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Chapter 203: Her Enemy's Promise, Part 23, Richard's Gift
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Charlotte's Search Chapter 1: Her Master's Wedding, Part 1, The Dream
JAMESPain....Blinding, shrieking, unholy agony....Screaming....My Jade-Eyes screaming....Blood....Pain....Screaming.My Jade, weeping....With a gasp, I rear up, blinking into darkness.A nightmare....Just a nightmare....Beside me in the bed, my flame-haired mermaid, safe and sound, sleeps peacefully. Beyond her: Michael, his chest rising and falling in the steady rhythm of sleep.Everything is fine. Everything is perfectly normal.But I'm drenched in sweat, my heart hammers behind my ribs and my breathing snatches. The wound in my thigh throbs a slow, heated beat.And for the first time, the memory surfaces, how I took the wound. Corby, his gun trained on Charlotte. Michael, flinging himself bodily at the gunman in a desperate bid to prevent the shot. And looking for refuge, finding none, I seize her, shielding her with my body....Pain....Shrieking unbearable agony......... And a fall into darkness....Christ!I check the time; it
Charlotte's Search Chapter 2: Her Master's Wedding, Part 2, The Best Man's Speech
JAMESI slam my pen down on the desk.Fuck!I'm educated, intelligent and usually articulate. I have no difficulties expressing my thoughts.So, how difficult can it be to write a five-minute Best Man's Speech?I rose early, wanting a little peace and quiet so I could get on with the most classic of a Best Man's duties. I'd assumed it would be easy and I would run the job off in twenty or thirty minutes.An hour later, the paper in front of me remains stubbornly blank.And my eyes ache.Surely I don't need another eye test?It goes with middle-age I suppose....There's no upside to getting older....I need coffee....Leaning back against the counter, sipping at my drink, my mind wanders, travelling back in time to my first marriage....No....My marriage....For this wedding, it's Michael who is marrying her.But it doesn't feel like that.It feels like my wedding too.And I'll get it right this time....This is my true marriage.Even though it w
Charlotte's Search Chapter 3: Her Master's Wedding, Part 3, Klempner
KLEMPNERSutcliffe pokes his head around the door. "You have visitors, Mr Klempner." I jolt to attention. "Who? Is it her?""No sir, it's two men. The blond one who came with her last time, and another one.""Dark-haired? Looks a bad bastard?""That sounds like him, yes, sir."From outside my cell comes another voice, brusque; Hartland. "Sutcliffe, get on with it. Larry, move yourself. We don't have all day."Sutcliffe rolls eyes, offering me a look of mute apology, then, "Yes, Mr Hartland. We're coming now."In corridors of concrete and steel, sour with the stink of disinfectant and sweat, Sutcliff walks behind me, as per the rules. I speak in a low voice. "You remember what I asked you to do?""Yes, sir. Leave it with me."*****MICHAELKlempner ambles in as though he'd been invited to a tea party. His eyes pass over me, already seated, instead sliding across to James who stands, arms folded, lids hooded, silent.Klempner sits, the screen separating us. "On
Charlotte's Search Chapter 4: Her Master's Wedding, Part 4, Uncle Albert's Funeral
BETHThe car crunches onto the drive, pulling up by the front porch. Ross jumps out then walks around the car to open my door. "Will there be anything else, Mrs Haswell?""No, that's fine thank you, Ross. You go home. It's been a long day."Inside, Richard is waiting. "Elizabeth, it's good to see you." He kisses my cheek, takes my coat and offers me the armchair near the fire. "How did it go?"I feel sad. Not upset, but sad. The old uncle I knew as a girl had long since vanished into a haze of confusion and bitterness. His time had come....No, not upset, but yes, sad."Oh, you know funerals. Everyone was there, whether they really knew him or not. All exchanging family chit-chat and nonsense over canapés. No-one was really close to him anymore, not even David and Stephen.""David and Stephen?""Uncle Albert's two sons. He'd pretty much stopped talking to them over the years. I think they were just going through the motions today."Richard perches on the chair arm nex
Charlotte's Search Chapter 5: Her Master's Wedding, Part 5, The Charity Dinner
Charlotte's attention becomes distracted, Veronica probing the detail of the wedding; outfits, choice of church, how many bridesmaids, dresses....How much it's all costing....James leans close, speaking in a low voice. "Thanks for that. Charlotte would have been mortified. One of the things I know she was taught on that farm was that you don't waste food. That it's bad-mannered not to clear your plate. Between that and starving as a kid, she never...."I brush it off. "Forget it. I asked you to bring her so she could get used to this kind of thing."He arches brows. "Really? Should I read something into that?"I prevaricate. "She was worried about the wedding reception, about knowing how to behave at a formal occasion. This is good practice for her."He nods, chewing his food thoughtfully.In for a penny...."As a matter of fact, there's something else I wanted to run by you." I glance across to check Charlotte's attention is elsewhere. It is. She's listening politely
Charlotte's Search Chapter 6: Her Master's Wedding, Part 6, Michael's Help
BETHAs I step out of the elevator and into the reception area, Michael is there. Hands behind his head, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, he sits staring into space, humming tunelessly."Waiting for someone?"His eyes flick to me. "Hi, Beth," he smiles. "Yeah, Charlotte's running late." He stands, reaching for the box I'm carrying. "Here let me take that for you.""Thanks." Gratefully, I pass it to him, then shake the blood back into my aching hands before brushing myself down of dust and cobwebs."Heavy," he comments, lifting it with no apparent effort. "Where do you want it?""In the conference room, please. Just put it down in the corner."Michael deposits the box, gritty with the dirt of years, on the expensive carpet of my husband's meeting room, then swipes hands together with the logic that argues you can clean off one against the other. "Any more like that?""I have a carload of the stuff and more where that came from. But don't bother. Ross is brin
Charlotte's Search Chapter 7: Her Master's Wedding, Part 7, A Bar And A Beer
RICHARD"How about the bar and a beer?""A beer?""I really appreciate the help you've been giving Elizabeth with those old papers of Albert's. The least I can do is buy you a drink.""Thank you, Richard. That's a great idea.""This round's on me."*****"So, are you finding anything of interest in that appalling pile of garbage from Elizabeth's old uncle?"Michael muses into his glass. "Depends what you're looking for I suppose, but it's actually quite interesting, seeing someone else's life like this. Once you get past thirty-year-old bus tickets, you find the things that really tell you something.""Like what?""Did you know he was a bankrupt?""Was he now..."Wonder if Elizabeth knew that....".... That could explain a lot. What little I saw of him was mainly complaints that things weren't as they should be, and everything was better in his day.""Mind you...." Michael gulp at his beer. ".... he must have recovered from it. At least enough to have owned
Charlotte's Search Chapter 8: Her Master's Wedding, Part 8, The Day Before the Wedding
JAMESWe're blessed with glorious weather and a good forecast for tomorrow. A May Wedding....Perfect....Michael is somewhere in the bowels of the hotel finalising the reception arrangements....Handy having our own venue....Sitting on grassy slopes, stretching out my bad leg and letting the heat of the sun work its magic, I take time out to wallow in the glow of success....Almost there....Something rustles behind me. Michael, bearing two steaming mugs, his footsteps muffled by springy turf. Even before he speaks, the breeze carries the scent to my nose."Coffee?" he offers, holding out a mug."Ah, great. Thanks." As I twist a little to take the mug, the wound in my thigh growls a quiet message to me. I wince.Michael sits by me. "That thing giving you gyp?""Mmm. A bit.""The doctors said it would take several months to heal properly.""Oh, it is healing. It's better all the time. But I've a feeling I'm going to have a weather-wise ache for the rest of
Latest chapter
- Charlotte's Search Chapter 203: Her Enemy's Promise, Part 23, Richard's Gift
- Charlotte's Search Chapter 202: Her Enemy's Promise, Part 22, Kink
- Charlotte's Search Chapter 201: Her Enemy's Promise, Part 21, Michael
- Charlotte's Search Chapter 200: Her Enemy's Promise, Part 20, Sandwich
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- Charlotte's Search Chapter 197: Her Enemy's Promise, Part 17, Remembrance
- Charlotte's Search Chapter 196: Her Enemy's Promise, Part 16, Charlie
- Charlotte's Search Chapter 195: Her Enemy's Promise, Part 15, The Legacy
