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Chapter 3

Marion hid the sack of coal in a pile of snow before she struggled with the heavy gate. Judging from the tracks in the snow none had entered or left the mansion this cold winter day.

"I need to see him," she mumbled and moved forward through the snow. Finally she stood by large doors to the mansion. She pulled the handle to the entrance bell.

An eternity seemed to pass before the door opened. Inside was Carl Masters, chamberlain of the baron. He gave Marion one short stare before he frowned. Marion did her best to hide her gladness of seeing him.

"State you business," he said.

"I need to talk to the baron," Marion said.

"I reckon you have not a negotiated a meeting before coming here," he said in a smug tone.

"I haven't, but I really need to see him. Could you please ask him," Marion begged.

"Out of question," Masters spat and pulled the doors closed.

"No wait, please, I really need to see him," Marion cried out. Yet the doors shut with a bang.

She thought about to pull the cord to the entrance bell again when she heard the barons voice from above.

"Marion Smith?" Edvard Winters asked from his position on the balcony on the second floor.

"Yes, it is me," Marion responded. She barely dared to raise her gaze, yet she must see him. She looked at him and he did not disappear, but he did not look at her with kind eyes.

"Is there a purpose with your visit here?" the baron asked. The way he put stress on the word here left little doubt of what he thought of Marion's presence.

"No, I mean yes...I needed to be sure that you were alive," Marion stuttered.

"Why shouldn't I?" the baron asked amused. "I have no enemies. The people living in the barony hold no quarrel against me."

"Don't be so damn sure," Marion responded. "It might be your undoing."

"Even if it was true," Baron Winters said. "What would a prostitute like you know about it? Is this in fact some kind of lame try to blackmail me for money?"

Marion shook her head unable to respond aloud. It was the baron that continued.

"Let me assure you that all your credibility disappeared long ago. I informed everyone that I cast you out because you neglected your duties and tumbled with the stable hand and none doubt my word."

"The child would have been stillborn," Marion said.

"None can know that. I ask you again, why are you here?" Edvard Winters asked.

"The truth is that I love you," Marion whispered.

"I have had enough," the baron stated. "Start running before I send the dogs after you."

"No, don't do this. I just want to talk," Marion begged.

From inside the house a voice came.

"Baron, no need for you to deal with this. I use the dogs to chase the tramp away," Carl Masters said.

The baron nodded and left the balcony.

"Edvard Winters, you need to listen to me. Something supernatural happened to me. I know things you need to know," Marion tried, but there came no reply except the sound of excited dogs inside.

"Shit," Marion mumbled and turned and ran.

Tears flowing down her cold cheeks as she raced towards the gates. She know that Carl Masters was a man of his word. He did not make empty threats. If he said he would let the dogs chase her he would do so.

She reached the gate and did not dare to try open it. Instead she climbed upwards. The dogs had reached the gate moments later, but came to late. With a grunt of pain she landed on her sack of coal outside. On the inside of the gate the dogs barked.

She wanted to just lay there and sob, but did not dare. Carl Master may decide to continue the chase outside the estate.

She stumbled forward and after an eternity she saw the door to her room in the slums. How she hated everything that room stood for, yet she entered with a sigh of relief. To keep herself from bursting into tears again she lit the heater and made herself some porridge. As she ate she slowly calmed down.

"Fool of me to expect love when everyone else has treated my like plague ridden," she said to herself.

Suddenly the door swung open as a man armed with buckler and pike stepped inside. The colors on his coat showed he belonged to the city guard.

"I have the night watch so we need to make this quick," he said as he viewed Marion with a grin on his face.

Marion stared back from where she sat on the floor by the heater.

"Drop your clothes!" the city guard ordered as he put down his gears by the door.

"No," Marion mumbled and shook her head.

"What?" the soldier asked as he dropped his coat.

"I don't want to," Marion said.

"Have you forgotten the deal?" the guard spat. "The city guard ignores the business in this house in exchange for free access to you."

Marion glanced at the bed and back at the guard.

"I won't. I don't give damn about the deal. It's rape if you force yourself on me," Marion told.

The guard hit her with his open palm. With a yelp of pain Marion tumbled backward into the coal bin. Her cheek stung from where he hit her but her groan of pain came from crashing into the coal bin.

"Spread those leg for me like a good whore," the guard exclaimed as he pulled Marion up and pushed her towards the bed.

Crying Marion crawled over the bed and scrambled towards the door on her knees. The guard chuckled and easily intercepted her try to escape. Somehow the guard has dropped his clothes. Marion looked away in disgust as he stood their, blocking the only exit from the room.

She sat their trembling when her left hand touched something hard and cold, a shard from the broken mirror. The guard stepped just in range. He gripped her hair and pulled her forward towards his foul smelling crotch.

Marion screamed in anger as she thrusted with mirror shard. The guard staggered backwards with a scream of pain. His blood covered hands clutching his genitals. With a bang he crashed into the corner and curled into a ball.

"I will make you pay for this," he bellowed.

Marion felt bile in her throat as she desperately tried to breath without smelling the blood.

"Leave me alone or everyone will learn you let a whore cut your genitals up," Marion whispered. Somehow the guard heard her through his anguish. He stared back at her with fear in his eyes.

"You wouldn't like the other soldiers learn about this, would you?" Marion asked. Her voice more steady, but her face still deadly pale.

"If you are dead you can't talk," the soldier threatened. He had stopped to spasm, but did still clutch his groin.

"Are you sure none will start to ask you questions if I disappear after you visited me," Marion said. "You did brag to the other soldiers about going here to sample me, didn't you?"

"None must know," the guard admitted.

"None will know unless I run into problems" Marion stated, as she forced herself to deliver a cruel smile.

"Be gone when I return," Marion said and ran for the door. She could not stand being in the room a moment more.

She had walked past many blocks when she looked down at her hand and saw she carried the mirror shard. Embarrassed she leaned down in the snow to wash the blood stains away.

When she looked into the mirror shard she saw her old room at the mansion. Besides from the other Marion another woman stood there. It took some moments to realize that the woman wore one of Marion's own dresses. She also had some jewellery that Marion recognized as her own. The woman turned towards the mirror and a look of recognition appeared on the woman’s face. She could without doubt see Marion just like Marion could see her.

"Veronica Simmons," Marion exclaimed when she recognized the face. She vaguely knew her as a shop owner from Baker's street, a shop that had closed some months back.. Marion had only seen her in distance when visited other shops on Baker's Street. She had definitely never invited her to visit the mansion.

The other Marion did also look towards the mirror now. Marion looked at her and saw some pity in her eyes, yet mostly she saw relief. The other Marion glanced at Veronica Simmons with a thankful smile and then fetched a blanket to put over the mirror. The mirror image of the mansion disappeared to show the natural reflection.

"Does Veronica has something to do with the magic that bought me here? Could she somehow have the impression that I had anything to do with her shop getting closed?" Marion wondered. She didn't know, but she must learn, with determined steps Marion walked towards Baker's street.