Anne Bennett 3-Book Collection: A Sister’s Promise, A Daughter’s Secret, A Mother’s Spirit. Anne Bennett

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      ‘Tell me about yourself, my dear,’ Collingsworth said.

      ‘What d’you want to know, Mr Collingsworth?’

      ‘It’s Edwin, my dear. Can you call me Edwin?’

      Molly shrugged. ‘If you like.’

      ‘Now I would like to know all about you,’ Collingsworth said.

      ‘But I don’t know anything,’ Molly said. ‘My past is like a big black hole.’

      Collingsworth smiled because Ray had done his work well. It was far better that the girls destined for the whorehouse remembered as little of their former lives as possible.

      ‘I used to worry that I was losing my mind,’ Molly admitted.

      ‘Oh, no, not you, my dear girl,’ Collingsworth said firmly. ‘I think that you maybe have suffered a trauma or tragedy of some kind and these memory lapses are in the nature of delayed shock. It is quite common, and temporary too, I believe.’

      ‘You are so understanding,’ Molly said in slight amazement. His attitude had surprised her and she thought for the first time that she might have misjudged the man. She snuggled in closer so that she felt his breath between her breasts.

      Later, when Molly recalled the events of that day, she could hardly credit that she had allowed the man such liberties. In some sort of dreamlike trance, she felt his hand stroking her leg, and she just thought it felt lovely and wasn’t even alarmed when it went higher and higher.

      Hearing her contented sigh, Collingsworth felt himself harden in anticipation.

      ‘I’ll never hurt you, you know that, don’t you?’ Collingsworth said as he released her stockings from their suspenders and rolled them seductively down her legs, to drop on the floor.

      ‘Of course I do,’ Molly said, her head lolling against him drunkenly, but she suddenly felt incredibly tired and said, ‘I think I am drunk and I need to go to bed.’

      ‘And so do I,’ Collingsworth said, his voice husky with desire.

      Molly giggled. ‘You can’t get into my bed, though. You will need to go home to your own bed.’

      ‘I don’t think so,’ the man replied.

      He hadn’t realised just how drunk and drugged Molly was, and she staggered so much when she was at last upright that the pair of them nearly landed on the floor. This amused Molly no end, and she began to giggle. Collingsworth was just glad that Molly was small and slight, or he would never have managed her, and he half hauled, half dragged her to the bedroom. He lowered her onto the bed, where she lay with an inane smile playing around her mouth.

      Collingsworth, however, wasn’t looking at Molly’s mouth. He was aching with desire as he began unbuttoning her blouse.

      ‘You are so very beautiful, you know,’ he said.

      Molly said nothing, for it was as if these things were happening to someone else. She felt as if she was looking down on her body lying on the bed, and watching the man who was stroking her sensually sending her into a stupor-like sleep, and she closed her eyes and sighed. She dreamed someone had their hands on her breasts and it was so beautiful, she never wanted to wake up.

      Collingsworth though, was in a fever of anxiety to take the prize before him that he had paid dearly for and he began tearing his clothes off, too aroused now for gentleness. Naked, he launched himself on top of Molly.

      He nearly knocked the breath from her body and thoroughly woke her. He clamped his mouth on hers roughly, and when he thrust his thick tongue into Molly’s mouth, she felt as if she was going to choke, and she thrashed her head from side to side to try to dislodge it. But it was when Collingsworth pulled her knickers down and pummelled one hand between her legs brutally, and his mouth filled with saliva, that Molly fully realised what was happening to her.

      When Collingsworth heard Molly groan and thrash about on the bed, he thought she was overcome by the same passion that was consuming him, and he guided his pulsating penis to his goal at last. By God, he was going to enjoy every last second of this.

      For the life of her, Molly couldn’t understand, or remember, how she came to be on her bed semi-clad, with a naked man on top of her. But Collingsworth was filled with lust and totally unprepared for her suddenly wrenching her lips from his and pushing him with all her might so he fell from the bed in a heap.

      In a second he was up, but Molly, even in her semi-drunken state, was quicker and was making for the door.

      Collingsworth caught her by the arm.

      ‘Leave go of me.’

      ‘You must be joking,’ he said angrily. ‘What the bleeding hell are you playing at?’

      ‘How can you ask that?’ Molly cried. She wished her head did not feel as if it was filled with cotton wool and that the room would stay still, for she had the feeling that, to counter this, she needed to have her wits about her. She faced the man and said accusingly, ‘You were going to …’

      ‘I know what I was going to do, and so do you, you drunken whore.’ Collingsworth was so incensed he shot spittle from his mouth as he spoke. ‘So what is all this about?’

      Molly was mortified with shame, and she thought that he had every right to be angry and upset. The way she had behaved he must have thought she was offering herself. Hadn’t she gone a good distance down that road? Unbidden, Ray’s face swam before her, charging her to be nice to this man but she fastened her brassiere and blouse before saying in a conciliatory way that she was far from feeling, ‘I am sorry, sorry that you have been upset and disappointed, and I do understand how angry you felt, but I am not that sort of girl and if I hadn’t drunk so much I wouldn’t have allowed things to get this far. Shall we get properly dressed now and we’ll say no more about it?’

      Collingsworth jerked at Molly’s arm with such suddenness she cried out as she spun in front of him, and, holding her roughly by the arms, he slammed her so hard against the mirrored wall that the room swam. ‘Listen to me, you moronic slut,’ he ground out. ‘I know exactly what type of girl you are, what you are going to be, and that is a whore in one of the knocking shops in Birmingham from next week, so don’t come all innocent with me. You must have known the score.’

      Molly was completely bemused. ‘What are you on about? What score and what do you mean? I am not a whore.’

      He gave a grim and humourless laugh that sent a shiver down Molly’s spine as he said, ‘Maybe you’re not yet, but you soon will be.’

      ‘I will not!’

      ‘Jesus Christ, did you come over on the banana boat or were you born half-witted?’ he demanded. ‘Why d’you think Ray took you in, eh? Thought he was a bleeding charity, did you?’

      ‘I don’t know what you mean?’ Molly said, though her body seemed to be filling up with dread. ‘Ray has shown me nothing but kindness.’

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