𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀 𝐁𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒, 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐧

paths to the heart.

When Charlotte woke up the next morning, she threw herself into a strop, the remnants of a beautiful dream quickly fading. In her dream, she had been living her life as it was, except for the glaring fact that she was not marrying William. For a brief moment, she felt free, as if she had a choice. But reality came crashing down, reminding her of the impending nightmare.

"Miss Hamilton!" Charlotte looked up to meet the eyes of Lillian. "When did you get here? I came to help you with your corset last night, and you weren't here."

Charlotte looked at Lillian with a confused expression, trying to recall the events of the previous night. The news had overwhelmed her, and she couldn't remember anything after that—until, suddenly, it all hit her. She snapped her head down to look at her clothes and went pale. She had been fully changed into her sleepwear; her corset and dress had been removed. Panicking, she jumped up and scurried out into the hallway. She fled down the hall and crashed into Anthony's room.

"A-Anthony," she began, out of breath from how fast she had run. He looked at her in shock.

"Charlotte! You should not be in here. You are not—I should not see you like this!" Anthony turned around to look away from her.

"Well, you clearly saw much more of me last night; therefore, it cannot be too shocking to see me in such a state now," Charlotte said, exasperated. Anthony whipped his head around and began walking towards her.

"Hamilton, what do you think occurred last night?" he asked, staring at her wide-eyed. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Well, I fell asleep on you, and I miraculously ended up in my bed changed out of my corset and dress," she began to pace. "What did we do, Anthony? What happened?" She stopped and looked at him. He stared back at her with the same expression as before but then laughed. Charlotte frowned. "You think this is funny? Because I do not. I am glad I do not remember what we did, for I would never, ever wish for anyone, including my worst enemy, to have to endure anything of the sort with you."

She didn't mean that. Anthony's smile faltered.

"My dear," he began. Charlotte, although raging at him, felt an odd sensation in her stomach when he called her that. "I can assure you, we did not do anything last night. As for the change of clothes, I called for Daphne to help, seeing as you were in too deep of a sleep to even bother to wake up!"

Charlotte rolled her eyes at Anthony and turned to walk away, but he caught her wrist before she could leave. He pushed her against the wall and gave her a stern look. This caused the feeling in Charlotte's stomach to go wild again.

"And as for that little comment about how awful it would be for you to have any sort of relations with me at all, it is absurd." Their faces were inches apart, and even though Charlotte had an urge to fight back, she did not, for she felt no need to anger Anthony. "Do you know why?"

Charlotte quickly shook her head at Anthony's question, and he chuckled. "Well, my dear, it is because I know you cannot resist me, and quite frankly, I cannot resist you." Charlotte let out a silent gasp, and her eyes widened a little. "Ever since that night in the kitchen, something hit me. It was horrible to begin with, especially since I had convinced myself that I loathed you," Anthony continued. Charlotte rolled her eyes. "But then last night, I realized the severity of it. When you collapsed into my arms crying, all I wanted to do was comfort you and care for you."

His expression softened as he awaited Charlotte's response.

"Anthony, I am to marry William. I cannot—"

He kissed her. He just kissed her. But Charlotte did not kiss back. He pulled away in confusion.

"Charlotte, I—I am sorry. I shouldn't have done that—" His rambling soon came to an end as Charlotte grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back in for a kiss. They both eased into it, enjoying the feeling of pure ecstasy. Their bodies pressed together, the heat of their embrace intensifying as they lost themselves in the moment. Anthony's hands roamed her back, pulling her closer, while Charlotte's fingers tangled in his hair, holding him to her.