Three Nights With The Baron

E'S

s, I struggled with the overpowering drow

had taken my hands. I felt myself lifted u

I am, I was in a strange room. I was ly

swimming and I felt dizzy. I was dream

ot remember what coul

but something s

to the darkness. I saw a window with bars across and my

sat up. Immediately hands wer

voice I knew. A voice I had often thought of, it

ulled me down; he forced himself down on

to me. It was indeed a night

nded to do this and that at the back of my mind, I had known it, feared it, dreaded it and - the shame of it - half wanted it. I tried to shout out,

ing I could do

which was quite unknown to me. Strange, I was not resisting any more. I felt myself to be pa

drew away from me. but his lips were still on

te," he

ying to collect my thoughts as they eluded me. The heavy drowsiness was still wi

ation which I had

e whispering words which seemed strange coming from him. "Kate swee

nly dream," h

"Don't try to think now, you can't. You're still in a state o

haps, since that had been where I was remembering I had been going. No doubt

had this st

hingly and he gathered me up in

I sat up in bed and looked about me, I was alone. I realized that I was nake

t came floodi

llars. There was a great fireplace and the embers there showed that there had been a fire last night. The bed was large

d to face the truth. He had brought me up here; he had tak

my face as the hot

e again. Since I had come to

y from me and I had been plunged into intrigue

his face out of my mind. I realized I had been seeing it ever since I had left the

supernatural power - a lot passe

hink I had always known that he had desired me. There was something in the wa

her, whether she was willing or not. That was what the marau

lean. He had defiled me and gloried in it. He thought tha

lowed to act as he had done. It was all very well to make love to a woman if she Consented. But

and demo

was shaking. I must get out of

given me a drugged wine. I would te

say: "She spent the night with me willingly. . ." For he

dress im

punched it in sudden fury and was then ashamed of my childish gesture. It was an act of

world whom I hated most. But it was done. I had been violated. My body ... my

s place. I looked for my clothes. I could not fin

bed and I wrapped this round

ked. I was on a kind of landing and before me

out of the wall,

was one room in which there were toilet facil

There were cupboards. I thought my clothes might be in one of them, so

we're a table and chairs. It might have bee

s facing me, it had iron studs in it and looked

, a heavy locked door, and no clothes. I was

keep me here? Wou