Escaping

The sneering tones made me want to sink into the earth and disappear.

When he turned to me, his derisive expression made me want to cover myself in shame. Instead, I pulled on the crumpled and torn dress which lay on the floor nearby and covered myself willy-nilly with it, I sat up, hugging my knees to my chest defensively. Rearing my head proudly I met his flinty gaze bravely. Aware that my long hair was hanging in a tangled mess on my back and that I probably looked like a woman of the night as my uncle would have said, I answered, lifting my chin haughtily,

'One… boy.'

His eyes glittered and it seemed to me that for a minute, I saw a flash of curiosity on his mask-like countenance which was gone so quickly, I thought I must have imagined it.

Then he nodded curtly as though he was winding up a business deal and to my horror, he said tersely,

' I'll get my men to drop you at your home.'

His words left me stunned. I gaped at him in astonishment.

Was that it? We had just made the most