“Wake up.”

There was a painful tug on her arm, dragging her out of the darkness until her eyelids were giving way to a blurry image.

“Hey, wake up!” Jenkins. The slimy drunk! Immediately, she remembered where she was.

Groaning, she sat up straighter and waited until his image became clearer. She tore her eyes off of him long enough to take in her environment; the wagon. What was she doing in a wagon?!

“Hurry up now.” A sharp pain followed his words as he grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the wagon, until her wobbly feet were coming to settle on the ground.

She opened her mouth to protest, but his hold on her simply tightened as he began dragging her along.

Where were there?! Her eyes drifted from left to right and back again, realizing as she did that they were on what seemed to her like a farm. She was uncertain, but there were several ridges in the distance, and the white two-story building Jenkins was now dragging her toward seemed like the home of the farmer. Several potted colorful plants sat on the porch, lining both sides of the stairs. There was a porch swing as well, and the screen door leading into the building stood firmly shut.

Wincing in pain, she bit down on her lower lip and fought to keep herself from stumbling. It was difficult to keep up with Jenkins, and the pain in her head, coupled with the painful grip he had on her arm, made it impossible to fight against his hold on her or to protest his actions of dragging her against her will to a destination she knew could only bring bad news.

They reached the building and he took the stairs two at a time, causing her to indeed stumble and fall forward, pain immediately shooting up her arm.

“Ow!” She gritted her teeth.

“Get up, whore!” The pain in her skull immediately told her he had taken a handful of her hair and was jerking her upright with it.

Weak —physically and emotionally— it was a wonder she was able to rise to her feet and stumble up the stairs until she was barely standing by his side. Every muscle in her body hurt, and her belly ached from its deprivation of hunger.

She staggered, nearly falling forward once more until his hold on her arm tightened, steadying her.

Ignoring the pain in her arm and entire body, she simply focused what was left of her energy on keeping her two feet planted on the floor. She certainly could not afford yet another fall.

The door swung open and her blurry vision came to rest on a pair of dusty boots.

“Here she is.” Jenkins angry voice drifted to her, shoving her forward.

His sudden movement caused her to lose her footing once more, and with the absence of anything to steady her, she braced herself for the fall, her vision blurring once more.

“What in the world?!”

She hit something solid, and rather than fall to the ground, strong arms encircled her, breaking her fall. Her wobbly feet were suddenly relieved of their task of having to hold up her weight, and her bruised body was suddenly nestling against something solid.

“It ain't my fault she chose to starve herself.” Jenkins snarled. She would have snapped back at him if she had the energy to respond, but she unfortunately did not have any ounce of energy left. Her body was weak, and her mind was going blank. Fatigue washed over her until it was simply impossible to keep her eyelids apart.

Nestling further against the firm, solid surface, her eyelids flickered shut.

“You better pray to God she doesn't die, you animal!” The unfamiliar voice sounded upset. Who was he? Her mind scrambled for answers, but came up with none. “Or I won't just have you arrested for theft but I will also have you arrested for murder! Get off of my property, and never come back!”

Unable to fight the darkness any longer, Sharon gave into it.

~*~

Matthew stared at the blonde head asleep on the bed. Not only was she frail, she was bruised as well. There was no doubt in his mind that Jenkins had been abusive toward her, and if he doubted his decision to marry her in the past, now he was certain he made the right decision. He should have known Jenkins would hurt her! He should have known, and he should have gone along with the fool to bring her home with him, rather than subjecting her to his cruel treatment.

Frowning, he stared at her swollen face and blood stained dress. She certainly needed a change of outfit and perhaps even a warm bath? He knew the bath could wait, but he did not think the change of dress could. Unfortunately for him however, he had given Nana Lois had taken time off to spend time with her new grandson. Therefore, he would have to take her clothes off himself, and help her into another one.

Would she be upset by the time she wakes up to find herself clad in something other than this ripped, ugly gray dress? And where was he going to get a dress her size? Jenkins delivered her over to him without a dress, and the mere thought of helping her out of this one without her permission, caused heat to climb up the side of his neck and set his entire face on fire. He would hate for her to wake up and catch him in the middle of taking her clothes off. Worst still, he would hate to catch a glimpse of her unclad body without her permission.

Running a finger through his hair, he let out a soft sigh. He would indeed see her unclad, sooner or later. Once they were married they would certainly need to spend time together, wouldn't they? They would live as man and wife, wouldn't they? Sure, their meeting was unconventional, but he indeed hoped to have a real marriage with her.

Still, the thought of catching a glimpse of her unclad body made him nervous. She certainly had a lovely face —malnourished, yet he knew once she ate the right diet, then her beauty would become even more pronounced. Her thin, pale lips would become fuller and perhaps even gain some color. Her pale skin, stained with bruises, would heal and regain life. Her messy, tangled blonde hair would appear lush once it had been exposed to some oil, and a brush. She was indeed lovely; it would only be a matter of time before that fact becomes even more pronounced.

If her face was lovely, then he had no doubt in him that the rest of her was lovely as well. His eyes drifted down to her neck, where the neckline of her dress fell short on her collarbone. Slowly, he reached out and ran the tip of his index finger over her neck, mentally willing his touch to awaken her; it didn't.

After several minutes of debating with himself, Matthew soon made his way out of his room —where his new soon-to-be bride laid asleep— and down the stairs to Nana Lois' room. He knew it was an invasion of her privacy to search her trunk for clothes, but he also knew she would not have minded if she was around.

Finding a long sleeves white nightdress in the trunk, he carried it back up the stairs and to his room.

Releasing a soft sigh, he leaned over her, hefting her frail form into his arms.

A soft moan escaped her lips at his action, causing him to freeze for a second. Once he realized she was still asleep, he took off the buttons around her neck behind, and peeled the dress off of her body, revealing an old, worn out shift underneath.

A small frown tugged on his brows at the sight of the old garment that clung to her body. It seemed several years old and undersized.

“The innocent girl you're forcing to marry you in exchange for the cancellation of her father's debts.”

He suddenly remembered Stanley's words the morning before and immediately felt sorry for her. She was certainly from a less than modest home, and was most likely unable to afford new undergarments.

After contemplating whether or not it was appropriate to take off her undergarment, Matthew decided it was; she was going to be his wife anyway, and he hated seeing the rag on her. He would buy her new undergarments once they were married.

With a small smile creasing his face at the very thought of being married to the sleeping beauty before him, he began taking off the rag that was in no way befitting of her. And for a second, after he had succeeded in taking off all her clothes, he let himself catch a glimpse of her, before helping her into Nana Lois' nightdress, deciding in his head that the rest of her was indeed lovely.