Chapter 6

Claudette was seething as she entered her bedroom.

Who does he think he is? He can’t treat me like this!

She longed to be with her Captain.

She refused to admit to herself that she had felt some form of desire for the brute. It had been a flickering moment, and she would never give into it. Benjamin Carlisle clearly thought too much of himself and had too many women falling at his feet.

No, she had someone who truly felt something for her – someone with whom she didn’t have a lot of time left with.

Claudette was anxious for the next two days, until she could leave to see her Captain again. She felt excited. She wanted to see him, to speak to him, to feel close to him. She knew it was silly, she would probably only see the Captain once or twice more, but she wanted to spend time with him still. He was intriguing.

Finally, it was time for Claudette to leave. She wore a sheer floral dress over a light green bodice and skirt. She felt a jolt as she thought of his hand on her bare waist. She didn’t want to think too much about it. She would do what felt right. At least she wasn’t thinking about Jon as often, but she refused to admit that her thoughts of Jon had been replaced with anger for Benjamin Carlisle, not with thoughts of the Captain. She forced herself to focus on the Captain as she walked determinedly to their little cottage.

When she got there, a white and red checkered blanket was laid out on the grass in the clearing. Her Captain was waiting for her on the blanket. He jumped up when he saw her walking his way.

He greeted her with a soft kiss and a smile as he stared into her wide eyes. He led her to the blanket and they sat down in the welcome sunlight. Claudette felt more relaxed now. She sat against him, and sighed.

“This truly is a wonderful spot in the woods, is it not?” she finally asked.

“Yes my Lady, your home is truly wonderful,” he said teasing her with a wink.

Claudette laughed, and they started talking. It came naturally. They spoke about many things, about experiences in their lives. It seemed funny to Claudette that they could exchange such personal information with each other because they knew they would never see each other again, but that they were, at the same time, very careful not to reveal their true identities.

They seemed to sit on the blanket for hours, because the sun was hanging low in the sky by the time the Captain stood up, pulling her up beside her. He held her around the waist, “My Lady, I fear I must leave you now.” He looked genuinely displeased.

Had the time gone by so fast? Had they been talking all afternoon?

“This afternoon has been one I shall treasure forever, and I hate myself for having to leave so soon. In a way, it might be better for me not to come here again because I fear that my feelings are getting in the way of my better judgement.” He looked away from her when he started talking about his feelings.

“Captain, I want to see you again, but I understand the difficulty of the situation we find ourselves in. I, also, do not want this to end. This time with you has been such a welcome distraction. Are you able to join me here again, maybe one last time before you leave?”

“My Lady, it is unfortunate, but I do not think I will be able to do it. You see ... I have a real desire within me. I understand that you are not ready – we barely know each other, but I ... My Lady, I need you. I want to make love to you in this clearing.” He looked up at her shyly.

Claudette lost her breath for a moment. Nobody had ever said such a thing to her before, not so earnestly. In that moment, Claudette felt a jolt through her body. She wanted to do it. She wanted him to take her right there in the clearing. Nobody would ever know. And who knows whether she would ever get married anyway? The only man she thought she loved would never want her.

Claudette took the Captain’s hand. “Meet me here in three days’ time, at noon,” she said softly.

The Captain met her gaze, and smiled, “I shall see you then my Lady.”

Once the Captain had walked off to his horse, Claudette turned around to walk home. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw someone standing by a tree on the opposite side of the clearing.

“What are you doing here?” Claudette asked Benjamin. She looked visibly shocked.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he said, looking at the sky. “As far as I know, the Batten estate is a few kilometres away. My plantation is right around the corner.”

Claudette was stunned for words. Benjamin finally looked at her and started walking towards her. Claudette felt her heart skip a beat as she saw his large muscled body coming towards her. She swallowed hard as she realized that he must have been working out in the fields today. Most masters never set foot in their own plantations - she knew her father didn’t. She saw that his shirt was rolled up past his muscular forearms, and his clothes looked somewhat ragged. She couldn’t deny how incredibly manly he looked. No wonder he was so arrogant – she could now understand why women fell at his feet. He had such a confident stride, as though he knew exactly what he wanted, and would do anything to obtain it.

Claudette backed against a tree as Benjamin came even closer. He placed his arms against the bark of the tree so that her shoulders were in between them. She could smell his earthy manly smell. Her heart beat fastened as he looked straight into her eyes and gave her a very seductive smile.

“So my dear Lady Batten, I see why you have been avoiding me so,” he said softly. She could feel his breath on her face.

“Wh- What are you talking about?” Claudette stammered.

Still gazing at her intently, Benjamin said, “Well Lady Batten, I saw your friend. It seems he is desperate to have you. You should be more careful – men in uniform only want one thing. He’ll toss you away as soon as he has had his way with you.”

“Not all men are you like you, Lord Carlisle!” she shouted. Benjamin laughed as Claudette attempted to get out from under his arms, but he placed his hands on her shoulders, holding her a few centimetres away.

“Not all men? My dear Lady Batten ... You are sorely mistaken. All men are, in fact, like me, in that their actions are entirely controlled by their lust for the body of a woman. And believe me ... Your body is one which is well sought after...”

Claudette attempted to lift her hand to slap him, but he held her shoulders down. She was livid.

“How dare you say such a thing to a lady? You are utterly indecent! Now, I say, let me go!”

As Claudette struggled to loosen herself from his grip, Benjamin pulled her even closer so that her body was now touching his. Her breasts were pressed against his chest and she felt an electrical shock move through her entire body.

Benjamin’s gaze slowly moved down to her lips as she was breathing heavily with desire. Claudette cursed her body for betraying her so.

“Oh, but Lady Batten ... It does not truly matter what I say, does it? I know you want me, as I want you. So how about we stop these games and I’ll have you here, right now?” he whispered into her ear. Claudette felt as though she had melted. She didn’t even attempt to struggle anymore. Benjamin placed his hand at the back of Claudette’s head and pulled her closer to his face. Claudette stared at his luscious sun-kissed lips as he moved to kiss her. He pushed his lips onto hers and she was filled with euphoria. She felt her blood pulsating through her body as his tongue entered her mouth passionately. He pushed her body back against a tree and placed both hands on her cheeks. He carried on kissing her passionately, and she wished it wouldn’t stop. Suddenly he placed his right hand on her breast and she felt another jolt through her body. As Benjamin fondled her breast, he whispered in Claudette’s ear, “Admit it. You want me just as much as I want you.”

“I...” she attempted to argue, but Benjamin bit her ear softly and she couldn’t focus anymore. He kissed her from her ear down to her neck, until he said, louder this time, “Admit it.”

“Yes, yes, alright,” Claudette said breathing heavily now as he now placed both of his hands on her breasts, still pushing her against the tree with his pelvis. Claudette put her hands behind his head, attempting to pull him even closer.

“Say it,” he said.

“I want you...” she swooned.

At that moment he placed his lips on hers again, kissing her vigorously.

And then he stopped. He removed his hands from her, and she was left standing there, with him a few metres away. Claudette was lost for words.