Against Their Wishes

Chapter 18

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Olivia went through the motions of getting ready for bed. Once she blew out the candle that had lit her room, she crawled under the covers and rolled into a ball. She hugged her knees to her chest as she shut her eyes tightly. In the dark, she could feel the way he had grabbed her and her fear came rushing back. She shivered when she thought about what he had almost done to her.

She should have never run away from Gregory. She had been mad, but that was not reason enough to go running into an unknown area by herself as the day was approaching nightfall. Tears rolled down from her eyes as guilt overcame her. She had been selfish in her actions, and she had caused Lord and Lady Willington much unnecessary worry after they had graciously invited her into their home. She made Gregory come search for her not once but twice.

The dark, silence of her room seemed overbearing to Olivia, making her feel all alone despite the fact that she was in a house full of people. For the moment, it no longer mattered to her that Gregory had accused her of twisting what Vivien had told her. She had known it would be hard to convince Gregory to believe what she was saying, and being mad that she did not get the answer she wished did not warrant her to run off by herself. Those angry thoughts disappeared when she realized how foolish she had been and how he was still willing to come after her. If it had not been for Gregory, that man would have taken what he wanted. Olivia shuddered uncontrollably at this thought.

After sitting in the dark for many long minutes, the loneliness and oppressive weight of the darkness became too much. She slowly stood as she searched for her robe. Finding it, she slipped it over her nightgown and quietly crept out the door. Walking across the hall, she knocked quietly. After hearing no reply, she cracked the door open enough to whisper inside.

“Gregory?” she asked, her fear creeping out through her voice. She heard rustling from what she assumed was his bed before he replied.

“Olivia, what’s wrong?” he asked, concern etched into his voice.

“Can I come in?” she whispered back.

“Of course,” was his reply. She slowly opened the door, walked in, and quietly shut it. Gregory’s room was dark except for a slight glow coming in through the sheer curtains hanging over the window. She could make out his form on the bed as she slowly walked over to stand in front of him on the bed. She twisted her hands in front of her as she shifted back and forth on her feet.

“May I sit down?” she asked. He nodded and patted the space next to him on the bed. Olivia sat on the edge, trying to stay a respectful distance from him. She knew she should not even be in his room. After all, they were not yet man and wife, and if anyone knew that she was in here, they would highly frown upon her. It was not right for a lady brought up in proper society to be in a man’s bedroom, especially at night. However, the scare that Olivia went through tonight was more than enough for her to throw out her worries about what society would think if they knew where she was. Right now, all she wanted was the comfort of being in the same room as Gregory.

“Gregory, I am…that is…I can’t stop,” Olivia stuttered, her voice shaking. She took a deep breath and tried to form a sentence. “I cannot stop thinking about it,” she rushed out, tears beginning to leak from her eyes once again. Gregory took ahold of her hand in a sign of comfort. “I just keep seeing his face coming towards me,” she tearfully revealed. His hand squeezed hers tightly before she felt a tug.

Gregory pulled Olivia toward him on the bed, laying her down next to him. She stayed on top of the covers but he pulled one of the blankets off from himself and folded it over her as she laid her head down upon his pillow. Tears were still rolling down her face as he settled down next to her, lifting her head slightly so he could put his arm under her neck. With this new pillow, Olivia rolled to her side, facing Gregory, and rested her face more comfortably on his shoulder. Gregory wrapped her in his arms as he felt her shivering slowly start to subside.