“She had every opportunity to tell me, Mama, but she chose to keep it a secret until the very last moment.” He defended his actions, beginning to doubt if he had done the right thing. His mother’s reaction wasn’t what he’d expected at all.
His mother leaned forward in her chair with her mouth slightly agape.
“She chose not to tell you. Did I hear you right? I can’t imagine what the poor young thing has gone through. The guilt of knowing that a member of her own family had wronged the man she loves must have been eating her up inside! I highly doubt she kept the information from you on purpose, Jameson,” she said incredulously.
A deep frown creased his brow as he recalled Charlotte’s pleas and how she had begged him to see reason. Perhaps he had been hasty in his reaction, but the shock of her words had sent him into a fury.
“And what’s worse, you have gone and allowed the poor girl to return home to that monster. Oh Lord, Laurence, we must do something at once. If what Lady Charlotte admitted is the truth, we can’t let her back into his clutches. Who is to say that her parents’ death was really an accident?” The duchess jumped to her feet and pleaded with her husband, panic filling her face.
A cold shiver ran down his spine as Jameson suddenly realized the gravity of the situation. Charlotte’s tearful face flashed before him, her words ringing in his ears with haunting clarity.
My parents died a few days later.
His heart began to pound in his chest. What if Lord Reginald harmed his niece because she had discovered his secret? Fear rushed through his veins as he regretted his decision to let her go. What if he never got the chance to tell her how he felt?
“I have heard enough. Jameson. I think you have allowed your feelings of anger to override the better judgement I know you possess. Lady Charlotte is not at fault here; I suggest you rectify the situation by going after her at once. I will go and alert the authorities; we can’t risk the man fleeing again if he catches wind of this.” The duke seemed to snap out of his daze as he came to his feet.
Jumping to his feet, Jameson sprang into action, ready to rescue the woman who’d stolen his heart. He was about to rush from the room when his mother pulled him into her arms in a warm embrace.
“Go and bring our Lady Charlotte back here. I believe she is the one for you. I’ve never heard as sweet a melody as the one the two of you performed together,” she said tearfully before letting him go, her eyes filled with sorrow and panic.
The duke came around the table, gently prying his wife off of their son and pulling her back into his arms. “Come now, Helena, let the boy go. There’s things he needs to see to as soon as possible. I know you will bring her back, son, you always accomplish things you set your mind to,” his father stated proudly as he held onto his wife, his chest puffing out in pride for the man he had raised.
Nodding his reply, Jameson hurried from the room, springing down the hall as he took the steps two at a time. There was no time to waste. He needed to reach Charlotte before her uncle got to her.
Hang in there, I’m coming for you.
His heart whispered a silent prayer as he sprinted towards the stables in search of a saddled horse. The carriage would be too slow. He’d bring her back for now on his horse and send for her things later on. All that mattered at present was that she was out of harm's way.
The horse’s hooves kicked up gravel as Jameson sped away from the manor.
***
Charlotte’s throat burned with a heavy dryness as her eyes fluttered open, the stench of heavy smoke filling her nostrils. She wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep after crying for an hour, but something was definitely wrong as she sat up in bed and sniffed the air.
A strange kind of haze filled the room, making it difficult to see as she squinted and wrinkled her nose. Her eyes were dry and scratchy as if all the moisture in her body had suddenly dried up.
Swinging her legs from the bed, she made her way across the room, noticing the thick smoke billowing into the room from beneath the door. The air was uncomfortably hot, causing her dress to cling to her flesh.
“What the devil?!” she uttered before reaching for the handle and opening the door. A sharp yelp escaped her throat as the metal singed the palm of her hand, causing her to leap back in pain.
Monstrous flames crackled and licked the door, pushing her back as she fell onto the edge of the bed, cradling her burnt hand against her chest as shock set in. “Fire, there’s a fire!” she began to yell, hoping to alert anyone close enough to hear.
Jumping to her feet, she attempted to brave the flames as she stuck her head around the door in search of a route to escape. The heat was almost unbearable, but she gritted her teeth and forced her eyes to open.
One end of the hall was engulfed in flames while the other had already begun to collapse; the ceiling had caved in, blocking the path to the rest of the rooms.
A sudden crack made her jump back into the room as a large wooden beam fell to the floor at her feet.
Thick smoke choked her lungs as she forced the door to her bedroom shut with her foot, taking care not to touch the handle. Coughing, she made her way across the room, waving her arms to try and cut a path through the smoke. The window opened with ease as she stuck her head into the fresh air, gasping for breath as her lungs stung.
“Lady Charlotte!” a familiar voice called to her from the street below.
Looking down, Charlotte recognized the tall figure of Lord Dunham on the street below as she waved her arms for help, black clouds of smoke billowing past her and into the air.
“Help is on its way! I’ve already sent someone for help! Stay where you are, and we will reach you soon!” His voice was muffled by the roaring flames and crumbling building, but she could just make out what he was trying to yell.
“Please hurry! The ceiling is caving in!” she managed to yell back through a fit of coughing and spluttering.
