Page 103 of Not his Marchioness
CHAPTER 41
Charlotte stood next to the posting inn, her portmanteau beside her. The letter from Lady Woodhaven sat in her pocket.
She would arrive in Brighton soon. However, she hadn’t realized that the coach she had hired would pick up someone else.
Stopping at a posting house in the middle of the night had not been in her plans. Yet, here she stood.
All alone.
Heartbroken.
And scared.
Sometimes, the naïve young girl she had been before her marriage still haunted her.
She picked up her portmanteau, cursing herself for packing so many clothes, and attempted to drag it inside to wait until the scheduled time to leave again, when she heard him call out to her.
“Charlotte.”
She turned around.
What was Rhys doing here? Had he come from London?
She looked up and saw the coachman glancing at her guiltily. He turned out the palm of his hand and shrugged, as if to say that he could not help it.
Of course, he could not. He answered to Rhys, after all.
“I do not wish to speak to you,” she muttered.
“I know,” Rhys said. “Yet here I am, and you shall listen even if you do not want to speak.”
“I will do no such thing. I can simply remove myself from your presence.” She pointed at the posting-house. “I could just?—”
“You could,” he interrupted. “But I have a feeling, given that expression on your face, that you are quite uncomfortable. And that it would be much more convenient if you simply listened to me. Then, we could clear this misunderstanding and go home.”
“Go home?” He had lost his mind. “I am not going anywhere with you,” she hissed. “You lied to me.”
“I know, but please, let me talk to you. Explain.”
The bravado he’d displayed was suddenly gone.
She dropped her portmanteau and placed her hands on her hips. “There is nothing you could say to me that could make me change my mind about where I am going or what I am doing.”
“Good,” he said. “In that case, you should have no problem listening to me, since your mind is already made up. All it will cost you is a few minutes of your time.”
She looked around and spotted a gazebo just across the road.
“Let us talk there,” she said and stormed over.
Then, she stopped.
“Please bring my portmanteau,” she called.
If he was going to make her listen to him, she was going to make him carry her luggage.
He followed her and set the portmanteau down once he stopped.
“Did you bring the entire library?” he asked.
