Dating Two Dragons (54 page)

“My mother was very insistent that he is not the proper horse for a lady so he should not be ridden on such an important afternoon to her.  She ordered the grooms not to saddle him,” she answered honestly, clearly not pleased.

“Well, this will give us more time to get to know each other,” he responded, pleased to be able to spend time alone with her, doing the thing that they both loved best.  Most young ladies would be purposely flirty in such a situation or nervous and jumpy.  Charity was merely being her true self and it was intoxicating to him.

“I suppose it does,” Charity said, in no hurry herself.  She liked the way she felt around Augustus, like she was finally free to be her true self with another person.

They rode slowly over the rolling hills across the estate.  Instead of letting the horses run free as they both usually would have, they rode with their horses shoulder to shoulder.  Finally, they reached their destination.  As the crested the hill, they were looking down at a small lake with a sweet little stone cottage on its edge.

“What is this place?” he asked her, confused about how the isolated cottage fit in to her plans for a life of independence

“My plan!” she said, beaming with pride 

“This cottage is your plan?” he asked skeptically, unsure what kind of adventure a life there could offer her.  There was a small dock with a boat tied to it and a small stable behind it large enough for one horse, but no sign that the cottage was any more than a traditional English cottage.

“I am going to live here,” she explained, as though he was a fool for not already seeing her plan.

“Alone? You will never be allowed to do it.  I do not know your mother well but I know enough to realize she would lock you in the estate house before she would let you lay your head here,” he said, shocked that she thought she would be allowed to do such a daring thing.

“After your brother chooses not to ask for my hand, she will be angry enough with me to want me out of her sight,” she said with a smug smile.

“What will you do here?” he asked, not sure what else to say.  He did not want to risk earning the same anger she had felt for him the night before.

“There is a small stable for Zeus and I will have my books brought over.  I can spend my days riding and wandering about the estate.  I can be free to do as I please,” she said with a dreamy look on her face that made her look like a vision of loveliness.

They made their way to the cottage and she opened the door to reveal the sweet little home that she had chosen for herself.  They both knew that it was wrong for them to be behind closed doors together, but neither could bring themselves to leave.  Instead, they talked about everything and anything.  Augustus told her tale after tale of the places he had traveled and she told him about all the capers that she had her brother had carried out and all of the books that she loved so passionately.  They both talked about their love of horses and the burden of the expectations that their families had for them.

“I wish I could show you the world. You would love the places that I have been, the things I have seen,” he said as the afternoon began to face, wishing more than anything that it was true.  The thought of opening her eyes to the world was the most tempting thing he had ever considered.

“I wish it was possible, but it is not for a woman without a husband.  Even I must admit that there are limits,” she said with a laugh that did not fully hide her sadness.

“I hate that there is anyone who can place limits on you,” he said before he could think better of it.  On impulse, he reached his hand out and cradled her cheek in his palm.  He thought she might be afraid; that she might pull back from him.  Instead, she leaned in to his warm caress and they both savored the intimacy of the moment.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“I have never known a woman such as you,” he said, in awe of her.

“In truth I have never known a man like you,” she replied, placing her own hand over his.

“We should get back.  If we are found here, it will be disastrous for you,” he said, for once in his life forcing himself to think of what was best for another instead of what he wanted.

“But then no man would want to marry me,” she said saucily.

“I think you would be surprised about that.  Any man who would not marry a woman such as you is either a fool or not much of a man,” he said as he held the door open and they left the safety of their retreat and made their way back towards the real world

Chapter 7

The next few days of the Daniels Family’s visit went by so quickly that Charity could barely believe that the day of the dance had arrived.  In the days after their time in the cottage, she and Augustus were able to spend more time together, though never quite as privately.  Still, they were able to talk and laugh and grow together.  Charity could not believe how accustomed she had become to his presence in just a few days.  The thought of never seeing him again after his family left struck cold in her heart.  However, she was quite sure that she would never see him again.  Edmund had made no real effort to get to know her more and had spent much of the visit closeted away with the financial books of his estate.  It was enough for her to relax about her mother’s plan to marry her off.  She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she did not realize immediately that she was not alone as she wondered on to the back terrace.  It was only when she heard a deep chuckle that she realized Jason had returned.

“Brother, you came,” she said as she threw her arms around his neck.

“I told you I would,” he said with a laugh.

“Where is Valeria?” she asked.

“Mother swept her off to talk about fashion for this evening,” he said as he cringed.

“Oh good, perhaps I will be spared that conversation then,” she teased.

“I doubt it,” he smirked.

“I suppose so,” she sighed.

“How do you like him?” Jason asked, unwilling to wait anymore to see how she had faired with her potential suitor.

“For any other woman, he would be unobjectionable,” she admitted.

“But he is not the man for you,” Jason observed.

“No,” she said honestly.

“Does mother know that?” he asked. 

“No. I think she expects him to ask for my hand tonight.  She has certainly done all she can to assure it, but he has no interest in me,” she said, looking very sure that she spoke the truth, though Jason had is doubts.

“There is something else bothering you,” her brother observed.

“His brother came,” she said, unsure where to begin.

“Augustus?” he asked, confused.  “Has been inappropriate with you?”

When she did not answer, Jason realized what was really going on.  “Are you falling in love with Augustus Daniels?” he asked bluntly.

“How could I be? I have only known him for a few days,” she said, shaking her head.

“I have never seen you look this way when speaking about any man,” he said, in awe.

“There is just something about him,” she admitted.  “I feel like he is the first person in my entire life besides you to really see me for who I am.”

“Then he is a wise man,” Jason said with all the bias of a loving brother.

“He is special,” she said, tears threatening to fall.

“Have you told him how you feel?” he continued.

“No, he cannot feel for me what I feel for him.  Besides, I do not want a husband,” she said, unwilling to let herself consider that he might feel for her what she had grown to feel for him.

“You do not need a husband, but do not run from a chance at love,” he cautioned.

“You are very sweet brother,” she said as he hugged her close.

“You should go and save Valeria from mother,” he suggested.

“Yes, I suppose you are right,” she said reluctantly before heading off to do just that. 

The moment she was out of sight, her brother turned and went to find the man that his sister had fallen in love with.  He reasoned that any man that Charity loved would likely be found in the stable and he was correct.  To his surprise, though, he found the man standing in front of Zeus’s stall, staring at the horse as though it held some sort of answer.

“Are you Augustus?” he asked to be sure.

“Yes. Are you Charity's brother?” Augustus asked, recognizing him from her descriptions of him.

“Yes, how did you know?” Jason asked,

“She speaks of you often,” he said, smiling fondly at the memories of their conversations.

“How do you feel about my sister?” Jason asked boldly.

“I do not know how to answer that,” Augustus said, a bit shocked by the question.

“Then let me explain something to you.  My mother will not be stopped.  She will announce an engagement tonight as long as your brother asks for charity's hand. She does not care about what my sister wants,” he said plainly, making no attempt to sugarcoat the situation.

“She would not dare to force her hand,” he said, defensive at the thought of Charity being bullied in to the life that she so clearly did not want.

“She would, knowing that Charity would not want to disgrace the family by denying an engagement that had been made public,” he said, studying Augustus’s expression as he spoke.

“Does she hate your sister that much?” he asked, feeling anger boil within him.

“No, indeed when she does it, it will come from love,” Jason said, with a fond smile at the thought of his meddling mother.

“I do not understand,” was the only response he could manage.

“You see, my mother is extremely happy in her life.  She does not understand that the same life that brings her such joy will bring my sister such misery,” he explained.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked, still unsure why Jason had come to him.

“Because I think you and my sister share something special,” he continued.

“How could you know that?” he asked in shock.

“Because I have never heard her talk about a man as she talks about you,” Jason suggested boldly.

“Really?” Augustus said, unable to keep a grin from spreading across his face at the thought.

“Are you so surprised,” Jason said with a laugh.

“Yes,” he gasped, thinking about the possibility that the most beautiful, vibrant woman he had ever met might actually care for him.

“If you care for her at all, help her,” Jason said as he turned away, leaving the youngest Daniels brother staring after him with his mouth hanging open.

Chapter 8

Augustus only hesitate a moment before deciding exactly what he needed to do.  He rushed to his brother’s room to find him staring at his ledgers.

“Brother, we must talk,” he said as he burst through the door.

“Of course Augustus,” Edmund said, a bit surprised by his brother’s arrival.

“Are you planning to ask for her hand?” he asked with no attempt to hide his true purpose.

“Yes, I do not see why not,” Edmund said with a shrug.

“Please do not,” he asked, not sure what he would do if his brother refused.

“Why on earth not?” Edmund asked, shocked that his brother cared about who he took as a wife.

“Do not do that to her. You will kill her spirit,” he pled.