The sudden rush of cold air against Emmeline's legs as Charlie pulled away caused her to squeal somewhat. She quickly sat up, entire face flushed with a blush as she shoved her skirts back down. She couldn't even look in the direction of her parents.

Or to Charlie.

She simply looked at the hands fidgeting in her lap as he failed quite spectacularly to handle the situation. Not that she knew if there was any right way to handle the situation considering they shouldn't have even been in it to begin with. Though... her mother was partially to blame in her mind. She'd orchestrated the whole thing after all.

"I think you should come with me, Emmeline," she heard her mother say, "While your father and Mr. Caulfield talk." She nodded mutely but looked up to Charlie. Her eyes were wide and but there were no tears. She wouldn't deny what had been about to happen or put any of the blame solely on him. She did, however, dare to squeeze his hand with her own and kiss him gently on the cheek before she followed her mother out of the kitchen.

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#LovelyLadySet

Nodding at Mrs Woodcroft's words, Charles smiled at Emmeline as she left. All sense of joy had been sucked from him as he pulled on the rest of his clothes and made himself presentable once again.

And this was it.
The talk with her father.

It went about as well as one would expect when a father caught their daughter in the throws of love with an older gentleman on the family dining table. And Charles could see instantly Mr Woodcroft was pissed.

No. Not pissed. Infuriated. And Charles hardly found himself in a position to disagree.

"What on Merlin's earth do you think you were doing with my daughter?" The patriarch practically hissed.
Charles didn't have a response. He couldn't. What was there to say?

Swallowing, Charles apologised and allowed the man to berate him. The Hit Wizard was not about to make this worse for anyone.

After roughly fifteen minutes of venom spewed directly toward him, Charles left with a lot to think about.

Emmeline was to finish school, Mr Woodcroft had said.
She was not to be gallivanting around with some well-mannered boy in a suit who had tried to get into her skirt.
He was not to risk her future.

Though the one thing that stuck with him, that echoed through his head as he went to his house in Irvingly was that her father had said if Charles was going to lead her on and give her false hope, he was not to step over the bounds of proprietary and make sure he did right by her. Mr Woodcroft had made it abundantly clear that Charles was not to hurt Emmeline in any way.

It was a threat to stay away from Emmeline or, at the very least, keep a safe distance.

But Charles found himself agreeing somewhat with the patriarch. Charles wouldn't do that.

He loved Emmeline and he was going to ensure her happiness.

Whatever it took.

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