As Brian was pouring the wine, another pair entered the hall and Peyton turned to them curiously. The man was slight of stature and build, with dark hair and brown eyes. He would have been handsome were it not for the strange expression onhis face and his slightly disheveled appearance. The pregnant woman beside him was slight as well, with a plain face and unremarkable brown hair. But she smiled politely at Peyton as Alec introduced the couple as his older brother, Paul, and his wife, Lady Rachel.
Paul moved directly to a corner and stood as if he were being punished. His eyes darted about nervously as his wife retrieved a goblet of wine for him, and he drank deeply before anyone else had even been served. He slurped the drink and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, looking uncertain and tense.
Peyton tore her eyes away from him after a moment. Obviously, there was something terribly wrong with him. Either that, or he was a horribly ill-mannered lout just like his sister. His petite wife stood next to him vigilantly, admonishing him softly as a mother would a child. Puzzled, Peyton tried not to let her confusion show.
The congratulatory toasts went well into the evening. Brian and Alec imbibed a good deal of wine, whereas Olphampa declined all offers and drank fruit juices instead. Paul drank heavily, too, but remained in the corner away from the rest of the group. Ivy and Ali stood with Sula and Celine and chatted amiably, leaving Peyton seated alone.
Yet it was by her own choice; the verbal confrontation with Thia had left her drained and it was all she could do to reply politely when spoken to much less keep up a gay conversation. Thia, still next to the thin windows, drank her wine in moody silence.
Peyton would glance at Alec occasionally, angered that he was not making an attempt to converse with her, yet convincing herself that she was glad he wasn’t attempting the venture. She had no desire to speak with him at the moment, but in the recesses of her mind she wanted him to talk to her so that she could show him that she had no interest in addressing him.It was pointless to ignore someone if they weren’t striving to capture your attention in the first place.
It was the most peculiar craziness and she knew it, but it did not occur to her that she was wallowing in self-pity because her betrothed, whom she admitted to loathe, was neglecting her.
I am going mad, she told herself calmly.Alec is driving me insane with his feverish kisses and icy, callous demeanor.She certainly did not want a cold, bitter man paying attention to her.
….didshe?
“You are beautiful,” came a soft male voice.
Peyton was jolted from her train of thought and glanced up to see Paul staring down at her. He was perspiring heavily and she instinctively drew back from him.
“I…. thank you, my lord,” she replied warily.
He continued to stare at her until she felt terribly uncomfortable. She found herself wishing someone would rush to her aid, for she had no idea how to deal with the man. Peyton rose from her chair to put a safe distance between them, frantically wondering where his watchdog wife had gone to.
“Your hair is so bright,” he said gently, reaching out and grasping a strand. “It looks like molten metal. Have you ever seen molten metal when the smiths fire broadswords?”
She was trying to remain calm as he fingered her hair in front of a room full of people who were not paying any attention. The urge to jerk away from him was overpowering.
“I have never seen molten metal,” she replied steadily. “Do you like to watch the smith?”
He did not answer, his eyes raking over her body in a most unnerving manner, and Peyton was growing quite apprehensive. There was something about the man that was just not right, something odd, and she took another step back.
Before Paul could reply, Alec was beside Peyton and firmly dislodging her hair from his brother’s grasp. When Peyton felt aprotective arm go about her waist, she nearly collapsed against him from sheer relief. She hadn’t realized how frightened she had been until that very moment.
“You know better than to touch her, Paul,” Alec’s voice was quiet.
Paul’s eyes widened outrageously at the sight of his brother and he suddenly looked ashamed and uncertain. Peyton almost felt sorry for him and winced at Alec’s firm, unkind tone.
“Do you understand me?” he asked his brother. “You will never touch Lady Peyton again.”
Paul’s twitching eyes looked away, anywhere that was safe from his brother’s piercing gaze. His nervous hands worked and flitted about the chair, his tunic.
“I…. she is so lovely, Alec,” he said softly.
“I know. But she is mine. I forbid you to touch her.”
“I…. I apologize,” Paul whispered. “I only wanted to touch her hair. Like molten metal, Alec, from the smith’s forge. Did you notice?”
“I noticed,” Alec replied, his tone less unkind. “Go to Rachel now. ’Tis nearly time for you to retire.”
Paul’s guarded eyes shifted to Peyton once more before he turned away like a scolded child. Peyton watched him return to his wide-eyed wife, as did everyone else in the room. But they quickly turned back to their conversations, pretending not to have witnessed the exchange.
Alec still clutched Peyton and she was unaware that she was pressed into the curve of his torso comfortably. It was such a completely natural position that she still did not notice their close proximity, even when he gazed down into her sapphire blue eyes.
The blue of the sky bore into her and suddenly, she was only cognizant of his soft expression, his virile masculinity, his presence. To hell with everyone else in the room and herown feelings of hostility; she suddenly found herself wishing he would kiss her again. She wanted it so badly she was nearly quivering.
“He is harmless,” he said softly. “But I must establish at the very onset that you are not to be molested.”
