A Lady must refrain from swearing under any circumstance, except said circumstance happens to be a kidnapping. Then Bollocks! All propriety must be abandoned!

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London 1811

Artemis had thought of several ways to die, jumping into the Thames, venturing out to saint Giles at night or simply found dangling from the ceiling in her overly decorated room but certainly not by a pistol! Bollocks! A pistol? for crying out loud she hadn't done anything to deserve the press of the cold metal through her blue muslin and tight corset, she hadn't done anything wrong.As a matter of fact she had done everything right! She had lived up to her father's expectations,she knew everything a gentle-bred lady should know from playing the pianoforte to holding a cup of punch she had even agreed to marry the damned earl because papa had said so. She sighed thinking back at all the things she hadn't done all her life, she had been chaste she had never been involved in any scandal,

never stolen into the gardens to be kissed senseless, never dallied with the footmen and never even flirted with the rogues of the season.she was perfect, flawless, damn it all she was the diamond of the season! Still she knew she was a grave disappointment to papa. He had wanted a son,she could be all the bloody stars in the sky but she could never be a man, she could never be an heir, she could never be a son, the son mama had died trying to give him and somehow papa had blamed her for that too, surely he'll blame her for getting kidnapped too she rested her head against the suprisingly soft cushioning of the carriage they hadn't bound her or gagged her but the cold press of the pistol reminded her that any time now her life will flash before her eyes and into nothingness and in that very moment she regretted everything she hadn't done. The men hadn't said a word to her in the last six hours after they had seized her in the most gentle manner from her fathers house she had spent said hours being confused as to who would want her taken and possibly killed but found no answers she was sure they were well away from London by now though with the blinds rolled up she couldn't see a thing, the carriage rattled on taking her farther and farther from everything she was used to, taking her away from the last of mamas memories, from her only true friend penny. At least they couldn't take her away from her dreams these were her last thoughts as she drifted off into sleep to be haunted by those green eyes.

…" I'm right here tems, don't be scared just come to me…." The soothing voice of her little knight whispered " but I'm scared, papa said not to climb trees" 7 year old Artemis lamented knowing he won't tease her about her fears he cared for her too much to tease her so "…one day I'll take you away from him to come live with me and you won't have to be scared of him anymore I promise" staring down at her as he said this he smiled and she smiled back like it was the most natural thing to do. When He noticed she was still hesitating he said the words he always did " I've got you Artemis, slowly just come to me, I've always got you…" hearing these words she settled her hands on the first branch and began climbing, somehow looking into those green eyes she knew she'll never fall that she'll always be safe.

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Orion knew she would be afraid waking in a strange place so he got here early enough for him to be the first person she saw.she had arrived early this morning and for that he had sent the widow who had entertained his bed for the past three nights away he couldn't even remember her name but no matter he had left her with a promise to call on her saying he had things to take care of at first he had considered keeping her in one of the many rooms his castle boasted of but something about Artemis and his mistress under the same roof and even in the same sentence didn't sit well with him.

Hovering above her he gazed down at the still sleeping Artemis and memories from the past threatened to ease way to the forefront of his mind but he pushed them aside he wouldn't dare go there. Absently he wondered how anyone slept through an abduction. His featured softened looking at her and he hoped she hadn't been too frightened on her journey here he would have liked to have been the one who brought her here but he had to take care of things before she got here. He studied her figure she had never been on the plump side but she seemed paler than he remembered and he hoped to hell she hadn't been starving herself to fit in with the trend He had been watching her for sometime now expecting her to stir awake and wage war he chuckled at the thought, he had abducted her after all. He carefully studied her from her honey blonde thick hair, down to that plump rosy lips past that slender neck and to the lush full breast constrained in that damned corset it seemed to tight, could she breathe? His fingers twitched to relieve her of her clothing but he knew he couldn't so instead he took in the sight of her curves despite her petite Frame her waist dip gave way to an abundant endowment he almost groaned and immediately that unwelcome feeling he first experienced when they had brought her into Castle surged through him, he frowned at the jolt of arousal she stirred in him and had to adjust his breeches He cleared his throat in an attempt to rouse her for the earlier he finished his business with her and left this room the better, at least then he could get back to more pressing matters like the widow he was recently fucking, ah yes, he closed his eyes and sighed trying to picture the her sweet willing body just last night and behold there was a sweet willing body in his thoughts just not the face he was expecting, the face his mind conjured had startling blue eyes and plump rosy lips, bloody hell! she couldn't also take control of his thoughts too! Angry at his self for being so affected by her, he jerked his eyes open to find a pair of startled blue eyes looking up at him immediately he schooled his features from that of surprise to a bland unreadable one he realized two things then, one was the way she gripped the pillow like some sort of weapon and two she didn't look scared in the least infact, she looked furious.

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"Who are you? Why I'm I here? Why have you abducted me you piece of..of.. where am I!.." she never stuttered, but well that hardly mattered in the circumstance she had woken up to a big handsome figure hovering above her and she had thought she had died the unimaginable death and was finally in heaven about to be kissed senseless but slowly she recalled the past events and a feeling akin to dread flooded her but then almost immediately she felt rather furious and grabbed the pillow to defend herself not that it would cause him any damage he looked big and indestructible, still it made her feel some kind of safe. She realized he simply stood apart watching her and not answering any of her questions and for some reason this angered her even more! but before she could speak again he said something she didn't quite understand

" I see you are well rested Arte-..Lady Beckett, oh and there's no need to be all alarmed Seeing as you'll be married to me I won't let any harm come to you" He said it so cooly it took some time to for the words to register in Artemis brain she almost laughed at at his last words he won't let harm come to her? he was harm!

Orion counted to three for the storm he knew was coming and boom! She exploded…

"Marry you!..." Artemis scoffed at this mans' nerve this big infuriating man and yes he was big , he was so big he filled the whole space, filled her senses but no! she wouldn't think of that now, she would think about the past 48 hours and how much it had changed her life she would think of how uncomfortable and sore the journey had been she would think of how scared she had been thinking she was going to die, she would think of poor penny crying her eyes out for her thinking her killed and dumped somewhere, she would think of how furious her father would be at her and how this man had snatched her from a life she was familiar with only to announce marriage to her, and she would think of him as the enemy who did he think he was kidnapping her and wanting to force her into marriage with him, such arrrogance! She Artemis, Lady Beckett only daughter and child of viscount Authorborne Beckett and fiancée to the Earl of mordbridge, yes she didn't want to marry the Earl but she had made up her mind to do her fathers bidding and she had accepted her fate but now that course had been altered and once again her life was taking a turn she didn't choose. Her mind couldn't help but wonder that if they had met under different conditions he could have been the type of man she could fall in love with and have her fairytale ending, it reminded her of the stories mama used to always read to her before bed, a bitter laugh escaped her for he was no knight in shining amour and he was no prince and she will fight the damned man tooth and nail for her freedom but first she'll get herself together and be calm and with this thought she plastered her best smile to her face and said in the sweetest voice she could muster " I won't marry you, now or ever" at that he looked at her with those familiar intense green eyes and as she met his gaze a jolt of recognition surged through her she ignored it for she couldn't have met such a savage beast in the gentle company she kept back at London. Or could she? Her smile faltered but she quickly regained her composure she looked into those green eyes still smiling refusing to back down, and it irked her that his expression gave nothing away "you seem to have misunderstood Lady Beckett, this isn't your choice to make, I'll see you on the morrow for our nuptials my lady.." he gave a mocking bow and swept from the room as graciously as his size allowed him, and why was she thinking about this mans size! She should be thinking about an escape from all this, "nuptials? Tomorrow? As if she'll let that happen..." she wanted to scream and rage in frustration at the maddening man. Did he really think to drag her to the alter? Cause that was the only way she would marry him. She fisted her hands and banged at the pillow of course they were too soft to cause her harm which was precisely why she considered doing it in the first place, She wouldn't loose hope just yet she would find a way. she stumbled out of bed feeling light headed and looked out the window to find a way out but the view made her gasp. Her green eyed Captor had locked her in a room at least 15 stories above ground level. Whoever this man was he was Mad!