Emerald's Rogue (Part 3)

She would go to her mother and Lady Hawkington and beg them to help her. She hoped.

"Are you mad child?" Lady Whitington asked her daughter. "Justin is a bastard and will never have anything, ever. Rogue is a fine man and will have everything. You will never be in want of anything."

"Except love and romance and tenderness. Rogue is a brute and bully. He struck me mother." She cried.

"And what did you do to provoke that?" She demanded. Emerald bowed her head then spoke the truth. She had never been able to lie to her mother. She nodded her head as she told her mother and Lady Hawkington what had transpired between herself and Rogue.

"Well I agree to the wedding but not the bedding. We shall simply take you home. You can finish the school year then come home and finish your education under my hand." She left no room for argument.

The men entered then and all was discussed as if Emerald sitting in the corner by the window didn’t exist. She then saw Justin then in the yard.

"I need air. I shall return soon." She stated and left. They thought she was nervous but Rogue feeling something was amiss waited a few moments before he followed.

Emerald rushed to the stables. Justin grabbed her and pulled her into the last stall. She clung to him feverently.

"Oh Justin they are going to force me to wed this day, and Rogue says he is going to bed me tonight. He intends to get me with child so we cannot be together." He ground his teeth together.

"Fear not my love, I will think of something." He cursed the night watch. If they hadn’t arrived when they did Rogue Hawkington would be dead now. Justin’s friends spent too much time beating on Rogue when they should have been stabbing him.

Justin suddenly kissed Emerald and began to feel her. A touch of fear ran through her but she pushed it away. If I let him have me now then there will be a wedding, ours.

As his hand began to pull up her skirt he was suddenly pulled away and Emerald screamed as Rogue punched him. Swords were drawn quickly. She ran from the stable to get help as they began to move their fight out into the bailey. People began to gather round, watching knowing the black hatred between these two.

"Come quick. Rouge and Justin are fighting with swords." She cried as she flung herself into the room. The men rushed out as the women tended to her. She tried to go back out fearful for Justin and for Rogue.

Alex and Jacob forced their way through the great crowd and watched the two men fighting. Each had already received a half dozen wounds but neither gave ground.

It was then that Joseph arrived, coming to see his nephew and his bastard son. Justin saw him out of the corner of his eye. He went and stood near Alex and Jacob and asked what was going on. As they explained, Joseph looked at his bastard son with true hatred for the first time. Before it had always been regret and pity that Justin was not his true heir. Justin at that moment made a lunging move at Rogue when he was before his father Joseph not knowing the man was there. Rogue saw the move Justin made and easily avoided it. Justin over lunged and his sword went threw Joseph’s chest.

Emerald arrived in time to see this and fainted after she screamed. Alice and her mother were at her side. Lady Isabel rushed to Joseph.