She has to convince him

Charlotte escorted the young officer into the gardens beneath the terrace. Her Aunts would not approve; not only were the gardens paths far too secluded for a young woman and man to walk alone, but with the heavy overcast blocking the light from the moon it was dangerously dark as well; furthermore a mere lieutenant like Easton was not a match for a lady like her. However the privacy offered by the abandoned gardens was exactly what Charlotte needed at the moment and so she took the young man's arm and steered him towards a private glade.

"So Mr. Easton, do you believe Black Brand is halfway to the Welsh mountains like Mr. Basingford claims?" Charlotte asked the dark-haired officer as they gazed into the gardens lit by what little moonlight peaked through the rain clouds. She sensed the Lieutenant struggle to find an appropriate answer to her question, he clearly was not used to socializing with young ladies of station. Charlotte waited patiently for his answer curious to see if he'd brush her off with condescending platitudes or answer her question honestly.

"I assure you that you are perfectly safe here Lady Marlton." Easton said after a slight hesitation.

"That wasn't what I asked you, sir." Again the young officer paused for longer than the fast talking suitors she was accustomed to. In a way Charlotte found Mr. Easton's manner charming, it was too bad he lacked the family to be one of her suitors. She had none of Priscilla's skill at manipulating gentlemen, but she could see that Easton was not unaffected by her proximity and Charlotte decided that using her feminine attributes as a tool to help persuade the officer was not out of the question - within limits - of course.

"My apologies." Lieutenant Easton’s eyes met hers briefly before he looked away across the valley towards the great forest barely visible in the moonlight. "No, I very much doubt that Black Brand has left the area.” Finally! A man in Charlotte’s life who was willing to be honest with her! “Whoever Black Brand is, it is clear that he has a personal grudge against your father.” The young officer turned back to face her and Charlotte could once again judge the character and intelligence in his grey eyes.

“I know.” Charlotte said quietly. “I can tell you exactly who Black Brand is and why he hates my father.” She now had Easton’s undivided attention. “I can also tell you how to capture him, but I need you to promise me something – upon your honour as a King’s officer.”

To Easton’s credit he neither blustered like the old Colonel, threatened like her father would have nor tried to charm her like Jase might have. Instead the somber lieutenant stood in silence by her side for almost half a minute before responding to her offer.

"This is not acceptable, Lady Marlton." If you know who this outlaw is, duty demands you tell your father or the Colonel. "I am not..." Charlotte stopped his preaching by cupping her hand to his cheek. She could feel the tremor of his jaw tightening in surprise at her boldness, but she could see that once again she had disquieted the inexperienced officer. She placed her other hand behind his neck just below his ear and pulled their faces together so less than an inch of space separated their lips, she could feel the warm air brushing her cheeks as he exhaled slowly in stunned silence.

"It is very important to me, Lt. Easton." She breathed softly and let her lips touch his lightly. "Please, don't refuse me without hearing my request." Charlotte kissed him again, softly brushing his lips and savoring the sudden feeling of power as she felt the young man's resolve waiver. She became acutely aware of the hard bulge in Lt. Easton's uniform trousers pressing against her thigh as they leaned together; she should pull away modestly from this improper contact but she didn't, if anything she pressed closer to the young officer deliberately increasing the pressure on the man.

“What do you want my word on?” He managed to **** out as he shifted uncomfortably and Charlotte knew that the young officer wouldn't be able to deny her for long. It was wrong to use him like this, but Charlotte had to be sure that Mrs. Fuller would not suffer for her son’s misconduct, and with Lt. Easton’s help she hoped the widow could be spared as much pain as possible.

“I don’t want him to hang.” As soon as she spoke the words aloud she realized how true they really were. Black Brand was a heartless pig and she wanted to see him suffer for his rudeness, but she could never forgive herself if he were hanged. “I want your word that you will recommend he be turned over to the King’s Navy.” Easton’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “He is an experienced seaman,” Charlotte explained “and his actions, no matter how reprehensible, are not entirely without cause.”

Charlotte could see Easton fighting the effect of her persuasive words and the light touch of her hands and lips on his face, she let her thumb trace along the man's ear and then kissed him once again - this time pressing her lips firmly against his instead of teasing him with feather light touches.