Time Travel With a Rude English Boy from the Nineteenth Century.
Chapter Nine
PAYTON’S POV
Azalea squealed giddily as she pecked her dance partner on the nose. I stifled a groan and tugged at my corset awkwardly. After another ten minutes of watching strangers twirl about on the dance floor, Azalea bade her mystery date farewell before returning to me. “Glad to see you had a good time, but we need to focus on the mission,” I said sarcastically.
“Oh, don’t be such a sourpuss,” Azalea fussed. “You’re just jealous that you don’t have a dance partner.”
“No, I’m upset that you’ve already managed to forget the mission,” I hissed. “Remember, the whole reason we’re here is to find a certain Duke?”
Azalea rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, “Sourpuss.” I narrowed my eyes and she said in a louder voice, “Now, I wonder where that bloody Duke could be?”
I huffed as I followed Azalea’s blindingly blonde wig through the crowd. Drunken men with shifty expressions undressed Azalea and I with their eyes. I just wanted to turn around and land a punch on one of their faces, but I figured that wasn’t very prim and proper. So I gritted my teeth, remained silent, and followed Azalea’s twisting path through the bustling crowd.
Azalea led us to the very edge of the ball and behind a pillar. To my surprise, Dacre and Lionel were awaiting behind the pillar, carefully blocked from the vision of the patrons of the ball. “Hello, accomplices,” Azalea nodded, as if acknowledging their very existence.
Lionel pulled a silver device from his inner coat pocket and fiddled with it. “We have approximately two hours until it is too late to take the Duke. If all else fails, I will set off this device.”
“I take it this device is a last resort?” I spoke up. I could feel Dacre’s intent gaze on me, but I stared expectantly at Lionel instead of acknowledging him. “What do we do if you have to set it off?”
Dacre smiled a very lonely smile with no humor behind it. “We pray.” Finally looking at him, I stared into his eyes and he stared back into mine. Azalea coughed awkwardly.
Swiftly covering the intense pause that followed after Dacre’s ominous statement, Lionel assured, “You needn’t to worry about that, Miss Eliza. Dacre and I will cover that outcome, if need be. Azalea, it’s time to proceed with the plan. Head straight for the Duke after this emergency meeting is finished.”
Azalea sighed dramatically. “Oh, all of you are no fun. Especially Eliza. Did you know that she’s a sourpuss?”
“Yes, I did,” I heard Dacre mutter. I replied with a scowl. Lionel clapped his hands to get our attention. “Do you recall the reason we are here? The conspiracy? The Duke? Handsome amounts of money?”
Azalea huffed and strolled back to the twirling crowd of people. I turned to walk after her, but a hand gripped my wrist. “Be careful and don’t become acquainted with the men here,” Dacre ordered brusquely.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I snapped. “I can handle myself quite fine.”
“Don’t do it,” Dacre warned, his hand still gripping my wrist. “You’ll regret it.”
“I can handle myself,” I repeated with a dangerous tone that implied “let go of my hand or it will be your funeral tonight”. When he didn’t, I grabbed his other arm and twisted it painfully behind his back. He let go of my wrist as he hissed in pain. I released him and shrugged, “I told you I could handle myself.”
I shot Lionel a warning look before stalking after Azalea. “Feisty,” I heard Lionel comment before Dacre slapped him upside the head with his good arm. I found myself smirking as I caught up with Azalea.
“Are we going to meet the freakin’ Duke now, or what?” I hissed so only Azalea could hear.
“Yes, yes, don’t get your knickers in a twist,” Azalea huffed, clearly annoyed by my lack of festivity. “You know, you are in a completely different era at a party with people who will never see you again. If I were you, I would be a little more adventurous.”
“Given the circumstances, I think my life ought to take priority over my urge to get down.”
“Why on Earth would you want to lay on the floor? It’s filthy!” Azalea exclaimed, not quite up-to-date with my new terms.
“Just get us to the Duke already,” I sighed, exasperated by Azalea’s persistency. We ascended through the crowd, bumping into patrons drunk on a good time. I followed Azalea like an obedient little slave.
One minute I was shuffling after Azalea, the next I was pushed up against a wall. “Servant girl, behave and I’ll see that you are paid more than you usually earn,” a noble in his forties breathed against my jaw line. I shuddered and winced at the robust scent of alcohol wafting off of him.
I clenched my fist, but the man took hold of both wrists and pinned them over my head. Before I could react, he pinned my legs down with his so that I couldn’t kick him where the sun don’t shine.
“Trapped with nowhere to go, little mouse?” he smirked, trailing slobbery kisses up my neck. I was screwed. I should have listened to Dacre… where in the blazes was Azalea?
The first thing I’m going to do when I get home is rip up my history book.
DACRE’S POV
I stared after Payton and Azalea, grimacing. My arm still hurt from Payton’s little… maneuver.
“You always did fall for the cheeky ones,” Lionel noted. I smacked him with my uninjured arm.
“Back to the mission,” I growled as I disappeared into the shadows. Lionel sighed and complied, following me as I twisted and explored the corridors just out of sight of the partygoer’s field of vision.
We wandered in silence for a while, until Lionel broke the pause. “Do you honestly like the future girl?”
I sighed, too tired to dodge his question. “I think that she’s got me trapped where it counts.”
“In her petticoats?”
“No, you imbecile! In her hands.” I tried to ignore the tantalizing thoughts of being trapped in Payton’s petticoats. Aloud I said, “And I think that’s right where she wants me.”
“The question is,” Lionel pondered with a smirk, “isn’t that where you want to be?”
I remained silent, hoping the answer wasn’t as obvious as I thought it was. Payton certainly did have a strange control over me, I’ll give her that. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her in the grasps of a drunken man. She was struggling against his grip on her wrists. Why wasn’t she screaming? Did she want to be raped? I growled and ducked into the light, ignoring Lionel’s pleas to remain hidden.
She should have just listened to me.
Azalea squealed giddily as she pecked her dance partner on the nose. I stifled a groan and tugged at my corset awkwardly. After another ten minutes of watching strangers twirl about on the dance floor, Azalea bade her mystery date farewell before returning to me. “Glad to see you had a good time, but we need to focus on the mission,” I said sarcastically.
“Oh, don’t be such a sourpuss,” Azalea fussed. “You’re just jealous that you don’t have a dance partner.”
“No, I’m upset that you’ve already managed to forget the mission,” I hissed. “Remember, the whole reason we’re here is to find a certain Duke?”
Azalea rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, “Sourpuss.” I narrowed my eyes and she said in a louder voice, “Now, I wonder where that bloody Duke could be?”
I huffed as I followed Azalea’s blindingly blonde wig through the crowd. Drunken men with shifty expressions undressed Azalea and I with their eyes. I just wanted to turn around and land a punch on one of their faces, but I figured that wasn’t very prim and proper. So I gritted my teeth, remained silent, and followed Azalea’s twisting path through the bustling crowd.
Azalea led us to the very edge of the ball and behind a pillar. To my surprise, Dacre and Lionel were awaiting behind the pillar, carefully blocked from the vision of the patrons of the ball. “Hello, accomplices,” Azalea nodded, as if acknowledging their very existence.
Lionel pulled a silver device from his inner coat pocket and fiddled with it. “We have approximately two hours until it is too late to take the Duke. If all else fails, I will set off this device.”
“I take it this device is a last resort?” I spoke up. I could feel Dacre’s intent gaze on me, but I stared expectantly at Lionel instead of acknowledging him. “What do we do if you have to set it off?”
Dacre smiled a very lonely smile with no humor behind it. “We pray.” Finally looking at him, I stared into his eyes and he stared back into mine. Azalea coughed awkwardly.
Swiftly covering the intense pause that followed after Dacre’s ominous statement, Lionel assured, “You needn’t to worry about that, Miss Eliza. Dacre and I will cover that outcome, if need be. Azalea, it’s time to proceed with the plan. Head straight for the Duke after this emergency meeting is finished.”
Azalea sighed dramatically. “Oh, all of you are no fun. Especially Eliza. Did you know that she’s a sourpuss?”
“Yes, I did,” I heard Dacre mutter. I replied with a scowl. Lionel clapped his hands to get our attention. “Do you recall the reason we are here? The conspiracy? The Duke? Handsome amounts of money?”
Azalea huffed and strolled back to the twirling crowd of people. I turned to walk after her, but a hand gripped my wrist. “Be careful and don’t become acquainted with the men here,” Dacre ordered brusquely.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I snapped. “I can handle myself quite fine.”
“Don’t do it,” Dacre warned, his hand still gripping my wrist. “You’ll regret it.”
“I can handle myself,” I repeated with a dangerous tone that implied “let go of my hand or it will be your funeral tonight”. When he didn’t, I grabbed his other arm and twisted it painfully behind his back. He let go of my wrist as he hissed in pain. I released him and shrugged, “I told you I could handle myself.”
I shot Lionel a warning look before stalking after Azalea. “Feisty,” I heard Lionel comment before Dacre slapped him upside the head with his good arm. I found myself smirking as I caught up with Azalea.
“Are we going to meet the freakin’ Duke now, or what?” I hissed so only Azalea could hear.
“Yes, yes, don’t get your knickers in a twist,” Azalea huffed, clearly annoyed by my lack of festivity. “You know, you are in a completely different era at a party with people who will never see you again. If I were you, I would be a little more adventurous.”
“Given the circumstances, I think my life ought to take priority over my urge to get down.”
“Why on Earth would you want to lay on the floor? It’s filthy!” Azalea exclaimed, not quite up-to-date with my new terms.
“Just get us to the Duke already,” I sighed, exasperated by Azalea’s persistency. We ascended through the crowd, bumping into patrons drunk on a good time. I followed Azalea like an obedient little slave.
One minute I was shuffling after Azalea, the next I was pushed up against a wall. “Servant girl, behave and I’ll see that you are paid more than you usually earn,” a noble in his forties breathed against my jaw line. I shuddered and winced at the robust scent of alcohol wafting off of him.
I clenched my fist, but the man took hold of both wrists and pinned them over my head. Before I could react, he pinned my legs down with his so that I couldn’t kick him where the sun don’t shine.
“Trapped with nowhere to go, little mouse?” he smirked, trailing slobbery kisses up my neck. I was screwed. I should have listened to Dacre… where in the blazes was Azalea?
The first thing I’m going to do when I get home is rip up my history book.
DACRE’S POV
I stared after Payton and Azalea, grimacing. My arm still hurt from Payton’s little… maneuver.
“You always did fall for the cheeky ones,” Lionel noted. I smacked him with my uninjured arm.
“Back to the mission,” I growled as I disappeared into the shadows. Lionel sighed and complied, following me as I twisted and explored the corridors just out of sight of the partygoer’s field of vision.
We wandered in silence for a while, until Lionel broke the pause. “Do you honestly like the future girl?”
I sighed, too tired to dodge his question. “I think that she’s got me trapped where it counts.”
“In her petticoats?”
“No, you imbecile! In her hands.” I tried to ignore the tantalizing thoughts of being trapped in Payton’s petticoats. Aloud I said, “And I think that’s right where she wants me.”
“The question is,” Lionel pondered with a smirk, “isn’t that where you want to be?”
I remained silent, hoping the answer wasn’t as obvious as I thought it was. Payton certainly did have a strange control over me, I’ll give her that. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her in the grasps of a drunken man. She was struggling against his grip on her wrists. Why wasn’t she screaming? Did she want to be raped? I growled and ducked into the light, ignoring Lionel’s pleas to remain hidden.
She should have just listened to me.