Page 41 of The Highlander’s Gypsy Temptation

Without thinking, he shuffled forward until he was standing in front it with his hand raised. Before he could change his mind, he knocked firmly on the door, squeezed his eyes shut, and cursed quietly. There was no turning back for him as he waited for Idalia to open the door.

There was no response, however, and Bran began wondering if she wasn’t in her chamber as he had initially assumed.

He knew he shouldn’t be there, and he was just about to leave when the door opened suddenly. Idalia stood before the door, wearing nothing but a night shift and soft slippers.

She gasped when she saw Bran and blushed a furious red as she looked away from him. Only then did it register in Bran’s mind that he was still shirtless. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it at that moment, so Idalia would have to tolerate his indecency while he said his mind.

“I’m sorry,” Bran said. “I need tae speak with ye, please.”

“That’s too bad, seeing how I have nothing to say to you,” Idalia said sharply, regaining her composure a little bit. She swung the door shut, trying to close it on Bran, but he moved swiftly to block it with a booted foot.

“Idalia, please,” he begged. “I will only be a minute. Please.”

“Now you want to speak to me?” she asked, crossing her arms on her chest.

Bran leaned forward on the door frame; his leg still wedged in the doorway. “Actually, I have been meaning tae speak with ye for a long time.”

“And yet, you didn’t,” Idalia fired off. “So, why didn’t you?”

Bran looked around the hallway and turned back to the door. “Idalia, please can I come in? It would nae be proper for me to be seen outside yer room like this on the eve o’ yer wedding to my brother. Please, let me in.”

Idalia considered his words and saw sense in what he said. Grudgingly, she opened the door wider and stepped aside to admit him into her chambers. Bran dashed in quickly, almost as if he was afraid she would change her mind if he did not move fast enough.

“Well, then,” Idalia said, shutting the door behind her. “What do you want? Why have you sought me out at such an hour?”

“I wanted tae tell ye how sorry I am,” Bran replied softly. The words felt heavy in his mouth. “I am very sorry for that evening in the garden and for everything I said. And it’s true, ye were completely right about me. I was nae thinking about ye when I made the decision tae pass ye on tae Andrew. I’ve tried tae convince myself that I was right, that I did all o’ this for ye. But it’s nae the truth. The truth is I was scared, so scared. I’m still very scared o’ everything. Scared o’ me feelings, scared o’ the situation, scared I will nae be able tae protect ye, and scared of admitting tae myself what me feelings are for ye. Still, it does nae change the fact that marrying me is a bad idea, Idalia.”

Idalia walked towards Bran and stood in front of him. He had his head bowed and his shoulders slumped forward in defeat. Bran could feel her in front of him. He could feel the warmth pouring out of her as she stood silently and regarded him. He could not bear to look at her face for fear of her anger.

Idalia reached out a hand to Bran’s chin, and the touch caused an explosion of light in his mind. He struggled to keep himself under control, her touch setting his body on fire. She lifted his chin with her fingers until his eyes met hers. Surprisingly, Bran saw none of the anger or embarrassment he had seen earlier.

Idalia held his gaze for a long moment before speaking, her voice soft like fresh snow. “Tell me, Bran. What are these feelings that you are refusing to accept, that terrify you so much?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Idalia felt her heart caught up in her throat as she listened to Bran speak. What Bran had said when he apologized and opened up about his fears had almost sounded to Idalia like a confession.

However, it was not. She needed more. She needed him to say the words clearly and admit the way he felt about her.

Regardless of her wishes, Idalia understood just how difficult it must have been for Bran to say the things he had already admitted. The last thing she had expected was for him to show up at her door like this. He was always a straight arrow, and she had come to learn the hard way that it was near impossible to get him to change his mind when he had made a decision.

That was what had surprised her the most about all this. He was not a man of many words, but Idalia had come to learn to listen when he spoke. He very rarely spoke about his feelings.

A few days ago, Andrew had tried to convince her it was possible to sway Bran’s mind. She had been too upset to give the words much thought and discarded the information as useless. She told herself that Bran was set in his ways and that nothing they did would move him to change his mind.

Andrew had the grace to let the matter lie and had never brought it up again. He had not lied when he said he intended on going on walks with Idalia every day, and she appreciated them, as they gave her an opportunity to see a part of Andrew she never knew existed.

What Andrew did not know was that with every minute they spent together, he condemned her to her fate till she was cast in stone, unable to escape the destiny that Bran had bound her to.

She knew about Bran’s incessant inquiries about her whereabouts, and on a couple of occasions, had caught him watching her and Andrew on one of their routine walks back from town. She had always pretended not to see him and had told her maid to decline all his notes requesting a meeting.

Idalia believed her cold nonchalance towards meeting with him had played a part in his recent bout of self-reflection. While she had not set out to intentionally put him in that position, she could not deny how favorable the results were proving.

If only we had more time. If only he had acted faster. Convenient of him to show up at my doorstep on the eve of my wedding to his brother.

Idalia had spent the early hours of the night pacing restlessly in her lavishly decorated chambers. She could feel her heart pounding with both anticipation and despair. The torch in the wall sconce cast dancing shadows on the walls, mimicking the chaos consuming her thoughts.

What had seemed like a probability some days ago had turned into a reality for Idalia in what seemed like a matter of seconds. She was to marry Andrew at first light, the man chosen for her by her lover. A good man, a kind man, a sturdy and dependable man. Sadly, he was not Bran.