Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Charlotte groaned when her shoes slipped from beneath her once again.
She struggled to help Owen walk; his wound had been hurting him so much that he found it difficult to walk alone without kneeling over in pain.
The thick blood couldn't stop seeping from the makeshift bandage she had tied.
Charlotte adjusted his hand on her shoulder, grimacing when he winced in pain.
Since they began their slow trek to find help, Owen had not opened his mouth once to complain other than to let out tiny groans in pain.
But his facial expression told her all she needed to know.
They needed to find help.
Charlotte swallowed dryly. She was parched. Who would have thought that he weighed so much? She was certain they had been walking for more than two hours. And they had gone quite far from where the fight had taken place.
You turned into a monster as bad as the ones you try to escape, Charlotte…
The pouch of coin she had swiped from the bodies jingled at her waist, hitting her hips painfully every time they stumbled.
One thing she did not feel bad about was for taking the pouch.
It was the blood money her uncle or betrothed had paid to find her.
She cleared the thoughts of the dead men from her mind and focused all of her attention on finding Owen the help he needed.
She paused for a minute and cleared her sticky hair from her face. She was the reason Owen was hurt. If she had not reached the bow and arrows on time, they would have killed him and dragged her off to marry a man she despised.
Clearing her throat, she turned away. She had been bottling up all of her emotions since the fight.
She tried not to regret killing the men; it was either them or her and Owen.
She knew that if they had taken her, she would have continued to find ways to escape until the day she wound up dead, if William Dodd did not kill her first.
Charlotte was yanked from her thoughts when Owen suddenly stopped. She looked around, worried that her uncle or William had sent more men to come for her. But she relaxed when he placed a gentle hand on her shoulders. She looked up at him, unable to muster a smile as she had intended for his sake.
"I do nae think we can make it much further just looking for someone tae help me. Why do nae we just stop by at an inn instead so that I can have my wound cleaned up and we can freshen up?" he asked her.
"Yes, that's a good idea. You are more familiar with this area than I am. Is there an inn around here that we can go to?" she asked him.
"Aye, if memory serves me right, there should be one close by, just a little farther off in that direction."
Charlotte eagerly reached up on her tiptoe and looked in the direction he was pointing but could not see a thing because of the long grass and trees. She supposed they would just have to rely on his memory and hope for the best. It was better than nothing, after all.
"Well, we best be on our way then. If we dae nae reach it on time, it could be full 'afore we get there and we will have nay option but tae sleep outside.
I do nae think ye will appreciate that with all of yer little spider friends lurking around, especially now that I am wounded and will nae be able to protect ye properly from their armies," Owen joked.
"Ha-ha," Charlotte smiled. Even now, as he was in much pain, he was still teasing her, trying to make her laugh. She was glad he had been the one she chose to rob, and she cringed as the memory of it attempt returned. She was grateful. Anyone else might have hurt her or, worse. But not Owen.
"Aye, we best be on our way then," she mocked him, faking a deep voice. She laughed when he rolled his eyes at her.
With renewed vigor, Charlotte moved to his side, gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder, shrugging when he thanked her.
"Wait!" she stopped and looked at him, realization donning on her.
"There is no way we will be able to go into an inn and share the same room with you obviously dressed as a monk like this.
It will send the wrong message. And I don't think separating will be a good choice, when we don't know who is following us. I don't know, Owen…"
"Dinnae fret, lass," he hummed in thought. "What we need now is for me tae nae be a monk." She raised her eyebrows at him, wondering what he meant.
"What do you mean? How are you going to do that?" she asked.
"Well, we can try tae steal someone's clothes. At least that's the only idea I have on my mind." Charlotte stared at him in wonder.
"You really are not a monk, are you? Because what monk suddenly decides that their first course of action is stealing?
" she had never thought he was a true God's servant, not after the discussion she had heard between him and the scout and the money she had seen exchange hands.
But she had begun to doubt after how wonderfully he had treated her, even after her threats.
Maybe he was just a monk who did not conform to the normal standards.
However, now that she had just heard him say what he said, all doubts in her mind had been cleared.
"Hush, will ye? This is just out of necessity.
Would ye rather I walk in as I am? Do ye want tae be caught or would ye rather blend in and avoid any drama and suspicion?
" he was exasperated. Charlotte opened her mouth but closed it as she considered what he had just said.
He was right, of course. They needed to avoid anything that would make people notice them in case someone came looking.
"Fine. So where are we getting the clothes from?" She looked around as she spoke. They were currently in a secluded area.
"Just follow me," he said as he walked over to a bush on their left, hidden amidst the trees. Charlotte walked closely behind him to make sure that she could help if he needed her when he carefully lowered himself behind the bushes.
"What are we doing here?" she asked, rolling her eyes when he shushed her.
"We will wait until someone comes by and then we will take his clothes." Charlotte watched in confusion as he looked around the bushes and, on the ground, where he sat. What is he doing now? He was an enigma.
"All right, I checked. There are nae creatures here, ye can come and take a seat now." He patted the grass beside him, his grin widening when she scoffed. She glared before lowering herself to the ground.
"Since you are injured, I take it I will have to do almost all the work here," she stated.
"Aye, lass, I'm sorry about this. When we find a man who is roughly my size, ye are going tae have tae step out and distract him so that I can hit from behind and get his clothes." He nodded.
"Distract him…?"
"Well, I dinnae ken, play with him a little, seduce him. There is nae way he's nae going tae do what ye bid." She blushed at the compliment. "Men are helpless before beautiful lassies like ye."
"Fine, fine, I will do it." Charlotte tried to stay calm on the outside, but her mind was racing.
She had never had to seduce a man before, so she did not know what she would do.
Smile widely? Touch his hand? Wink? It all seemed absurd.
She decided she was going to have to just go with it.
She was a woman, after all. Maybe it would come naturally to her, or maybe she would not have to do much of anything.
She knew she was beautiful. Sure, her hair was roughly chopped now, courtesy of her uncle, but she still had her mother's elegant looks and was sure she could do it right.
Oh, Charlotte, stop thinking too much. She knew if she did, she would not be able to do it or ruin everything.
Maybe she would simply shut off her mind and just go with the flow, so she settled down and waited.
It did not matter that her heart was beating so fast it hurt, she would find a way to do it.
Charlotte jerked when Owen tapped her on the shoulder, and she looked at him in confusion until he nudged his head at the road.
In the distance, a man was coming up towards them.
He appeared to be about the same build as Owen, if a little slimmer.
Thankfully, his clothes were freer on him, so they would be a perfect fit for Owen to wear without looking like he had borrowed someone's attire.
She let out a shaky breath to prepare herself and then thought of how to go about distracting him.
Mind made up, she thought of the women of the night and how they usually dressed, so she pushed up her corset, dragging down her top to show more of her cleavage. She raised her skirt to show some skin on her leg that wasn't scarred and tried not to reveal too much.
Before Owen could say anything, Charlotte got up from their hiding spot behind the bushes and tucked her hair behind her ears.
She walked out as though heading from a completely different path and then began her strut, putting some extra swing on her hips.
She blushed as she realized Owen was watching her do this and hoped she was not making a fool of herself.
At least not too much a fool. She would not know how to look at him again if it turned out that she was indeed looking ridiculous.
Charlotte noticed the man's eyes on her as he first looked at her face and then his eyes roamed down the length of her body before resting solely on her bosom.
She struggled to keep her hands by her side despite her brain screaming at her to cover up.
Ignoring the alarm inside her head, she placed her hands by her side and pushed her chest out just a little before continuing.
She put on a suggestive smile to make sure he knew she was open to whatever he had in mind and then when he reached her, she sidled up to him.
Charlotte had watched the women of the night at different balls before her father passed away, and her uncle had locked her up.
They smiled whenever they received attention from men in the same manner that she was smiling now.
She wondered if they felt as disgusted as she did with the interest in his gaze.
She felt dirty and knew that the first thing she would do the moment they were at an inn would be to request a bath and wash herself of the filthiness she felt.
Charlotte prayed her smile looked natural, for they desperately needed the man's clothes. She pretended she did not mind his gaze and even enjoyed it, if that was what Owen required of her.
She moved closer to him and ran a finger lightly on his arm.
"Hello," she drawled seductively. At least she thought it was seductive, although in her head, she seemed like a frog someone stepped onto.
"I was hoping I would meet a strong man today.
I guess I must be in luck because here you are," she praised.
She almost puked when he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer until her chest was almost pressed against him.
"Ah, I would be more than happy tae get acquainted and spend the night with a gorgeous lass like yerself."
Charlotte giggled lightly and batted her lashes at him while, internally, she wanted to poke her eyes out and break both his sweaty hands squeezing more tightly with each second.
"Oh, is that so?" she asked, increasing the seduction in her voice.
As she spoke to the man who looked at her like he had just won a trophy, she could almost see all the things he thought of her and what he was planning on doing to her.
She felt nausea rising in her throat and wondered if she could change the tactic and lie that she felt sick.
"Aye, lass. Ye are going to enjoy this," he grinned, baring his browning teeth, a waft of liquor hitting her nostrils.
Bloody hell, I will strike him any second. Breathe, Charlotte, breathe from the mouth. Don't retch all over the clothes Owen will dress in.
She fought off a grimace and affected a smile to match his when she realized he had just referred to herself as a lady of the night.
She had nothing against them, of course.
They were all doing what they could to survive the circumstance they had found themselves in.
Yet, she was far away from the carnal pleasures.
In truth, Owen’s slight kiss on her lips was the first act of intimacy she had ever received.
She moved slightly away from him when his hands drifted to her bottom and grinned when he frowned at her.
“Now, we can't have you doing that." She wiggled her finger in front of his face. "Some things are better left until later," she fluttered her lashes suggestively once again, almost sighing in relief when his face regained its smile.
"Aye, ye are right, of course." He agreed, nodding his head eagerly.
Well, that was easier than she had thought, but she was about done with this performance.
Where, for heaven's sake, is Owen? This time, she could not stop her eyes from wandering towards the bush she had left but a minute ago.
Her irritation grew when she did not see him coming.
Just how distracted did he want the man to get before he came out? Charlotte was certain this was enough.
She was sure Owen was hiding behind the bushes and laughing his head off as he watched her make a fool of herself. I will wring his neck when this is all over.
Charlotte fought the temptation to look around once again, but she did not go through all of this just to give up his position and the game just like that.
She was certain that Owen could take the man so easily, but he was wounded and now was not the time to test how strong he was.
There were so many things riding on their ability to steal clothes off a man's back.
Come on, Owen! I don't know how much longer I can keep up with this charade. Is he waiting until I completely embarrass myself first?
And then she felt the hand of the man before her crawling on her skin again, this time with no sign of stopping.