The Runaway 3

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Breakfast was served in the balcony overlooking the sea attached to Regina's cabin.
The Captain and Megan had yet not arrived. Maxmillian sat close to Regina.
His heart broke to see the haunted, hunted look on her face, as if she were awaiting her death sentence.
Pushing propriety aside, he went and sat next to her, and held her close to him, and spoke into her soft, raven black hair,"Don't look so worried Regina. I have a suitable alternative. I wanted to say it last night, but I waited till I had thought it through very carefully so as to eliminate any chances of putting you in a compromising situation. I'll tell you right after we've heard what the Captain has to say."
Regina looked up at him, her eyes soft and trusting. Sometime last night, she had begun to lean on him for support.
He had surprised her with his tenderness. He had taken her breath away.
Grey clashed with blue, searching, probing, telling the heart's deepest stories.
Their absorption in each other was interrupted by the arrival of the Captain and his wife.

The Captain broached the topic directly, not bothering with silly small talk,"Lady Regina, both Megan and I wracked our brains all night, but your staying in France alone is just not an option. I would offer for you to stay with us, but we don't maintain a permanent residence except our town house in London. Going back to London would be the most prudent."

Maxmillian felt Regina draw closer to his side as if silently seeking comfort and protection from him.
Patting her hand reassuringly, Maxmillian spoke, "I have a better alternative. My mother's cousin, married a French vinter. He died several years ago, and now my aunt lives alone with some servants in her house in Provence. I will be residing there for the next four months while I conduct my transactions. So I could take Regina to stay with us. She'll be well chaperoned at all times, so in the event that she does go to London, her reputation will not be endangered."

Megan clapped her hands in glee, "That's a brilliant idea! And you both will be able to spend time together too."
Megan blushed deeply the moment the words were out of her mouth and hid her face in her husband's coat.
Regina too was blushing and scooted away from Maxmillian till she was several inches away from him.
Maxmillian laughed lightly, and took hold of her shoulder, pulling her back to his side and said in what was an unmistakably happy voice, "Yes we will!"
The Captain chortled as Regina looked into Maxmillian's strong face, her eyes wide with wonder but soft with new found contentment.

Getting up and pulling up his young wife with him the Captain said, "I am glad this has worked out well. I would have loathed to have had to implement any other alternative. We shall reach Lisbon in three days. Till then perhaps Lady Regina should remain in the cabin. After that, we can say that Lady White has disembarked and Lady Regina is the newest passenger on the ship."

Regina let out as gasp, "I'll have to be cooped up here for three days? I can go out dressed like Lady White."
Maxmillian shook his head, "Regina. You were taking a great risk. Please try and understand that you are a known and loved member of the London society. People will recognize you if there is the slightest slip."
Regina bit her lip, "I guess I could leave the portholes open."
The Captain and Megan left leaving Maxmillian and Regina alone. Not completely, since Edward and Gwen were waiting in the inner chambers, just out of earshot, but as alone one could be without setting tongues wagging.
Stroking her soft palm with his thumbs, Maxmillian asked, "Does the plan meet with your approval Regina?"
Regina was staring at their hands, as if fascinated by what his fingers were doing, and said softly, "It is as good a plan as any Lord Laurent. But wouldn't your aunt mind?"
Maxmillian's body quacked with silent laughter, "Mind? My dear, you don't know my aunt. But you will soon, so all I'll tell you is, that she is a darling and she'll welcome you with open arms."
Regina's heart fluttered at the sound of his laughter. She looked up as he spoke and smiled as she saw the dimples on his cheeks.
Almost involuntarily, she disengaged a hand, and raised it, as if in a trance to touch it gently.
Time stopped ticking, the world stopped spinning, breathing, living. Everything seemed frozen for a moment.
The only visible change, was the quick change in Regina's coloring as she realized what's she'd done.
She unfroze and dropped her eyes before she could drop her hand.
But she wasn't fast enough.
Maxmillian caught her hand and pressed a soft kiss into her palm before letting go, his grey eyes, darker and more intense.
He murmured as he looked at the vision in front of him, his heart in his throat, "You're positively enchanting Milady."
Regina's color deepened as she hung her head low.
Maxmillian's curled finger raised her chin and then traced a line along her cheek as he smiled, "This color looks good on you. I could bottle it and call it Eau de Mortification!"
A small bubble of laughter escaped from Regina's lips at these words and her worries finally seemed to loosen their clutches on her heart.

Even though she'd been exiled to her room, Regina didn't have a moment to be bored or upset since Maxmillian had taken to spending all daylight hours with her except those when Megan bubbled in.
On the second day, sitting with Maxmillian in the balcony, staring at the deep blue of the ocean that stretched out in front of them.
Regina cleared her throat before she asked a question whose answer she felt was very important to her, "Max. Why do you stay indoors with me when you could be enjoying your own trip out in the sun?"
Max. His heart swelled with joy as he heard her utter the abbreviation of his name.
But her question wasn't so pleasing. Did she not feel the immense attraction he held for her.
He picked up her hand and felt her pulse quicken.
So she felt it too.
"Regina, the sun wouldn't do me much good if it didn't shine down on things I wanted to see. And what or rather who I want to see is right in front of me."
Regina's cheeks matched her gown which was a soft shade of pink.
A sneaky desire to tease her arose in Max's chest as he asked, carefully schooling his face into innocence, "Unless you'd rather I leave since my company is boring."
Regina's reaction was sudden and heartening as she clutched at his hand and said, "No no no!" very vehemently.
Max laughed as he pulled her close to him, yet not making her too uncomfortable,"No to my leaving. Or no that I'm not boring."
Regina swatted his hand and said, her blue eyes gleaming up at him, "No to both. My Lord, you do tease so."
Max leaned back into the wicker chair, "I try my best Milady."

Later that evening as Gwen arranged Regina's hair in a seemingly careless pile of curls, which actually took a huge amount of effort and deft handling, she said, "In a way it is well that we were discovered. Else we'd have been in a fix when we reached France."
She noticed that Regina wasn't listening. She had a far away look on her face, a hint of sadness in her eyes.
Knowing precisely what was the cause Gwen said gently said, "You are worrying about your parents are you not."
Regina smiled at her friend's perception and nodded," 'Tis hard to reconcile with the situation. I love them and I already miss them. Its like an ache that refuses to go away. I just hope they are well"
Gwen shook her head sadly, "They must be as heartbroken as you are Miss. You are their only child and they loved you very much."
Regina let out a small cry of anguish, "But not enough to not marry me off to Herbert."

Lady Anne Routledge didn't know whether to laugh or continue crying as she watched the society matrons, Duchess Darby, Lady Reed and their army of ladies literally flew at her husband and all but hit him with their reticules.
Duchess Darby spoke in a booming, angry voice, "Even when you were a child, I warned you about your pranks. . . . . ."
". . . . . Your own child has run off, afraid that you. . . . . . "continued Lady Reed.
". . . . . . Would forcibly marry her to that lump of a boy." finished Sophia Wenworth.
Anne felt sorry for her husband. He was hurting deeply, she knew that.
Her chest hurt from all the wracking sobs.
But today she'd seen her husband cry. The man who'd stayed strong through everything, cried for the loss of his daughter.
It hadn't lasted long, but she'd seen how terribly this had affected him.
The bedlam was interrupted as a footman hurried in with Mr. Henderson, their distant relative, who for some reason was smiling widely.
The lady nearest to him, his aunt, slapped his arm and said in a furious whisper, "Wipe that smile off your face young man. This is no time for smiles."
A good natured man, he gave out a boisterous laugh, bent and kissed his aunt's forehead and said, "So far it has been bleak. But I am the harbinger of good news."
Striding up to his Lord Routledge, he pumped the worried man's hand and said,"Sir. I set a few of my associated loose in the vicinity and our search has yielded results that last night, Lady Regina and her maid, crept out of the back, took a hackney to the docks. And if my sources are correct, they are on the ship, Elizabeth which is heading for France and must be partway to Lisbon. I have already dashed off a letter to the ship's captain so we should know for sure within the fortnight."
Relief flooded through the room. Relief so intense that Anne's strained nerves finally gave way and she collapsed into her husband's arms.

Regina wrinkled her nose as she stood leaning over the balcony rails, looking at the dirty port they were approaching swiftly.
"There's a stench." she complained, turning to Max who sat on one of the wicker chair, an amused expression on his face.
He'd never known that a woman could be so captivating, so enchanting and so addictive.
He answered as she walked back and sat down next to him, "Its a trading point Regina. And Portugal exports and imports a lot of perishables. So leftovers often are left to rot. Not to mention that certain ships, dump their waste in these waters."
Regina pouted," But that’s horribly unethical. Not to mention unhealthy. And how in the world to they manage to breathe freely."
Max laughed at her distress. He picked out a half blown rose bud from the flower arrangement and handed it to her, "Smell this when you feel faint Milady."
Regina turned up her nose and jostled her glossy black curls saucily," I do not faint. I'm made of tougher stuff than you think Max."
He cast a devilish smile in her direction and took her pink face between his strong, tanned hands and whispered, "Do you feel faint now."
His eyes glittered as he watched her as she wet her lips before she shook her head, her glossy curls, stroked his fingers.
He drew her face closer and pressed a light kiss to her forehead and asked, "Now?"
She still shook her head, but he could feel the warmth of her face rise.
He kissed her lightly on her cheek, and felt her breath hitch and asked, "What about now Regina?"
He had to admire her resolve, when she again shook her head.
With great deliberation, he drew her body closer, his fingers slipping to her slender neck and lowered his head.
Regina's pulse raised as Max lowered his head. Innocently, but guided by instinct and desire, she raised her lips to meet his.
His lip moved gently on hers, and a small moan escaped from Regina.
Their lips moved in sync, as if in a dance.
Max drew away before he forgot he was a gentleman and Regina hid her tomato red face in his coat saying softly, "I do feel slightly faint."
Max grinned, his heart swelling like that of a child on his birthday or Christmas.
He gently stroked her soft hair, till she finally emerged from his shirt front, slightly more composed.
It was that one look that told both of them, how deeply they'd come to feel for each other in the short span of time.
It was one of those instances when you've fallen in love without even realizing when it had happened.
Regina was staring into Max's face, her eyes brimming over with love. It only intensified when he said, in a voice rough with emotion, "My darling little sorceress. You've cast a spell on me. But I'm glad you did."
Regina laughed delightedly at his words, "You ought to have been a poet. Or a writer in the least, given that you have a way with words."
Max hugged her close, and Regina shyly looped her arms around his neck, and they sat in that attitude, cocooned in their new love.

Three days later, Regina stood on the deck, clutching Max's arm as if afraid if she loosened her grip, some calamity would befall her.
They were docked on a relatively unknown harbor, usually used by tourist ships such as Elizabeth.
The steward was overseeing the transfer of their luggage, while Edward and Gwen oversaw the transfer.
Megan was standing with Max and Regina, when the Captain joined them, a deep scowl marring his features.
When he had ascertained that no one was within earshot, he said, "I have received a letter from Lord Routledge asking if Regina is aboard the ship or if two females came aboard that night."

Faint.

Regina felt very faint as the world was tilting.

Dark spots began appearing in front of her eyes as she felt lightheaded.

At the end of what seemed like an era, punctuated by voices calling her name, darkness spread all around her, as the world blacked out.

Max held Regina's head gently as the carriage swayed.
Her feet had been propped up on the padded seat and he held her body like a child's.
He breathed a sigh of exhaustion. He and the Captain had decided to write that Lady White had come aboard, propagating the guise Regina had used.
It would seem more credible since the passengers too could bear witness to that.
He would keep her safe, no matter what. He wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt her.
He'd been staring off into space thinking these thoughts, when Regina regained consciousness.
He was so caught up, that he didn't notice, so she had the chance to watch him.
Regina reveled in the strength of his arms, but the tiny crease in his eyebrows, a frown displeased her.
She drew his attention when she reached up a small trembling hand to touch his forehead, as if trying to smooth away his worries.
No words needed to be exchanged as Max captured the sweet hand and trailed sweet kisses from the pinkish fingertips, to her delicate wrist.
Small tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, as the immense stress of the past few days crowded in on her.
"What did the Captain tell father, Max" she whispered.
Max smiled down at her, "What you told us. That a Lady White and her maid had come aboard. Of course I would have liked to say no one came aboard at all, but the Captain felt that we should stick to it since other passengers too have seen a Lady White."
Regina breathed a sigh of relief, "When are we going to get home Max?"
If she kept saying things like that, he'd die of happiness.
That she referred to their abode as home was a blessing, "Soon my Dear. Edward and Gwen are in the carriage ahead of us, keeping an eye out for the turn."