Chapter 6
"Should I even ask?"
Aaron felt Ryan's gaze on him the moment he entered the study.
There was a part of Aaron that wished he wasn't there, but he found some comfort in his presence.
How could Izzy be so hard-hearted against him?
What had he done to garner her ire? It was a question that haunted him as he moved like a phantom to his desk, letting the warmth of the fire kiss his face.
His thoughts turned and twisted, trying to sort through what could make her so disgusted by him. Surely it wasn't his scars; that was clear by the spark in her eye he was certain he had seen just hours ago. The woman infuriated him though.
What could he ever do to impress an Englishwoman? It was like trying to sort through an enigma while navigating through a mist filled labyrinth.
"What are ye goin' on about?" Aaron huffed as he made a beeline for his desk. The leather seat moaned under his weight as he eased into the cushion. Ryan shook his head and dropped the ledger in front of Aaron.
"It doesnae matter; ye've more important things to worry about," Ryan said. "The council has got word about yer decree. Some have a thing or two to say about that."
"Well, I daenae think I really care about what they think at the moment," Aaron snapped. "And when daenae they have somethin' to say. Let them wag their lyin' tongues. Sooner or later, they'll talk it right off."
"Arenae ye a ball of grace tonight," Ryan said, folding his arms over his chest, defiance tainting each word. Aaron arched his eyebrow and glared with the same ferocity. "I'd ask what's got yer hair all tangled, but I'm certain it has somethin' to do with that lass upstairs."
"The sassenach is upstairs, aye. What she is up to, I daenae ken, nor do I care."
"And that is all I need to ken," Ryan said as he glanced at the ledger. Aaron grabbed the book and slid it to himself. Begrudgingly, he threw open the binding as he glared at Ryan.
"What am I lookin' at?" Aaron asked, trying his hardest to quell that ire that burned hotter than coals.
As much as he knew he should listen to Ryan, his mind shifted to Izzy.
How could a woman look like an angel but have a tongue of a devil?
Her words felt like he'd be whipped with cat tails in the middle of February.
"Ye'd rape me for an heir?" Her accusation raked across his mind and grated his soul. He let out a silent agonizing sigh as he tried to focus on Ryan and the financial report. After all, weddings cost money.
"I daenae suspect the weddin' will be grand with ye marryin' the Englishwoman."
"Aye," Aaron said as his thoughts trailed off to follow Izzy. It wasn't lost on him the irony of trying to convince his wife he wasn't a monster when the clan had been labeling him as such since his parents died.
His mind turned and shifted as he plotted on how to turn the situation to his favor. If there was one thing he understood about women, it was how to woo them. But on such a short time frame, his choices were limited.
Then it hit him. "But perhaps we should. After all, we're only to marry once in life. So why nae go all out for the event? Invite the clan. Ye ken, invite the village and all of Scotland; I dinnae care. The more the merrier."
"And what if none of them show?" Ryan asked.
"Then so be it. But let this marriage mark a new season, a change in the tide. Who kens, perhaps we could even turn the council in me favor. If I can change me English wife's mind, then surely I can change theirs."
"That's rather bold. And if ye cannae get her on yer side?"
"There's nay plan b. I must get me wife to love me, to bed me, and to give me an heir for the clan. Then, maybe she'll show me kindness and throw herself at the council's feet to save me."
"Well, while ye're tryin' to be a martyr, I think I'll be tryin' to sort out a different plan that doesnae include ye bettin' on yer wife's love and admiration."
"Ye daenae think I can woo my wife?" Aaron asked, folding his arms over his chest. He tilted his head, daring Ryan to answer as a sharp knock rattled the door. Aaron couldn't hide the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he glanced at the door.
"It couldnae be," Ryan huffed as he moved for the door.
"Speak of the devil," Ryan whispered as he peaked through the secret portrait next to the door. "Do ye want me to send her away?"
Aaron flexed his jaw as he stared at Izzy stepping over the threshold. Her tiny frame barely filled the crack in the door. The way her shoulders were slumped and curled in made Aaron want to rush to her side to comfort her.
Shaking his head, Aaron rose from his seat. "Aye?"
Izzy's gaze met his. The regret and guilt flickering through her eyes broke his resolve. She took a timid step into the study, and her eyes shifted to Ryan before falling back to him.
"The hour is late," Aaron observed as he watched Ryan slowly step away.
"I'm aware, but…" Izzy said as she glanced to Ryan, who was swiftly making a beeline for the door. "Well, I just…"
Aaron watched as she struggled with her words.
He moved around the desk and folded his arms over his chest. Innocence seeped off her as she moved to the side for Ryan.
She was meek and timid, like a deer uncertain of the scent.
If he was going to get anywhere with her, he'd have to be the one to extend an olive branch.
"I wanted to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did."
"Did ye want me to stay?" Ryan asked, pausing at the door.
"Nay," Aaron answered. "Ye can go. And close the door behind ye."
A spark of delight coursed through Aaron as he watched the panic shift through Izzy. He tilted his head and remained planted to the desk.
"Ye were sayin'?" he asked as he tried to keep his tone as calm as possible.
"I was trying to tell you that I am sorry."
"And what did ye do that ye've come here to apologize for?"
"Well, I mean…" Izzy started as he pushed off the desk and inched closer to her. He didn't want to move too fast in fear of having her bolt from the room. The fact was he wanted her company — if only he wasn't such a monster to look at. "I must have hurt you by the way you left."
"And what if I told ye, ye did?" he asked. "What would ye say to that?"
"That's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to make things right here."
"And just how far would ye be willin' to go to see that happen?
" Aaron asked as he inched closer. The heat off her body crashed against him as the air current played with the hem of her robe.
As much as he wanted to stay mad at her, he couldn't; his desires had sabotaged any retribution he was storing up for her.
"I'm not going to sleep with you if that's what you're implying," Izzy replied as she rolled her eyes. Aaron couldn't help but notice how firm her breasts were by the way they held the fabric. How he wanted to roll his tongue over her perky nipples and ravish her in every way possible.
"Aye, wouldnae want that," Aaron said as he pulled in a long deep breath, savoring the hint of lilacs and cinnamon. "But tell me truly, what are yer objections to me? If we had met differently and say, under different circumstances, what would ye find so repulsive about me?"
Izzy's eyes sparkled with wonder and awe. There was no fear within them. Nor did he get the impression she was even remotely afraid of him. There was a small shimmer of intrigue dancing in her gaze as she straightened.
"I couldn't tell you. I doubt we'd even cross paths."
"Say I was at the Baron's party and came to ask ye to dance.
Would ye have danced with me?" Aaron asked, his voice barely over a whisper.
She quivered as he spoke, sparking a vapor of hope within him.
She chewed her lower lip as she mulled over his proposal.
It was nearly impossible for him to read her despite her direct gaze.
"I don't know," she answered. There was a playfulness to her tone that tickled Aaron's ears. "There's a possibility that I might have. If…"
Aaron snickered. He arched his eyebrow as he pinched a strand of her hair and drew it to his nose. How he savored her scent. It was wild yet calming. Like some memory playing in the back of his mind. "What? And why is there always a clause with ye English?"
"I was just going to comment on your wardrobe," Izzy answered. "If you were wearing something else, I would have said yes."
"Oh, so ye reject the colors of me clan? Of yer soon to be clan? That doesnae settle very well with me, and I daenae think it would with the rest of our people," he said with a mock sarcasm lacing his words.
"That wasn't what I meant. You like to toy with words," Izzy objected as Aaron watched her bosom rise and fall as rapidly as the wings of a hummingbird. But it was the flush to her cheeks that betrayed her.
"Maybe nae, but that's what ye said."
"I did not. I merely commented on the outfit you presented yourself in. It was… a bit bold and reckless."
"Bold?" Aaron's lips curled at the corner.
"Reckless?" He wondered what being reckless looked like.
Ever since the death of his parents, Aaron had been calculated and composed.
Everything was planned and analyzed before it was carried out to exact precision.
But Izzy was something he couldn't understand or figure out.
She was like picking up an axle only to get a barrel.
She was the unknown element that tripped him up and scattered his thoughts.
"Yes," she answered. The conviction in her voice rattled something deep within Aaron. His breath hitched as her gaze bore into him. How he wished she would stop chewing on her lower lip. Pursing his lips into a tight line, he tried to calm the frustration festering within him.
Oh, how she is distracting.