Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
"Charlotte, come back here. You could get hurt if you continue running like that.
" Charlotte laughed as her mother chased after her, trying to get her to stop running.
She had been playing around the castle grounds while her parents had a picnic.
It was something they did regularly, and it was her most favorite thing.
Now, Charlotte was chasing after a cute bunny that had caught her attention.
It had come up to them while they ate and she sneaked its food, despite her mother's disapproving glances, but when she tried to pet it after she finished eating, it hopped away.
Charlotte pouted as she got up to chase after the small creature.
She felt the wind in her long blonde hair whipping around her face as she ran, but she continued anyway.
"But I want to keep it," she protested. "You never let me have a pet." Charlotte tried to catch the bunny, but it hopped off away from her. She slid on the grass and gasped when she felt a sting on her knee. She looked down at the bruise and her eyes watered when she noticed it started to bleed.
"Dear, are you all right?" her mother asked as she came running, her eyes filled with concern when she reached her. "Oh sweetie, I told you not to run. Don't worry, you will be fine. We are going to get you clean and then you will feel better."
"Yes, my dear, and since you have hurt yourself over it, how about I get you a bunny as a pet?
" her father asked her. For a moment, Charlotte forgot about her pain and the fact that she was bleeding and screamed as she jumped from the caring hands of her mother into her father's open ones.
She looked at her mother, who rolled her eyes at the pair.
"Fine, you can have a pet, but you will both be taking care of it. You will have to make sure you are fully responsible for it," she agreed. Charlotte squealed in excitement, already thinking of how much time she would spend playing with it.
"Thank you, mama and papa, you are the best," she hugged them both, smiling when they laughed.
Charlotte was glad to have a happy family.
She might have been very young, but she had heard from the maids and kitchen staff that not all families were as happy as theirs.
She swung her hands between her parents as they made their way inside.
As they walked on, she noticed a change in the atmosphere and gasped when she heard a crash in the background. Charlotte turned to see what was going on but noticed that the beautiful garden scene around them had faded.
"Mama, papa, what is going on?" she asked, her voice shaky with fear. She turned around when she heard no response. She did not know where her parents had gone. They were no longer holding her hands and there was no laughter and jokes.
"Mama! Papa!" Charlotte shouted just as she heard a scream of anguish in the background. She followed the direction of the scream and saw her father, his face contorted in anguish as the fire licked at his skin. He stretched his hands out to her, his eyes pleading with her to help him.
"No!" Charlotte screamed in desperation. "No!" she ran around the fire, looking for an opening to get to him, but she could find none. The fire burned bigger and brighter until the flames fully swallowed him up.
"Mama! Mama!" Charlotte screamed for her mother, her tears blinding her eyes.
Maybe with her mother's help, she could find a way to save her father from the fire.
But where was she? Charlotte ran into the house, calling for her mother but failing to get a response in return.
She ran back out and ran to the side of the house.
Through her tears, she noticed a figure lying on the floor, motionless.
"No, no. Not you too. Please mama, wake up, please!
" Charlotte pleaded over and over. She held her mother's face, a sob escaping her throat when she saw the blood oozing out of her head.
No, why was this happening to her? They were happy.
They had just been laughing and joking around and she had only just wished to have a family like that when she grew older, so why were they taken from her? Had she been too selfish with her wish?
"Mama, please wake up. I don't care about the bunny or having a family like this in the future. Just please wake up," she pleaded.
…
Charlotte tossed around restlessly in bed, plagued by her dream that had turned into a nightmare.
She gasped as she opened her eyes, looking up at the ceiling.
She touched her face, noticing the wetness on her cheeks, and she immediately wiped them off.
It had been a long time since she dreamed about her parents, and it had never been this way.
In the first few years, she relived seeing her dad die, but this was just a nightmare.
Charlotte touched the space beside her and noticed that Owen was not in bed with her when she heard a crash outside. It sounded like the sound she had heard in her dream.
She got up and went to the window to see what was going on, blushing when she realized she was naked.
That and the soreness between her thighs were enough to remind her of what she had been up to merely a few hours ago.
Charlotte blushed brighter and wrapped the surrounding sheets around herself.
She was happy that she had told Owen about her past and that he had not turned her away or reacted angrily like she thought he would.
That he would feel betrayed would have been too much for her to bear if it had actually happened, but Owen had been so understanding and they had had a wonderful night.
She could not believe the feelings a woman's body could give.
Although there had been pain at the beginning, the night before had turned out to be a surreal experience for her.
Charlotte noticed a crash again, and some other noises she could not really place.
She knew those were voices she was hearing, however, that much was obvious.
Charlotte had been so distracted by her feelings that she had completely forgotten about the crash, but now she was curious.
She wrapped the sheets tighter around herself and walked to the window to see what the commotion was about.
She gasped when she saw the battle that was actively going on outside.
She could see the torches and fire everywhere she looked.
A cold settled inside of her as she realized that William's men had found her. How had he found her so quickly? It crossed her mind that he must have spies everywhere, watching. And that thought made her nervous.
Charlotte had thought that she would be safe from Dodd's sight and reach here.
But if he had people watching everywhere, how was she to know who was a spy and who was simply carrying on with their activities?
She had thought she would be safe here with Owen and his family until she was ready to carry on with her journey, but now it was not to be so. She had brought trouble to them.
The realization that she was responsible for the grave danger she had brought to the Elliott family after they had been so nice to her and treated her like one of their own filled her with so much guilt and regret.
Maybe she should have admitted to being a Musgrave ally in the dining room so that they could have her out the door.
Owen might have been understanding, but she doubted Rory would have, even though he was married to one.
He did not know her, so he would have had no reason to let her stay just because she chose to be honest about who she was.
No, now was not the time to feel sorry for herself.
There were people out there fighting to defend the castle from the problems she had brought, and she refused to stay and do nothing.
Charlotte was suddenly frantic. She needed to find a way to help them.
After all, she had brought all this trouble.
But what could she do? She was just one woman and could not go against the men and expect to succeed.
She quickly dressed up and hurried out of the room.
She may not be able to fight with a sword, but she was quite able to shoot an arrow like she had done the time before when they were ambushed.
"Miss, ye are nae supposed tae be running around.
Ye should be in the room with the others," a guard said to her, but Charlotte sized him up.
She moved closer as though she had realized he was right and would indeed go into the room with them.
The guard gave her an appreciative smile and opened the door for her to go in, but she slipped past him at the last minute and ran away, increasing her speed when she heard his voice as he ran after her.
Charlotte ran until she could no longer hear the man and then she resumed her walking pace. Now, all she needed was to find a bow and arrow she could use so that she would join in the battle.
She hid behind a wall until she saw an opportunity, and she ran into the field filled with the wounded and dead and swiped an arrow.
Charlotte was rushing back to a corner where she planned to shoot discreetly at the enemies when she noticed Owen.
Her heart broke as she watched him fight.
He was tired and bleeding. She watched him wince in pain with every step he took and every time he moved.
Charlotte held her hand to her mouth as she looked around the battlefield. Every one of the Elliott guards was in the same shape. They were tired and hurt but they could not retreat because that meant defeat, and no one knew what would happen if they were defeated.
She had caused this. She had caused all of this. A whimper escaped her as she saw the gravity of what she was responsible for. Her hand tightened around the bow and arrows, and she felt resolved to do all she could to help and ensure she helped as much as she could.
As she headed back to her hiding spot to shoot arrows, she noticed that someone was about to hit Owen.
"Owen!" she screamed, trying to get his attention. "Owen!" She watched as he searched around for her. His confusion faded into panic when he saw her, and she knew he must be worried and scared for her.
"Watch out!" she yelled, her hands hurriedly fixing the arrow in the string.
She gestured behind him, but it was too late.
She watched Owen go down as the man hit him and she screamed as she released the arrow into him.
In a rage, she continuously shot at all the men that advanced toward Owen, killing up to three men. No one would take him away from her.
"Get him out of there," she shouted to a soldier, who hurried to do as she bid. As her arrows continued to make contact with flesh, she could not help but wonder. Why are they all going after him?