She had hardly reached the coach when someone grabbed her from behind, pulling her back by the tip of her hooded cloak. Before she knew it, the thick hood fell off of her head, its clasp straining against her throat, choking her as she pulled towards the opposite direction instinctively.
Eve felt the cheap metal of the clasp cut into her skin, threatening to draw blood if she dared to continue the struggle. And even before her hands could reach for the clasp, they were caught, twisted backward as her back slammed into a hard surface.
The stench of alcohol emanated from behind her. A curl of yellowy blonde hair bobbed in the air, letting her catch a glimpse of the man holding her in a deadlock. And as soon as she did, Eve let out an annoyed grunt, forcing down the bile that rose up her throat.
"Let go!" Eve demanded, keeping her voice as low as possible so as to avoid the attention.
As it is, her reputation was not so great in Saint Yvon. But the rumors came from the likes of the man grabbing her from behind, his hand snaking up her waist, making its way onto her heaving chest- those who thirsted after what was beneath her clothes- those who went home with a fractured tailbone, just like the young lord was about to.
"There's no use struggling, beautiful one." Henry Cavanough whispered in a smug tone, his breath hot and raspy against her ears, the stench of alcohol hitting her senses with a sickening force. "I warned you the last time. You can't escape me."
Eve clenched her teeth as his fingers reached to the deep cut of her dress, trying to squirm its way inside. But she knew that she had to keep her calm. Thrashing about violently was not going to set her free. The man would win by sheer strength on any day, at least by the looks of it. But what she had was much more lethal- a sober mind, unmuddled by the effects of intoxicants.
Henry moaned as his hand slipped into her dress, grinding his hardness on her behind in a lustful delirium. But at the same time, his grip loosened on her waist. That was the moment she was waiting for. Without waiting for another second, Eve turned, wrenching his hand out of her dress as she raised her left foot up, landing it right between his thighs.
"Aaaargh!" Young lord Cavanough screamed, his usually handsome face contorted into an expression- pain, rage, and drunkenness gripping his features. "You bitch!" He shouted, holding his precious assets with his left as he blindly swung his right hand at her.
Eve spat to the side, watching the man sway to the sides in agony, the alcohol in him probably slapped out of his senses with the shock that he had received. But she wasn't done with him yet. His kind was the true filth of the village. And when she left, everyone would understand that. With no one to trouble, the young lord was set to trouble the other girls, who although would be eager to spread their legs wide for him, their fathers and brothers wouldn't find the situation amusing.
But their problem was theirs. What she wanted was to punch him senselessly for all the times that he had grabbed her, in front of people as well as hidden from their eyes, knowing that no one would come to her rescue. Eve raised her hand, her fingers shrinking into a fist. Aiming right at the crouching man's face, she pushed forward in full swing.
But her fist landed elsewhere. Hugh Tarleton stood there with a hand to his bleeding nose as young lord Cavanough stepped back in shock, his back straightening immediately from his crouched position. Eve gasped, her heart skipping a beat nervously. Guilt pushed into her veins at the sight of the Tarleton's bleeding nose.
"Henry, please wait in the coach," Hugh said, gripping his probably broken nose with both his hands.
Henry stared at his friend incredulously. But within seconds his expression changed, his wet lips widening into a huge smile as he stepped towards young lord Tarleton.
"Aaahh! I see!" He exclaimed, clasping Tarleton's shoulders. "I'll be waiting in the carriage." He said, a soft chuckle escaping his chest. He paused, his head turning towards a startled Eve. His lewd gaze swept up her figure, pausing in places for a second too long. An evil smile played on his lips as he continued, "What's yours is mine, right?"
"Cavanough, the coach." Hugh reminded, pointing to the plain wooden box carriage a few feet away from where they stood.
Henry laughed, tapping on his friend's shoulder lightly before walking towards the coach. Eve watched him go in his more or less drunken stupor, the coachman rushing to the young lord's aid without hesitation. Eve watched the man disappear into the carriage in irritation. If it were not for him, she wouldn't have...her thought trailed off, images of hours and hours spent in the young Lord Tarleton's library flooding back into her mind.
"I didn't get a reply to the letter yet." Hugh Tarleton's voice was steady, with no hint of being in pain, though a bit unusually nasal.
Eve took a deep breath, pushing down the surfacing memories with much determination. "If you didn't know, sir" She spat, turning to the young lord with narrowed eyes. "The likes of us don't know how to read or write."
Hugh sighed, dropping a bloody hand as he stepped towards her with pleading eyes. "Eve, please." He begged. "I don't know what Grace told you but-" He paused, seeing that the girl's expression was becoming harder with every word he spoke. His shoulders stooped in defeat. "Remember the day at the lake?" He asked, his eyes searching her face desperately.
Eve looked away, her throat burning from a rising sob. "I don't know what you're talking about." She murmured, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible.
Tarleton took another step forward, closing the distance between them with each movement. "I used my first favor to keep you by my side for all those years. You know what happened was not my fault, right? I really thought we-"
"Stop," Eve said, putting a hand up in haste.
She didn't want to hear any of it. What was done was done. It's been a year since she had been to the Tarleton's mansion. All the memories she shared with the young lord were tainted by what she had heard and seen on that day, Grace Tarleton putting her 'where she belonged' with only a few words. Her body shook as the pained memories flashed in her mind.
"I still have two favors left," Hugh said, taking another step forward.
She huffed, waving his words away in dismissal. "The promise was made twelve years ago, young Lord." Eve reminded, wiping a tear that slid down her cheek. "Besides, how could such a humble servant owe you favors?" She added, hastily turning away from him.
"Eve!" Hugh called out, his voice breaking with the weight of some unknown emotion.
Eve turned back, glaring at him. "What?!" She asked, her voice rising in anger, all thoughts of slipping away unnoticed by the strangers' eyes disappearing from her system.
"Your promise." He reminded, his pale blue eyes moist under the moonlight.
Eve clenched her teeth. It seemed overtly childish of the young lord to hold her accountable for a promise she had made when she was barely a child. But she knew that he had every right to. If it weren't for him, she would have already been hopeless, dead, and decaying under the lakebed for a few years now.
The promise had the weight of her life. It had the weight of all the time he spent, bringing her out of her grieving cocoon, reading stories to her, teaching her to read on her own, and those soft moments that they... Eve shook her head. No. It was all behind her. If the lord wanted to even out the debt with the wishes she had promised him back then, then it wasn't in her to deny.
"Fine. What do you want?" She asked, raising her brows.
Hugh Tarleton broke out into the widest of smiles at the statement. "Meet me at my room at midnight" He said, looking at her hopefully.
Eve huffed, turning away from the man instantly. She hated the way he smiled. She hated how it swayed her heart. But above all, she hated how a glimmer of hope rose inside her once again. A warm hand landed on her shoulder, grazing the side of her exposed neck as it did.
"Please," Tarleton begged, his thumb sliding up her skin.
Eve ducked, sliding away from his touch instantaneously. "We'll see." She murmured, glancing at the handsome young lord before dashing towards the mud-packed road, the sound of her footfall dull against her wildly thumping heart that was pulsing in her ears.