I give a quick glance behind me, then rush over to him. I pull him in a tight hug and press a kiss on his lips. "I've missed you." I murmur.

He pushes my tangled hair behind my ear, "How was London?"

"The usual, loud chaotic, I'm just glad to be back, with you." I press my lips back to his as he pulls me into a stall. I sit on a bale of hay looking up at him as he straddles my legs and kisses me passionately.

"Andrew," My father calls out towards the barn moments later. I hesitantly remove my lips from Elijah's.

"Just a moment father," I yell back. I look back to Elijah's lips; he eagerly brings his mouth back to mine. This was so wrong, I thought in the very depths of my mind. I'm kissing my servant boy in the barn, things were constantly escalating between the two of us, this made it hard to say good by to him.

"Elijah, I have to go," I whisper in his mouth. He pulls back and looks at me with his cerulean blue eyes staring into the depths of my sole.

"Can I come see you tonight?"

"Of course, I will leave the window open." I press my lips to his and run out the barn meeting my father head on.

"What are you doing son?"

"I was cleaning my horse," I lie confidently.

"Well you don’t need to do that, that is what Elijah is for. Go on inside your mother wants you."

"Yes father," I bow my head and walk towards my home. Mother is sitting on the floor with my little sister wrapped in her arms. She looks distraught, I wonder why my father would send me to see her. "Mother?" I say cautiously taking steps towards her.

"I saw you outside," she starts; my stomach plummets to the floor, surly she is not referring to moments ago, which would be impossible. Elijah and I are smart and discrete. No one followed me out there. I hide the scared look on my face then she continues, "what do you and Elijah do in the barn?" her golden eyes raise and meet mine, "And don’t you lie to me."

"Mother, I can explain." I start.

"No need, your father is handling the boy, I didn’t tell him what I saw, but I have convinced him to let you marry Lorie Adams."

"No," I say, Lorie is a sweet girl, she just turned 14 and her family need to marry into a wealthy family like mine, but I had no love for her.

"This is not for discussion, they have the land we need and I will not have you disgrace your fathers good name."

I shake my head and storm out the house, I hear Elijah yelp in pain, my walk turned in to a flat sprint as I hear him scream again. I arrive at the barn to witness my father getting ready to whip Elijah again, I step in front of his quickly moving arm and take the hit directly on my face, my right eye flashes white as ice streams across my cheek. The ice quickly fades to fire but the pain is not what I'm worrying about.

"Elijah," I say his name to reassure him that he is safe.

"Out of my way Andrew, this thief is getting his 20 lashes, do not interrupt me." Father says in a stern voice but I can't stand to look at the red puckering marks tainting Elijah's alabaster skin. I step up to remove him from his hanging position.

"Elijah has done nothing wrong," I yell as Elijah wraps his shaking arms around me. I look down at him, his lips still red from our kissing, tears stream down his face as his unsteady breath cause him to hiccup.

"Don’t leave me," his breath is ragged and the words spill out of his mouth silently only I can hear them.

"Andrew you will be next, get out of here." I glance up to father, he gave me an unusual look glancing at the way Elijah was holding me.

"I will not, " I say in a firm voice. I put my arm around Elijah my fingers grazing down his arm.

"What is going on with the two of you?"

Elijah looks up at me, he has wanted me to run off with him for years, he has purposed we go to America several times but I just cant. I'm not ready.

I take a ragged breath, "Father. Elijah is...." words failed me I turn my head in shame.

"Our son is queer," Mother speaks from the barn door.

"What did you just say?" Fathers face grows red.

"You heard me William, he is queer with that boy."

" I ... Father... please," I stammer over my words; Elijah's stares at mother in shock. The rest happens so quickly I'm on the floor before I realize Father is beating me with the whip, Elijah is crying "Stop!" but the whips keep coming. I black out the pain is so excruciating.

I wake, hours later in the dead of the night on the back of a horse wondering towards the city. Every part of my body is blistering with searing hot pain. I am slumped over the horse in such a way I can not move nor sit up enough to gain control of the treading horse. My body hurts to much for that, instead I close my eyes and hope that the pain will disappear.

Next time I wake the horse has stopped for water. The sun is creeping over the horizon warming the earth. My mouth is dry and defiled with the salty rusted taste of blood. I push off the stirrup pad groaning as the open wounds peel off the seat. I slide the rest of my body off the saddle. I fall to the hard stone ground, It feels like my bones all mash together for the slightest moment then they shatter apart.

My back, like my life, was broken. Father threw me out, mother let him, and Elijah. I cry, the tears slide down my cheeks not out of pain or discomfort but sadness. If this is what father did to me what did he do to Elijah? Images of father hanging my love raped my mind making me want to die.

I dare not to open my eyes when water is dripped on my face. The sun is directly above me now but the road is as silent as it was when I arrived.

"Chap," an man pats my face, I open my eyes lazily hoping that he is a drunkard and would quickly leave me. Instead I am in the presents of a handsome young lad not much older then myself. He has jet black hair combed back in an unusual way. My throat is dry as fire and every attempt I make to speak, tell him to leave me to die, are failed with even more pain being placed upon me.

There was a warm liquid placed on my mouth it was bitter and sweet, I swallowed some my throat rejoicing as if I was drinking from the fountain of youth. My body hurt so much less and everything began to fade.

"No, no, don’t be greedy" the man pulls the liquid from my mouth, I lick my lips and thank him. I don’t want him to go but I can not move

"What is your name?" the man ask.

"Andrew Blaine," I mummer my eyes closed I was fatigued suddenly, my head, though it is on the floor, is spinning.

" I am Simon, I'm going to take you back to my home, and fix you." I'm sure I did something to tell him to go ahead because I was picked up and wind was brushing past me as if I were on a horse going its fastest speed.

I awake again this time in a grand bed with new clothes on. I was clean head to toe and my body did not hurt. Food sat beside me on the bed table. I glanced around the room my memory foggy on how I got here. My stomach growled, I hadn't eaten in a while, the roasted duck beside me looked ravishing, I reached over to the plate and brought it into my lap. The duck was perfect, delicately spiced and greasy, I gouge myself in the delicacy. I saw the ducks frame before I looked up to find what else this strange house provided for me. A gold rim glace of water sat the same place the duck was, I grab the water and gulp it down, panting wishing I had more.

I set the glass down, my greasy fingerprints smudged its perfection, I didn’t think to hard on it, instead I climb out of the for post bed and realize I am moving with put pain. My hand shoot to my face, the whip marks were gone. I rushed to the bathroom to look into the mirror I wore a white blouse and tan trousers, my hair was brushed back into a ponytail. I didn’t recognize the man in the mirror, I was scar less. "Andrew?"

I step out the bathroom and look at the man who rescued me, he stood tall, his green eyes bore into mine a smile appears across his face, "are you feeling well?"

"I am thank you, for everything," I bow my head.

"Do you have a place to go?" Simon ask.

"No I... I was thrown out of my home,"

"I leave tomorrow for America, will you come with me?"

I stare at Simon, he met me less then 2 hours ago and is ready to take me with him across seas. Who am I kidding I had nothing here in Britain anymore. "I would be honored to accompany you."