The Corinthians Series: Rules of Masquerade

Chapter Five

But Lord William’s presence was causing her skin to alternate between hot and cold. And he was right there, standing quite at ease in the confines of her room. He was leaning to a grand armoire located in a corner with his arms folded on his chest. He wore handsomely a cropped jacket in a shade of brown and breeches which was tucked into a polished Wellington boots. On another man the whole thing would have looked funny, outdated perhaps, for men were beginning to prefer trousers over breeches. But on Lord William it looked anything but ill fitting. His long and muscular legs hugged the breeches indecently making her mouth ran dry with desire. It took all of her willpower to keep her charade by looking down onto her lap, fingers fiddling her soft blanket.

‘Don’t look at him, he’s not there… he looks like a troll so don’t bother looking at him…. please do not look at him’ Charlotte chanted in her mind. She willed her body to relax and pretend as if she was oblivious to his presence. ‘He’s not there, he’s not there…’

“You’re not pulling our legs are you?” he drawled and Charlotte quickly snapped her head to the direction his voice floated while having a care not to stare at him directly. She squint her eyes and pinned her eyes to a spot three feet away from where he stood.

“Who is there?” her question was greeted by still air as William Hernshaw shrugged the query with a roll of his shoulders. Then he began heading to her bed. The small distance separating them was quickly covered by his long strides. He halted by her bedside and the rabble of butterflies occupying Charlotte’s stomach melted, leaving in its place a swarm of angry bees instead. Then, William Henshaw did the unthinkable: he sat on her bed and leaned his body close to Charlotte while bracing both hands on her mattress. So close that she could smell him: fresh and masculine from his shaving soap. His weight dipped the mattress and Charlotte became acutely aware how they were completely alone in her room.

All the while Charlotte fought the light headed feeling that had suddenly taken her over. She was on the edge of swooning, which was saying a lot since Charlotte was not the kind of woman who would swoon easily. But this nearness was stealing air from her lungs and she was out of breath. The last time Lord Sheldrake was this close to her person was three years ago when they had kissed in the lantern lit greenhouse. The night that had changed her life in a way he could not understand, leaving her pining to feel that way again.

The same night he had mistaken her for another woman.

With that thought slowly sinking in her awareness Charlotte stood straighter on her bed and met the young and rakishly handsome marquess dead in the eye. Her grey eyes collided with the William’s brown ones and Charlotte felt as jumpy as a parched pea. It did not help her circumstance at all when William’s lips curled into a mocking smirk slowly revealing a row of white teeth.

“You can see me cant you?” He murmured.

Oh yes she could see him all right. And dear Lord, the man was too handsome for his own good. Her three year old memory served him no justice at all for he seemed to be even more magnificent that she had remembered. Now that he was so close – close enough to touch, close enough to kiss – her memory paled in comparison to the real thing. His hair now was unfashionably long; it was as if he had no time to cut it or simply, he did not even cared. The dark mass was calling to her in a manner that made her fingers twitch. His brown eyes were luminescent and divine; they reminded her of pools of warm liquid chocolates. In which Charlotte would gladly dove in and die. A short growth of stubble darkened his jaw completed his roguish looks. His skin was sun kissed in a glorious color, begging to be caressed.

Her finger twitched.

He still resembled the pirate she saw years ago Charlotte  thought shrewdly, a rich and handsome pirate who possessed an angel’s face and the devil’s charm. She was well aware of his conquests, in and out of England, having read them in the papers and experiencing them firsthand. Surely a person like him cannot be allowed to parade around, incapacitating unsuspecting maiden’s moral strength and willpower.

“Lord Sheldrake.” She called coolly, “what are you doing in my bedchamber?” A dangerous glint suddenly caught his eyes and Charlotte struggled to keep her face clear of the dread that was starting to take root in her heart.

“So you can see me. This illness was just imaginary, a mere sham, concocted in your pretty little head so that you could avoid marrying Lord Sheffield. Am I right Lady Charlotte?”

Charlotte bit her lips as she felt an angry retort was bubbling into the surface. But she cannot afford to lash out, no, she need to approach this rather delicately. “No my lord, I can identify you because you are close enough for me to see. I am not blind you know, my range of vision at the moment is merely limited.” She replied but said answer apparently did nothing to satisfy Lord William. If anything he looked as if he was preparing to launch another verbal assault onto her defenses.

“But if you are, in fact inflicted with this condition, aren’t you taking this a little too calmly?” he prodded.

But Charlotte was prepared. She considered and tilted her head just so, giving her spectacular view of his sparkling eyes. “Would you be more convinced if I were to weep incessantly instead my lord? Would you care if I were to succumb to hysterics?”

“No.” he bit out.

“I never held high regards for tears either.” She replied.

“Really? Unfortunately I may have been led to believe otherwise.” The man actually had the audacity to sneer at her! That would be Kendall or Oliver’s doing Charlotte had no doubt. Bloody traitors!

“Is that so my lord?” She snapped and his smirked widened.  Charlotte could feel her anger simmer nearing its boiling point.

“Oh yes, I have heard that your wailing is loud enough to be heard within a three miles radius. Is that true?” Charlotte frowned and pouted her lips in irritation. Good Lord, even her brothers were out to assassinate her character now. Such act of treachery will not go unpunished, not as long as her name is Charlotte Blair Alistair!

“Malicious lies my lord, I cry as proper ladies should: prettily and without a sound.” She said haughtily, nose stuck up in the air. She saw Lord William lips twitched before a rich chorus of laughter erupted from his mouth. Scandalized that he dared to laugh, Charlotte narrowed her eyes as she waited for the last of his laughs faded to silence. “Now my lord, I wished for you to take your leave. It is hardly proper for you to linger in my room un-chaperoned.”

But Lord William did not even budge and he was still grinning widely, much to her displeasure. But Charlotte was later stunned as the defiant, insolent man coiled his finger in a lock of her hair before tucking it safely behind her ear. “But my Lady Charlotte, I have already heard of the happy news! You are already engaged, and to my grandfather no less. We are practically family don’t you think so?”

Charlotte chewed her lips and closed her eyes in distress of how the idea of marrying Lord Sheffield deeply bothered her, especially when it came from Lord William himself. A blow: a suffering and painful hit that knocked her winded.

“Nevertheless I must insist that you leave my chamber this instant my lord.” she snapped, both hands already bunching her blanket in her hands.

Lord William grinned in response, took her hand in his own before kissing her palm. “If you insist.” Then he stood up, executed a sweeping bow and left.  After the echo his footsteps died away Charlotte’s shoulder sagged and she collapsed onto her bed.

“Oh fiddle sticks!” she moaned into her pillow and closed her eyes as she commanded her mind to stop projecting images of the man to no avail.

That man would be the death of her. 

  

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Hey there my lovelies, please comment, COMMENT, comment!! Satisfy the greedy monster that lives within me. Hoped that you've enjoyed Charlotte and William's banter. :)