Page 23 of A Highlander Bound by Oath
"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. Heappeared 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.
