The Fearless Highlander by Amy Jarecki

Author:Amy Jarecki
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Rapture Books
Published: 2016-03-13T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Charlotte’s fingers flew over the strings of her violin while the horsehair bow strained and frayed from the stress of sawing the strings with vigorous exertion. She’d been screeching out scales and woeful arias since she’d arisen that morn and hadn’t a mind to stop. If her father intended to imprison her, she would ensure he heard exactly how she felt about such undue overbearance.

“Miss Charlotte!” Emma hollered, stepping in front of the music stand and waving her arms.

With a shrill downward stroke on the high-pitched E string, Charlotte stopped. She’d been trying to ignore Emma’s prodding, but having the woman wave in her face only served to infuse her anger. “What is so important, it cannot possibly wait until I am finished rehearsing?”

“Oh, is that what you’re doing? It sounds more like you were calling all the house cats in the shire.”

Charlotte straightened the violin under her chin. “Did you stop me to issue an insult? Because I’m fresh out of forbearance this day.”

The woman gestured to the table in front of the hearth. “I need to know if you are planning to eat your breakfast, or if I should remove your tray.”

“Bloody Christmas,” Charlotte cursed.

“Miss Hill! What happened last night? Did Mr. MacIain behave improperly?” Emma snapped her fists to her hips. “If he did anything to bring on your fit of anger, I’ll knock—”

“Mr. MacIain behaved like a perfect gentleman as always. It is my father who is a complete and utter pig-headed, bombastic, unbending, maddening—” She stamped her foot. “Nincompoop!”

“Oh, my heavens.” Emma drew a hand to her mouth. “Did Mr. MacIain talk to the colonel last eve?”

“No.” Tears stung Charlotte’s eyes, but she refused to cry. “I told Papa I wanted to marry Hugh and he put me under house arrest.”

Emma gaped. “Can he do that?”

“Close enough. He’s confined me to quarters. Next he’ll throw me in the pit.”

The linen coif atop Emma’s head jiggled as she shook. “He would never do such a terrible thing.”

Lowering her instrument, Charlotte wiped her eyes with the crook of her elbow. “Curses to him. All my life I’ve tried to be perfect, pious, obedient. I’ve served Papa as a daughter ought in every way.” The accursed tears kept threatening, and streams from her nose oozed over her lips. She set the violin and bow on the sideboard and pulled her kerchief from her sleeve.

The chambermaid stepped beside her. “I’m sure once the colonel becomes accustomed to the situation, he’ll see reason.”

“I thought he was a reasonable man, but now I question everything about him.” Every painful experience she’d had in the past one and twenty years had played in her mind since Father’s chiding last eve. Charlotte hid her face in her kerchief and wailed.

Emma gently grasped Charlotte’s elbows and led her to the chair. “Come now, you must calm yourself. I’ll order some chamomile tea.”

“But I don’t want to be calm!” She rocked back in the chair, her arm slung across her forehead. “D-do you have

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