The Lady of Charlotte, Part 10

In which Charlotte finally wins...

Read previous parts here.

Photo by Richard Clark on Unsplash

Three days later, Charlotte was sweatily helping the quarrymen roll limestone from the quarry to the horse-drawn cart that would transport it all to the stonemasons’ lodge. Despite the brutal afternoon heat and mosquitos that wouldn’t leave her be, she was positively giddy with joy.

Kisses tended to have that effect on people—and there had been a lot of kisses in the past three days.

Perhaps even more romantic, though, was that Olivier had recruited Arnold and Ryan, three paint-makers, and two quarrymen to help Charlotte with all the larger projects she had never quite finished—like finally fitting the sluice gate to the mill or hammering on the paddles. She’d made more progress in these last few days than the entire summer.

As the midday sun cranked down, the lead quarrymen called for a break. Water—purified by modern means—beckoned from the castle. Charlotte set off that way, leading the way with a determined march and unshakea…