It was my wedding day and I was very apprehensive, for I was marrying someone who was almost a stranger to me. I imagined there were many girls who were in similar circumstances as I; arranged marriages were not so unusual, although this one had come about in a rather unique manner. I was an orphan. My mother died giving birth to me, and my father, who was a vicar, never remarried. We lived together peaceably enough until he died when I was 14 years old. He had no relations, so I was sent to my motherâs family who had disowned her when she decided to marry a lowly curate. My uncle lived on the family estate, a castle in Cornwall. His wife had been married before and had a young son when she married my uncle. Then the two of them had a son together. It was this son who was to inherit the family estate, but there was a terrible accident. My uncleâs stepson shot his half-brother while they were pretending to duel with guns. My aunt, whose health had never been good, went into a decline and passed away shortly after losing her younger son. My uncle sent his stepson away to a cousinâs homestead in Australia. He couldnât bear to look at him, although it wasnât really his fault. This was the sad household that I came into shortly after my fourteenth birthday and the death of my own father.
My uncle was kindly toward me, and I tried to repay him by being obedient and helpful around the estate and with vicarage matters. This was not my natural manner, however. My father was never a strict disciplinarian, and I was accustomed to a lot of freedom for a girl in Victorian England. I studied with a curate when I was with my father, and later my uncle engaged a governess for me. I had an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and my uncle encouraged my learning as well. I would often discuss politics, literature, and philosophy with him in the evenings while we enjoyed a game of chess. We grew very fond of each other. So thatâs why I was in this current situation, marrying a man I hardly knew.
When I was 18, my uncle sat me down one evening and told me that he wanted me to inherit the estate, but that I needed to be married. He was sending for his stepson from Australia and he wanted me to marry him. That way the estate could stay in the family. Every inch of me rebelled against having my fate settled in such a manner, but I dearly loved my uncle and felt I owed him this last wish. His health was poor, and I feared he didnât have much longer to live.
I was upstairs when Tristan, my uncleâs stepson, arrived; he knew for what purpose he had been called home, so I nervously checked my appearance in the mirror before going downstairs to meet him. I was of average height and slender; the fashions of the day emphasized the bosom and derriere and set off my small waist. I had abundant dark wavy hair, which was always escaping from its pins, and big dark blue, almost violet eyes framed by long dark lashes. My eyes gave my face a vulnerable look, along with my rather full lips, but my nose was prominent and my uncle used to tease me that my nose proclaimed my forceful nature. I was wearing a dark blue dress that matched my eyes and deepened their color. My hands were shaking as I went downstairs to meet my husband-to-be.
I will never forget the first time I saw Tristan; he was standing with his back to the fireplace when I entered the drawing room. He surveyed me with impossibly dark eyes when I entered. He was tall and lean with broad shoulders and a muscular build. He had thick black hair that was longish for the dayâs fashions, and his skin was bronzed by the Australian sun.
He stood looking at me and hardly acknowledged my presence; he didnât come forward, didnât smile, and I decided then that I hated him. My uncle rose when I came into the room and drew me toward Tristan, who still hadnât moved.
âAnna, my dear, this is my son Tristan. Heâs been looking forward to meeting you.â
It certainly didnât appear as if he was looking forward to meeting me. He took my hand in his and kissed it. His fingers were long and strong and he kept possession of my hand even though I tried to disengage it.
âHello Anna, itâs a pleasure to meet my wife.â His voice had a sardonic edge to it, and I could tell he was far from happy about the situation in which we found ourselves.
âItâs nice to meet you, Tristan. Will you miss Australia?â
I knew he wouldnât; he had been most anxious to come back to England and take over the estate that he felt was rightly his after the death of his brother.
He answered. âNot at all. My place is here.â
âYour place is here as long as you marry me.â
His eyes bore into me with something like hatred. Oh no, he was not pleased with the turn of events and didnât like being beholden to my uncleâŠor me. My uncle could tell that our first meeting was not going well.
âTristan, Anna is a spirited girl and sheâs smart as a whip; sheâll be a big help to you on the estate. You just have to learn to handle her.â
Handle me! I gave my uncle an exasperated look. I knew he wanted this to work out for my sake; he couldnât very well leave the estate to me alone, but he wanted me to share in it, and marrying Tristan was the answer.
Tristan looked at me intently. âYes, I believe I know how to handle Anna.â
I looked at him with scorn then. He was despicable. I didnât see how this marriage was going to work out.
Over the next few weeks our relationship continued to deteriorate. I found him insufferably arrogant and bossy. I never liked being told what to do, and he did so in a manner that suggested a belief in his superiority. I had a grudging respect for how much he knew about the land; he had learned well in Australia. However, I would never admit that to him. He had an overpowering presence and I found myself thinking of him constantly; I guess that was natural as he would be my husband shortly. I shivered at the thought.
One day when we were out riding we met the young son of one of the tenants; he was crying over his dog, which had been caught in a trap. We jumped down from our horses, and Tristan removed the dogâs leg from the trap. He shrugged off his coat and took off his shirt, ripping it into pieces. He tied these pieces around the dogâs leg to stop the bleeding. While he worked, I stared at his bare chest. I had never seen a man like this before, and I watched his muscles move in his arms and chest as he worked. I felt strange sensations then, sort of a burning excitement. I didnât understand my feelings. He looked up at me suddenly and caught me watching him. His lips turned up in a half-smile as if he knew what I was thinking. I blushed and looked away.
Now here it was, the day of our wedding. My wedding dress was an elaborate confection of flounces of silk, lace, and tiny pearls woven into the fabric. The ceremony went smoothly, and my husband belied none of his feelings. After our wedding and reception, we retired to the bridal suite. I was nervous and uncertain. We were in the room together with the door closed, and he turned to me suddenly.
âNow that you are my wife, Iâm going to punish you for all of your impertinent behavior these past few months.â
Punish me! What was he talking about? This is not what I expected from my wedding night at all. I backed away from him, but he was beside me quickly grabbing my arm. He sat down on the edge of the big four-poster bed and pulled me with him. Before I realized what he was doing, he had me over his lap and was pulling up the layers of my wedding dress. I felt the cold air against my legs, and with horror realized that he had stripped away the rest of my undergarments. I could only imagine the picture I presented â my wedding finery gathered up almost covering my head and my bare bottom over his lap. I squirmed and hit his legs with my fists, but it was to no avail. He was strong and he had a purpose.
I gave a start as I felt his large hand caress my bottom, and then without warning his hand slapped hard on my bare skin. I cried out in protest, but he continued his assault on my bare bottom, spanking one cheek and then the other. The sound rang out so loudly, I was afraid the servants would hear. My bottom was stinging, and I felt tears spring to my eyes. How dare he do this me?
He stood up abruptly and I fell to the floor, my wedding dress in a heap of flounces and lace around me. âIf you had been a good girl, we could be enjoying other pleasures this night. But as it is, Iâll wait until you come to me, and you will come to me.â
I screamed at him. âNever! I will never come to you. Donât ever lay a hand on me again.â He laughed at me and strode out of room into the adjoining bedroom. I got up, ran to the door, and locked it.