was supposed to stay away from him - that's what my older sister, Elizabeth, had told me. She wanted me to marry a rich man - a man that would improve my station in life. A man that could give me all the riches in the world. But the one she chose for me was cruel and brutal. There was a vileness about him that revolted me to my very core. But not Drake.
No, Drake was altogether different. He was warm and gentle. And he had this carefreeness about him that drew me to him like a moth to a flame. Maybe it was because I wasn't used to being around a man like him. Or maybe it was because, as I'd thought many times before, I had a deep affection for him. Something that surpassed all reason and even the logic of propriety.
I would do anything for Drake Carne. So when he suggested I run away with him, I jumped at the chance - never once thinking about the consequences of my actions. I just wanted to be with him. I was able to sneak out of the house easily enough and soon, I had arrived at the small cottage he shared with his brother, Sam. Darkness had fallen quickly in the small town of Cornwall. We both had decided it best to sneak away at night, under the cover of the ebony blanket of stars. I entered the cottage quietly and found Drake standing with his back to me, packing up the remainder of his possessions.
Smiling to myself, I walked up quietly to him and wrapped my arms around his towering frame. I heard him suck in a breath before he realized it was me and he chuckled as I pressed my cheek against his back, loving the feel of his worn, brown coat. Slowly, he turned in my embrace to face me and leaning down, placed a warm, gentle kiss on my lips. It felt like the sparks from gunpowder, like fireworks going off in the sky. It was how Drake Carne always made me feel - like I was the most special person in the world, like our love was an anomaly, a once-in-a-lifetime fairy-tale. When we finally broke away for air, he was grinning down at me.
His fingertips caressed my cheek and I leaned into his touch, fluttering my eyes closed briefly as I hummed in delight.
"I love ye so much. Ye knows that, do ye not?" he asked me softly and I gazed up adoringly into those perfect, warm, brown orbs.
Nodding, I reached up to give him one last long, passionate kiss before breaking away.
"Of course, I do, my love. And my love for you grows ever more with every beat of my heart..." I confessed, my fingers tangling in those luscious dark curls at the base of his neck.
"Do ye have all yer belongins' packed yet?" he asked me as he reluctantly untangled himself from my embrace to finish gathering his things.
I nodded in response, "It's waiting just outside the door,"
Throwing everything he owned into a burlap sack, he grabbed my hand and was about to push the door open when he glanced down at me.
"Are ye sure about this? I won't be mad if ye changed yer mind-" he started and I cut him off with my fingers placed against his soft, plump lips.
"Drake, I love you and I want to be with you. I don't regret this, not for a second." I answered, smiling at him in assurance.
A bright smile split his face and we were out the door, walking down the road hand-in-hand. We were quiet as we passed through the sleepy little village and when we finally reached the woods, I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. Resting my head on Drake's shoulder, I grinned and bit my lip. Everything would be fine, I just knew it. I was starting a new life with my beloved, I thought to myself as I glanced up at Drake who walked on determinedly. I had all I needed right here beside me.