//CLARA//
The carriage door slammed shut.
My heart pummeled against my ribs, entirely out of sync with Casimir's terrifyingly still composure.
His hands descended into the silk of my skirts, sinking straight into the layers of crinoline and petticoats.
"What are you doing? Let go of me!" I shoved his shoulders with all the strength I had left. "Casimir! Stop it!"
With a violent jerk, he tore a long, thick strip of fabric right out of my petticoat lining. Before my brain could process anything, he caught both of my wrists in one hand, pinning them together with a grip like iron handcuffs.
"You absolute lunatic!" I hissed.
He didn't tie it tight enough to cut off my blood flow, but he was fast. He looped the remaining length of the fabric through the brass support beam and knotted it twice, cutting my mobility entirely in half.
"Casimir, I swear to God—"
"Quiet, little bird."
His voice wasn't angry. But I am.
"Don't tell me—!"
