Devoted Nobility

Chapter 90

Sophia

I spent most of the day sitting at the table because there was not much else to do. Matthew was scribbling down notes, going through two bottles of ink and several pieces of paper in the process. At first I had no idea what he was doing. I thought he may have been writing a letter, but it was not in a format.

The words he scribed were all over the paper. Wherever his quill touched was where he wrote. His eyes would flutter from me to his writing. When he had used up all of the space on the page, he would blow on the smudged ink to dry it and then place it in one of the many wooden crates.

I was cautious of what I did around him. Every move I made was seen and inspired a flash of scribbles. After hours of this, I realized that he was writing down my behavior almost as a doctor would with their patients.

I examined every manner of escape. There was only one door and all of the windows were covered. He was not letting me out of his sight and there was no chance that he would let me leave alone. I had told him that I needed to use the bathroom and he followed me outside to a chamber pot behind the cabin. It was as if he was my shadow.

Night fell slowly. The sun eventually set over the horizon, leaving the room dark besides for a lone candle. I hadn’t slept over a day and was exhausted.

Matthew caught me yawning. “Would you like to sleep, my love?”

I did not want to sleep while he was near me as I did not trust him, but if I wanted to escape, I would need my energy. “Fine. Where should I do that?”

He gestured to the bed in the center of the room. It was low to the ground and had a moth eaten blanket at the foot. I stood and walked over to it.

 As I fluffed the only pillow, Matthew walked up behind me and put his hands on my hips. I felt his warm breath on my neck as he spoke. “Are we going to sleep or would you prefer something more… captivating?”

I froze under his touch. I was repulsed by his words. How dare he speak to me in such an inappropriate way? “Get your hands off of me. You’re a disgusting person.”

I felt Matthew’s grip tighten for a moment, but then he released me and walked to the other side of the bed. He slid off his boots and threw them to the corner of the room.

“What are you doing?” I questioned.

“I am going to bed. I have had a long day as well.” His tone was casual as if our situation was a normal one.

“If you believe I am going to sleep in the same bed as you, then you have lost your mind.” I thought on my feet, hoping it my sudden plan would work. “You can sleep and I will wait for you to wake up before I do.”

He smirked. “What a barbaric idea. I have not lost my mind and I know what you plan to do. Now sleep.”

I slowly sat on the bed before laying down. I felt the throb in my ankle as I put pressure on it. Matthew slid his belt off of his pants. Before I could ask what he was doing, grabbed my right arm and pulled it to the headboard.

“Now you can’t escape.” He whispered as he tied me in place. I wiggled my arm, trying to slip out of the hold, but it only caused me pain. “Don’t bother trying. I learned that knot from the Portuguese army.”

With that, he lay down and fell asleep. I continued to pull at my hand. The frame of the bed shook, but it seemed to make the knot tighter. As unstable as Matthew was, he was smart.

Author's Note- I have decided to do a spin off!! What would you guys like to read about?

A. Jane's romance and life before the palace

B. Charlotte's life with her new husband

C. The Queen's marriage to the King and her life when she was about Sophia's age

Please comment. If you have any other ideas, feel free to let me know too.