Chapter nine: Charlotte
I met Charlotte in the barn, like I did most every night; she wanted to show me her latest sketch. She was a wonderful artist; she could bring anything to life on paper.
We were discussing the life we wanted for ourselves in the future, when I pulled out a ring for her. Her eyes lit up, and tears spilled onto her cheeks. She cried silently for a few moments, then she threw herself into my arms and wept into my shoulder.
That wasn’t exactly the reaction I was expecting, and it startled me to have her weeping so hard. I patted her back, and smoothed her hair while I waited for her to calm down.
When she finally pulled away from me, her eyes were red and puffy, and she wore a frown.
This confused me even greater, and I feared that I had upset her with my proposal. Was she going to reject me?
I wiped at a tear that was slowly making its way down her rosy cheek; she looked beautiful even when she was crying.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, for I couldn’t stand her silence any longer. She sniffed once, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before she answered.
“I want more than anything to be with you, but you are betrothed to another” I hadn’t forgotten that small detail, but I didn’t care.
“I don’t love her, I never have” I said as I put my hand under her chin and lifted her face to look her in the eyes. Her eyes held so much sorrow, and so much love; they glistened with new tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks again.
“I don’t want anyone but you, and if we have to we will run away together; just as long as we’re together” This made her tears flow again, but this time she was smiling.
“Will you marry me Charlotte?” I tried again. This time I got the reaction I was looking for.
“Yes Tristan I will” She said as she flung her arms around me. I tried giving her the ring then, but she said it would give us away. I tried to argue that I had gotten a plain silver band with a rose and vines engraved into it, but she wouldn’t budge.
I took a leather thong from the wall and cut a long thin strip, placed the ring on it and tied it around her neck so that the ring nestled between her breasts, and out of sight. She touched the thong, and new tears brimmed, ready to spill.
She threw herself into my arms again, and we made love like we never had before, over and over until the sun was starting to peek over the horizon.
I ran quickly and quietly back to the house, but I wasn’t the only one awake by this time. I ran into, quite literally, our old butler Henry; he’s been with my family since I was born, and I’d say he knew me better than anyone, except Charlotte.
“Sorry Henry, I didn’t see you” I said as I helped him to his feet.
“Quite alright Master Tristan, how did it go tonight?” He gave me a little wink as he brushed himself off. Of course he knew about the ring, he was the only one I could trust with the order, but how did he know when I was going to propose?
“How did you know I asked her?”
“Master Tristan it’s my job to know everything that goes on in this household, and when you’re as old as I am, you can just tell by the look in someone’s eyes. So I take it she said yes! Why else would you be returning so late, or early depending on how you look at it” I couldn’t help but smile.
