13
"The music is lively, is it not?" Izzy asked as she swayed to the happy rhythm. It had been far too long since she had taken to the dance floor. It pained her to realize the last time she had heard such lively music was the evening Aaron had come to claim her, and even then, she never had the opportunity to dance. Regret was a jagged needle relentlessly jabbing her in the chest. Her gaze shifted to Aaron, who seemed as solid and as rigid as a granite statue.
"Aye, suppose it is,"he answered only after the song had shifted into the next tune. "Do ye nae like it? Ye can ask the musicians to play somethin' else if ye like, but daenae be surprised if they daenae ken any English songs."
Izzy pursedher lips into a tight line. She had hoped her subtle hint would be enough to persuade her husband to take her out on the dance floor. Yet, even though he planted himself like a tree to the spot, Izzy refused to give up hope. She was going to get her husband to dance with her if it was the last thing she did.
"I like the music.It has a very strong beat," Izzy said as her foot rapped against the floor, keeping the pace as she watched Melina twirl around the dance floor. The smile on the girl's face pained Izzy to see. This was her wedding after all, shouldn't she be the one out there enjoying it? Yet, where was she? Standing on the sidelines with a grump of a husband. Frustrated, Izzy dared to step away from her husband. If he wasn't going to ask her to dance, she'd get someone else to do it.
"And where doye think yer goin'?" Aaron's hand landed on her shoulder. His palm felt like hot coals singing her skin. She glanced up at him and batted her long lashes.
"I'm goingto dance on my wedding day. A lady is only to marry once in her life, and I'm going to enjoy this party, even if you don't."
"Is that right?"Aaron's eyebrow arched as shock flashed through his eyes. It was almost enough to cause panic to shoot through Izzy and steal her nerve. But as she lifted her chin, ready to defy him, Aaron's arm curled around her waist, and in a fluid twirl of motion, Izzy was on the dance floor with her husband. The unexpected swoosh stole her breath and caused her heart to flutter faster than the wings of a hummingbird. "If ye wanted to dance, all ye had to do was ask."
"I did."
"Nay, ye dinnae,"he countered as they moved like the clouds through the crowd. The twirling and rowdy beat caused Izzy's head to spin. She'd never danced so freely before. All the dancesin England were calculated and timed, yet, in Aaron's capable hands, she was nothing but a wisp bending to his will and whim. "Ye said ye liked the music. Ye said nothin' about dancin'."
Izzy wentto open her mouth but found her argument to be hollow. Quickly realizing the error of her ways, Izzy closed her mouth and flashed an apologetic smirk.
"Perhaps this will teachye a lesson about me," Aaron said as the music shifted to a slower beat. His arm curling around her waist drew her body closer to his. Before Izzy knew it, her entire body was pressing against his. He felt as hot as the sun and just as fierce. In the space of his arms, Izzy didn't need the world. All she needed was him. It was as if she could understand the unspoken words whispering to her soul.
"And what might that be?"she asked, refusing to let her head leave his chest. His heartbeat was sure and true despite the frenzy drumming in her ear. She couldn't tell if it was her heart pounding so wildly or his.
"I refuseto waste time and beat around the bush. Ye want somethin', ask. The worst thing I can tell ye is nay."
Izzy leanedaway from his chest to gaze into his eyes. The confidence ringing through his tone pierced the icy wall around Izzy's heart.
"Aye,and then he'll kill ye. Just like he did his parents."
An icy fingerraked down Izzy's back. She glanced around, horrified by what she had just heard. Instinctively she turned to Aaron. The joy that beamed like a torch had been extinguished. Darkness and ire flickered through his eyes.
"Who said that?"Izzy demanded as she turned about hunting for the culprit. But whoever dared say such things could only do so in secret. Turning to face Aaron once more, she found him shaking his head as he rolled his shoulders back.
"Would ye care for somethin'to drink?" he asked, ignoring the remark as if he hadn't heard it at all. Izzy grabbed his forearm, stopping him from leaving her on the dance floor alone. "I think the music has made me a bit parched."
"Did you not just hear that?"she asked, turning back to face the crowd.
"I've heard a lot worse,"he said in hushed tones. "Ye learn nae to let it bother ye. Now, what do ye say about that drink?"
Izzy pursedher lips into a tight line. Pity rumbled through her like thunder shifting the hills of the moors. She swallowed hard and nodded.
"I'll have a drink, thank you,"she answered. Aaron lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her hand. The gesture was sweet as honey. As she watched him walk to the refreshment table, Izzy's ears perked. Suddenly she was hyper aware of the malicious whispering around her. It was as if the entire clan had shown not to celebrate their laird's wedding day but rather to see forthemselves that someone would actually go through with it and marry the man.
The servants'words came back to haunt her. Even they seemed concerned for her safety, offering her a way out of the marriage. Yet so far, Izzy could see nothing that would give her the impression her husband was a violent man. Sure, he may have killed a few men, but each one of those men had it coming to them. After all, who goes around and steals carriages with women still inside them? Or who tries to kidnap innocent people if not vile men and villains?
Aaron,to her surprise, was nothing like those brutes. In fact, if it hadn't been for him saving her from such calamity, she wouldn't know where she would be. And if she could see how wonderful Aaron was, why couldn't the rest of the clan? Sure, he was a bit rough around the edges, but there was a sweet side to him too. One that he clearly kept hidden from the rest of the world.
"Me Lady,"Aaron said behind her, pulling her out of the muck of her thoughts. He had only been gone but a moment, yet it seemed that moment stretched on for eternity. She turned to face him, taking the glass he extended to her. "For yer thirst."
Izzy took the dram,trying not to let the crowd around them bring her down. But the truth of the matter was, the day had been far more tiring than she expected. It seemed her weariness had finally caught up with her.
"I thinkthe hour is late, don't you?" she asked as she swallowed the contents of her glass. Aaron tilted his head as his gaze bore into her.
"What is it ye're askin'?If it's somethin' ye want, best make it clear."
"If we areto have our time this evening, it's best we head upstairs now. The day has worn me nearly thin as it is."
