Page 22 of To Ride the Wind

But she didn’t slow. She fled without thinking, horror overtaking her when she realized her steps were leading her home. But maybe it was a good thing. If she lost herself in the woods, the white bear wouldn’t know where to find her.

She wrenched open the door, clearly startling the three women inside. Her mother exclaimed, speaking her name, but Charlotte ignored her. Brushing past them, she rushed into the bedroom she shared with her sisters, firmly closing the door behind her.

They got the message for once, and none of them attempted to follow her. She could hear them whispering to each other, no doubt speculating as to what had happened. Did they know the reason her father had invited her out? Had they been waiting with bated breath to see if he could succeed where they had failed?

The thought filled her with rage. How dare they all conspire against her! She was as much a part of this family as any of them. And yet, they would sell her for their own comfort!

She flung herself on the bed and cried until no more tears would come. Still no one tried the door. Eventually she heard her father return, the distant murmur of his voice deep and concerned.

His arrival provided the final bit of certainty to her decision, compelling her to action. Hurrying around the room, she took only what she most needed, wrapping the items into a makeshift bundle.

She would not stay where she was neither understood nor valued. She had reached her limit. Her mother and sisters thought she should be motivated by wealth and her father by adventure. But her true motivation—as it had been on so many previous occasions—was escape.

After years of sharing a home, not one of her family members saw her true self. And yet, with the bear, she had felt seen in only two interactions. Foolish it might be, but she would trust her future to the one person who actually wanted her around.

Several exclamations were heard from the main room, and then the front door opened. Charlotte drew a deep breath. The moment had come.

A tentative knock sounded on her door.

“Charlotte?” her father called through the wood, not attempting to open it. “The bear is here and wishes to hear your refusal from your own lips.” Silence for a moment. “He will not hurt you.”

Was he reassuring her that she need not be afraid of a brief moment of interaction, or was he making one last attempt to convince her? Charlotte didn’t know, and she no longer cared.

Pulling the door open, she swept past her father without looking at him. Striding through the house, she continued straight out the open front door. The bear stood at a respectful distance, his eyes focused on the doorway. When she appeared, his gaze met hers, holding her eyes for a moment before his attention moved to the bundle over her shoulder.

She saw the moment realization hit him, his whole face lighting up. Peace swept through her, settling the frenzied desperation that had driven her this far. Here was someone who thought she belonged with him. There was one family in which she was welcome.

She was making the right choice.

Moving more slowly, she walked to him. Previously she had curtsied to him, but now she was to join his family. She nodded respectfully instead.

“I will come with you,” she said in a voice loud enough to be heard in the house. “I will complete the ceremony.”

The bear—Henry, she should think of him as Henry, as strange as it seemed—smiled, radiance emanating from him.

“I am honored, Lady Charlotte,” he said. “And I will do everything in my power to ensure you never regret this decision.”

“Thank you,” she said more quietly.

“You’re going to marry him?” her mother gasped from the doorway. “Are you sure?”

She nodded, not turning to look at her parents. “If you wish to see the ceremony, you should follow us to Master Harold’s.” As the only official across their valley and the two neighboring ones, Harold conducted all ceremonies. She was only fortunate he happened to be their closest neighbor.

“You mean to be married immediately?” her father asked, clearly shocked.

Was he upset at the thought of her departure or horrified about how it would look to Master Harold when she arrived unexpectedly and demanded immediate marriage to a bear? It didn’t matter either way. Her decision had been made, and she had no desire to linger.

“Of course.” Charlotte still couldn’t bring herself to look directly at any of them. “Henry has asked me to go away with him, and I see no benefit in delay.”

“Henry?” her mother asked faintly.

“It is my name,” the bear said in a deep voice.

Distracted by her swirling emotions, Charlotte hadn’t noticed him moving. But at some point he had come closer, positioning himself protectively beside her.

Another band across her chest loosened. He wanted to defend her, to protect her from them. And he could clearly do it. She would be safe with him.

“We should leave immediately,” she said. “The afternoon is already drawing on, and it’s a long walk.”

---