A hunger through time- 5
761 Words
The morning air in the park was sharp and invigorating, but for Alice , it was heavy with the tiresome chatter of Mr. Ashworth. He was a man of immense boredom and limited imagination, reciting a tedious list of his estate’s annual yields as they walked the gravel path.
I watched from the shade of an ancient oak, my coat perfectly pressed, my pulse steady. I had been tracking Alice’s route since dawn. I knew the exact rhythm of her stride and the way she would pause by the fountain to avoid the muddy patch.
I timed my entry with the precision of a watchmaker. As they approached the turn, I stepped out from behind a line of hedges, feigning the look of a man lost in thought. I stopped, my eyes widening with performative surprise.
"Miss Sterling?" I said, my voice smooth and resonant. I swept into a bow, my gaze locking onto hers with an intensity that made Mr. Ashworth falter. "What a remarkable coincidence to encounter you here. I had only just been reflecting on our previous conversation regarding the music at the last assembly."
Alice’s expression brightened with genuine relief, a reaction that sent a surge of hot, possessive triumph through my veins. "Mr. Thorne! It is a pleasure to see you again. Mr. Ashworth and I were just... discussing his lands."
I turned to Ashworth, offering him a smile that did not touch my eyes. "Mr. Ashworth. A pleasure. I am afraid I must steal a moment of Miss Alice’s time; her father has requested a brief update on the shipping manifests from me, and I believe she is the only one who can verify the arrival dates."
It was a blatant lie, but it was delivered with such authority that Ashworth simply nodded, stammering his retreat. Once he was gone, I turned my full attention to her. I walked by her side, carefully curated in my distance, until we reached the secluded path near the water.
"You are surrounded by men who speak of yields and estates, Alice," I murmured, leaning in just close enough to catch the scent of her lavender water. "It is a tragedy to see such a vibrant mind wasted on such dull arithmetic."
She blushed, a delicate pink that I wanted to bottle and keep for myself. "They mean well, Cornelius."
"They mean to possess, not to understand," I corrected softly.
I kept her engaged for twenty minutes, ensuring the stroll was intimate enough to be noted by any onlookers, then bowed my leave with a lingering look that I knew would haunt her for the rest of the day.
As soon as she was out of earshot, disappearing around the bend toward her carriage, the mask of the charming partner slipped.
Mr. Ashworth was still lingering near the park gates, looking confused and slightly aggrieved at having been dismissed. I closed the distance between us in seconds. I didn't reach for my cane; I simply stepped into his personal space, my shadow falling over him.
"Ashworth," I said, my voice dropping an octave, losing all its warmth.
He blinked, startled. "Thorne? I thought—"
"You thought you were interested in Miss Sterling," I interrupted, my eyes turning cold as tempered steel. I leaned in, my voice a jagged whisper that only he could hear. "Let me be very clear. Your interest is an annoyance I am no longer willing to tolerate. You will not call upon her again. You will not write, you will not attend her parlor, and you will not speak her name in public."
"I... I hardly think that’s your concern, sir!" he stammered, though his voice cracked.
I reached out, adjusting his lapel with a slow, deliberate movement that felt like a threat against his throat. "It is my concern because I have already decided who she belongs to. If I see you near her again, I will not be as polite as I was today. I will dismantle your reputation in the city and ensure your father’s estate is buried in debt. Do you understand?"
He turned a sickly shade of grey, his bravado dissolving into pure, unadulterated fear. He nodded once, jerkily, and turned to flee, his stride hurried and clumsy.
I watched him go, a thin, jagged smile touching my lips. That was the fourth one this week. The path was being cleared, stone by agonizing stone, and soon, there would be no one left for her to look at but me. Any suitor she obtained would meet the same fate.
- Writer
