Ali rubbed his ear and Peyton found herself gazing closely at him; it was the first time she had seen him out of his armor and she was not displeased with her observations; he was a big man, far leaner than Alec however, and he had the longest legs she had ever seen. His torso was short for his size, but he was muscular and beautifully built.
“Fine, sweetling, fine,” he grinned. “So she saw my mark, did she? Ah, well, next time I shall be smarter and mark you where only I may see it.”
Peyton shook her head at the remark and Alec eyed her. “I was wise enough to mark her sister where it could be easily covered,” he said.
Peyton flushed bright red and slapped his arm, much to the amusement of the two men. Ivy merely cast a knowing gaze on her sister. “Peyton’s is much darker than mine.”
“It is? I must see!” Ali demanded.
Alec put his thick arm between Ali and Peyton to ward off his intentions. “You will not see anything, whelp. Although I must say, I am rather proud of it. It will take weeks to heal properly.”
Peyton shook her head with disgust. “You two are no better than dogs pissing on trees to mark their territory. My sister and I are not trees to be scented.”
“Nay, sweetheart, you are property to be claimed,” Alec put his big arms around her affectionately. “I would announce to all of England that you are to be my wife.”
He tried to kiss her but she dodged him, struggling in his huge embrace. But it was not without humor. “Release me, you brute. I shall not be fondled for all to see, especially when your mother most likely believes ill of me.”
“Why would you say that?”
Peyton cast him a knowing, intolerant glance. “My sister has a mark of desire in a rather intimate place. I am sure she wonders if I bear a similar mark, being that you cannot keep your hands to yourself.”
He laughed a deep, throaty chuckle. “She would not think ill of you in that case, but she would undoubtedly think ill of me.”
Ivy smiled at her sister, pleased to see that her resistance to Alec was lessening. Mayhap she would heal from the loss of James sooner than expected. “She defended Ali most admirably against your mother’s rantings when my, er, mark was discovered,” her eyes twinkled at her sister. “She was magnificent.”
“She was?” he gazed fondly at the redhead clasped stiffly in his embrace. “How noble, my lady, and we thank you.”
“Do not bother. I was merely defending my sister’s virtue,” Peyton managed to wrest herself free of Alec’s massive arms and straighten her gown irritably. “Now, my lord, will you be sokind as to inform my sister and I of our immediate future? Your mother mentioned that your father was making wedding plans.”
“Indeed,” Alec nodded, still smiling at her. “He has been doing little else but make arrangements for our vows come this eve after vespers. Coincidentally, since a few guests still remain within Blackstone after the party two nights ago, it looks as if we are in for another lavish celebration come tonight. Moreover, father has sent invitations to a few other valuable allies. It should prove to be quite an occasion.”
Peyton raised her eyebrows at all of the planning that had taken place in the past day. “He has indeed been busy. What of Ivy and Ali’s wedding?”
Alec took her arm and led her toward the grand hall. Ali and Ivy followed several paces back, whispering between themselves, and Peyton could almost hear them more prevalently over Alec’s beautiful voice. The familiar jealousy she had felt yesterday threatened to return, but she firmly forced it away. She wanted Ivy to be happy, in spite of the fact that she knew she herself could not be. But even as she thought on her dismal future, she found herself riddled with doubt. Mayhap, in time, she could be happy.
Alec broke into her thoughts. “Father knows of a lawyer in Northampton who will be willing to perform a civil ceremony for a fee.”
Peyton passed a glance at her sister, laughing softly with her husband-to-be. She sighed. “I suppose we must be satisfied with that. But I….” she lowered her voice. The same thoughts from the night before returned, stronger than before, and she felt the need to voice her concerns. They were legitimate worries, she felt, and could only pray that he would not become offended by her words. “I am distressed that the church will not recognize this marriage, Alec. If the church does not recognize it, then itdoes not exist and, technically, their children will be bastards. Am I not right in this assumption?”
Alec paused, watching as Ali and Ivy entered the grand hall. Peyton observed her sister with a guarded gaze as she waited expectantly for Alec’s reply.
“You are correct, but you are thinking with your heart and not your head. Ivy is the second daughter of a lesser noble and she is well past marriageable age. Although she has a good dowry, she comes with no property and is not considered a viable prospect for young noblemen or knights looking to acquire status through marriage. In fact, her prospects are considerably unattractive when one contemplates the list to include elderly widowers or men only interested in the money Ivy would bring them. Ali is her very best hope for a husband who is interested in providing her a stable life and children, even if their marriage will be considered common law by the church. Hopefully, someday, that will change.”
Peyton was listening seriously to his explanation. “Did your father even try to find her a husband other than Ali?” she asked. “Or was it simply a quick solution to a greater problem?”
Alec raised an eyebrow slowly. “Ali will probably never be married unless he marries Ivy. And considering Ivy’s dreary prospects, it was a logical solution to a great problem, my lady, not a quick decision.”
Peyton matched his cocked eyebrow and countered. “Then you are telling me he did not even try. Ivy never had a chance for a respectable marriage and your father chose the easy path by betrothing her to a man that is considered a savage by the Catholic Church.”
He dropped his arm from her then and Peyton saw a flame of rage ignite in the sky-blue orbs. She gazed at him, a chill of apprehension running through her as his expression became one of such deadly intensity that it actually frightened her. Shecould literally see the fury swelling within him and she realized that her prayers had not been heard; she had indeed offended him. She began to wonder if he was intent on beating her, for his huge body tensed as a snake does before it strikes.
“You will never describe him like that again, Lady Peyton. Do you comprehend me?”
She understood his words and the reasoning behind them. Rather than readily agree, as she should have, she was eager to explain that she had meant no harm; she had merely meant to question his father’s motives.
“I meant nothing contemptuous, Alec, truly. It’s just that….”
He suddenly snatched her by the arm, so brutally that she gasped with pain, and whirled her into the small solar. The door slammed shut with such force that the table rattled and Peyton backed away from him, her apprehension full blown. She had never seen him show an abundance of emotion and to witness his fury, directed at her no less, brought waves of terror.
