''.. have her come to me as promised.''
That last line continued to re-echo inside her head. She found his proposal truly annoying. NO! 'Demeaning', was the word. She blinked her eyes at him after picking up her head to face him directly. If not that his face was unquestionably gorgeous as she looked at him, she would have landed a resounding slap across his face.
Was he being serious?!
''Hazel.'' His voice jolted her back to that disgusting little room. She thought it disgusting now because his 'morning after' behaviour was painting her like some slutty woman who he'd just picked by the roadside and had paid a little stipend to have her warm his bed for the night.
She got up from his side: this time, she seemed very upset.
As soon as Rochester collected her change of mood, he became confused.
''Why is your face painting like so, Giselle..''
''Giselle?!'' Louisa instantly picked up on his mistake. She shook her head, scoffed, and then started to laugh like some maniac; worst still, a lunatic!
''Are—Are you okay?''
Rochester's eyes shone wide after asking and for the first time in Louisa's mind, she admitted that he looked truly ridiculous.
''Wow!'' She exclaimed with a dramatic sway of her hand in the air. ''I can not believe this.''
''You cannot believe what?''
''Are you asking me?''
''Well,, should I not?''
''Hahaha. So.. You love Giselle so much that I have become like her to you?''
''Point of correction, milove. You are not my Giselle. Nobody can be like her. Nobody can be her!''
''Is that so?''
Rochester became further confused once she'd asked him so; that too, with how she now folded her arms like an offended wife who was prepared to nag her husband for coming home drunk.
''Well.. What's with the strange gazes?'' His voice trembled in a way that he became ashamed of himself. Who was she even? What authority did she wield that could make him slug up his speech?
Louisa studied him closely for a bit and then said. ''It is good that you love Giselle, my cousin, in the way that you do. But after the passionate, romantic, night of raw adventure we both engaged in; even so, barely last night; I do not think that I can hold back from spilling if she was to ask why I didn't get back to bring her here to meet you as agreed.''
''I beg your pardon!'' Rochester's face moulded into an angry gaze. ''I dare you to do something so foolish and stupid, Hazel!''
''And I dare you to dare me to not do what I will eventually do.''
''What?!'' Rochester scrambled off the bed. ''Are you being silly? Or your brain has suddenly stopped working?''
His eyes towered above her once he measured up to her. Seeing him so angry caused her to begin to laugh so irritatingly. Rochester could not accept even if this was a joke. How could she joke about something so serious?
''Why in the world are you laughing like that?'' He sneered after.
''And why shouldn't I?''
Rochester then placed his hands; both of them, on his waist with elbows out. He glared viciously at her.
''Do you think I cannot hurt you for choosing to misbehave like so?''
''Why should I believe you can? Hahahaha.''
''Hazel, I will—''
BANG!
The door pushed open with so much force, startling them both.
''There they are!'' The Inn owner said this, whilst pointing out his finger at them.
Rochester was fuming hot.
''Hey!'' He shouted at the man. ''What's the meaning of this and who's this annoying fat lady?''
Immediately he finished his word, a hefty slap resounded in his ears. The vibration rang in his mind for thirty more seconds while the owner of the inn fled for his life.
''Mother!'' Louisa shouted.
''What did you just do that for?!'' Rochester barked loudly like a wounded dog who was getting pestered still. Then he tilted his head to look at Louisa. ''And you! Are you so much of a child that your mother could not stay a single night without coming to seek you out?!''
''How dare you!''
SMACK!
Louisa slapped the other side of his cheek. Rochester's brows rose in his defence, wrinkling into a mess. He placed both hands on his cheeks.
''Leave my room! Both of you!''
''Shut up your stinking mouth.'' Mrs. Blythe intercepted him. ''Can this even be called a room? Your room, you said.'' She scoffed and then sneered as she let her eyes wander about the premise.
''Hazel!'' She glared at her daughter. ''I cannot believe you can become this low. Utterly cheap!''
''But mother, I—''
''You better keep that lousy mouth of yours shut before I shut it for you. Oh! So this is it? This is the route to Giselle's home, right?''
''But mother I really went to her place and—''
''Enough!!!''
Rochester shouted at both of them. He was already exhausted by their mother-daughter pep talk and they had even slapped him?! One woman to one slap on his cheeks?!
''Get out!'' He barked again. ''And I mean you too, Hazel. I don't ever want to see you again!''
''You don't ever want to see who again?'' Mrs. Blythe walked up to him and matched her eyes directly with his. Her gaze caused the man to falter in his heart.
''Look here, Sir. No one messes with my daughter and disposes her off like that. My innocent girl child.''
''Ha ha ha.'' He laughed awkwardly and shot a stare at Louisa whose brows had furrowed for whatever reason. ''How can you say this when I did not meet your daughter as a V—''
''Is your cheek burning for another smack?''
''N-No.''
''Now, listen to me. Fool!''
''Madam, I will have you know that—''
''Just shut up!!!!''
Letita shouted her lungs out.
Rochester swallowed and decidedly kept his mouth shut.
''Today,'' Letita mellowed. ''Today, you MUST come down to the house to make the news of your interest in my daughter, known to her father.''
''Hahahaha. But madam that is truly preposterous! In fact, I would say that—''
''Say whatever you want to say inside your filthy mind. Sir. I give you just a little less than twenty minutes to come before her father and do what you must.''
''Woman, you must be crazy.''
Mrs. Blythe said nothing more but diverted her gaze instead to Louisa. She eyed her up-and-down before stating her final demands.
''I give you only two minutes to pack up your belongings and follow me to the house. Such a cheap little slut eloping with a man.''
''Mother!!!''