stood and stared in disbelief.
‘Pour me a glass of wine,’ he ordered.
Beatrice had already noticed the crystal glass decanter of wine and glasses in the middle of the table and had even toyed with the idea of pouring some for herself while she waited for Zimmerman. Now she was glad she hadn’t. Heaven knew what kind of punishment he would have metered out had he found her drinking his wine.
She poured wine into a glass and handed it to him before speaking softly.
‘Could I at least have a little wine?’
‘No.’
His abrupt answer left her in no doubt there was no room for negotiation.
‘Can I sit for a while then?’
‘No, you will remain standing until I have finished lunch and left the room. Only then can you leave and go to your room.’
She stood silently watching him until he had finished his lunch, replenishing his glass with wine when he ordered her to, until finally, he sat with an empty plate before him.
‘Go to the kitchen and tell Martha I’m ready for desert,’ he instructed. ‘Then come back here and wait until I have finished.’
She hesitated for a moment as she debated refusing to do any more of his bidding.
‘Now!’ he yelled and she visibly jumped and let out a small yelp, before hurrying to the kitchen. Then she returned and stood behind her chair with her arms by her side, soon followed by Martha bearing a plate laden with apple pie. Accordingly, she stood staring at the opposite wall whilst trying not to listen to him, loudly chewing his food and slurping his wine.
When his plate was empty and after he’d ordered her to pour another glass of wine, she cleared her throat and spoke.
‘I want to leave,’ she said hoarsely. ‘This isn’t what I envisaged when I agreed to be your wife.’
He slowly, wiped his lips with his napkin and turned his grinning face upward to regard her.
‘Of course, my dear,’ he said kindly. ‘You are free to go whenever you want. Just as soon as you return everything that was paid out to bring you here.’
She stared at him incredulously.
‘You know I have no money.’
‘So, you expect me to spend thousands of dollars to get you here and just allow you to walk away without repaying your debt?’
‘If you let me go, I will repay everything in time.’
‘How do you propose to do that?’
‘I don’t know,’ she said desperately. ‘I’ll find it somehow.’
‘Do you honestly believe you would be able repay nearly nine thousand dollars including the seven thousand I gave Frank Zelletta. I must say, I’m intrigued to know how you would earn that kind of money. Please enlighten me.’
She realised he was toying with her, but her desperation to get away gave her the will to keep trying.
‘I haven’t given it much thought, but I will return it all, I promise.’
He laughed humourlessly.
‘You would never earn that amount of money in a lifetime of whoring, even if you slept with two dozen men a day.’
‘I would never sell my body, I’m not some common whore.’
‘Oh really?’ He replied. ‘Those whores are just trying to make a better life for themselves. You are a mail order bride. Isn’t that selling your body for a better life? You aren’t that much different to those soiled doves you are so contemptuous of.’
She had no answer. It was true, she had been willing to give herself to somebody she had never met in return for the same luxurious existence she had been used to.
‘That aside,’ he continued. ‘If I were to allow you to leave; where would you go and how would you get there?’
‘I have the sorrel Mister Zelletta gave me,’ she replied triumphantly. ‘I will ride him to the nearest town and find work.’
‘The sorrel belongs to me now. I confiscated it as part of your debt. So even if I allowed you to leave, which I won’t. You would have to walk around fifteen miles to reach Laredo and you would have to walk there naked because everything you are wearing, belongs to me.’
‘I have my own dresses and boots.’
‘Not any more, they have been burned, including that redskin squaw’s dress you had in your bag.’
Beatrice gasped in dismay.
‘You had no right to burn my clothing. That dress was a gift from a wonderful Cheyenne woman who is a very good friend.’
‘This is my ranch and here, I can do anything I please, including burning some flea ridden squaw dress that should never have been brought onto these premises in the first place.’
Tears welled up in her eyes.
‘I will never marry you,’ she sobbed. ‘You are a cruel and heartless man.’
He suddenly leapt to his feet and before she had time to protect herself, gave her a hard slap which sent her reeling across the room, but somehow, she managed to stay on her feet. He strode to where she cowered and grabbed her upper arm in a firm grip before pulling her round to face him.
