Running away

Chapter 11

"Mr. Tilly! Get in here!" I jumped in my chair before sighing. I got up and walked to his room slowly only to find a seething Mr. Cranston. "Yes, sir?" I raised an eyebrow at how mad he looked. I don't think I've ever seen him this outraged.

"Do you mind telling me the meaning of this letter?" I took the paper from his hand that was slightly shaking. Oh, he was mad. I read the contents and felt completely puzzled. "Read it out loud if you will, Mr. Tilly."

"Dear, Mr. Cranston.

It has come to my attention that my son has been unlawfully working in your company due to him being a fugitive as he has robbed me and my family before running off with a fussock! I wish for you turn him in so he is properly punished for his crime by his family. We wouldn't want a scandal to arise because of this precarious situation due to your negligence of not looking into the background of your workers. 

                                                                                                                                   Sincerely, Mr. James Tilly."

I bit my lip to stop from screaming out. How had they found me this fast? "Care to explain why I got this letter, Mr. Tilly." I inhaled shakily and bit my tongue to settle the shaking of my hands. "They want me back." I looked him in the eye and he glowered at me. "And why do they want you back?" He got up from his chair and circled his desk, coming to stand right in front of me. "I ran away from my wedding to a deplorable man whose favorite past time is viewing a beast with two backs of the male accord." 

At my accusation for what was my soon-to-be husband, Cranston cracked a small smile. "Alright. How will you handle this situation." Of course, he wasn't asking. The demand calmed me down a bit though and the nervousness cleared from my head. "They have three daughters, all in which are married and my only brother was murdered with my parents so they have no male accordance they can hold and if they wish to try and bring a scandal to your name then they have to think twice because of the neighbors who are to busy being curtain twitchers who know what people live in the house."

Something flashed in his eyes as I felt him beginning to tower over me. I took a step back, the air thickening around us and I felt like I was suffocating. "Good. Write a response letter promptly letting them know that there is no one related to them in this building and if the name is alike then it is a simple coincidence." He turned away and I could breathe again. "Alright." I turned away, fear filling my head again about how I will have to hide away if they come looking. "Don't even think about resigning, so far you're the only assistant that hasn't asked for a raise within the first month and that is a good asset for this company." I turned around and stared at him bewildered. "Are you saying a woman can do a job just as well as a man." 

"A woman can do a job better than a man if she put her mind to it simply because men are creatures who think purely on instinct and muscle. Women calculate different things and factors about anything they wish." He was response was immediate and without missing a beat and he looked up at me while still fixing up his desk. "You are not from this time are you?" He simply smiled at me before returning to mark different papers on his desk.

My face flushed at the smile as I rushed into my room, slamming the door shut. Blasted corset is killing me! I try to loosen it to allow me to breathe but it didn't want to budge. "And Mr. Tilly-" He opened the door without a knock and I had the front of my shirt undone. His eyes shut and his back was instantly facing me. "I do apologize for intruding but you must not do that at work." I struggled to get the strings but I was unable to reach them. "Actually." I gasped and leaned against my desk, becoming lightheaded. "I need help. My corset is too tight." It was quiet, except for my heavy breathing and it was only getting harder to breathe. It was as if my chest grew three sizes too big for how tight the corset was or someone was controlling my breathing. Highly unlikely but this scene is as if I am in a romance book. 

"Milliana." A hand touched my back and a shock went through my body. I gasped again, not from having no breath but from the feeling it stirred up inside me. "Inhale deeply." I tried but it hurt too much. "Just loosen the strings. They're too tight." I slid the shirt off my shoulders and I exposed the back of my corset. It was a few moments until it was loosened and I was able to breathe. "Thank you." He wasn't touching me but I could feel the warmth from his body behind me. "Tell me if it's too tight." He retied them and I was able to move freely with enough breath to do so. 

His fingers grazed against my back as he pulled the shirt onto my shoulders. His touch gave me goosebumps and I shivered. "I do apologize if it's cold." I shook my head and held onto the shirt in front of me. "I shall leave you to become appropriately dressed." I turned and looked at him as he retreated back to the safety of his own room. "Wait."