They Have Always Lived In The Castle

Chapter Four

"Hey. What are you doing over there?" You watch as you sit between Julian and Constance, the two people you were meant to be here to look after on a daily basis but no, you were there sat watching Charles Blackwood try immensely hard to be friends with his cousin Mary. 

"You're planting too deep. Let me show you how you do that." He bends down, his yellow shirt highlighting the swirls of caramel highlights in his locks, the ones you wanted very badly to be running your hands though. "Gotta use two fingers, all right?" You nearly choke on your drink, luckily no one notices. Blimey. But then the look on his face changes, he stands holding what looks like a watch. 

"Constance?....Constance?"

"Yes, Charles?" She pops up from behind a bush. 

"What the heck is she doing?" He motioned to Merricat who was still looking at the ground and then lifted the watch. 

"She's gardening." Constance beans as if that explained everything. 

"Connie, th... this thing is made of gold." He is still confused. Damn the man was even sexy confused. 

"That's my dead brother's gold watch. I thought he was buried in it." Julian said beside you, titling his head in confusion. You could feel the tension form last night building up. 

"It's not important...." You stand hands on your hips trying to defuse the situation.

"Not important? Well...The hell of a way to treat a valuable thing." He scoffed looking behind him at Merricat. 

"Nobody wants it." Constance says in her usual tinkly way. 

"You could've... You could've sold it." He questions her.

"I certainly did think he was buried in it." Julian continues with his line of thought. 

"It's worth money. It's probably worth a great deal of money." 

"Chalres..."

"Sensible people don't go burying valuable things." he scoffs bewildered.

"Charles." You repeat as Merricat look at her sister who is still smiling unsure what to do.

"Yes?" He stammers a little. 

"You look very flushed." you give him a teasing smile. 

"I...It's gold." he chuckles still unsure of what the fuck was going on. 

"Are you hot?" The words slipped out with a sexual undertone you hadn't meant to let slip... but no one seemed to notice. 

"Maybe." He shrugs wiping the sweat off his forehead. 

"Would you like a bath?" You're both pulled out of the honey like sexual tension by Constance's voice. "Y/N runs the most incredible baths.." she adds looking at you. Right, yes you did. 

"Right away, Mr Blackwood." you give a coy smile at him before checkingJulian is ok in the garden for a moment before you run the bath. 

. . . 

After leaving the room to help bring Julian and Constance their medication and tea, the thought hits you that you hadn't left a towel. Jogging upstairs you quickly grab one of the many spare luxurious Blackwood guest towels and head in to the room Charles was staying in. You're spirit nearly leaves your soul when, an almost naked, wet and almost menacing looking Charles bursts out go the bathroom door. 

"Shit..." you blink slowly trying really hard... ok well trying... not to look down at his wet abs. You breath in sharply "I was, just, leaving a towel." You say horsely as he inches closer to you slowly, watching you watch him, you back away towards the door, your eyes not leaving his until you find yourself outside, the door shutting in your face. Holy crap. Steading your breath you walk slowly from the room bumping straight into Mary. 

"Has he said anything about leaving?" 

"I, erm no Merricat, not yet." You try to refocus. 

"But let's keep us finding out what he's doing to ourselves, Constance doesn't need to worry, as far as she's concerned, he's your cousin, and he's decided to come visit you, and he will go when he is ready." She nods, a little defeated before scampering off. You leave. You needed to get this plan moving a lot quicker or else Charles would chuck a spanner in the works and also you were starting to worry you'd be stuck in this mad house forever. 

 . . . 

You walk into the living room, hovering by the door as you listen to the less than successful attempt at Mary trying to get rid of Charles.  

"I've decided to ask you, nicely, to please go away."

"All right. You asked me." 

I know Merricat is trying hard to find the right words to expel him...but his power is strong for her. He's wearing John's suits, sleeps in John's bed, smokes his pipe, and glides his tonic all over his hair. They do not see it, but he is the rightful king of this castle. 

"Cousin Mary won't even be polite to me." You focus back into the conversation from beside the door. "Well...Constance likes me. That's all that matters." You spin out of view as Merricat storms out the door. 

"Well... you seem to have made her warm to you." You announce as you walk though the room.

"You again" a mischievous smile plays on his face. "what did you do to make her like you, you aren't her sister." 

"Ah no..." you say as you sit in the chair opposite "but I protect her sister..." you pause a look on intrigue washes over your face. "What is it you want with Connie?" a flicker of something flashes across his face, not something you have time to figure out before he hides again behind the breathtaking smile you enjoy seeing so much. 

"Nothing, I'm just hear to see my cousins... I want to look after her too..." he say in the most sincere way he could but you can see right though him, there was something else. "Whats in it for you?" 

"Its my job"  you reply quickly, a little too quickly causing him to grin triumphantly.

"I knew it, I knew there was something about you Y/N...." He says laughing to himself. "I'll tell you what..." he says as if considering a business proposal as you stand up, trying to look authoritative but his large frame engulfs you as you stand inches apart. "Don't get in my way... and I won't get in yours.." he looks at you, a soft questioning frown on his face. Your breath catching slightly as his eyes move down from your eyes to your lips. The intense moment was interrupted by the tinkling sound of Constance's voice. But to the sound of his name, Charles made no attempt to move away from you. It wasn't until she called again did he reluctantly move away. "This isn't over..." he whispered in your ear, shivers running down your spine. He winks as he walks away joining Constance, she liked to play piano for him before he ate lunch.