Eternity Ring

Seriously shaken, Rhonda picked herself up off the floor. It was just like the dream. Indeed, she would swear her violator was the same man, but, this time, she had been wide awake. She felt her side. The area between her right hip and her ribs still ached, although there wasn't the slightest sign of any damage and, as for between her thighs, she almost vomited from the recollection. She picked herself up off the floor and went to the bathroom. The face that stared back from the mirror over the sink was gaunt and drawn. It was going to take a while to get to sleep that night.

"'Morning, Boss!" Jessica said chirpily when she arrived at work at six thirty the next morning. "Looks like I can go after all. I've packed my case; it's in the boot of the car. What time are we leaving?"

"As soon as possible. We've quite a way to go. Have you ever driven a van before?"

"No... I thought you would be doing the driving. Oh... I'm not sure..." You didn't need to be a mind reader to pick up on Jessica's lack of confidence.

"It's over five hundred miles so I'd appreciate it if you'd do some of it. Come on, it's just like a car. Anyway, I'll do the first stretch; you can have ago when we get off the motorway."

Well before seven o'clock they had gone to Malcolm's, picked up the keys for one of the institute's vans, and were heading out for the motorway. While Rhonda concentrated on the driving Jessica sat beside her, chatting away merrily even though the conversation was a bit one sided. Rhonda smiled to herself. Chris was right, a few weeks ago this would have driven her to dementia, now, well, she wasn't really listening, but she could tell that Jessica was happy and that made her happy.

"You're very cheerful today," Rhonda commented when she could finally get a word in edgeways.

"It's like we're going on holiday, isn't it?" Jessica replied. "And a bit of an adventure, off to Scotland and all."

"I wouldn't exactly describe it as a holiday. We're doing an important job here."

"Yeah, but, well, we're out of that stuffy old office and, well, it's just the two of us. The team. I love it when we work together like this."

Rhonda glanced across at Jessica and could tell that she was completely sincere. "Yeah, OK, a team, I guess."

"But you said so the other day. You said that we're a team and that I'd been really useful since I came on board."

Again Rhonda glanced across at Jessica. Although, without touching, she couldn't read Jessica's thoughts, she could feel the sense of pride at being called 'useful'.

"Yeah, well, you have been useful," Rhonda said gruffly and, as she did so, the warm glow of satisfaction coming from the passenger seat made her feel mellow. "Really useful."

And, as the van ate up the miles, as the M6 turned into the M74, then the wiggle through the central lowlands and, finally, the M9, heading for the Highlands, Rhonda found herself pondering what it must be like to be Jessica. After all, most would envy her life. She was undeniably pretty, and rich, and would want for little and yet, here she was, hanging onto a throw-away remark about being 'useful' as if it were the most important thing of all. Part of Rhonda reacted in anger, anger at Jessica for allowing herself to become so browbeaten that it would be like this but she couldn't express this anger. Jessica was so like a puppy, so keen and eager and so desperately seeking approval. Being angry with her would be unkind and unfair.

Once they were north of Stirling the motorway ended and Rhonda, exhausted from all the driving, deemed the traffic on the A9 light enough to let Jessica have a go. She pulled into a lay-by and stopped the engine of the van.

"OK, I've done more than my fair share. We're well over half way. It's time you took over."

"But I've never driven a van before."

"It's just like a car, only bigger. Anyway, you won't know whether you can or not until you try it."

They swapped places and Rhonda ran Jessica through the controls. She was pointing out the indicators when they touched briefly and Rhonda 'heard' a quick burst of 'I'll never do it, I'll never do it, I'll crash, I'll never do it'.

"You'll be fine," Rhonda reassured her, "really you will. I have every confidence in you."

And that was enough to calm Jessica down. She was still nervous, though, as she edged the van out of the lay-by and onto the road. Rhonda tried to relax but the waves of anxiety coming across the front seat of the van were making her almost as nervous as Jessica was. And then, slowly at first, Jessica started to settle down. She'd gone maybe five miles when she shifted in her seat, sitting up straighter and relaxing a bit.

"It's not that hard," she commented. "Not once you're used to it."

"Easier than you thought, eh? And you thought you'd never manage and look at you now. You've yet to try reversing which can be a bit of a bind but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I might take a nap, if you don't mind."

"No! Sorry, I didn't mean to shout. It's just that... well, I'm still a bit nervous. Can we chat for a bit?"

"OK," Rhonda desperately tried to think of a topic of conversation and came up blank. "Err... What made you think that driving a van would be hard? When you look at some of the people who do it for a living, well, if they can manage then a capable woman like you...."

Rhonda felt the warm glow radiate from Jessica as she was described as 'capable'.

"I never thought of it that way," Jessica replied. "But Jeremy, he says that women aren't good at driving large cars. Something about special awareness, he says. He keeps saying he can't believe I haven't crashed the Audi. He won't let me drive his Merc, well, not normally. The only time he lets me is when he wants to get drunk."

"I think you mean spatial awareness and that's a load of old bollocks. Women are just as good at driving as men and the size of the car has nothing to do with it."

For a while they just drove in silence. Rhonda could tell that Jessica was conflicted, that she was torn between her loyalty to Jeremy and her growing friendship with Rhonda. After a while she simply shoved it to one side and returned to chatting about this and that and nothing at all.

Even with the early start it was mid afternoon before they arrived in Lairg. Using the sat-nav they made their way to the dig and parked up. Zoe and her team were busy working away but they looked up at the sound of the van and Zoe waved them over. Rhonda jumped out of the van and strode through the heather to where the tarpaulins covered the excavation ditches. She and Zoe had known each other for many years and, in the past, had even had a brief fling.

"Wothcha!" Zoe called out. "Have you come to collect the body? I do hope you've got the preservation tank in the back of that thing."

"Body? Yes, I've brought the tank but Malcolm was pretty cagey about what we were collecting. He said he wanted it to be a surprise."

"You'll be surprised, all right. Have a look at this." Zoe turned back one of the tarpaulins and, beneath that, removed a plastic covering to reveal a dark brown corpse which was still more than half buried in the peat.

"Oh my god, he's perfect!" Rhonda exclaimed.

"He's a she and, at first glance, she's as well preserved as Lindow II, possibly more so."

"You lucky cow. A bog man, err woman! That's fantastic."

"Isn't it just. That's why I needed the preservation tank. I didn't want to excavate any further until we had it to hand. I want this little baby hermetically sealed as soon as possible."

"Yeah, we'll need to bring the van over and then we can start to...."

"Who the fuck is that?"

As they had looked up Zoe had seen Jessica making her way towards them. Her unsuitable shoes, mini skirt, halter top and bolero jacket could not have been more out of place. Rhonda had got used to Jessica's dress sense and had forgotten how strange she would appear to Zoe. As they watched Jessica tripped over, again, landing on her backside in the soft heather. Rhonda went over and helped her to her feet. As their hands touched the gateway opened.

'I look such a fool. Why did I have to dress like this? Why don't I have a pair of boots like Rhonda? Oh, god, I wish I'd never come. They'll only laugh at me.'

"Jessica, Jessica, you've got to come and look at this. Zoe's found a bog man!" Rhonda's excitement overrode any other thoughts.

With Rhonda helping, Jessica made it over to the excavation and together they peered down at the body.

"Zoe, this is Jessica, my assistant. Jessica, this is Zoe, an old friend and the luckiest cow alive. And this," Rhonda pointed at the body, "is a genuine bog man."

"I've... I've seen the one in the British Museum, you know, Pete Marsh," Jessica started. "Is this the same sort of thing? Do you know how old it is?"

Both Rhonda and Zoe smiled at hearing Lindow II described as 'Pete Marsh', the name used by the popular press but seldom in academic circles.

"Well, it's early days yet but most of the peat bodies that have been found are Iron Age and the artefacts we've already excavated seem to confirm that sort of date range. We'll start radio carbon dating once we get her back to the lab," Zoe explained.

"Her?"

"Yeah, he's a she. My very own bog lady." Zoe's pride was evident. "Now, if you've got the preservation tank then, the sooner we put this little lady to bed the better."

Jessica was left, staring at the body as Rhonda and Zoe wandered back to the van discussing the details of how they were going to manoeuvre the body into the tank without doing any damage. As she stared Jessica got the strangest feeling, as if, somehow, she recognised the body. This was crazy. Only the smallest part was exposed and there was no way she could possibly know anything, anything at all. The ring on her finger itched and, when she looked down, she saw that the stone was an electric blue. It almost seemed to shine in the late afternoon sunshine.

"So, is she your latest fling?" Zoe asked once she and Rhonda were back at the van and Jessica would not be able to hear.

"She's my assistant, honestly," Rhonda replied.

"Assistant! Bollocks to that and the train it rode in on."

"No, seriously, she's my new assistant. Malcolm hired her and I'm kind of stuck with her."

"Serious or not, I still don't believe you. She's the first archaeologist I've seen who wears heels and a mini skirt to a dig. I don't expect she'll be much use helping us getting the body into the tank. She'll be too scared of chipping a fingernail."

"She's not that bad," Rhonda protested. "OK, so she's only here because of daddy's money but she's keen, even if she doesn't know much."

"So, if she's not your new flame, you'll be wanting separate rooms at the digs tonight." Zoe was still expecting the answer 'no'.

"Yes please."

"Hmm... well, I wasn't expecting you to be accompanied so only booked for one but Edna's a real sweetie and we can sort it out when we get there. Now, If you'll drive the van down the track and park up next to the Land Rover, that's about as close as we can get."

"Edna?"

"Edna Sutherland, sole proprietress and owner of the Loch Shin boarding house. It's not exactly the Hilton but it's clean, it's warm, the food is fantastic and it's cheap enough to keep the budget down. Anyway, you'll find out soon enough."

Even with everyone, including Jessica, helping it took over two hours to dig out a large enough block of peat to completely include the body. This then had to be manoeuvred into the tank and the whole thing put back into the van. Then the cooling system was switched on and Zoe fussed over it until she was satisfied that the temperature was stable and the body would neither cook nor freeze. It was almost dark by the time they were finished and, together, they drove in convoy along the narrow highland road that led to the farmhouse where they were all staying. Making sure the van was securely locked, they trooped inside.

"Edna! Edna!" Zoe called out. "I've got another guest for you."

A middle-aged lady came out from the back of the house wiping her hands on a tea towel.

"Edna, this is Rhonda, who I told you about but she's brought a friend, Jessica. I said that there would be no problem putting them both up."

"Well, normally there wouldn't be," Edna replied, "but I've just booked in a party of walkers and that's my last room gone." She looked over at Jessica who was making herself look small at the back of the crowd. "And are you the wee lassie who wasn't expected?"

Jessica just nodded in reply.

"Well, we can't have a bonnie wee thing like you left out in the cold. I'll tell you what, I've got an old put-you-up, and, if you two lassies don't mind doubling up, then we'll have it set up for you in no time."

"I'm fine with that," Rhonda replied.

"Err... yes... I'm so sorry to be a nuisance," Jessica added.

"Och, you're no nuisance at all. We'll have you sorted in two shakes of a lamb's tail. Hamish!" she called out and a male voice answered from the back of the house. "Be a love and bring the put-you-up up to room seven, will you?"

Edna led the two women up to the room and showed them where to find the rather basic facilities. There was no en-suite, just a sink and a mirror with a full bathroom down the hall, but the room was warm and comfortable and, once Hamish had brought the extra bed, more than good enough for one night.

"Dinner's at seven. There's shepherd's pie followed by blueberry flan and ice-cream. Shall I leave you girls too it?"

"Yes, thank you, we're fine," Rhonda replied for the two of them.

Dinner that night was a crowded affair. The people from the dig were all buoyant from the luck of having found the bog woman and their high spirits were infectious so the walkers joined in. Rhonda could tell that the only one not having a good time was Jessica, who felt awkward and out of place. She felt embarrassed by her trendy clothes because they marked her out as different and she had a desperate need to fit in. She was quiet and withdrawn, so Rhonda tried to include her in the conversations but even there Rhonda could tell that Jessica felt intellectually inferior, or, as she would put it, a thicko. After the meal, Zoe suggested that they all pile into the Land Rover and head for the pub. The walkers were invited as well and, although the number of people crammed in the back was almost certainly well above the legal limit it added to the air of bonhomie.

Jessica tried to cry off the pub trip but Rhonda insisted and, packed inside the back of the Land Rover, Jessica, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, ended up sat on Rhonda's lap. The track from the boarding house to the main road was deeply rutted and, to stop Jessica being thrown about, Rhonda wrapped her arms around her and hugged her close. Jessica rather liked this and, rested her head on Rhonda's shoulder. For a moment it felt as if it were just the two of them, cuddled together, until a particularly deep rut caused one of the others to fall across them, much to the amusement of all. None of these things went unnoticed by Zoe who smiled to herself as she remembered her friend's insistence that Jessica was 'just an assistant'.

In the pub those who were not drinking McEwans' Heavy were making inroads into the bottle of Glenmorangie behind the bar and, as the alcohol loosened tongues the party got into full swing. Jessica, still feeling herself the outsider, sat quietly beside Rhonda and sipped at a vodka and Coke. Rhonda tried to include her but she was so busy catching up with her friends from the dig that she barely noticed when Zoe, eager to know about this girl who Rhonda had dragged half way across the country, sat down on the other side of Jessica and started to chat.

At first Jessica was shy and reticent but Zoe put on the charm and she soon loosened up. Somewhat to Zoe's surprise Jessica was genuinely interested in the bog woman and asked lots of questions, most of which Zoe had to answer with 'we don't know yet'. However, Zoe wasn't to be deflected and, bit by bit, she wormed out of Jessica the full story of what she was doing there. As Jessica relaxed so too could Rhonda relax and, as the third and fourth pints of heavy slipped down, she became very relaxed, indeed.

It was quite late by the time they returned to the digs and, as Rhonda and Jessica retired to their room, they realised they hadn't decided who was sleeping where. Jessica assumed that, as junior partner, she would take the inferior put-you-up bed. Rhonda, for reasons she didn't quite understand, assumed it would be the other way around.

"Please, boss," Jessica said. "We wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for me. It's only fair that I get the put-you-up."

Rhonda was too tipsy to argue. She could tell from the noise coming from the corridor outside that there was quite a queue for the bathroom so she took off her Doc Martens and lay back on the bed to wait. As she did so Jessica started to get undressed. Rhonda watched with a certain amount of lust. While she was confused about how she actually felt about her assistant, she wouldn't be her if she didn't enjoy watching a pretty girl undressing. Jessica had taken off her skirt and was removing her halter top when she realised she was being watched and she turned to Rhonda.

"Please, you're making me feel embarrassed," Jessica blushed.

"Sorry, it's just that...."

"You're as bad as the boys, you know that?"

"Sorry, you're right; I shouldn't be... what's that?" Rhonda pointed to Jessica's midriff, the area just above the right hip, which was now exposed and showed signs of extensive bruising.

"Oh that," Jessica glanced down, "I banged myself. Silly old me."

"Come here, let me have a look."

"It's OK, really. It's just a bruise...."

"Let me have a look." Maybe it was the beer but Rhonda wasn't going to be brushed off this time. The bruising was exactly where she had felt the blow the previous evening and she had a strong suspicion she knew exactly where it had come from.

Jessica reluctantly came over and stood next to the bed where Rhonda was lying. Rhonda rolled over, reached out and lifted the side of Jessica's top, exposing the full extent of the bruising.

"That's looks really nasty. Does it hurt much?" Rhonda gently ran the tips of her fingers across the edge of the bruise. As soon as they touched she could feel her own midriff twinge as if it too were bruised. Gently tenderly she traced the outline of the swelling.

'Please don't ask, I don't want to talk about it, really I don't so please don't ask, please don't, please don't.'

Rhonda looked up and their eyes met. There was an understanding between the two of them, a knowledge that sometimes there are things that are best left unsaid. But other, more powerful, forces were in play. Rhonda, looking at Jessica, felt this overwhelming urge to protect her, to comfort her, to make her realise just how desirable she was. She knew she had resolved not to do this, she knew there were many reasons to stop but, for the life of her she couldn't so, with their eyes still locked together Rhonda continued to stroke, continued to caress and, gradually, Jessica's fears subsided.

'We shouldn't... I don't want to... Oh... but... your hand, it's so gentle, no one has ever touched me like that, no one, no one. Please, Rhonda, we ought to stop... oh, don't stop that, oh, that's nice, really nice, oh, it's so nice when you touch me like that, I like it when... yes please... ooh, that's really nice... ooh, please, please, my belly button, I like that, please tickle my belly button.'

With just the trace of a smile, Rhonda trailed her fingers along the waistband of Jessica's panties and up into her belly button. The little squeal of pleasure, thought rather than said, was more than sufficient reward. However, lying on her side and reaching out like this was awkward, not least in that one hand was fully employed holding up Jessica's top. Rhonda stopped stroking for a moment, sat up and turned so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed facing Jessica. Again their eyes locked. Jessica seemed almost mesmerised, as if she were held there by forces she didn't understand. Without saying a word Rhonda put her hands either side of Jessica's waist and slid them up, lifting the top as she did so. As Rhonda's hands were at either side of Jessica's rib cage she stopped.