A Fine Line (Being Rewritten into The Pursuit of a King)

Confined

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Mimi xx

“What?” William gripped the hilt of his sword. He knew however that he was hopelessly outnumbered.

“There must be some mistake” Violet cried taking an entreating step towards Sir Phillip

“We haven’t done anything wrong, I must speak to my sister…”

“I am afraid I cannot allow you to do that either” he replied calmly. For a fraction of a second as he looked at Violet an impassioned expression crossed his features but it disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

“You see you are both integral to a very important plan of mine”

“You do not need my wife” William spat “Let her go she is no concern of yours”

“I cannot do that for two reasons” Phillip responded with a smirk “Firstly I cannot risk anyone learning of my plot, and secondly Violet happens to be an integral part of it”

“No!” William unsheathed his blade and rushed towards Phillip, they met with a clash of metal before the rest of the guard surged forward and restrained him. He fought bitterly against them before they finally brought William to his knees.

Violet was transfixed with horror as Phillip strode over to her husband and hit him again and again until he sagged in their arms. She was vaguely aware of screaming and being restrained herself, as she did everything in her power to stop the sickening thud of flesh meeting flesh.

Suddenly a searing pain in her cheek snapped her out of her trance. The man who had restrained her had slapped her hard across the face and Violet tasted the metallic bite of blood in her mouth. Light flashed before her eyes and the sounds of the room were muffled as her reality swam in and out of focus.

Phillip abruptly ceased his assault of William leaving the man to crumble onto the floor unconscious. Violet let out a sob as she saw him come towards her and anticipated more pain.

“Take your hands off her” his voice, though low in tone was terrifying.

“Sire?”

“I said, take your hands off her” The guard immediately blanched and let Violet go, Phillip caught her before she could hit the ground. The entire room’s attention was on them now; William beaten and bloody was momentarily forgotten. Violet’s vision was still blurred partly due to her injury and partly due to the tears that cascaded down her cheeks.

“I thought I said she was not be touched,” Phillip said through gritted teeth, shifting Violet to one arm and drawing his blade with the other.

“I only meant-“ however the man would speak no more as Phillip thrust his sword up under his ribcage and released it; letting the man drop suddenly to his knees, wide eyed and gurgling blood.

Nodding to his guard he signalled them to remove the man and thought no more about it. Violet gripped his shirt, soaking it with tears, paralysed with terror. It was only then that Phillip felt the sting of what felt like remorse for allowing her to bear witness to the scene.

“Leave us”

When his men had left and moved her husband to the adjoining sitting room, Phillip released Violet and held her at arms length. He hated how she recoiled from him, and the sight of the cut and bruise on her cheek.

He felt her breath hitch as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and traced the cut that bastard had left. At the contact his blood seemed to boil within him, she was so very beautiful, he wanted only to have her for his own and kiss away the tears that fell from her sapphire eyes.

He chastised himself for this sudden weakness. This woman was only a means to an end and to think of her as any more than that was dangerous.

“Violet…” he began but found himself mesmerised by her

“I am sorry this has happened. I promise to keep you safe from now on, no one shall hurt you”

Their proximity and her overt vulnerability were proving an almost unbearable temptation for him. He quickly released her and forced himself not to be captivated by her full pink lips just begging for his kisses…

Phillip wrenched open the door before his lustful thoughts began dictating his actions. Leaving a weeping Violet in his wake he closed and bolted the door behind him, leaning momentarily back on the stone wall of the corridor. He attempted to gather his thoughts but was merely assaulted with images of the Duchess in his arms, there for the taking.

It is just desire! He scolded himself yet when he had seen her hurt he had…felt something and it irked him. Violet would be his in a matter of days and he would not gain anything by obsessing over her before his time.

Yet, even as he walked away blue eyes haunted him and his passions stirred. He would have to pay some willing woman a visit to rid him of these ridiculous yearnings.

***

For a moment Violet could not move.

She took a few steps forward but was suddenly overwhelmed by the desire to faint and crumbled to her knees. Her small frame was wracked with sobs and she clutched tightly to her skirts as though they were the only things anchoring her to this world. When her eyes stung, her throat burned, and she could shed no more tears, she tentatively rose to her feet. She did not have the determined resolve of her sister and in truth was a coward at heart. Violet was terrified of what she would find in the other room, how she would see William lying broken on the floor.

She took a few steps forward, pausing at the door and breathed deeply. As much as she wanted to barricade herself in her rooms and hide under her covers until Phillip deigned to allow her to leave, something inside of her would not let Violet allow William to bleed to death. This was slightly disturbing as she was sure she did not even like the man.

Her hand shook as it closed over the doorhandle and using the last ounce of her resolve she wrenched it open.

William had been dumped unceremoniously on the floor, blood smearing the stone around him. Violet’s hand flew to her mouth in shock and she almost burst into a fresh flood of tears. She rushed over to him and turned him over gasping in relief when she heard a faint groan of pain.

“William, William!” she stroked his swollen cheek “Please wake up!”

There was no response.