Romancing Two Dukes

Chapter 3

Elara spent the following day as she would normally, but nothing felt right. Since the man's visit, she no longer felt safe here.

The infuriating man knew where she laid her head at night and would always have the ability to find her again. It made her uneasy.

But as the day turned to night, she grew weary of the fight. She sat on her rags and ate her bread in silence, pondering her next steps. Should she leave?

She had to admit that the thought saddened her. This had been the best shelter she could find in a year, a shelter that was discreet enough to keep a woman safe.

"To hell with him" she said aloud. She felt more annoyed than anything else, annoyed that this mysterious man had ruined another thing in her life.

But where would she go? She had no money, no food and no prospects. She didn't have hope that she would be able to find another vacant shelter that was nearby to a city square.

And then her mind landed on his offer.

A contract to ensure you would always have food in your belly and a warm bed to lay your head.

But she didn't believe it. Even if she allowed herself to be bought like a whore, the man would likely short his side of the bargain. It was an expensive promise, one that would cost more than the average man's salary for an entire year. And she knew she wasn't worth that.

So she pushed it from her mind knowing she was allowing herself to continue her life on her own terms.

Which seemed to be getting more difficult by the passing hour.

She had done her best to ration what was left of the bread, but now it seemed she had enough for one more meal, a meal she was having tonight. And then it was gone.

"Fuck" she said aloud, frustration boiling her blood.

She swore to herself that one day, she was never going to eat bread again.

Elara sighed and laid her body down on her rags, closing her eyes and begging sleep to take her easily tonight.

But then there was a knock.

A light tap, but it was on one of the windows that were boarded shut rather than her wooden entrance.

Elara froze, craning her ears for noise.

The footsteps she heard were quite loud, as if the intruder didn't care if she heard them.

Elara ran to her her wooden block with the knife in her hand and quickly pushed it open, her eyes whipping around the outside of the building to see who was trespassing on her home.

She saw a man, clad in a button hat and navy overalls.

A mail man? At this time of night?

"Wait!" She called.

The mail man turned around to regard her.

"Hello, how can I help you, Miss?" He said.

As she approached him, his smile seemed to slightly falter when he noticed her clothing, noticed that she was a beggar.

"Can I ask what you might be delivering at this time of night?" Elara asked, putting on her nicest voice.

The man said nothing, just tilted his head to point at the side of her building.

Elara turned around and scanned the area before finally noticing a small cardboard box sitting right under the boarded window.

"A package?" Elara asked. "May I ask who from?"