The Poisoner's Game

Chapter 13

M.

I risked a glance over my shoulder gasping out, "Alexander?"

My fingers strained as they clung to the inside of the ledge. My brain registered that I had made a miscalculation.

"Damn and blast, Margaret." Alexander rubbed his jaw, having released my legs and standing a safe distance away. "I did not expect to find you hanging from a window yet again."

"You scared a year away from my life," I babbled while holding onto the ledge. My fingers ached, bringing forth the startling image of falling to Lord Alexander's feet and breaking every bone in my body. I was an idiot.

"Still your feet. I am trying to keep you from falling to your death," he growled out at me. I glanced over my shoulder again, watching Lord Alexander inch toward my legs as if he were hunting a fearsome beast.

"Well, pardon me," I replied, still hanging on. My fingers begged for retreat. "I have been trapped in this room for hours with no aid. What was I supposed to do?" Stop talking to him, Margaret. Get back into the room.

"Wait for someone to let you out." Alexander sighed deeply

"Would you have done that?" I huffed, finally pulling myself back into the room, and leaning out to look at Alexander.

"Of course not, I am a man." I rolled my eyes at his pronouncement. "In any case, I have been searching for you for quite some time."

"Is that true?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "You seemed quite occupied with the other ladies." I leaned out of the window. In any other instance, I might have felt like Juliet looking down on her Romeo. A senseless love story.

"I have a reputation to uphold." Lord Alexander looked up at me from beneath his top hat.

"You've found me, congratulations." I gritted my teeth, ignoring his statement. "Since I am not 'allowed' to rescue myself, come up and unlock this door."

"That, m'dear, might be a problem if anyone unsavory is lurking about." He looked up at me, arms outstretched. "You're going to have to jump. I'll catch you."

"What? No. You'll drop me." I backed away from the window, gripping the soft velvet curtain like my life depended on it.

"I won't drop you. You have such little faith in my abilities," he tutted up at me, arms still outstretched.

I looked back into the darkened room, peering at the door and hoping my gaze could force it open. My stomach grumbled, and a cool breeze filtered across my cheeks. The floorboards creaked outside the door and my heart leaped out of the window deciding my course of action.

Looking at Lord Alexander once more, my tongue decided on a petulant response before my brain had signed off. "Fine, but if you drop me, Number Three..." I tapered off. I didn't really have anything I could threaten him with yet again.

I turned back toward the room casting my eyes about before I threw all good sense to the wind. My gaze fell on the shell of metal boned fabric. "Wait, we cannot leave this behind."

I picked up the pannier and hoop, tossing both out the window. They careened toward Lord Alexander's head, but he leaped out of their path. He looked up at me with horror, as he stepped around the ladies' undergarments that splattered the ground. I wished it had smacked him in the head. He deserved it.

"When you're ready, m'dear. There's no one about."

I swung over the side of the window again and called to him, "I'm not light."