It was an extravagant house with plenty of paintings hung on the walls in the entire house. She discovered that Mrs Chapel was fond of collecting paintings and her husband bought them for her. They looked at the painting they had come for and it was one of a kind piece. The paints that were used were of high quality and the strokes on the canvas so precise.
While they walked further Katie had noticed the way he looked at her. She had caught him looking at her neckline more than three times. At first she had thought she had mistaken him again but it happened again. It made her uncomfortable now and they had spent quite some time inside.
“I think we should go back now,” she proposed.
“What’s the hurry?” she heard him say, “The party hasn’t even started.”
“What?” she asked furrowing her brows confused.
In a matter of second, he pulled her into an empty room and she felt her back hit the wall painfully. She winced in pain. He covered her mouth with one hand and the other holding her hands as he forced himself on her by pushing his body over hers.
Katie’s eyes widened in fear when he began touching her inappropriately.
“I haven’t done anything yet and you want to go back?” he whispered in her ear as his hands roughly touched her hips, “We are only getting started.”
She struggled, trying to push him away but he was too strong for her. She felt repulsed as he kissed her neck.
He tore the top material of her dress exposing her shoulder and continued to kiss her.
When his grip loosened, she scratched his face and he let out a string of curse words. Three red lines marred his face now.
“Kitty Kat likes to play,” he grinned with a sick smile whom she couldn’t recognize as Lancelot anymore. Pushing her on the ground he ripped the dress around her legs.
“Stop it! Alexander!” she screamed when his hands began moving up her legs.
“Calling that Lord of yours? He must be enjoying you for you to scream his name. Let me have a taste you too,” Lancelot said above her.
Before he could go any further, he was ripped away from Katie and was choking on air as someone held his neck in the air.
“Alexander, stop it! You’re going to kill him!” Elliot said trying to pry off Alexander’s hand away from the man. Killing the man would raise unnecessary questions, “You can deal with him later. Katie needs you now,” he said softly and felt Alexander loosen his hold.
He looked over at her and felt rage take over him all over again. He knocked the man unconscious before going to where she sat.
She sat on the floor with a ghost like expression. Her dress torn and the sleeve hanging on her arm instead of her shoulder. Her hair was messed and her hands shook in fear.
“Katie?” Alexander called her softly and her gaze shifted up slowly to meet his eyes.
Tears filled her eyes, one fell over her cheeks and the other drops followed with sobs.
“Shh, it’s over,” he assured her carefully taking her in his arms and she desperately clung to him feeling scared of being so close to being violated, “It’s okay now, love. He’s not going to hurt you,” he promised her softly as she cried in his arms.
“Here,” Elliot who had gone out, came back with Alexander’s overcoat. Taking it Alexander put it over Katie’s body, “I have asked Sylvia to get the carriage behind the house to avoid questions from the guests. It should be here soon.”
On the way Katie had ended up falling asleep and it made it easier for them to talk.
“Who is this guy?” Elliot asked the unconscious man who had his legs and hands bound.
“I tried asking Lady Letitia and she said the man was from the northern empire but he wasn’t invited to tea. He is the Milford family’s second son,” Sylvia answered worriedly as she looked at Katie’s sleeping form, “How could he do that,” she whispered regretfully.
Alexander hadn’t let Katie go from the Chapel’s house. The carriage was only four people and as they had another person, Alexander had made Katie sit on his lap and it seemed convenient as her hands clutched his shirt tightly– he didn’t complain.
He had found it suspicious when he couldn’t hear her voice. Being from an old lineage of pure blood family his hearing was much better compared to others. He had asked Elliot to see where she was but when he heard her scream that is when he realized she wasn’t safe. He had rushed to where she was and the sight raged his blood in fury.
Her clothes were torn not just the shoulders but the skirt too. He held her close to him. When he took her in his arms, relief washed over him.
Reaching the mansion, Alexander took her to her room and put her in the bed before pulling up the quilt to cover her.
Taking a chair next to the bed, he sat down not wanting to leave her side.
When Katie woke up it took her sometime before all the things that occurred came rushing through like an open dam. She felt dirty. Her shoulder pained every time she moved.
Why did it happen to her? Had she given a wrong impression that made the man do such a thing? She hadn’t done anything then why?
“Drink this,” she heard Alexander next to her and he went to touch her forehead but she moved away due to shock.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. She took the glass from him, “I should have looked out for you. It wouldn’t have happened if we had been careful.”
Katie shook her head and spoke softly, “We didn’t know something like that would happen,” not meeting his eyes. He went to retrieve the empty glass and this time she shifted away again.
“Are you afraid of me?”
“No,” she replied and then continued, “The me now feels ashamed and dirty. Please don’t touch me,” she confessed as her voice trembled.
“Look at me, Katie,” he spoke to her softly. He tipped her head up by pushing her chin and when her teary eyes met his dark red eyes he said, “You aren’t dirty. No one can or will dirty you ever. I wish you didn’t have to experience such a thing and I’m glad nothing horrific happened, I don’t want to imagine with what ifs. I know it’s hard but I want you to forget it like it was a bad dream. You’re safe and that’s all it matters now”
She nodded her head meekly as she wiped her eyes.
“No one knows what happened apart from Elliot, Sylvia and us,” he said patting her head gently, “Go take a bath. You can rest as much as you like. I’ll give you some space,” he said leaving the room.
She was safe like Alexander said, if she kept wondering with what ifs it would only traumatize her further.
Bad dream, she murmured to herself.