Randy lets her go

"Then GO!" Randy yelled after her as he climbed unsteadily to his feet and followed her to the entrance of his cave. He should never have taken her he realized; in theory it was the perfect vengeance of an outlaw, but he was not a perfect outlaw. Had he been the man that Marlton thought, he would have completed the plan without mercy. Instead, he realized with a grim smile, he was the brother that Mary knew. The knowledge that she would approve released some of the angry tension from his shoulders. Twenty feet beneath him he saw Lady Marlton swimming across the pool and pull herself onto the grassy bank on the far side of the brook.

"RUN BACK TO YOUR DADDY LADY CHARLOTTE!" Randy yelled down to her over the roar of the falls. She had turned back to see if he would pursue her again. Randy waved at the spirited young woman. “Be sure to tell your father that I treated you better than your household treated Mary.” As soon as he spoke he realized what a dreadful mistake he had made. If Lord Marlton linked Black Brand with Mary Fuller then Randy Fuller was the obvious culprit, his mother would be the one to pay for his inability to keep his emotions in check. There was something about Charlotte that got under his skin like a salt rash. Randy stared at the late afternoon light reflecting through the mist from the falls until he heard the sound of Charlotte’s retreat.

Charlotte’s mind buzzed with conflicting thoughts as she hurried away from the secret lair through the thick underbrush. She knew who Black Brand was and why he had seemed so familiar. Charlotte wasn’t sure if it was the half heard mention of Mary’s name, or the raw fury of his anger that prompted her memory, but Charlotte was as sure as the throne of the empire that she had figured out the highwayman’s identity.

Randy Fuller must make it his goal in life to complicate hers. Her birthday party from last fall was completely ruined by his uncouth manners. Her guests soon seemed to have dismissed his horrible interruption, but the sudden news of Mary’s ****, and his accusations against Lord Marlton’s treatment of the poor servant girl awoke her own misgivings at her father’s treatment of shy little Mary. None of the planned amusements, not even her friends and families best attempts could lighten her mood after seeing Randy beaten from the dance hall. Long before the party ended Charlotte had retreated to her chambers and neither her father’s threats nor her aunts whining and other petty manipulations brought her from her chambers and back to her duties as a hostess.

And this time, he had **** her by ****! Her jaw still ached from the wretched gag and her shoulders and wrists were sore from her **** march not to mention the humiliation of hanging like a piece of meat in the butcher's shop. Charlotte could not even begin to process the wild flood of emotion that swept through her body as she remembered how helpless she had been. His bound captive completely at his mercy as he unbuttoned her dress and ran his hands possessively over her. Anger, desire, guilt and excitement all swirled in a mélange of feelings as she remembered Randy’s bold caresses and wild kisses. Her breasts swelled against her bodice pinching her hard nipples against the lace of her dress even as her hands clenched into fists and her boots stomped against the packed dirt of the old road.

He had rejected her! She had been ready to submit to his wild seduction, she burned with a fire she had never experienced. But he clearly wasn't interested in her gawky long limbed frame. He sent her away. As she made her way back to the safety of her father’s estate, she wrestled with the weight of her new found knowledge. If she spoke to her father, he could both destroy the highwayman’s hideout and arrest his mother and hold her until he surrendered. But Mrs. Fuller deserved none of this. She didn’t deserve to have her daughter corrupted, nor did she ask for her son to turn outlaw. Could she live with herself if she gave up this secret?

An hour latter she heard the sounds of searchers approaching any chance of slipping quietly back to her house was clearly out of the question. Could she send her father's men to capture Black Brand, if she didn't, how could she explain the missing hours and torn dress? As she stood in the old forests trying to come to a decision, Charlotte also found herself wondering why Mr. Fuller had let her go, and what he was doing at this moment?