The Keeping of Lena Ch. 02

"Oh dear...I'm so sorry to hear that. Poor Ava. And I'm sure Renz must be absolutely devastated," Ilise said.

Lena's stomach violently churned, and for a second, she thought she might retch again.

Ava had banned Renz from her birthing suite. She'd screamed at him through several rooms. She'd banned the staff of Schloss Wolfenbarger. She'd even banned her own maids. Lena and Karl had been alone with Ava from her first scream to her last.

And Lena had fled the estate before most of the servants had even woken...

No one had told Renz what happened.

Lena's heart began to race again, and she was compelled with a renewed desperation to return to Schloss Wolfenbarger and speak to Renz, comfort him, before someone else could. Karl, the servants...no one else would understand exactly how heartbroken Renz would be to hear that another baby Wolfenbarger would not see childhood.

Except of course, the woman sitting in front of her, who had willfully killed Renz's only heir less than two months before he was supposed to be born.

Lena warily stood on wobbly arms, head pounding with renewed nausea. She gazed nervously at Ilise, who sat calm and blissful in front of her, sipping her tea as if enjoying an afternoon of girlish gossip.

"I'd really best be going, Ilise," Lena said softly.

"Take a sip of tea before you go, Lena. It will help with your morning curses," Ilise said noncommittally.

Lena froze.

"I'm sorry...what did you say?" Lena asked. Ilise's eyes widened innocently.

"Your morning curses...that's what has rendered you so sick now, isn't it?" Ilise asked. Lena blinked repeatedly, still not quite believing what she was hearing.

"Oh, there's no need to be coy with me, Lena. I know it's best to keep it secret for at least the first three months. You have my word I will not tell a soul," Ilise said.

Feeling suddenly parched, Lena reached for her cup of tea and quickly swallowed several large mouthfuls. Pregnant? Ilise must have been mistaken. Lena took the solution that Karl had provided with infallible dedication, each morning and each night, to prevent such an untimely occurrence.

Yes, she'd missed her last monthly, and her current one was several days overdue, but Karl had told her it was on account of her illness and physical stress. Surely Karl hadn't lied to her.

And Lena had only just resumed intimacy with Renz after weeks of being away from him. Surely she couldn't have symptoms of a pregnancy in a matter of mere days.

Unless, of course, she'dalready been pregnant upon her first departure from Schloss Wolfenbarger with Erich those many weeks ago...

"Umm...that's very kind of you, Ilise, but you are mistaken. I am not pregnant," Lena said, unsure of her own words. Ilise's smooth brow faintly furrowed.

"You're sure? You're positively radiant Lena, your skin glows. And, forgive me if this is too forward, but those...curves of yours appear quite generous, and new perhaps? Considering the tightness of your gown," Ilise mentioned, eyes unabashedly sweeping over Lena's body.

Lena nervously adjusted the neckline of her gown, designed by the celebrated Helga Eichmann, the finest dressmaker of Berlin. Helga had created a number of pieces customized for her at Renz's expensive behest, specifically crafted to enhance the womanly aspects of her body.

Lena glanced down at her chest, at the ample, rounded cleavage Helga's design created. Perhaps her body had indeed swelled as a result of an unborn babe.

Or perhaps, this previously unworn dress was simply more scandalous than she'd originally thought.

Lena shook her head.

"You flatter me, Ilise. But...there is no babe," Lena said again. Ilise smiled sweetly and took another sip of her tea, before her expression grew somber.

"Well, I'm sure you will make a wonderful mother, when the time is right for you. But...might I offer some advice, Lena? Do wait as long as you can before having a child with Renz," Ilise warned softly.

"Why would you say something like that?" Lena asked incredulously. Ilise leaned forward and placed a soft hand over Lena's knee.

"Lena...there are things about Renz you might not be aware of yet. Secret things. Things that...impacted our marriage, in a devastating way," Ilise said. Lena slowly exhaled. This was no secret to her.

"You mean his infidelity? I'm well aware, and that's not something I'm concerned about," Lena replied defensively. Ilise gently shook her head, and her hand slowly rose higher on Lena's thigh.

"You're a very beautiful girl, Lena. I have no doubt that you hold his heart, and his lusts, in your pretty palm. But Renz has certain...appetites. Granted all men do, they're all animals, aren't they? But Renz, his appetites are...stronger, than most. More primal. It will only bring you pain if you don't know how to prepare for it," Ilise said. Her voice had dropped to a near whisper, with a sensual softness that was almost as hypnotizing as the sweet aroma of the tea.

Lena shifted uncomfortably, distancing herself from Ilise's continually questing hand on her thigh. Ilise spoke as if participating in idle canards, seemingly unaware of the true implications of her scandalous words, far beyond the mere quantity of Renz's sexual demands.

Blush flooded her cheeks as Lena's mind immediately wandered to the night before, to the rough way Renz had used her body. How he'd frightened her and hurt her, pummeling her sore pussy with a violence that had made her scream and cry.

But the act itself wasn't the most terrifying aspect of their coupling. It wasn't the way she'd choked on his cock, his thick, hard flesh stretching her mouth well beyond comfort. It wasn't the way he'd angrily handled her, throwing her against the lounge, grabbing her, and yanking her hair. It wasn't the way he'd held her down and immobilized her, muffling her screams of pain as he relentlessly thrust within her.

None of that was as terrifying as the sheer fact that even though she felt violated by the man she loved, Lena had physically enjoyed every horrifying moment of the degradation, so much that she'd climaxed.

With a deep breath, Lena distanced herself further from Ilise.

"I'm feeling much better now, Ilise. Thank you for the tea. You're right...it was quite healing. I wish you well," Lena said, weakly standing from the lounge.

"Lena, please don't go so soon. I mean you neither harm nor offense. I wish only happiness for you both," Ilise called. Lena curled her fingers in her gown and took slow, careful steps towards the front doors.

"I need to return to Schloss Wolfenbarger before the day escapes me entirely," Lena replied.

To her unease, Ilise stood and began to follow her, wrapping her hand around Lena's upper arm.

"At least let me walk you back downstairs. You're still very weak, with whatever it is that ails you," Ilise said.

Feeling too tired to protest, Lena silently walked alongside Ilise as she guided her out of the hotel suite.

Her temporary strength began to waver once she returned downstairs, and she struggled to find a way to distance herself from Ilise without drawing too much attention, now that they stood in a lobby with dozens of wealthy witnesses.

"It's been lovely, Ilise—"

Lena released an involuntary squeak when Ilise suddenly wrapped her in a tight hug, as if embracing a long lost relative. Lena struggled to free herself from Ilise's grasp, but the woman seemed to hold her ever tighter, nearly suffocating her.

"Ilise, you're hurting me—"

"Beware the animal that lies within Renz, Lena. You must let him feed on your flesh — that's the only way you can control him. If you starve him, if you refuse him...hewill attack, when you least expect it. And he will hurt you...more than you can fathom," Ilise whispered, directly in her ear.

Lena was too stunned and fearful to react when Ilise suddenly released her from her firm grip, gently ushering her outside with a sudden, bright smile

"Always a pleasure to see you, darling Lena. Safe journey home!" Ilise called.

******

"Where the hell have you been?" Karl hissed. Lena lowered her head and bashfully extended the supplies from the hospital.

"I'm so sorry, Karl," Lena apologized. She tried to ignore the hurt in her chest when Karl snatched the bag away from her, quickly digging through its contents.

She reminded herself that she had no right or reason to feel offended by his behavior, considering all that had happened the night before. And she was late, much later than she said she would be, for darkness had long fallen upon the grounds of Schloss Wolfenbarger.

She'd risked Ava's health with her own foolish illness and distraction.

But to her surprise, Karl paused his frantic medicine preparation, and turned to Lena with an apologetic frown on his face.

"No...I'm sorry, Lena. Forgive me. I can become quite cross without rest. I do thank you for going into town today, and bringing everything back," Karl said. Lena nodded.

"Well...I am sorry for my lateness. I know how worried you are. How is Ava?" Lena asked. She watched warily as Karl prepped a long, thin injection, and she began feeling nauseous again.

Surely such a needle would be devastatingly painful...

"Still asleep, which is good. Her vitals have been strengthening each hour. This will help clear the infection, and I'll give her something for the pain once she awakens," Karl muttered, quickly retreating to Ava's bedside.

Lena watched in nervous fascination as Karl tenderly sat next to the still unmoving Ava, murmuring something too quiet for Lena to hear. He softly massaged an exposed area of skin in the crook of her pale arm before delivering the full contents of the needle, quickly and seamlessly.

"I'm surprised that didn't wake her," Lena mentioned, once Karl returned to the sitting area. Karl shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not sure why...they didn't wake you when I gave them to you, either," Karl mentioned. Lena's eyes widened in shock and horror.

"You can't be serious...you put...those in me?" Lena asked, voice rising. Karl smiled weakly.

"No need to fear needles, Lena. Especially these. I engineered these prototypes myself. Delivered with the proper technique, they're virtually imperceptible to patients," Karl explained.

Lena nodded quickly, eager to talk about anything else.

"Have you spoken to Renz yet?" she asked. Karl inhaled tensely.

"I was hoping you had...I haven't seen him today. I tried searching for him earlier, but one of the butlers said he'd already left," Karl replied.

Dread began to collect in her lower belly, further provoking her latent nausea. There were only two possible alternatives — Renz either didn't know about the stillbirth, or he knew, and was devastated.

And if the latter, Lena knew he was likely also furious that the grave information hadn't come from either Karl or herself.

The nervous tension between them was momentarily disrupted by the sudden arrival of Ava's handmaiden.

"Fräulein Odette is now fast asleep. How is Frau? May I see her?" Greta asked softly. It was obvious to Lena that Greta also felt a special, personal fondness for her lady, for the concern in her eyes was unmistakable.

"She's still asleep. And actually, if you wouldn't mind watching over her for about an hour or two—"

"It would be my honor, Doktor Günther," Greta replied quickly, with a delicate bow. Needing no further instruction, Greta disappeared into Ava's chambers.

It was only then that Karl seemed to find the strength to exhale.

"I'm going to eat something and bathe so I don't offend Ava when she wakes," Karl muttered dryly. Lena placed a soft hand on his shoulder.

"And rest, please? I'll be awake for a while at least. Between me, and Greta, Ava will be well-supervised. Gather your strength Karl. Ava's going to need it," Lena urged.

With a sharp nod, Karl acquiesced, and disappeared downstairs to the kitchens. Lena started down the hallway, intent to retire to Renz's suite to wait for his return.

But a little voice made her pause.

"Tante Lena?"

Lena paused and swallowed hard, attempting to settle her face into something resembling composure and maturity. She turned around and found Dot standing barefoot and alone in the wide hallway, holding her beloved doll.

Lena forced a smile and kneeled next to where the tiny child stood.

"You should be sleeping, Dot. Don't you want to grow tall and strong like Mama?" Lena asked. Lena's smile faded when she noticed just how tear-stained the child's rosy cheeks were.

"Where is Bruder?" Dot asked. Lena sharply inhaled, unsure of how to answer.

"He's...gone to heaven, Dot," Lena replied. Dot's eyes welled with heavy tears.

"But I never got to meet him," Dot cried. She flung her arms around Lena's neck with a surprising strength, considering her small size. Lena stood and held the child fondly as she cried, gently rocking her.

"You'll meet him one day, Dot. But for now...he's an angel. A beautiful angel. And he's laughing and playing in heaven with other angels," Lena said.

"And angel kittens?" Dot asked, with heavy sniffles. Lena smiled and ran a hand through the child's unruly blonde ringlets.

"Yes, lots of angel kittens. And angel puppies, and ponies, and even angel bunny rabbits. It's a beautiful place with lots of sunshine, and lots of flowers. So don't cry, Dot. Bruder is in a very happy place," Lena said.

The child's teary hiccups soon began to settle as Lena continued to rock her back and forth. And to Lena's relief, the cries eventually ceased altogether, replaced by light snoring.

She continued to rock and quietly hum to the child as she carried her back to her suite, a series of small rooms connected to Ava's, decorated in shades of lavender.

Gently, Lena placed the child back in her bed.

"I want to see Bruder," Dot said sleepily.

"Then close your eyes, and you can see him in your dreams. Can you dream of heaven?" Lena asked. Dot nodded, eyes beginning to fall again.

Lena pulled the covers around Dot's shoulders, before slowly tiptoeing out of the room.

"Tante Lena?" Dot called again. Lena sighed and slowly turned around.

"What is it, Dot?" Lena asked.

"Is Vater in heaven too?"

Lena was taken aback by the question, and she cursed herself for being unprepared for it. She hoped that Dot's sleepy query meant that she'd never seen the version of her father Lena had experienced, the violent, cruel sadist who had kidnapped, stripped, and tortured her, and built his fortune on the backs of countless abused women.

She hoped Ludovic had hidden that aspect of his life from his daughter, showing Dot only kindness and love.

With a sigh, Lena finally answered Dot.

"Yes, Dot. Vater is in heaven, too. Now go to sleep," Lena called. Lena waited a few moments for Dot's snoring to resume, before slowly closing the door behind her.

The darkened estate echoed with a haunting, somber stillness as Lena restlessly wandered the halls of Schloss Wolfenbarger. She eventually found her way to the kitchens, gratefully accepting a light spread of bread and fruit to settle her stomach, before retreating to her suite for a warm, cleansing bath.

She left her quarters and traveled up the stairs once thoroughly refreshed, but soon waves of exhaustion beginning to roll over her body, urging her to sleep. She hoped desperately that Renz would return home soon, and safely.

The terrors from the night before, Ilise's haunting words...it all suddenly seemed so insignificant. Lena wanted nothing more than to comfort Renz, for she knew that he was hurting.

To her disappointment, the Master apartments remained painfully empty, elegant furnishings nobly reflective of their powerful owner. Lena crept into his bedroom, blindly hopeful that Renz had somehow entered undetected, but it, too, stood still and vacant.

She curled up at the foot of his bed, wrapping herself in his sleeping robe, deeply inhaling his masculine scent. Everything that had happened between them the night before, his anger, his roughness...seemed irrelevant, considering all that had transpired immediately after.

There was no denying that Lena was still fearful of Renz, and all he was capable of.

But the strongest part of her loved him, all the same.

It was with heavy tears that Lena eventually drifted off to a disturbed, tense sleep filled with visions of dungeons, torture instruments, and severe violence.

The cold, desolate cell where she'd spent only four days, but had perceived as purgatorial years...

Get up, whore.

The chains around her neck, her wrists, her knees, her ankles, the way Felix had yanked her back and forth like a dog, strangling her...

He is going to fuck you in any way he pleases.

The beatings in Ludovic's office, the way her spine had nearly shattered under his forceful strikes...

I vow to you, Lena, you will leave this room tonight a broken, defeated whore.

The blood chilling screams of women, so many women, all suffering at the hands of monstrous patrons...

...cater to the type of depraved men that hunger only for seeing a young, beautiful woman abused and humiliated.

The pistol against her head, and Renz's look of pure terror, as Ludovic threatened to kill her.

If I kill her...it would destroy you, wouldn't it?

And then, worst of all, the sight of Renz falling in pain as Ludovic shot him, blood flooding his shirt...

The sound of the gunshot loudly echoed in Lena's ears, and she awakened with a frightful shriek, blindly searching around the room for Renz's fallen body.

And she found him, crouched on the floor of the bedroom, moaning in pain.

"Oh no...Renz!" Lena cried, quickly leaping off of the bed to help him. Her heart still raced in panicked agitation, her body not yet forgetting the horrors of her nightmares.

"Fell...fucking fell," Renz muttered angrily, wobbling as he stood to his feet. Lena exhaled, for that explained the loud sound.

She held him around his muscled waist as best as she could, but it appeared the inebriated man she loved had no real intention of helping her.

"Where have you been? I was so worried about you!" Lena gasped, guiding Renz to a nearby lounge. She kneeled in front of him and removed his shoes, before pulling away his coat.

"Oh, but you ran away from me, Lena love," Renz slurred. A pang of guilt struck her in her chest.

"I'm sorry...I was just frightened. But none of that matters now. Sir...something awful has happened," Lena began. She held his handsome face in her hands, and his stubble scratched her palms as she struggled to steady him enough to listen to her.

To her surprise, he abruptly jerked his head away from her grasp.

"I know about the stillbirth, Lena. Aservant told me," Renz said icily. Lena lowered her head shamefully.

"I'm so sorry, sir...and I'm so sorry you had to find out that way," Lena said softly. She tentatively reached out to touch him again, and to her relief, he didn't retreat.

"Oh my dear...I hardly think that's all you need to be sorry about. Tell me where you were today," Renz said lowly. Lena froze.

"Answer me, Lena. Where were you today?" Renz asked again. Lena gulped and lowered her head.

"I went into town...Ava needed more medicine. I was just trying to help," Lena replied quickly.

"Even after what we talked about yesterday, Lena? You still felt the need to disobey me?" Renz asked, voice drunkenly rising. Lena quickly shook her head and tried fruitlessly to subdue him.

"No...no, sir, I didn't mean to...I was just—"

"Do you enjoy graying me with worry? Does it grant you pleasure to see just how quickly my sanity erodes when it comes to threats to your safety?" Renz demanded.