Chasing Charlotte

Chapter Ten

"Lady Charlotte? Lady Charlotte! You have to get up, it's almost noon." Annie declared before stripping the sheets from Charlotte's grasp.

But Charlotte didn't care. What did any of it matter to her? Her heart was crushed upon that previous evening. She was a ninny and had no interest in walking about with such a down trodden mindset. What she had once felt as pain was no longer. She was numb, numb to the world surrounding her.

"I want water, now." She demanded it.

"Lord Cecil said you aren't to have anything un-"

"Well DAMN MY BROTHER, I want god damn water and I want it NOW."

"Y-yes Lady Charlotte," Annie stammered as she hurried off. Charlotte hadn't intended to scare off the girl but she was only receiving the end of her temper because of Jonathan Lennox. Oh the thought of the man drenched her in sorrow, hate and disappointment. She had very much liked him when he had rescued her - thought him gentlemanly and chivalrous even. But all of it was an act - he was horrid. And now she was a ruined woman for sure.

It seemed like forever as she waited on her bed, her honey ringlets stuck to her face as she rubbed her very much swollen eyes. She quietly got up and returned to the humdrum of life, picking up a very grey blue outfit.

As she was about to reach for the handle to her door, it swung open. And it was the last person she had ever wanted to see in the world.

Before she could say anything, he hauled her over his shoulder as she struggled against his grasp. "Let me go you damn bastard! I hate you! Eat a brick!"

"Can't do that Charlotte."

"Grandmama! William! Save me!" She screamed as he dragged her out of the house.

"Your brother and grandmother has given me permission to take you on a trip out of the house. At this point they have little choice, you're engaged to me at this point. If you chose to break it, repercussions for your reputation would dragged through the mud, along with your families."

As he lowered her into the carriage, she narrowed her eyes and flung her arms against her chest. "You cruel bastard, how could you?" She seethed.

"Because I love you."

"Nobody cares!"

"I do, and you do too." He said calmly.

"I do not!" She shrieked her fists attempting to hurt him.

"You're giving me little choice Charlotte. Either behave or else I'll have to compromise you on the spot."

"You wouldn't dare!" She hissed.

"Would you really like to test me?"

Charlotte jutted her chin out in defiance as she narrowed her brows at the man. Even when he was being an utter arse, he was a handsome and hated herself for thinking of him so.

"I'll fight you until my last breath," She exclaimed.

And perhaps that was a poor choice of declaration as Jonathan ripped a piece of cloth from his shirt with his teeth and tied her hands up in knots. He gripped her waist before his hand reached under her clothes, inching at her undergarments - the palm touching the very area that was forbidden for unwed girls like Charlotte. Her face paled in fear as she realized the veracity in Jonathan's comments. He'd do it, he'd truly defile her in the carriage if she pushed him further. He began to pull up her skirt.

"Stop, please," and now she had submitted to his defeat.

Jonathan did stop but he looked her in his eyes, the intensity of his blue grey eyes the most serious it had ever been. "Promise me you'll behave."

"I promise."

"You are aware of the consequences."

"Yes I am."

"Good."

And he released her arms and her body. Charlotte was silent as she stared at the view escaping from her horizon.

Jonathan hadn't intended on forcing her to come along with him like a hostage but he knew that if he didn't bring her out, she'd never come to listen to him, or even forgive him. He had explained the situation very clearly to William Cecil who was at this point - very done with this mess. Although he didn't let on much about his thoughts, the man cared dearly for his sister as well as her reputation. It was too late for anyone to correct the irreversible. The ton had believed that Jonathan had proposed and Charlotte had said yes - if they were to break it off now, all would be a scandal. Charlotte would never be welcomed back into society as a proper lady and it'd be his fault.

"Charlotte, please, I'm begging you to eat."

Although she didn't physically fight him, she did everything in her power to rebel against any of his requests. She wouldn't sleep or at least she wouldn't allow him to sleep with her incessantly painful singing. And she refused to eat.

She had gone on her hunger strike for the past eight hours and she looked paler than she ever did, and not quite in the healthy way. Put off by her distinctive stubbornness, he took it upon himself to feed her. She struggled against it as he had crushed lips forcibly against her, his tongue shoving the chewed remnants of food in her mouth. It wasn't the most sightly of things he had done but it was what got the job done.

And to teach her another lesson, he pressed his lips against the nape of her neck, trailing bites down as he could tell her titillating at his touch.

"Behave or else I shall truly compromise you the next time," he muttered before removing himself from her, watching as she crumpled before him.

Charlotte had resisted as much as she could, playing any sort of game with him to purposefully anger him. But the moment he had shoved his mouth upon hers and his lips that pressed against the curve of her skin, she knew her body betrayed her of what she lusted for. She hated herself for wishing in his indulgence. She hated that he even ended it. She was sinful and she wanted more. But she knew she couldn't because she despised him. And this only frustrated her further.

Finally after a day's travel, they arrived at an Inn.

"You're going to be staying with me."

"I will not do such a thing."

"You have no say."

"Yes I do."

"Shut up Charlotte. Either you want news to go around that you're a single lady traveling alone with a man or we can pretend to be a couple."

A/N: I think I'll be changing my updating schedule to Wednesdays seeing how my schedule is a lot more free right now on Wednesdays. Anyways, please comment and vote :) I urge for feedback! Thank you and I hope you guys enjoyed the latest update. Until next week!