The year was 1920.
A heartless wind sprinted on the skins of people that roamed on the day's snowed streets. Harsh their bodies felt even under the protection of two or more clothes and thick coats that floated to their knees. The crotched scarf on their necks couldn't warm the skin enough from the snow that rained.
From a door, a girl walked out with hands filled with bags. Her body struggled to balance the weights of the bags, yet compelled her body to silence.
She dared not complain or the faint woman behind her, in cotton clothes that chased her ankles, would be in rage.
"Janet!" A tough masculine voice sprouted out, causing a trembling chill in the girl's body. On quick feet, she halted with twirling of her body to her master's call. Her brown eyes dared gaze in her master's green eyes for seconds then down it went.
"Yes mam" she politely responded with a leveled head at her feet that were in the keeping of a thorn shoe that barely warmed her feet from the cold.
" You wretch, that tomato is worth than your life. Have it ruined in any way, your head would be off shelter for the streets" she ranted out, attracting the audience of a couple that gave her a stare and walked off.
In silence, Janet picked up the tomato that had slipped from the bag due to it being overfilled. Again her small hands hooked the bags and walked to her master's car, which was in the park of a street away. A cause of the streets being flooded with snow.
"Have them gently placed" she instructed, less of a need as she knew of her job and the kind of owner she had. One mistake and her body would feel the might of the rod. To the best of her ability, she put the bags in the car.
"Take off" her master ordered to the man in the front steer of the Model T car.
Out she was left to freeze to death. Low she sighed, for it no new act for her master to leave her behind to walk home while she rode home. Her master always believed servants were of low class and should be treated as such.
Either way, she was in relief to have her old ugly nagging voice off her ears for the hour it was going to take to walk to the splendorous mansion of hell.
"Goodness child, I was getting sick worrying about you," a woman said aiding Janet's body in the warmth of a scarf. Gently she combed off the snow in her hair with her hands and pulled the poor girl in the kitchen.
"Did that sea witch leave you to freeze to death again?" she asked, sure of it being done so. As their master was the meanest and nastiest being ever created. Her heart was of coal, so much much as her crumbled face of no delight. The best to her were her eyes and money, which she used to earn herself a husband.
"Madam, you better be careful or you might get heard by her" Janet cautioned.
Madam D had no weak heart but as the head of the servants at the Cruel Heart mansion, she had to stay muted. She was of a kind spirit who loved and cared for all, sometimes a little too much.
"Some day when I earn myself enough I'll have her return the favors," a girl said approaching from their back.
The same went for all that worked for her, all they sought was enough and their truths would be heard by their master.
"Dear child, if I could, I wouldn't hold back," Madam said.
Had her husband not quit off job after the loss of his fingers and her five children still in need of their mother's support then she would have sure retired herself and screamed the truths at her master's face.
"But yes, she's upstairs probably killing her poor husband's ears " she continued.
Poor Mr Thomas thought his life would take a smooth sail after he got married to her, not knowing it would take a hard sail in misery. Even if he wished to set out he couldn't.
"Janet" a sudden masculine voice called sealing their lips. Janet turned in the grasp of a tall figure with perfectly gelled hair laid back. Her lips spread as her cheeks red to his dark eyes gazed at hers. Her stomach kicked at the sight of his pale lips broken, due to the cold from outside.
" Come to my room" he demanded heading back for the stairs.
"Child, you should be very careful. People like him shouldn't get tangled with. He's after all the master's son" madam cautioned the deaf ears.
"Madam, am no child. I can handle myself" she foolishly said chasing her legs after the master's son.
Up in the third room she entered in welcome of gentleness everywhere. The master's first son was a simple man with a great personality, the ones of quiet and kindness that attracted her likes in him.
Or so she thought.
"Sir Nicholas " she called to him.
His hands roughly pulled her into his chest, tight he wrapped his arms around her slim waist. In seconds, his fingers went under her chin and pulled her face up. His lips slowly laid on her lip, gently he took the other in the pace of her breath.
Quick as it took, his gentleness transformed into a beast as he threw her body on the table in his room, force he pulled her skirt up and slid his fingers between her thighs. Hard he pressed against her inner flesh, leaving her with gasps. Every stroke of his fingers erupted moans on her lips, not much of a pleasure but a hard core of her body not prepared for his sudden dryness deep in her. Yet she wouldn't protest for her likes in him was more than her comfort.
"Take off your skirt" he instructed after a good whip of his fingers in her.
Off the skirt went on the floor. His hands again compelled her body on the table, squeezed her stomach against the edge of the table, her face on its rough surface as he thrust his hood in her.
Her fingers clutched on the table as her tongue forced down a gulp of her saliva, hard she held back the whipping tears from falling while her body tried to take in all of him.
Thou it had been a year and more, she still was in discomfort every time they shared a contact. Every stretch of her skin was a sore on her lips, hard and hard her body felt from the slaps being laid on her butt and back.
He was a man of gentle spirit yet a beast when his flyer came down.
His face scowled at the stench of the kitchen on her as he closed his lips on her back. He wasn't pleased with any of her smell but did not care as long as he could lay her to his satisfaction. His lust for her was two years earlier when she was brought by a friend of his mother. His eyes caught hold of her beautiful dark eyes and innocent face.
He knew his lust for her, and to gain her trust he became the man he sought.
"Have your skirt back on and get out!" He tastelessly ordered after a quick pull from her. His needs had been satisfied as such her service was of no use to him.
It was his pattern of dealing with her yet she refused to see things as they were in the name of love.
" But I have something to tell you," she said halfway being ignored.
" That can wait. Go out now or you'll be in trouble if caught here" he said, with less interest in hearing what she had to say.
" Just hear me out, am Pre.," Her words are cut half through with a hard force of her body out the door. Hard he slammed it at her pleading eyes.
Down she walked soaking, wondering if he truly loved her as he claimed. Their relationship had been in the dark for a year and yet he hadn't told his mother as promised. Additionally, there was another in existence in her and she worried about the future.
The night was on the roofs of the mansion, orderly the feet of the servants paced for the dining table that hosted the master and her family of three, along with new faces labeled as her guests. A much extravagant feast was made, tripling their chores but all being said they worked their best to it.
" Let not have any more delay and have them married by the end of the month," their cruel master said to the ears of her female and male guests. Their visit was to discuss their children's betrothal and possible marriage.
" I also think it best as you said. Nicholas is a nice man and will be a good husband to my daughter Precious" she said owing to the glass plate that fell off the hands of Janet that was behind them.
Her body chilled as her eyes broadened in disbelief at what her ears had heard. Marriage?
" You wretch, what have you done?" A scold was heard from her master, and so were the eyes of all that stared at her reckless manner of service.
" I told you, these days servants are going out of hand, give them little freedom and they'll start acting wild" the female guest fueled with an urge to have her friend punish her servant.
" I'm sorry" she apologized picking the pieces of the plate off the floor.
" As I was saying, the marriage between Nicholas and my daughter should be soon as in a week."
" I can't agree more," she said to her guest in broad smile. The union was of perfection to her, both families were of equal status.
" Sorry, but is sir Nicholas marrying her daughter?" Janet's question got their eyes trolling, shocked they were at the audacity of her to voice her low questions to them.
" Of course, low maiden" the guest spat out in disgust.
" That can't happen, it can't," she said determined to face any consequences, it wasn't only about her but the child in her womb as well. If stayed silent as she did always then her child would have no future.
" And why can't that be?" Her master asked
"Because am pregnant for your son" she responded.
Their faces went cold as their feet rose to the abrupt accusation. Nicholas's eyes widened as he tried to think of a way out of the mess.
" You low maid, how dare you accuse my son of such acts?"
"If you don't believe me then you should ask your son, he has been sleeping with me for a year now and even this morning I was at service to him. The baby in my belly is his and there's no denying it" she said facing her master and her cowardly son who bowed his head.
"Nicholas, are you of such low characters? How can I leave my daughter in your care?" The guest said racing her legs for the door along with her family that followed.
"I have nothing to do with her" Nicholas argued on the first gaze of his mother on him.
" She is a liar, a lowly girl that wants to get her way up by climbing on to me" he easily lied with no guilt.
" I have proof and if you fail to accept your responsibility for me and your baby then I'll have this reported to the local court" she threatened.
No doubt they could win the case but their reputation would be in mud and that she couldn't take so she decided to give in to Janet's requests.
" Fine, my son will take responsibility for both you and your child" Her son's eyes flipped at her, disbelieving at the words of his mother. He wanted the pleasure of her, not a wife.
" Let settle this here, tomorrow will contain it," she said as she left for her room, as was her husband who stayed mute to everything.
Her dream was finally going to come true. She was going to be his wife and even if his like in her was of little she was valid she would win him.
Retired to her small room, she lay in the rest of the peaceful life ahead. Just as her eyes were about to conceal the darkness, she heard a loud crash of her door. Up she went to inquire only to find her master with three men at her sides.
"What did you think, you'll threaten me and I'll conceal from you. No girl, my reign has been built not on softness but my smartness. Take her away" she ordered to the men that dragged her away after a knock on her head.
The next moment, she found herself being tied in the wood with the men loose of their clothes. Orderly they feasted on her, and her mind erupted of any recognition of what was happening in her surroundings. Tired she felt of living, she was so foolish to think she would win and get a better life, she should have known a servant like her could never be anything more.
Just as she had given up on her fate, a light was shown on a man who walked to her rescue. Hard he punched the men off her and got them stripped of their lives, his hands aid her up and covered her with his coat.
" Good morning" a voice greeted on her first lit of her eyes. Straight she looked and found a woman in the firm stand with a gentle smile.
" Who're you and where am I?" Janet asked with a clear view of the surroundings she was in, the last she recalled was been saved by a man and then she was out of her senses.
" You can call me Abi, am your attendant. His majesty brought you in last night" Abi detailed to her ears.
" Who's he, his majesty?" She curiously asked, most to thank him for saving her.
" It best you ask him that question yourself," Abi said serving her a plate of boiled egg and bread.
****
" So they met when he saved her," Ella confirms, evading John's tale on the king's and Balu's past.
" But I don't get it, if her name was Janet why call her Balu?" Ella's curiosity sprints out to John's low sigh.
"That's because she crossed paths with a compelling fate," John said as his eyes deepened in reflection of the past to the year 1925.