Arranged Read online

  "Yes, well next time let us know."

  She leaned back in the chair, not saying a word, challenging both of them.

  Jackson cleared his throat, "Lunch is to be held in the meeting room. Alison, come."

  She raised a brow. "I'm not a dog, uncle." She never did this. She never spoke back, but if he wasn't going to play fair, neither would she.

  James stepped forward, offering his arm. "Shall we?"

  Jackson glared at Alison, but walked out the door, grumbling to himself. Alison hesitated, earning herself another of the frowns that James seemed to be so good at giving. So, she threaded her arm through his. "Mr. Camden…" she began.

  "Please, call me James," he said, leading her through the door.

  "Mr. Camden," she said, just to spite him. "Why don't you ever smile?"

  His back straightened. "I smile, when I am happy."

  "I mean, really smile."

  "I don't understand."

  "You never seem really happy."

  James stopped, turning Alison toward him. His eyes scanned her face. "When we are married, I will be truly happy."

  She raised a brow. "Why?"

  "You are a beautiful woman," he said, as if that were all the answer she needed.

  "So, my beauty will make you happy?"

  He nodded, smiling slightly as he thought she finally understood, however, she didn't look pleased.

  "My beauty will fade, what happens then?"

  James blinked hard, trying to think fast. She shook her head and walked herself the rest of the way to the meeting room. Jackson stood as she entered, confusion written on his face. "Where is James?"

  She merely shrugged and took a seat. James wandered in a few minutes later, still trying to regain his composure.

  Alison had never been so relieved to see the manor come into view. Lunch had been so quiet that a pin dropped would have sounded like thunder. Once in the carriage, James took the seat by her again, but this time he didn't grab her hand, or sit so close that his thigh was brushing hers.

  Instead, he stared out the window, his chin resting in his hand as he mulled over her words. She, on the other hand, was itching to get out and escape to the woods.

  Before the footman could even pull the small ladder down, she had hopped down. Jackson was quick after her. "Where are you going?"

  "To bathe," she threw over her shoulder, hurrying into the house. She would have to sneak out carefully. Before the men had even entered the house, she was in her room, waiting for them to be settled so she could sneak out. To her dismay, she heard heavy footsteps coming for her door. She would have to make it seem as though she were going to bathe, so she grabbed clothes from her drawer, tucking them under and arm and threw open her door, taking a few quick steps out into the hall.

  To her surprise, it wasn't her uncle at her door, but James. She froze. "Mr. Camden, can I help you?"

  His eyes looked dark, as if he were angry. He took a step toward her, "You love to frustrate me, don't you?"

  She took a step back, "Excuse me?"

  "You love to embarrass me in front of your uncle and even in private," he growled, taking another step.

  She stepped back, feeling the hard surface of the wall behind her and swallowing hard. James advanced another slow, dangerous step.

  "You have ideas that are not normal for a woman. This will all change when we are married. You will worship me as a husband. You will do whatever I ask of you without hesitation," his arms came up to brace himself on either side of her, boxing her in. Her heart raced. She couldn't look away from his blazing eyes.

  "You will be the perfect wife. Understood?" he asked. She nodded, trying to keep her breathing under control. One of his hands reached up to cup her cheek. "I didn't want to do it this way, but you left me no choice. You refused to listen. You need to get those ideas out of your head. It is for your own good."

  She was trembling. No man had ever threatened her like this before. She didn't know anyone other than Jackson and her father's colleges at the factory. She prayed that someone would come up the stairs and see what he was doing. Even a maid could stop him.

  No one came.

  "Now, this marriage agreement can either go smooth or rough. Either way, you will marry me. Now that I've seen you, there is no way I cannot have you. We want it to go smoothly, don't we?" he asked sweetly.

  It made her stomach curl as she nodded purely out of fear. He smiled at her; however, his eyes remained dark. Before she knew what was happening, he leaned closer and pressed his lips to hers, fully pinning her now. Her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at him, her mind reeling. What do I do? She wondered. His hands grabbed her shoulders, pulling her closer. It was as if the spell had been broken. She was still afraid, but she was no longer frozen. She pulled her now free hand back and balled it into a fist. With as much strength as she could muster, she punched him right in his jaw.

  He released her, stepping back in surprise. His fingers touched blood on the corner of his mouth. "You whore!"

  He took a menacing step toward her, but she was already in action, running to her room and locking him out. He pounded on the wood. Adrenaline shot through her as she tried to catch her breath. She made little time throwing open the window. More pounding sounded at her back. She swung her legs out onto the porch roof and scurried over the shingles to the floral ladder, slipping in her haste as one gave out and sliding uncontrollably to the edge.

  Her fingers clutched the gutter around the edge of the roof, halting her fall. She gasped in pain as the gutters edge dug into her hands. She could hear the banging on her door still, now it sounded as if her uncle had joined James at the door. It was a good seven-foot drop to the ground. She looked at the floral ladder, if she could just swing her body…

  Suddenly, the door banged open and the men burst into her room. James' eyes flew around the room, searching for her. Her uncle spotted the open window and wasted no time. Jackson leaned out and, to his surprise, found her hanging on for dear life. "Hang on Alison!" he yelled.

  Then suddenly James was shoving Jackson away and climbing out the window. He made his way onto the roof, crawling carefully. Alison had knocked a few shingles lose in her fall. Alison's fingers screamed for her to let go. She tried desperately to pull herself up, but her arms were already fatigued from catching her.

  Suddenly, hands covered her wrists and pulled her up. Any other time, she would have refused to let him touch her, but at the moment, she was so relieved to be safe. He quickly ushered her to the window and she climbed back inside. Jackson sent for bandages for her fingers. She turned her hand over and found that her fingers were bleeding badly from where the drain had sliced into her skin. She winced just looking at them.

  "What were you thinking?" James demanded. He was glaring angrily at her.

  Jackson stepped forward and cut him off. "Thank you for your bravery James, but I will handle this from here."

  Alison watcher her uncle as he led James to the door. She couldn't believe he had stopped James from lecturing her.

  The maid returned with bandages and Jackson closed the door. He turned to her, flipping her hand palm up to see the damage. The fact that he was being so quiet was beginning to make her nervous. He poured a cleaner on her gashes. She hissed in pain as she pulled her hand out of his. He grabbed it back, pouring more on the other hand.

  "What were you doing on the roof?" he asked.

  "Nothing…" she lied.

  "You were trying to run into the forest again, weren't you?" his dark eyes burned into hers as he wrapped each finger with a bandage.

  "James kissed me…" she offered, though she felt embarrassed that she couldn't just deal with it herself.

  "So you wanted to run? Stupid girl. He is to be your husband. He would have kissed you sooner or later."

  "But he didn't have to be so rough…he hurt me."

  Jackson's brows furrowed and for a second she thought he was going to take her side. She was wrong.


  "You mustn't make him angry."

  Her mouth went slack with astonishment. "But I−"

  "Ever since he has arrived you have done nothing but act the opposite of a good bride. Normally women are excited at the thought of an engagement. I agree with him, you need to stop embarrassing him."

  Now her eyes went wide with disbelief. "You heard our fight? And you let him yell at me?" she asked, pulling her bandaged hand out of his.

  "You needed to be taught a lesson Alison. He is−"

  "Get out," she said harshly. "Get out of my room."

  He shut his mouth, his eyes narrowing into a glare. "Very well. Don't try to escape again, I will be watching."

  He left the bandages and closed the door, the lock broken from where they had kicked it in. Alison fought tears. Though their relationship was far from perfect, she never thought he would betray her like this. The arranged marriage was bad enough, but now this?

  She had to leave, now, or she would never get the chance again. First thing first, she finished bandaging her bloody fingers. Barely making a noise, she set a chair before her door, then made her way to her closet. She grabbed the biggest bag she could find, that she could still manage to carry.

  She stuffed clothes and anything she could into it. The bag filled with her stash of money, valuable jewels she could sell and anything else that could fetch a price. She made a mental plan of how to sneak to the kitchen for food and then to her uncle's study to grab the papers. The best time she could see to run, was at night when everyone was asleep.

  All she had to do was wait. It was easier said than done. Her stomach twisted nervously as she paced her room. When she looked out the window, she found that her uncle had set up someone to stand guard on the ground below. She sighed to herself. This wasn't going to be easy.

  She hid her bag in her closet, covering it with blankets so that it wouldn't be found. When there was a knock at the door, she quickly moved the chair and answered it, cracking the door. The maid lowered her eyes. "Dinner is served. Your uncle wishes for you to join them."

  "Tell him I am ill and will not be coming to dinner, but I will take it in my room instead."

  She nodded and hurried away. Alison shut the door and bit her lip, pacing her room once again. A few moments later, there was another knock at the door. She cracked it, surprised to find her uncle there, frowning down at her.

  "Come to dinner," he ordered.

  "I do not feel well. I will have dinner in my room."

  His frown deepened. "You will come down and honor the man who just saved your life."

  "It is because of that man that my life was in danger. I will not come down."

  "Alison−"

  "No matter what you say uncle, I will not dine with that monster. Nor will I marry him." With that she shut the door and put the chair back into position before he could do anything. There was silence as she listened, then angry footsteps heading down the hall. Alison let out the breath she'd been holding and ran her fingers through her long red hair, remembering suddenly that they were bandaged.

  Ever since the fall, she hadn't given herself a look over. She lifted her dress slightly to find that she had also skinned her knee. Her arms were still weak from catching herself, but other than that, she was in one piece. For now.

  Jackson straightened his clothing as he walked slowly down the stairs, trying to get his head together. How could she be so foolish? James was of social standing, his family well known and the fact that he was still here even after she had embarrassed him, showed his good character. She had never rebelled like this before, and in front of a guest nonetheless.

  He walked back into the dining room, shaking his head. "She…doesn't feel well," he lied.

  James stared down at his food. "I don't know how to get her to listen to me…"

  "She is very stubborn."

  The younger man frowned as he met Jackson's eyes. "If I can't control her now, how am I supposed to control her when we are married?"

  Jackson took his seat, leaning forward. "Do not lose confidence. We stick to the plan. We need to think of a different tactic is all…maybe try more of a romantic approach, women love that."

  James glared. "I've tried. She does not soften toward me."

  "Well, try harder," Jackson growled. "She will have no idea what to do with the factory once it is given to her. It would be in her best interest if we controlled it."

  "Yes, I know," James said, throwing his linen down. "She is impossible to woe."

  "Try harder boy."

  The two glared at each other for a moment, before James excused himself from the room. He jammed a hand into his dirty blonde hair and tried to regain his composure. With a few deep breaths, he smoothed his jacket and climbed the stairs.

  Alison's door was shut and he couldn't hear any sounds coming from her room. For a moment, he thought she had run away again. He licked his lips as he rapped his knuckles against her door.

  The door cracked open and her beautiful green eye peeked through the crack. She didn't say a word.

  James cleared his throat. "I came to apologize…I was out of line earlier."

  Again she didn't speak. She just watched him.

  "I should not have forced you to kiss me…," he continued. It was strange to apologize. He was used to getting whatever he wanted; he was the youngest of the family. Even Jackson had selected him because he knew how to get what he wanted, but with Alison it was different. It was apparent that she didn't want him. Most of the younger girls would die to have him, after all, his family was very well known, but not Alison.

  "I'm sorry," he finished, standing their awkwardly.

  "Forgive me if I do not feel well enough to discuss this with you right now," she said bitterly, closing the door in his face.

  He blinked a few times in surprise. She was bold for a girl, and that wasn't a good thing. His surprise was quickly replaced with a deep frown as he marched off down the hall to his guest room. Jackson didn't understand when he said that Alison was impossible to woe, she really was.

  Alison pressed her ear to the door once more, just to make sure that he was gone. She breathed a sigh of relief and pushed off the door. She bet her uncle had something to do with his apology. She knew that he wouldn't apologize, unless he absolutely had to. And from the spark that she saw in his eye, she could tell that he didn't think he'd done anything wrong.

  There was a light rap at the door. She asked who it was this time, allowing the maid entrance. The girl was carrying a tray of food. Alison accepted it from her with thanks, then locked the door once more behind her.

  She ate quickly, keeping one eye on the door. Who knew when her uncle or James would come back?

  She double then triple checked her bag, making sure she had everything. She would venture to her father's house. The keys were in her uncle's study. The plan was falling into place.

  The hours dragged by. She watched out her window as the sun set and the sky was littered with stars. Even then, she waited longer. Her stomach was churning dangerously with nerves. She had taken care of herself for as long as she could remember, but she had never had to fully depend on herself for shelter and food. She was sure she could handle it. She had planned out a route to make it to the city and stock up on provisions and find her way to her father's house.

  She had to admit that excitement was also racing through her at the same time. However, the waiting was killing her. But she knew that the more time she waited, the less chance she had of getting caught. So, she waited. Neither of the men came to her door again that night.

  The moon was high in the cloudless sky, shining brightly on the ground below. It was the perfect night for an escape. Alison finally donned her dark green cloak, strapped her boots and pulled up her hood. She had carefully chosen her outfit to allow her to easily blend into the night. She grabbed her pack and slung it over her shoulder, walking to her door.

  She slowly moved the chair and cracked the door. Her heart picked up slightly as ad
renaline coursed through her. Without a sound, she let herself into the hall, silently closing the door behind her. She carefully watched her front and back, but the only sounds she heard were the sounds of heavy, sleepy breathing.

  She tiptoed past her uncle's bedroom, then past James' room to the stairs. She swallowed hard as she stepped down the first step, then the second. The fifth step creaked and she froze. She watched the top of the stairs, waiting for her uncle to burst out of his room and catch her.

  Seconds ticked by into eternity. Jackson didn't come out.

  Alison took a deep breath and continued down the stairs. The servants slept at the back of the house, around the kitchen. She would have to be very careful now. She doubted they were as heavy sleepers as her uncle. She hurried through the halls, barely hearing the sound of the light padding of her own feet over the drumming of her heart in her ears. She opened the kitchen door and to her relief everything was quiet.

  The moon shone through the window, lighting her way. She set her pack on the floor and went to a few cabinets, grabbing things she thought she would need. She took a whole loaf of bread and wrapped it in a cloth. She also grabbed some fruit and some dried meat they had.

  Her pack bulged with food, but still she shoved more. She had one final stop. She slipped out the kitchen and tiptoed to her uncle's study. To her surprise, the door was open, but she had a problem. The key! She had completely forgotten it in her haste to get out of the house before she was caught. It was always on a string around her uncle's neck.

  She mentally chided herself. However she decided to make sure the key was needed. Setting her pack down, she went to his large oak desk. Her luck ran out here. The desk was indeed locked. She jiggled it roughly but it held fast. She had no idea how to get it open without the key and she was wasting too much time. She needed those papers.

  She grabbed the dagger that was displayed on Jackson's desk and without another minute to lose, she let herself back into the hallway and back up the stairs. She skipped the fifth step from the top and hurried down the hall to her uncle's room. She steadied herself before opening the door. Thank goodness none of the hinges squeaked.