Melrose wanted to return right that moment and kill her best friend. The last one who touched her belongings was Arianne and she must have replaced the book she brought with this filthy one. Her grip on the book tightened and all she wanted was to disappear from Lord Knight's sight. She couldn't believe she embarrassed herself in front of him again. What a mishap!
"Look, my lord, you got the wrong idea. I don't read this kind of stuff—"
"But you were reading it before I interrupted you with my words, weren't you?"
"Yes—no, I wasn't!"
"What were you doing, then? Staring at a page without reading a word in it, yes Lady Lewis?"
Her cheeks heated. How could she explain that she only pretended she was reading because couldn't bear the sight of him and she had nowhere to look?
She sighed, reminding herself not to start an argument and spoil her mood further. They haven't even arrived in East Brownsville yet.
"If I'm reading this kind of stuff, then so what?"
His look darkened. "Books like that are only for married ladies, not for single ones."
"Who says I'm single?" She raised a brow. "I am to marry the King in a few months. I am a betrothed woman so technically I am not single but taken. Besides, what's wrong with single women reading this stuff? Most women will marry eventually. We need knowledge, my lord. Men explore before marrying, why can't women do the same even just through books?"
"Rest assured your point is well-taken, Lady Lewis, but should you read such a book in an open space, especially with a man who's not your lover or family?"
He had a point but she would not admit her mistake to this devious man.
"You are to be my cousin-in-law. We will be a family, won't we? Should I start calling you by your first name so you would feel our familial connection?" She said the latter part with a teasing smile that earned a sharp glare from him.
"There is no need for that. If you insist, you may read the entire book in front of me if you are that comfortable."
Melrose bit the insides of her bottom lip in annoyance. Of course, she would rather jump out of the carriage than do that!
"Thank you for being considerate, my lord. I shall watch my actions next time to not provoke a conversation between us unless necessary. I did not forget how you implied last time how you wanted to not talk to me again."
She put the book back in her suitcase, crossed her arms and stared outside thinking what she should do to Arianne once she returned.
It was a long ride to East Brownsville and they had to stop by an inn to rest for the night.
After having dinner, which was a very quiet one because no one in the table dared to talk, they went to their respective rooms to rest.
"What a long day," told Melrose to herself as she sat on the bed and stared at the fireplace across from her.
She could feel that she wouldn't be able to sleep early so she went to the small shelf at the corner of the room. The fire in the candles swayed when she walked in front of them and the only sounds to be heard were her light footsteps and the crackling of fire from the hearth.
She got a book but it fell to the floor when a loud thunder startled her.
Glancing out of the window, Melrose sighed. She hoped that was just a passing thunder. But just when she was about to pick up the book, another lighting and thunder came that made her shut her eyes.
A thunderstorm, must be. Why did it seem like everything was going against her when she was with Lord Knight?
She sat on the floor beside the shelf hugging her knees and shook her head. No, she shouldn't blame other people. She could have refused her father but she didn't. It was her choice to go with Lord Knight. A freaking wrong choice.
The thunder intensified and Melrose put her head on her knees as she closed her eyes. She felt the need to seek refuge, but where could she find solace when it was her own demons haunting her?
The rain poured outside along with the continuous lightning and thunder. In the middle of all of it, she heard the clanking of chains. Her body turned frigid.
And in the darkest part of her mind, she felt how she was once again back to that nightmare she was trying to escape all this time. How she was in the midst of darkness with no one around but her and the person dragging the chains. She wanted to see the man's face so badly but every time she dreamed about it, all she could see was his viny hand that resembled a man's.
She could hear muffled voices she couldn't understand. Her heart rammed her chest as intense fear rushed through her, making her pulse race as if she was about to be pushed to a tall cliff with no one to meet her but death.
She knew she needed to be strong and withstand this nightmare she didn't know the origin, but she could only dream of trying. It was hard to fight something you didn't even know, like running from something you could not even see.
She clutched on her dress tightly, trembling. The dread she felt was too much that she could not breathe properly.
"Close your eyes, Melrose!" someone's voice boomed along with thunder.
"Close your eyes!"
"Stop, please! Stop!" she shouted, covering her ears so she wouldn't hear anything but it did not help.
"Close your eyes or I will kill you!"
Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Please stop! Please—"
"Open your eyes, Melrose," in the middle of those voices haunting her, she heard a familiar cold voice. One that was too dark for her own comfort, yet strangely soothing for some reason.