The Diary of Cozette Read Free

house came my aunt’s shrill call, searching for Edward.
    “No…time,” he groaned, pushing his crotch stiffly against mine. “You will pay dearly, cousin, for not complying. I swear.”
    I closed my eyes, praying he would stop, fearful that if I moved an inch, he would do much greater damage. I lay still, my tears streaming from my squeezed tight lids, his bulging crotch pushing in a bizarre erratic movement against my clothed body. His breath caught and a groan followed. He fell exhausted on top of me.
    My skin was clammy, drenched in fear.
    He pressed his crotch once more against my belly and whispered with menace in my ear, “You will learn in time, dear cousin, how to better please a man.”
    I pushed him off with all I had in me and scrambled with haste down the rope ladder, his laughter chasing me the entire way. I did not stop to think that I might lose my footing and break my neck. I was humiliated beyond belief, captive in my cousin’s horrid snare of deceit.
    He leaned out of the tree-house window with a satisfied cruel grin plastered on his face.
    “No one will believe anything you tell them, Cozette. You come from filth and filth you will always be.”
    I ran until it was dark, hiding in the woods. I shivered inside a hollowed-out log after giving up my breakfast and wondered of my options. I would have to tell someone. He could not get away with this. I made the decision; never to be so vulnerable again.
    And now, Edward has told his parents that I brazenly took off my clothes and tried to seduce him.
    “It was awkward, Mother. I did not want to insult her and yet I did not know how to respond to such an advance. I—I’ve never seen a girl with no—”
    “Enough,” his mother halted him with her upturned hand.
    “You must believe me, Mother. I have treated her with the same regard as you, well aware of the circumstances of her unfortunate upbringing.”
    I stared at the lying filth, astounded the same blood ran through our veins.
    “Anne Cozette, what have you to say to these allegations?” His mother stood between us, her arms folded over her chest, her mouth stretched in a firm line.
    “With due respect, Aunt Eleanor, what he says is a lie—”
    Her expression changed from stern to one of horror.
    “I was reading in the tree house, when he came upon me and forced himself on me most cruelly, like some wild animal.” I stood my ground, chin thrust upward in determination. I kept my hardened gaze on that of my weasel cousin. He would perhaps now receive justice for his offense.
    “That is simply preposterous, child. Edward is no more capable of such vile behavior than am I. I would recommend dear girl that you immediately come forth with what truly transpired, or I shall be forced to consider your future here. Frederick, have you heard what she has said about your son?”
    My uncle remained silent, removed from the conversation, as he sipped his tea and read his paper. He did not utter one word in my defense. The odds of the truth being revealed were dwindling by the moment and so I took a stand in my own defense. “I will not manufacture a story in order to appease your blindness, Aunt Eleanor. I have given you the truth and that is all I can offer.”
    Edward’s lip curled to a sneer. He clasped his hands in front of him, playing the part of the innocent child with supreme dedication.
    “You are a smart-mouthed little witch and I knew it the moment you stepped into my home. Very well, Anne, I have tried, most dutifully, and only in your dear father’s memory to bring you up properly. But I can see now that to allow you to remain endangers the upbringing of my child, and I cannot abide that. You give me no choice but to send you away from here. I can only hope that one day you will learn to become a respectable member of society.”
    My heart stopped altogether. What was to happen to me? Was she sending me to a boarding school? “But you cannot, I have done nothing to cause this