Randy pulls her away

Randy could feel Charlotte stiffen in fury as the implications of the men's laughter slowly sunk in. If he didn't act quickly, that spitfire might well charge into her father's office and confront the pair. Nothing good could come of that. His fears were confirmed when he tried to pull her away from the dark paneled door. Instead of backing quietly away, she shook off his hand and pressed her delicate ear against the thick panel clearly hoping to hear more from the two men.

More firmly this time, with one hand around her waist and the other back on her shoulder, Randy pulled the trembling young gentlewoman away from the door and back into the cardroom. The light from the full moon poured through the tall South-facing windows lighting the room and the furious Lady Marlton.

"Did you hear?!?" Charlotte's whisper was raw with disbelief and anger. "And Jason was willing to go along with it!" Her fingers tightened into small fists and she struck against his broad chest as she vented. "To think, I almost fell in line and dutifully agreed to marry that pig, that, that ****!"

"Shhh…" Randy pulled her tight and pressed her lips against his neck in an attempt to keep her anger from exploding. "I'm not going to let that happen."

"But how?" Charlotte seemed willing to at least listen. "You are an outlaw, and I'm just a woman. Who would listen to us?"

"First things first, Lady Marlton." Randy took her small fists in his hands and squeezed them reassuringly. "I'm going to get you out of here before your father gets his hands on you." He took a step towards the garden door but Charlotte pulled back refusing to let him get her away.

"We can't leave." Charlotte's chestnut curls danced in the moonlight as she shook her head. "Not yet Mr. Fuller, I need to get some things from my room before we leave."

"It's too dangerous Charlotte." Randy protested. "Nothing could be worth risking that fate." He shouldn't have even bothered trying. One look at the resolve in Miss Marlton's face told him that arguing was a pointless waste of time. "OK Charlotte, I'm not going to debate this with you." Even under these horrific circumstances, Charlotte's relieved smile soothed the tightness in Randy's heart. He checked the priming in the firing pan of the flintlock and tested that the cutlass moved freely within its scabbard. As much as Randy had dreamed of running Lord Marlton through for the past six months, he did not want **** tonight. What he wanted however was besides the point, if he and Charlotte were discovered by a wandering servant or houseguest, there was going to be bloodshed. He was unwilling to let Charlotte fall into the hands of her father and young Worthington.

"What do you need to get?"