"Ella," Char's voice trembled with sorrow and love. He looked weak with passion, and undeniably in awe of me. "You sacrificed your chance to liberate yourself from your stepfamily in order to save me. I—I'm speechless."
His eyes whispered his thanks and he gazed at me with such ardour that I felt nearly queasy. But his beam was contagious, and I grinned back and embraced him tightly. "I didn't want to lose you, Char."
Then, retreating back to my usual mischievous self, I joked, "How could I possibly endure my forced obedience without you laughing at my awkwardness? Honestly, I may as well give Hattie a pedicure for the rest of my days if that be the case. And you know how much I adore pampering Hattie!"
With that, Char scooped me up, his strong arms cradling me, and kissed me with utmost, feverish zeal.
I heard courtyard creak, followed by a set of uncouth drums that were bashing at the ground. Hattie was stomping, again.
"No!" She screeched, her bellowing voice jerking Char and I apart. Then, with as much contempt as she could muster, she shrieked, "Be gone Ella! I command you to leave this instant. Charmont is mine!"
She looked quite pitiful then. She was tearful, and her wig was in various stages of disarray. As she screamed, numerous buttons exploded from her lavish gown, hit Mum Olga's prized petunia vase, and her elephant-resembling stomach was revealed. Meanwhile, the vase leisurely rolled to the edge of the balcony railing—as though scorning Hattie—and shattered in a dramatic crash. Glancing down at the remnants of the vase, then at her protruding belly, she unleashed an unearthly wail and raced back to the kitchen. Then, I heard her pounding footsteps dash up the stairs, and when her door was slammed, Mum Olga's windows shook.
Poor vase, I thought.
Char and I exchanged looks, and I could tell he was thinking along the same lines as me. Char concealed his bubbling laughter with a cough, while I doubled-over and gasped for breath. A stitch plagued my side from my overt laughter. Char gave up trying to disguise his amusement, and we clung to each other laughing until our ribs threatened to tear.
I hiccoughed myself back to seriousness, and Char was still chuckling as we walked hand in hand to his carriage. Once I was properly seated beside Char, the henchman flicked his whip, and the horses trotted off towards the castle.
