"Lady Isabella Grant,I humbly request yer presence tomorrow," Aaron said, attempting the best English accent he could muster. Izzy's eyebrows rose as her cheeks flushed a rouge he hadn't seen before.
"What are you doing?"she mumbled and stepped back from him. Aaron kept his eyes down as he took her by the hand. The air whistled through her lips and taunted Aaron. Was it from the pleasure of his lips brushing unexpectedly over her wrists? Or the fact he had dared to touch her in the first place?
"I'm suggestin'that ye get to ken me," Aaron replied as he stood straight. "The King has made a decree. There's nothin' we can do about it, so it's best to make the best of it. Ye can either be sour the rest of yer life, or ye can give me a chance to show ye who I really am."
"And where exactly did youwant to take me? From what I've seen so far of Scotland, I am not impressed."
"Areye sure ye're nae directin' yer ire to land when ye really want to blame this all on me? And daenae pretend that ye're nae. Ye're as easy to read as the Bible. Ye blame me for this, daenae ye?"
Izzy turnedher attention to the door. It was clear their moment had passed. There was no talking her into anything. He could have told her he was personally showing her the Queen's jewels, and she would have told him to bug off.
Her silence spoke volumes.Aaron bobbed his head and stepped to the side. Aside from kidnapping her and demanding her time, Aaron was out of options.
"I can't help it.You're the one that came waltzing into the Baron's house and took me away from everything I know and love."
"Ye thinkI like to see ye in distress? I daenae. But I was told that ye would be expectin' me. After all, they had sent the decree to both parties."
"Why doyou think the king did this to us?" Izzy asked, her voice bending with a sorrow Aaron knew he could never take away. It was something she'd have to learn to put aside or bury on her own.
"If I was a bettin'man, I'd say he was drunk when he signed the decree. I'd like to think he was tryin' to sign somethin' important but messed up some of the wordin' and got the land rights sorted a bit jagged. But before he could correct the mistake… it was too late." Aaron glanced over at Izzy. Her eyes were red and glossy, but there were no streams of moisture streaking down her cheeks. Still, the sadness coming off her was something Aaron desperately needed to take away.
"That's funny,"she mumbled, and the second his eyes fell on her, she looked away.
Pulling in a long deep breath,Aaron tried to calm the desires brewing and festering within him. The fact she was to be his wife only antagonized him. The fact he could see and not taste or touch her was driving him mad.
"See?"Aaron said as he noticed Ryan lingering in the shadows. How long his man of arms had been there, Aaron didn't know. He had thought he had left them alone, yet his presence was bothering. "There's a great many things ye daenae ken about me. For all ye ken, I'm the court jester."
"I would never seeyou as a jester," Izzy said with a stern expression on her face. Her sincerity was shocking. Aaron's chest tightened as he stood before her. How did she see him? Was it pity that tainted her view or hatred?
"And how would ye see me?"he prompted, eager to hear her answer.
"A knight,"she answered. There was no jesting or sarcasm tainting her words. Only pure curiosity and sincerity. "You have the handsomely rugged features," she continued, feeding Aaron's desires.
"That so?Well then ye should have nay issues trustin' me."
Her eyes widened for a moment.His smirk stretched.
"Trust?Ha, no sir, that is something that could never do," Izzy stated vehemently.
"And how doye think such things happen? It's like me faither always said, ‘trust is earned.' And ye ken what, I believe what he said to my very core. So how can I earn yer trust, Lady Grant? Why will ye nae even give me a chance?"
Aaron stared at her,wondering if his plea would work. She mulled over his words as her eyes shifted about the room for some escape. Aaron smirked as he noticed she had pinned herself into the corner by his desk and fireplace, perhaps unconsciously gravitating for the heat. But it was the break he needed.
Moving swiftlyto cut off any and all exits, Aaron ensured if she wanted to escape, she'd have to go through him. The flames of her ire returned to her gaze.
"And once again,you make me wonder why I even entertain you at all."
"As I recall,ye came into me study beggin' for me forgiveness. And ye asked me what ye could do to make things right between us. I'm tellin' ye…" Aaron paused and let out a long, exasperated sigh, expelling his frustration. "I'm askin' ye to meet me out in the courtyard come dawn. Let me show ye the sort of man I really am."
"Why?What difference will this make? It's not as if you'd call the wedding off."
Aaron shook his head."I can delay the wedding until ye're comfortable with me. I ken that I daenae look all that handsome, and ye'd be lyin' sayin' that I do. But I swear, I'm nae yer enemy. If anythin', in time, I think we both can come out of this arrangement on top."
"Oh?And how do you see that happening?" she asked.
"Meetme out in the courtyard at dawn, and I'll tell ye."
