If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 15

Georgiana was startled when he bowed his head.

She hadn’t expected an apology, nor had she particularly wanted one, but receiving such a sincere apology from someone so clearly in a position of power left her momentarily speechless, unsure of how to react.

“Um… I…”

“I’m not asking for your forgiveness right now, but would you allow me the chance to help you leave this place?”

His gentlemanly request began to chip away at her resolve to refuse. After all, she was never one to be harsh to others. And yet, even in this situation, she found herself worrying about his feelings.

“If it’s too much, I’ll only stay with you until you board the ship.”

The contract was gone, and the boarding pass had been taken, but she didn’t want to mention that. Nor did she want to reveal that she was about to be saddled with a 500-gold debt.

How was she supposed to repay that money?

Perhaps a more terrifying fate awaited her than being sold by Willow—being dragged away to pay off her debt.

But she hadn’t completely given up hope because of the size of the company that had offered to pay the expensive fare and promised a thousand pounds upon arrival. If the company was that wealthy, maybe they’d allow her to repay the debt slowly.

As she inadvertently recalled the terms of the contract, a sudden thought struck her. Her previously hollow eyes, resembling those of a patient returned from the brink of death, regained their spark.

If she got married, they’d give her a thousand gold.

Maybe she could plead that she lost her ticket and ask them to deduct the fare from the thousand gold?

They were in need of women, so there was a chance they wouldn’t dismiss her entirely. If they gave her less money, they’d still be saving in the end.

It was a fifty-fifty chance, but there was no reason not to try.

Having made up her mind, Georgiana lifted her fingers, almost touching his outstretched hand as a sign of acceptance.

She needed his help to get out of there.

Even the faintest touch sent her heart racing, though his face remained calm, in stark contrast to her efforts to stay composed.

As she tried to rise with his support, a sharp pain surged through her abdomen, causing her to collapse back into her seat. After a brief pause to catch her breath, she tried again, only to be met with excruciating pain that left her unable to move.

She might have managed to crawl, but she was in no condition to walk on her own.

Having been tense ever since he arrived, she had momentarily forgotten the pain. But now, the severity of her injuries became apparent, and she could only imagine how bad they were without even needing to check. The thought of Willow’s relentless kicks made her shudder.

Unwilling to explain her situation, she bit her lip in frustration, unable to decide what to do. Through the window behind him, she could see the sky gradually lightening.

“Are you alright?”

Noticing that her injuries went beyond the visible bruises on her face, he frowned slightly, and she thought she heard him mutter a low curse under his breath.

After rummaging through his coat with a rustling sound, he produced a small package wrapped in paper.

“It’s a painkiller. Chew it.”

The small round white pill was something she had seen at the apothecary but had never dared to buy due to its high cost.

When she hesitated, he placed the pill in her palm and poured water into a glass from the room, handing it to her as well.

With a slight raise of his precisely arched eyebrows, he silently urged her to take the pill, and Georgiana finally swallowed the medicine that was worth a month’s living expenses.

“Thank you.”

The bitter pill slid down her throat and spread warmth throughout her body. The effects were so rapid that the searing pain in her stomach soon dulled. Even the sting in her torn lips faded quickly.

As her face relaxed, he turned around, crouched down, and presented his back to her.

“Climb on.”

“Pardon?” Her eyes widened in disbelief, almost popping out of her head.

Even her parents had never carried her on their backs, and now this man, whom she had only met a few times, was offering to do so?

It was an absurd suggestion. Her face flushed with embarrassment. “N-no, it’s alright.”

She shook her head vigorously, rejecting the offer with such intensity that if she had been able to move freely, she would have retreated several meters away.

“The painkiller will only reduce your pain, not enable you to jump out the window. Just lean on me.”

His calm reply was accompanied by an even closer offer of his back. His broad shoulders looked as sturdy as a massive boulder.

If she were to climb on, she would probably look like a burning leaf clinging to a tree.

Georgiana looked at his back with wide eyes, then clenched her fists tightly. “I-I’ll manage on my own. I-I think I can do it.”

She had to. She would get up, no matter what. Grinding her teeth, she reached for the nightstand nearby.

But no matter how hard she gripped it, she couldn’t straighten her bent body. The pain had vanished, but it didn’t bring with it the miracle of newfound strength.

Georgiana glanced anxiously at the distance between herself and the window.

It wasn’t that far…

Yet the old windowsill, at waist height, suddenly seemed as tall as the walls of a palace. It felt as if the insurmountable barrier had been moved into her room. And next to it, the mountain-like figure of his back awaited her.

If only she had a cane to help her stand, but even then, as Lockwood had pointed out, it would be impossible to jump through the window.

“When the sun rises, it will be even harder to move. If we keep delaying, we might have to break down the door instead. And I’ll deal with anyone who tries to stop us.”

His matter-of-fact tone sent a chill down Georgiana’s spine. He seemed entirely capable of doing just that. The image of him knocking Marianne aside with one hand flashed through her mind, giving her a brief sense of relief mixed with worry about what would happen afterward.

“There’s no other way, is there?”

“Well, if we keep looking, we might find another option, but the ship will leave by then.”

His pointed remark left her with nothing to say in response.

“If you’re done thinking, shall we move?”

Having run out of alternatives, she finally leaned onto his back. Despite his cold and distant demeanor, his back radiated warmth, like a freshly lit stove.

“If you don’t want to get hurt, hold on tight.”

Her resolve to avoid contact vanished as soon as he stood up, and her vision lifted, causing her to instinctively wrap her arms around his neck.

She was just relieved she didn’t have to cling to him with her legs as well. But as he strode toward the window with his long legs, she found herself gripping his waist tightly with her thighs. Her face flushed so hot it felt like molten lava.

“Ah.”

Just as he was about to climb out the window, he suddenly stopped and turned his head. Thankfully, she had pulled back to avoid touching him, or their faces would have collided.

“W-what is it?”

Georgiana wondered if she had become half-witted since he arrived. She could count on one hand the number of coherent sentences she had managed to say to him.

“Where is your bag?”

“U-under the bed.”

Without putting her down, he bent down and retrieved the old, worn-out bag she had hidden under the bed. The dark green leather bag, with its frayed corners, looked pitiful in his hands, though it had seemed adequate enough when she carried it.

“Is this all?”

The rectangular bag was only slightly larger than a doctor’s medical bag. Thinking it might not be sufficient for the month-long journey ahead, he started looking for another bag, but Georgiana, now embarrassed, replied in a voice barely above a whisper.

“That’s everything. I-I packed light since I’ll mostly be staying in the cabin.”

“I see. Is there anything fragile inside?”

“N-no, nothing.”

“That’s good.”

What’s good about that? she wondered, but her curiosity turned to shock when he threw the bag towards the bushes outside.

“As you can see, neither of us has a free hand to carry it.”

He added this nonchalantly as he adjusted her position on his back.

No matter how light she was, carrying a grown woman on his back and jumping out of a window was no easy task. Yet he effortlessly leaped from the second-floor ledge and sprinted towards the waiting carriage.

Georgiana clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream, the sensation so much like riding a horse that she almost forgot where she was.

The black carriage, hidden so well between the dark houses, was almost invisible until one was right up close.

He pulled open the door with its gleaming handle and gently lowered her inside. Determined not to be seen sitting on the floor, she summoned all her strength to climb into the seat.

As he retrieved her bag and climbed into the carriage after her, Lockwood let out a soft chuckle at the sight.

“You’re here?”

The man sitting in the coachman’s seat greeted her cheerfully through the small window. Noting that it seemed the servant was also acting as the coachman these days, Georgiana nodded in acknowledgment.