Page 42 of A Highlander Bound by Oath
"I should have gone after her meself instead of sending someone after her. I should have been the one tae go." Owen paced around; all limitations caused by his pain currently forgotten.
"Calm down, brother. What would ye have done if ye had been the one tae go? Fainted on the road from yer pain?" Rory replied. "It would have made ye easy picking for yer enemies tae tear ye apart."
Owen knew this to be true. He understood everything his brother had said so far but could not just sit here and do nothing. There was no logic for his love and her safety. He just needed her to be all right. That was all he needed, and it seemed he could not even do that right.
"We need tae go after her. We need tae prepare. What if she is in danger? What if she has fallen intae the hands of the very enemy she had been trying tae avoid in the first place? I dae nae ken how I would forgive meself if anything happened tae her."
Owen suddenly felt quite deflated. After all he had done, nothing had worked in keeping her safe, and it was only because he had lied to her. He felt both guilty and worried, distraught. The rest of his family had come out at that point and were trying to calm him down because of how wound up he was. Owen could not gethimself to listen to what was being said. His mind had traveled as he thought of her.
Once he got her back, he would not give himself any foolish excuses not to be with her. Damn it, he loved her. He would take responsibility for their relationship and tell her the truth about everything and how he really felt about her.
It was about time he was honest to himself and her. If he had a chance, of course.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Charlotte was exhausted. From the moment she realized the men were taking her to William Dodd and not her uncle, she increased her struggle. She needed to get out of the ropes that bound her to the horse. She tried everything, from wiggling, hoping to loosen the tightness to trying to get her hands free so that she could try to untie herself. Unfortunately, nothing had worked, and all Charlotte had done was hurt herself. Her bruises from wiggling hurt every time she scraped against the ropes.
Charlotte did not know if the men were riding so fast because they wanted to ensure their success was not cut short by the Elliotts or to punish her for her insolence. They had been ordered not to harm her, but surely, they could excuse whatever bruises she got from the horse by saying they wanted to avoid any mishaps. Her body hurt from being pressed against the hardness of the steed and every time it galloped, she felt like she would throw up.
It made no sense why William would want her as his wife. Was he so desperate to possess her that even after all that had befallen her, from her father's death, to her burned leg and having a monster for an uncle, he did not feel an atom of guilt and only cared about what he wanted? Charlotte did not know why she expected any sympathy from the man. Surely, someone who cared for nothing else other than satisfying his appetites was not a man who would care for her plight.
As they rode closer and closer to the house, Charlotte was filled with a deep feeling of panic. As much as she wished she had not left the Elliott castle to continue her journey alone, if she had stayed, she would not have felt comfortable, and neither would she be able to look Owen in the eye and not think about what he had done.
She kept her lips from calling for him, her mind from wishing for him and her heart from pining after him. No, she would not allow herself to forget what he had done just because of the situation she was currently in. Charlotte had escaped from her uncle, and she was sure she could escape William Dodd all on her own if it could present her with an opportunity.
Charlotte had been so lost in thought that she did not notice that they had arrived until the horses stopped. She waited as the men hurried to untie her, squirming when she felt their hands on her. With her hands and legs free, Charlotte kicked and punched blindly, hoping to hit at least one of the men. She tried screaming through the gag in her mouth, but she was unable to.
She watched the ropes fall to the floor before she was pulled down from the horse and placed on unsteady feet. She struggled to breathe from the pain around her ribs and chest, but she refused to show any weakness around the men. She did not have to look at them before knowing that they were waiting for her to keel over in pain, but she would not give them the satisfaction. She felt ropes on her hands as they tied her hands together behind her, laughing when she once again tried to get away but could not. Charlotte stood motionless for a minute, losing the fight in her. She was tempted to make a mad dash for freedom, but now was not the time for any sudden escape plans. She would only aggravate the men and they would probably tie her feet as well until she could not move without being carried. Charlotte shivered in disgust at the thought.
She turned around and looked up at the castle. It was large and loomed like a monster, its mouth open and ready to swallow her whole. It was bigger than the Elliott's, and something about it sent unease down her spine. It seemed to be cold and desolate.
Charlotte looked at the lone man standing outside, waiting for them. He was tall and slender and appeared to be in his thirties. As she looked at his expressionless face, she wondered if he was every bit as cold as his master. She shook the thoughts out of her head and looked behind him, expecting to see William Dodd walking towards them with a nasty grin on his face, but it surprised her to see that the doors remained closed, and the man was indeed all alone.
Today seemed to be a day for so many surprises for her, starting from the moment she woke up. She looked at the man whoappeared to be a butler, standing there with an impatient look on his face as if he had grown bored with their spectacle already.
"Here, take her off our hands. You do not know how difficult it was to bring her in," the man, whom Charlotte was quite certain was the group's leader, said, turning to scowl at her. "But watch out, she's a feisty one." He grinned suddenly. "You know what? After all that we have been through trying to get her here, we want double the original amount."
"I will speak to my master and see if you will get extra pay," the butler said, still looking bored with the conversation.
"See that you do," he said, the laughter disappearing from his face and voice. "All we were told was to get a girl and not some wild beast in human form."
Charlotte felt so disgusted with how they were bartering over her as if she was goods they went to purchase. Was this what her life had come to in a matter of hours?
She pinched herself discreetly. Maybe she was still sleeping, and all this was just some horrible nightmare. Pain shot through her, but she remained where she was, still staring at these vile men. She breathed heavily through her nose and regretted it when her eyes watered. The rag around her mouth had a terrible smell that she had forgotten in her pain and disgust, but now, as she stood here listening to them talk as if she was not present, she could suddenly feel it suffocating her again.
The butler extended his hand and gestured for the tail end of the rope that had been tied behind her back. He looped it around her until it was in front, so she did not have to walk with her back to the castle and, without another word to the men, he advanced inside the castle. Charlotte turned and glared one last time at the men who had brought her here, stumbling slightly when the butler pulled at the rope to get her to move quicker. Her cheeks burned when the men laughed once more, but she continued forward, not giving them another glance. The closer they got to the door, the more Charlotte felt like she was about to be swallowed whole.
She jumped when the butler dragged her inside. He closed the door heavily behind her with a loud bang. Charlotte looked around, surprised that it was not as dark as she had pictured it in her mind. They climbed up the stairs to a room where some maids were standing, clearly waiting for her. Before she met William, who would decide what happened to her just like her uncle had done.
Charlotte felt depressed by her situation. Was this what her life had become? Passed around from one evil man to another? She thought of Owen in that moment but distracted herself. She did not know if he was as vile and did not want to find out. He had lied to her and hurt her worse than all the others, yet he was never harsh nor cruel. She didn't know which was worse.
"Here. Take care of her. Clean her up and make sure she is presentable," the cold butler said, bringing her out of her thoughts. She gazed at the three women standing there, looking almost as expressionless as the butler. Was this the life that she was doomed to live? A life without love and laughter? Filled withgloom? The butler handed the rope to one woman and walked away.
"Oh, best to keep the restraints on. She has a reputation for trying to hurt people," he said before disappearing around a corner. Charlotte talked to the maids. They were women like her, so maybe she could get them to let her go or at least loosen her restraints. Not that it had worked with her uncle's servants. She remembered how she had tried for the first few months to convince them to let her go, but they had all turned deaf ears to her pleas.
"I know you probably do not want to be a part of this, so if you can just let me g—" Charlotte broke off when the girl with the rope yanked on it violently. She stared at her in shock. Before she could say anything, the maids walked to the room, pulling on the rope until Charlotte was forced to go behind them to avoid further bruising on her wrists.
"Where are you taking me?" Charlotte waited for an answer, but the women completely ignored her. "Tell me where you are taking me right now," she demanded, but still no answer.
