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Scarlett hefted her suitcase on the bed to begin unpacking. She’d brought a few clothes and toiletries, but the majority of the items were books. Books for school, and books she read for pleasure. She cleared a space on a standing shelf to display her books. After putting her clothes away, Scarlett looked around the room, feeling depressed that she’d already made her mark. She shouldn’t be here. This wasn’t right.
She threw herself across the bed, wanting to cry, but refusing to give in to the tears. How could her father do this to her? How had she ended up here, agreeing to this madness? What was in it for Carter to agree to such a deal, anyway?
Six months. With him.
Six months to find out what made him this way.
3
Scarlett
To Scarlett’s surprise, she slept like a baby in the huge four-poster bed. When she awoke it was after ten, and she thought she was late for World History before remembering the change in her circumstances. No more classes, no more school. The one thing she loved about her life was gone. The semester had barely begun, so she should still be able to withdraw without failing. But she wasn’t a quitter, it just wasn’t her style. Yet here she was forced to leave one of her most precious things behind.
With a sigh, she lay in the bed, staring up at the ceiling and wondering how she was supposed to fill her time. She’d brought her favorite books, but couldn’t spend all day reading. She was about to force herself out of the sinfully comfortable bed when there was a knock at her door. Though she wore a modest white nightgown, Scarlett pulled the duvet up to her chin before calling, “Come in.”
A maid dressed in a black dress with a white apron entered. “I’ve brought you some breakfast, Ms. Terini,” she said with a smile. “Mr. Braxton asked me to have a tray brought up to you.”
“Thank you.” The maid set the tray on the table near her bed, then left. Since he’d sent a tray to the room, did that mean she wasn’t allowed to leave? Surely he wasn’t planning on confining her to this room for the next six months? There couldn’t be a more luxurious prison, but it would still be a prison, all the same. She also found herself wondering why he hadn’t come to see her himself. She wouldn’t mind digging further into the man that was her keeper.
As her stomach growled, Scarlett turned her attention to the tray. There were fluffy pancakes topped with strawberries and cream, her favorite. Did Carter know that? Or a simple coincidence?
After satisfying her appetite, Scarlett forced herself from the bed, anxious to know if she was allowed to leave the room. She would take a quick shower and get dressed. She needed to know the lay of the land.
Scarlett just reached the front door when she heard someone behind her. Turning, she found Carter staring at her coolly. “Running away?” he asked sarcastically.
“Taking a walk.”
“Don’t get lost.” He continued his walk through the bottom level of the house.
With a shrug, she let herself out of the house and walked into the hazy sunshine. The day was cool and crisp as to be expected for October, and there were fresh leaves on the ground that hadn’t received attention from the gardeners yet.
Making her way into the dense growth of trees that surrounded the lavish home, Scarlett inhaled the scent of the woods. The tree growth wasn’t thick enough to be considered a forest, but it was still nice to be in here. For a short time she could pretend that Carter Braxton did not exist, and that she had not agreed to this crazy bargain. She could pretend that she was home once more, walking through their small patch of trees while trying to briefly escape the pressures of college.
Scarlett ambled down the path for a short time before deciding to venture into the denser undergrowth. She tried to keep the trail in sight at all times, but lost it suddenly. Turning around in a circle, she desperately sought some trace of the path, but found none. Frowning, Scarlett walked the opposite way for fifteen minutes, knowing that she hadn’t strayed that far away from the path. She set off in a northeast direction, and came across a stream. Forgetting about being lost for the moment, she plopped down by the bank, running a hand through the delightfully chilly water. So this was her grand escape, sitting by a small stream enjoying a moment of freedom. How quickly her life had changed.
There was a makeshift bridge composed of fairly flat rocks lined up within stepping distance of each one. Scarlett couldn’t resist the lure of the stone bridge, and she took a cautious step onto the first rock. It was firmly set, so she crossed to the next one. She was halfway across the shallow stream when the rocks became slippery. Solidly stuck in the middle of the makeshift bridge, she could either go forward or turn around and go back. There were two less stones if she went forward. Biting her lip, Scarlett decided to turn back, knowing that direction would eventually lead to the path.
She negotiated her way around carefully and took a step, aiming for the next rock. Her foot slid out from under her, causing Scarlett to fall backwards into the creek, hitting her head on a rock. Shit. Her head ached and she was chilled from the water. This was not the grand moment of freedom she had planned.
Eventually she tried to stand, crying in pain when her ankle refused to bear her weight. Dragging herself out of the water, Scarlett propped her back against a good-sized rock, and tentatively touched her head. Blood, not much, but enough that she knew a concussion was probable.
Without thinking about it, Scarlett eased off her sneaker and sock to inspect the ankle. It was already an angry shade of purple and starting to swell. After regrouping her wits, she put the sock back on and reached for the shoe. Her ankle had swollen enough that the sneaker wouldn’t fit on properly. When she tried to force it, the pain was bad enough to bring tears to her eyes.
Indulging in the tears, Scarlett let them flow for a few minutes before she wiped the moisture away. Assessing her situation, Scarlett realized she was stuck by the stream until someone came to find her. She couldn’t put enough weight on her ankle to walk and found the thought of traipsing through the woods without her shoe less than appealing.
The ache in her head was also making itself known, and her vision was a little blurry. Even without the ankle injury, the head wound would have been enough to immobilize her, at least for a while.
Would Carter send someone to look for her? Would he even realize she was missing?
She tortured herself, imagining he’d forgotten all about her, and no one would realize she was missing. In six months her father would show up to collect her, and they would remember Scarlett Terini had briefly been with them. They’d find her dead body, near the stream in the woods.
Okay so perhaps that was a bit dramatic. Even if no one at the house realized she was missing, she wouldn’t be here longer than a day at most. Surely within a few hours, her ankle would be okay enough to walk, and she would eventually find her way out of the forest.
Dreading it, but knowing it was necessary to reduce the swelling, Scarlett removed the sock and swung her body around, plunging her ankle into the icy water. Shivering, Scarlett wished she knew how to build a fire. At least it couldn’t get any worse, she consoled herself.
Not two minutes later, a huge bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. It was followed by a boom of thunder, as the sky let loose a torrent of rain, changing her from sodden to drenched in a matter of seconds. It finally abated to a steady stream, before tapering off to a trickle that did not stop.
4
