Peyton listened, her heart aching for the black warrior even as her anger at Alec faded. She could see that simply speaking on the subject upset Alec a great deal.
“A few years ago, after we returned from the Holy Land, he fell in love with a woman who lives not far from here. She was the only woman who showed him a small amount of kindness and, of course, he was smitten. Ali even went so far as to ask for her hand, but her father refused cruelly. When Ali asked her to run away with him to be married, she told him that although she was fond of him, she could never marry him because he was not a true man. It would seem that she was only kind to Ali out of pity,” he leaned against the wall, his expression pensive. “The only women Ali was able to associate with were women whowere paid for their services. He lost his innocence to a woman of forty-some years who carried the French pox. Ali still bears scars from the disease.”
Peyton was completely calm by the time he finished, gazing at him openly and without hostilities. He met her eyes and smiled weakly. “I suppose what I am trying to say, although not entirely adequately, is that I overreacted to your statement simply because I have grown accustomed to women describing Ali as a savage. And I was angry with you for deceiving me into believing that you could mayhap learn to see him as I do. I saw hope in your manner, in your actions. I wanted to believe it was possible.”
She crossed her arms thoughtfully. “Alec, I will admit that his skin color shocked me at first; it was difficult not to react to his darkness in a land full of white-skinned people. But I have been witness to his intelligence, I have learned to trust my sister’s opinion of him, and I have discovered that there is indeed an intelligent man beneath the ebony skin. Certainly there is a wide collection of men I would refer to as savages, but Ali is not among them.”
“I realize that now,” his voice was a whisper. “But I reacted to you as I have so wanted to react all of these years to every woman who has ever seen Ali as though he were some sort of monstrosity. But I knew deep in my heart that you are not like them in the least.”
“But you have grown used to them and, therefore, reacted accordingly and assumed I was of the same shallow traits,” she supplied quietly. “I have already admitted that I did share some of those qualities. But I would like to think that I can overcome them.”
He nodded, meeting her gaze with a look of sincere remorse. “I called you a bitch, Peyton, and I am deeply sorry. The term is the very farthest from the truth.”
She continued to gaze at him a moment, feeling a deep sense of understanding for his earlier actions. In truth, she hadn’t been the target; it had been all of the women she represented. Above all of the terror and confusion his rage represented, she deeply admired Alec his devotion to his friend.
“You are so wrong,” she said softly. “I can indeed be a bitch when the mood strikes me. Ask Ivy.”
His weak smile returned more genuine than before. “I choose to disbelieve you. You are stubborn, aggressive and willful, but you are not a bitch.”
Her eyebrows arched. “Stubborn, aggressive and willful? And, pray, what else? I had no idea you thought so highly of me, Sir Alec.”
He could feel relief flooding him at the beginnings of the raillery they seemed to share. He was nearly weak with hope that mayhap she was willing to forgive him and grateful to realize that she was not only beautiful, she was rational and perceptive as well. Only a good deal of understanding and intelligence would have been able to comprehend what he had attempted to explain in his own defense.
“I do indeed think highly of you, my lady,” he said softly. “Much more than you know.”
She smiled faintly, feeling terribly relieved that she understood his reasons for his rage but now terribly concerned that he was leaving. She again indicated his clothing.
“Tell me where you are going.”
He pursed his lips thoughtfully and she found herself staring at his delightfully smooth, masculine lips. Lips that made her feel more wonderful than she had ever dreamt possible.
“There is a bit of a problem that concerns us both, my lady. After my display this afternoon, my father is intent on dissolving our marriage contract.”
Peyton’s face went slack with shock. “He is? Why on earth?”
“Because he fears for your safety. You see, my lady, there has never been a man or woman who could provoke me beyond reason, which is exactly what happened this afternoon. My father fears that eventually I will harm you in some way if you indeed possess the power to bait me senseless.”
She stared at him, her sapphire blue eyes endless. “You would never harm me, would you?”
His face washed with indescribable softness. “Of course not. I would kill for you, or die for you, but I would never touch a hair on your beautiful head in anger.”
She cocked her head, her brow creased with puzzlement. “You would die for me?”
“Without hesitation.”
“But why?”
He smiled gently. “Why not? You are worth dying for.”
She appeared genuinely stunned, averting her gaze. “James never even declared such devotion,” she murmured, more to herself.
Alec heard her but he did not respond. Suddenly, a seed of jealousy formed deep within his heart at the mention of her former love and he was shocked. He wasn’t envious of a dead man, but he realized that he wanted Peyton to speak of him with the same adoration. It wasn’t so much the words as in the tone, and the more he thought on it, the more he became aware of how very much he wanted Peyton to speak of him as fondly.
“Father plans to betroth you to Colin Warrington in the hope that a marriage will ease tensions between your respective families.”
Peyton’s eyes bugged wide and her creamy cheeks flushed brightly. “Colin Warrington! Never! I would sooner kill myself than wed that ill-mannered dog!”
“Then I take it that in spite of my tantrum, you would rather marry me?”
