Chapter 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 pursed her 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 do ye 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 going to 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 dances in 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 went to 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 teach ye 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 refuse to waste time and beat around the bush. Ye want somethin', ask. The worst thing I can tell ye is nay."
Izzy leaned away 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 finger raked 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 pursed her 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 for themselves 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 think the 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 are to have our time this evening, it's best we head upstairs now. The day has worn me nearly thin as it is."
Aaron's eyes widened. He stood straighter as a playful smirk tugged at his lips. Clearing his throat, he turned to face the crowd.
"Me bride is tired. We are to retire," Aaron announced unabashedly. Heat coursed through Izzy as the flush of embarrassment kissed her cheeks.
"Did you have to make it so obvious?" she whispered, trying to keep her voice low enough for only Aaron's ears.
"It was necessary in order to follow the King's orders."
"You don't understand; I have no intentions of letting you touch me tonight," Izzy said, trying to keep her voice steady. Although she wasn't ready to give her body over to the man, she was ready to see him as a friend. He had, after all, proven to be at least that much.
"Is that so?" he chuckled, and before Izzy could protest, she was scooped up into his arms.
"What are you doing? Put me down. This is not necessary," she complained as she wiggled about. Aaron's chuckle only grew heartier as he made his way through the crowd and out of the grand oak doors of the great hall.
"Aye, but it is Me Lady."
"The King ordered you to carry me up the stairs?"
"Nae exactly, but I figured if ye do somethin' best give it yer all. Nay reason to do anythin' if yer whole heart isnae in it."
"Are you saying your heart is in the arranged marriage?"
"Aye," he answered with such conviction that it startled her. "Nae sayin' I love ye or any of that nonsense, but I will give this marriage all that I can. Despite what ye might think of me, I'm nae a horrible man."
"I don't think I ever said you were," Izzy objected as they reached the top of the steps. The hallway to Aaron's chamber was well lit by the torches lining the walls. Garlands of heather had been spread out as if to guide them to their rooms.
"Ye called me a monster if I recall correctly."
"What do you expect? You were covered in blood," Izzy said, her body trembling uncontrollably as the memory skipped through her mind. "And you scared me. Do you have any idea how intimidating you can be?"
"And what of our adventure yesterday in the village? Did ye nae think of me a brute then too?"
She flinched as she gave a small shrug. "You are a brute. But you're my brute and my hero. If it weren't for you saving me from those men… well…"
"Well, we're nae goin' to think about that," he said as he kicked open the door to his chambers. "Only good thoughts tonight, aye? It is after all our weddin' night."
Aaron moved swiftly to the bed and without any warning let his arms drop. Izzy plummeted. She let out a little squeal of fear as she hit the mattress.
"If you think that this will somehow make me change my mind, you're sorely mistaken, sir," Izzy objected as she scrambled off the bed. Running her hands down her dress to smooth the wrinkles, she tried to hide her smile. Yet, the spark of excitement and the thrill of the fall had unnerved her.
"Well then, I suppose it's a good thing that I had nay intentions of touchin' ye," he answered as the click of the door snapped a nerve within Izzy.
She was trapped now; her only escape had been sealed off.
It was a moment of truth for her. Did she trust her husband to keep his word?
"But if anytime throughout the night ye might change yer mind, well, I think I could be persuaded to change mine. "
"If you have no intentions, then why your chambers?
You could have just as easily brought me to my room," she said as Aaron moved to the fireplace.
She watched as he tossed the log on the dying embers.
A plume of red sparks swirled up into the chimney as the dried log fueled the flames.
Little by little, orange tongues lapped the bark until the fire grew to a roar.
Aaron glanced over his shoulder, flashing her an all-knowing glare. Confusion flickered through Izzy as she tried to piece together what she was missing. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he stalked her with his eyes.
"Well then, how are we to get rumors started?
" he asked as he nudged his head to the corner.
Izzy followed his gaze to the small table with a canter of whiskey, two glasses, and food.
Her stomach grumbled at the sight of the warm bread and roasted meat.
"The more open we are about the things we do, the faster word spreads.
Soon the King will think ye've given birth to a herd of Scots and thus fulfilled our duty to him even though we may nae have any. "
Izzy didn't know how to feel about the news. A small part of her knew at some point she'd be a mother; she never thought it would be taken from her.
"Do you not want any children?" she asked as she started for the table of food.
"Now there's a question if there ever was one."
"I would have thought a laird would want to pass on the title and land to kin."
"In me case," Aaron said as he pulled a wooden box from the shelf and sat it on the bed, "it is a bit complicated to answer. If I have children, then me life is forfeit. If I restrain, then me family's legacy dies with me."
Izzy shook her head. Never in her whole life had she heard something so heartbreaking. She wished she could take the sadness from him.
"Why would your life be forfeit?" Izzy asked.
"Let's just say nae everyone is as fond of me as ye are," Aaron said with a smirk. "There are some that wish me dead. I suppose that's the fate for many lairds out there. Always someone who thinks they can do a better job and will do anythin' to get the position."
Izzy let Aaron's words fall on her shoulders as she watched Aaron run his fingers through his hair. She couldn't help but wonder what events could possibly have happened to make someone so hated? Izzy picked up the tray of food and joined Aaron on the bed.
"Chess?"
"I thought I could teach ye if ye wanted. It was just somethin' to pass the time tonight. There are cards as well on the shelf, or if ye prefer silence, we can read. I managed to find the Odyssey if ye want to read that one."
"I'll play," Izzy said with a crooked grin and her eyes shifting to the chess board. "On one condition. You answer some questions for me."
He arched his eyebrow as he started setting up the board. "Ask, and I'll tell ye the truth. But mind ye, sometimes the truth can hurt."