Timeless Love Ch. 05

"Damn it Charles," Finley yelled angrily, having taken on the role of protective older brother to Cynara, "What the hell were you thinking?"

"What the hell are you thinking, can't you see you're upsetting her?" Charles demanded fiercely.

"Don't act like you're not to blame for this. The girl has been with us for less than a week and you've already seduced her into your bed!" Finley shouted.

"I think you should mind your own damn business!" Charles shouted back.

Cynara could no longer keep her laughter in control, letting it bubble up and out of her. The brothers stopped arguing, and Charles twisted around to look at her in surprise.

"Cynara, dear," he said, a mixture of worry and astonishment in his voice.

Cynara tried to calm herself. "I'm sorry," she told him, laying her chin on his shoulder and kissing his cheek.

Then she addressed his brothers, "This must come as a shock to you guys. But don't worry about me if that's what you're doing, I'm a big girl and can take care of myself."

"Well, I," Finley said flustered, shaking his head, but slowly backing out of the room.

Ashton grinned at her, "What a wonderful girl you are Cynara," and with that he left. Sanford gave a smile and a bow and left as well.

Freed of their company, Cynara crawled out from behind Charles's back to sit in his lap and wrap her arms around his neck.

"Charlie, do you're brothers always do that?" Cynara asked him with a smile.

Charles was too distracted to hear her question, however. "I just can't believe that you're not upset by all this. But if you're not, you're not, which is a good thing, I guess. I just wonder why," he was saying more to himself than to her.

Then he looked at her intently in the eyes, "If only you had your memory," his voice was wistful, contradictory to his hard gaze. "Cynara, you can trust me. I hope you know that."

Oh God, he knew, she thought, but would that really be so terrible? But if she told him she could remember, how would she explain where she came from.

"If only I could remember," she said with a shrug.

Charles looked disappointed, but didn't press the subject. Instead saying, "Let's get dressed, we've slept far too long already."

Cynara nodded and rolled out of bed, feeling uneasy about Charles's comments. He obviously wasn't stupid, and she couldn't lie to him forever, eventually he would demand the truth.

She slipped her shift over her head then gathered up the pile of her clothes, running out the door and the short distance to her own room. Charles watched her go.

"Jasmine!" Cynara said in surprise when she saw the little dark-haired girl, who was tidying up her room.

"Sorry miss," she blushed and made for the door, "Excuse me."

"Wait," Cynara asked, and the girl stopped.

Though Jasmine was only slightly shorter than her, Cynara felt like she was towering over the other girl. Jasmine looked like a little mouse with her eyes lowered to the ground, and her unruly hair tumbled in her face.

"You can help me dress, yeah?" Cynara asked her, and Jasmine nodded without looking up.

"I suppose you heard this morning," Cynara asked her.

Jasmine forced herself to look up, "Yes, miss, forgive me."

"Oh, not at all!" Cynara said surprised, "You didn't do anything wrong." She sighed and sat down on the bed, desperate for someone to talk to.

"I know it's really a no-no around here to have sex before marriage, but it sort of just happened."

"Miss, forgive me, but where is it accepted?" Jasmine asked.

Cynara simply shrugged. "Oh, I don't know what to do. I mean, I like Charlie, but we're just so different. We're from different worlds, oh, it could never work," she said throwing herself facedown on the bed.

Jasmine stood nervously, shifting from one foot to the other.

"I mean, Jasmine," Cynara said rolling over onto her back and sitting up on her elbows to look at the other girl, "Have you ever had feelings for someone, but knew that the relationship could never work, so you forced yourself to stop having feelings for that person?"

Jasmine looked at her in surprise, but then simply nodded, and Cynara could tell it was the truth because of the sad look that came into her eye.

"And did it work? Could you force yourself to stop having feelings for them?" she asked.

She slowly shook her head. Tears welled up in Jasmine's eyes, but she quickly blinked them away.

Cynara felt bad she had brought up and obviously sensitive subject for the girl, "Oh come here," said patting the seat next to her. She flung her arm around Jasmine's shoulders. "Who needs boys anyway?" she asked, giving the other girl a squeeze.

Jasmine gave her a weary smile, and Cynara knew that neither of them was convinced. They needed boys!

As Jasmine helped her dress, Cynara resolved to just enjoy the time she had with Charles and not think about the future. No matter what, she was gong to have fun with him, and even if it would eventually have to come to a close, at least she would have his memory.

***

Charlie stalked up to his brothers who were sitting in the breakfast room, Finley looking especially pensive.

"Charles," Ashton said, calling attention to his brother's entrance. All three heads turned to him.

"Do you want to tell me what is going on between you and Cynara?" Finley asked, though there was no longer any angry suspicion in his voice.

"What were you doing in my room this morning anyway?" Charlie asked, turning his head toward Sanford.

"Don't evade the question," Finley said evenly.

But Sanford spoke up, "I thought you might have taken ill, it isn't like you to sleep through a duel, but now I know why, of course."

Charles groaned, sinking down into a chair, "I can't believe I forgot."

Finley grinned, "Sanford is right, this will be the first duel you've missed, I believe, since...ever."

Ashton slapped his brother on the back, "She sure has a way of getting what she wants, she didn't want you to fight in that duel, and by God, you didn't."

"She is very strong-willed," Charles agreed.

"I think she is good for you," Sanford stated firmly, "She's turning you into a lover instead of a fighter. I think you'll find it to be a much more peaceful lifestyle."

"But Charles," Finely said seriously, "I have to ask...did you ruin the girl?"

Charles knew what he was asking; he wanted to know if Cynara was a virgin. Charles found himself between a rock and a hard place, if he said she wasn't, he would be lying and unfairly ruining Cynara's reputation in his brothers' eyes. If he said yes, Finley would demand that he marry her, and Cynara had already said she didn't want that.

Charles in the end knew that he had to go with the truth, "She was a virgin before I took her in my bed."

"Then you must marry the girl," Finley said, "It is only fair to her."

"Finley," Charles beseeched him, "Don't think I haven't asked, but Cynara is nervous, there has to be something in her past that's haunting her, and I don't think she can move on until that's resolved. Just give her time, she'll come around eventually. I'm sure everything will work out, but until then..."

"What's going on?" Cynara asked as she bounced into the room.

"Nothing, just talking about you," Charles looked up at the radiant girl that had just entered. She looked happier this morning than any other, and Charles felt a bit of egotistical pride that it was due to his lovemaking last night.

"What a coincidence, I was just talking about you a few minutes ago," Cynara said, sitting down right on Charlie's lap.

"And what were you saying?" he asked indulgently smiling at her.

"I'll never tell," she solemnly swore, turning to look at the other three's astonished faces, no doubt at her lack of modesty in sitting on Charles's knee in their company.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," she told them exasperatedly, "This is nothing new, after what you saw this morning."

Charles smiled, he was going to have his hands full with this one.

Just then a butler walked in with a silver tray with a letter resting atop it. For his part, the butler didn't even bat an eye at seeing Cynara perched upon Charles's lap. Very professional, Cynara thought.

"A letter for Miss Cynara Waldorf," he said holding out the tray to her.

"For me?" Cynara said excitedly taking the letter and ripping it open as the butler made his exit.

"Who could possibly have sent you a letter?" Ashton mused.

"It's from my new friend Jane Withurby!" she announced excitedly.

Finley had blanched as soon as she had said the name.

"A new friend?" Ashton asked, "What a little whirlwind you are."

"I've been invited over for dinner."

"I hope you don't think you're going," Finley said with a calm suspicion. He hadn't forgotten her asking about the "petite blonde," at the ball last night.

"Of course I'm going to go," Cynara said grinning over at him.

"Why shouldn't she?" Charles said innocently, also grinning at his brother.

All the brothers knew that Finley had an affection for Jane Withurby, but Finley refused to believe that they knew, and continually tried to pretend that he didn't.

"Finley, is there some reason that you wouldn't want Cynara to go over to Jane Withurby's house?" Ashton said, teasing his brother.

"Yes Finely, is there something specific about Jane Withurby that you think unsuitable for Cynara to spend time with her?" Sanford said, picking up the game.

"No, Cynara can go if she damn well pleases," Finley said standing up and walking out of the room.

"You guys shouldn't tease him," Cynara said, but not very determinedly

"Come on," Charles said standing up, making Cynara slide off his lap, "Let's take a walk before you have to leave."

He led her out of the room with his hands on her shoulders, and as soon as they were in the empty hall, he pulled her into his arms and started kissing her.

"Mmm, this is a nice walk," she breathed against his lips.

Charlie chuckled and kept kissing her, his big hands encompassing her tiny waist.

"Come on," Cynara said pulling away and grabbing his hand, "I still haven't seen all of your house," she tugged him along behind her, out the front door, with his hand firmly clasped in her tiny one.

"Show me your horses," Cynara suggested, eagerly pulling him toward the barn.

"Okay, okay," he said, picking up his own pace to match her rapid steps.

"These are the stables," he announced as he led her into them.

Cynara thought that they alone were bigger than her house at home.

"Can I help you, sir," a sun-worn man in his forties asked Charles.

"No, just looking," Charles told him, and the man discreetly disappeared, leaving Charles to show Cynara around the stables without interruption.

"Oh, I like him," Cynara said walking up to a white horse with black spots all over it.

"That's a mare, an Appaloosa"

"His name's Appaloosa?"

"No, her name's Eurydice."

"Hello Eurydice," she said petting her nose.

"And who's this?" Cynara asked walking over to an all black horse.

"Arabian Night."

"Aww, this one's so fat," she said noticing the chestnut horse in the next stall.

"That's because Almonds is pregnant," he told her, "She's due in another week."

"Almonds," she called, holding out her hand to the horse, but it just ignored her.

"Here, let me get you something to feed her," he said walking away and coming back a second later with a handful of sugar cubes.

Cynara took one and held it out to the pregnant horse, who trotted over and happily licked it out of her hand.

"Ew," Cynara said playfully, "Horse slobber," and she rubbed her hand on Charles's sleeve.

He just smiled good-naturedly and watched her as she happily strolled to different horses, feeding each of them until she ran our to sugar cubes.

"Do you like horses then?" he asked, curious to know something about her.

Cynara shrugged.

"I can take you out riding sometime," he told.

"I'd love to, but I'm not doing any of that sidesaddle crap. I want to ride it normal."

"My dear, it's only normal for a lady to ride sidesaddle."

"Well, I'm not doing it," she said standing on tiptoe and pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Well you certainly can't ride astride."

"I can, and I will," she kissed him again.

"What am I going to do with you?" he pulled her tight against his body.

"Kiss me."

And he did.