Once again Marianna found herself alone upon waking. However, it was with the full knowledge of one who had been fully sated the night before. A tiny smile graced her lips as she stretched luxuriously and welcomed the day. Her body ached, but it was with a sense of well-being. Suddenly, she realized what had caused her to surface from the delicious dreams she had been experiencing. Pounding thuds at the front door.
Bam! Bam! Bam! And a shouted voice agitated and raised in anger. Slipping into the robe that Stephanos had thoughtfully left for her, she hurried to the window. Ivan! What was Dmitri's brother doing here? He slammed his fist once more to the door in frustration and paced in front of the portal.
"Ivan!" She shouted in reply to his distress. He turned his angry gaze up to her face. "What are you doing here? I thought no one would miss me or come for me."
"Marianna! Are you all right?" His voice husky, gruff and full of relief. "I have come to bring you back to where you belong. Pyotr saw that fiend drag you away and we have been tracking you these past two days. Come, Marianna, the day grows long and we must be away quickly." His urgency translated itself to her, but she knew that it could not be. Stephanos would strike him dead along with all the other villagers.
"You must stop, Ivan. I belong to Stephanos now." She was wringing her hands as she said this and hoped that the apprehension she felt was not communicating itself to Ivan. "I cannot go to you. I have submitted to him and I accept my fate."
"You cannot mean that Marianna! If you loved Dmitri you would not be saying this." He quickly crossed himself. "You shame yourself and the memory of my brother. Now, are you coming out or am I coming in?"
She started to panic. Ivan was stubborn and could be violent. He had tormented her gentle Dmitri growing up, scoffing at his dreams and mocking her as his choice. Ivan had long ago decided that he would have her and when she spurned his advances, he became enraged. Ivan had even tried to compromise her, thus causing the rift. Her Dmitri, knowing the truth had sided with her. This had led to her being outcast from the village. Oh, she hated Ivan fiercely. He was the source of so much of her unhappiness. Ivan had incited Dmitri to join the Tsar's army. Her eyes blazed with contempt. He would use her selfishly and turn her over to his friends. She was thanking God now that Stephanos had found her. What a strange turn of events.
Perspiration formed on her upper lip. She had to think and chose her words wisely. "Ivan, I have found a new home and wish to reside in peace. You may have all my possessions, just go and leave me be. My choice is made." She tried placating him, supplication threading her voice. Ivan was greedy; he might go for the idea. She hated being so pusillanimous, but her options were limited.
He grunted. "This is not over, Marianna. I will return and I will have you! You have only postponed the inevitable." His voice filled with sadistic glee. "And, I will make you pay for not bowing to me now." He turned abruptly on his heel, calling for Pyotr. He lumbered off in the direction of the horses. Oaf! She thought. He was tall, but with stooped shoulders and stringy, greasy hair. His breath offensive and his teeth blackened. His slovenly appearance did not diminish the potency in his body however. His chest and arms rippled with muscles and his thighs were powerfully built. His stride lengthening, he cast a last look at where she stood rooted. The opposite of Dmitri she sighed. Where Ivan was all brute strength, Dmitri had been poetry and beauty. Oh, how she missed him.
She breathed a sigh of relief as they left, but now, she was left with her memories of Dmitri. She wept silently, tears coursing down her cheeks as they flooded back. The laughter and joy we had shared together. The gentleness of his kisses, so sweet and with love. Pain filled her soul once again at her loss.
*****
Stephanos stirred and growled in his sleep. He sensed that things were not right and it aggravated him greatly. He searched with his mind for the whereabouts of Marianna, pleased she was in her room. He frowned, seeing her tears and was frustrated because it was too soon to go to her. He attempted to connect with her mind to seek his answers, but found it closed to him.
This would not do at all
.
He mused.
As strong-willed as she is, she must learn this form of communication as well.
Knowing there was nothing he could do at the moment, he decided to conserve his strength and get to the bottom of the matter when he surfaced.
Marianna felt a brush of something skittering at the edge of her mind. Momentarily distracted, she tried to find the source of her discomfort. Futility met her efforts. Heaving a sigh, she wiped the tears from her eyes and moved away from the window. The room was in a shambles from their antics the night before. These actually made her feel better, remembering being thoroughly loved last night. She decided it was time to try and explore her new home. Instinctively knowing she would find the door unlocked, she opened it into an ornate hallway.
Oh! She breathed. Magnificence surrounded her everywhere she looked. The moldings that separated walls from ceiling were carved in a light wood. Sparsely furnished with busts and statues and dramatic rugs, the hall extended the length of the house with doors interspersed periodically. Her natural curiosity arose and she started exploring with abandon. Peeking in, she found Stephanos' room at last. To say that it was masculine was an understatement. His magnificent bed had an elaborately carved head and baseboard. His armoire repeated the same dark woods in evidence. There were chains and cuffs attached at each post. She hesitantly stepped to them and brushed a finger across one. The cuff was made of the finest tooled Spanish leather, the inside lined with the softest wolf fur. She shivered at the implications of this. But she was no longer afraid of her dark lover.
