Chapter Text
Charlotte
Charlotte could never resist a dare. Some would call it a character flaw, perhaps comment on the risk involved, on it not being proper, ladylike. She had heard as much as a child and then again as a teen. Ladies do not climb walls. A well-bred female must be demure, never fully speaking her mind lest she offend.
Yet, there she was, standing in front of the wisteria laden wall plotting the best way up and over. This was no regular old dare. It was a dare in which she had to be clad in full Georgian era clothing. This of course upped the difficulty level. She would never back down from a dare, Brimsley would never let her live it down. Such was their friendship.
She paced back and forth in front of the vines, stepped back to assess the easiest route, the fabric of her rented, mother- of-pearl gown trailing behind her making swooshing sounds with each step. She grabbed a hold of the vine, testing their strength. It would indeed be awful if she ended up flat on her arse and had to explain to the staff at the student clinic not only why she was trying to climb the wall, but her get-up. The branches were sturdy. They would do nicely.
She began her ascent, careful with her foot placement, with those ridiculous matching shoes with their two-inch leather soled heels, it would be so easy to have the wrong foot placement and slip. A modern day humpty-dumpty.
“I am so going to get him back for this,” she mumbled under her breath, trying to pull herself up and locate the next best foothold.
“Hello, can I be of some assistance?” Came a rich baritone voice from behind her.
“Damn,” she swore under her breath. She was hoping to get through this without being seen. That is why she had chosen this time of day, when everyone was still asleep, and classes had yet to begin. She did not want to have explain the silliness of it all.
“I am fine,” she glanced backwards quickly, hoping the body and the voice would disappear.
“You do not seem fine,” the voice continued with a hint of amusement in its dulcet tones.
“I am fine, no need to worry, you can go back to whatever you were doing at this unseemly time of day.”
“But what are you trying to do? There is a gate to get to the other side.” The voice continued on
UGGGGGGGGG she screamed internally, she would not get rid of this interloper. She carefully made her way back down the wall but did not turn around. “ if you must know, I am trying to fulfill a dare. I must go over this wall in this inane getup,” she huffed, hoping her tone would send him running.
Instead, he responded, “that seems quite silly.”
She could hear the smile in his voice. She stared at the wall, planning her second attempt, and hoping that the stranger would take the hint and leave her be, but she could still feel his presence.
A minute or so passed in silence, then she had an idea. Why not put this stranger to use? Brimsley did not say that she couldn’t be helped.
She turned around to assess the strength of the interloper and was pleasantly surprised at what she saw.
He was a few inches taller than her, probably an inch or two south of 6 feet. Probably a few years older than her 19. He had a medium, but muscular build from what she could see in his suit. She pondered why in the hell was he wearing a suit at 6:oo am, but did not linger too long on that since she had a more important task at hand. His skin was fair with a slight tan compared to her rich brown skin that was not due to time spent in the sun. Yes, he would do nicely.
“You would do nicely!” She exclaimed, not realizing the words had exited her mouth.
“Pardon? “He asked, his eyes, a rich chocolate brown held hers in a steady gaze.
“Apologies,” she mumbled, trying to break his gaze. She couldn’t. “ I meant you would be able to assist me in getting over the wall.”
She gave him her best smile, hoping this would help with her odd request. She was told that she had a lovely smile.
“Is this allowed in your dare?” He said, drawing closer to her. She could smell a slight hint of musk and something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Her body felt strange, but not unpleasant; it seemed to want to move closer to this strange man, to stand close enough to feel his warmth. She dug her heels into the firm earth to stop herself from unconsciously propelling forward.
“It isn’t not allowed,” a shy smile replacing her previously bold one.
“Hello, Charlotte,” he said holding out his hand to hers. She stepped back with a gasp. Why did this strange man donned in a full suit at 6:00 am know her name?
“Do I know you?” She asked hesitantly. She had never seen him before around campus. She was positive she would’ve remembered him.
“I am George,” he said, his hand still waiting for her to take his.
She reluctantly took his hand since it seemed rude to leave him hanging like that. Her body warmed. Perhaps all this fabric is finally getting to me she mused, not willing to concede that it was due to the strange man in front of her who seemed to know who she was, while she was still completely in the dark. Although her brain told her she should let go - it was far beyond what could be considered a polite handshake - her hand lingered. He too seemed reluctant to let go.
“Do I know you?”
He smiled, baring his perfectly straight teeth.
“You do not,” he answered, while continuing his ridiculous grin.
She was beginning to get annoyed. He seemed very amused at her ignorance, and if there was one thing that she didn’t like, it was feeling ignorant. About anything.
She frowned and quirked an eyebrow at him. After a few very tense seconds, her hand still couched in his, he responded. “I am a friend of Brimsley, well not really, a friend, I’m a friend of Reynolds, his roommate actually, not sure if you’ve met him. I am not sure if they are officially dating yet, have you met him?” He paused for a breath. She was charmed by his display of nerves.
“ In any case,” he continued, “I heard them talking about your dare, and since I had to leave early this morning for the city, Brimsley asked if I could get proof that you did in fact go over the wall.”
“The nerve!” Charlotte mumbled under her breath.
He laughed. A full, rich sound that added to the strange warmth Charlotte felt.
She slowly pulled her hand out of his. She had many questions, mostly around his choice of dress and where he was off to, but they would have to wait.
“So! Will you help me or not? She turned back to the wall. If you grabbed me here – she motioned to her waist, I wouldn’t want to get your suit dirty, I just may be able to do it. She turned back to him expectantly.
“How can I refuse a lady in distress,” he said, giving her a sweeping bow, “at your service m’lady.”
She took a deep breath and faced the wall yet again. In a few seconds she felt his hands firm on her waist. The heat from his body radiated within her. She felt as though she she was floating on air. He continued to offer support after she was latched to the vine, steadying her hips and then her calves as she ascended. Much as she tried to focus on where she should place her hands and those ridiculous shoes, she was acutely aware of how his hands felt on her body, even through yards of fabric and all the ridiculous underpinnings. She was aware of the wide span of his fingers around her waist that held her with just the right amount of pressure to feel secure and safe, the way they travelled from her waist to her hips to her calves without ever breaking contact. It felt slow and deliberate although it lasted mere seconds. Her heartbeat echoed loudly in her ear, and she felt the need to breathe slowly to center herself. She had never responded like this to anyone before.
And, just like that, she was atop the wall.