Chapter 17
Dawn gently kissed Izzy, arousing her from her sleep.
She stretched the sleep from her bones as she took in the world around her.
Panic shot through her. She shot up, taking in the unfamiliar room.
The fear was fleeting as she scanned the room for signs of life.
Only the dying embers popping in the fireplace reached her ears.
"Aaron?" she called to the open room. Silence greeted her.
Throwing the covers off her, she slipped out of the warm bed.
The wooden floor was icy against her bare feet as she skipped to the balcony doors.
It wouldn't surprise her one bit if Aaron had slipped outside once again.
The thought of having him be so chivalrous was shocking.
Pushing through the doors, Izzy's heart sank as she noticed the balcony was just as empty as the room.
She understood Aaron was the Laird after all, and he was tending to business no doubt, but a part of her couldn't help but feel the sting of neglect.
She had a sliver of hope he'd still be there to greet her.
It was after all their first day as husband and wife.
As Izzy searched the chambers for Aaron, all she could find were empty corners and a longing she couldn't describe.
A soft knock on the door pulled Izzy's attention off the emptiness of the room. The door moaned as it opened, and a servant with a tray of food stepped into the room. She kept her eyes to the ground and moved without making a sound.
"Good day to you," Izzy said with a polite smile. The girl's head shot up as if she'd been struck in the back.
"Ye're awake. Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought I was bein' quiet," the girl mumbled as she fumbled with the tray of food. The color in the servant's face drained as the pot rattled against the metal tray. Izzy shot to her side to help her keep the food on the tray and sat it down on the table.
"You're fine," Izzy said, trying to find some way to calm the girl down. "You didn't wake me. But maybe you could tell me where the Laird is this mornin'?"
"Oh, I daenae ken," the girl answered and stepped back from Izzy. "He could be out for his daily run. In which case, ye'll have fifteen minutes to get out of here before he returns."
"I'm almost certain the Laird wants me to stay in here."
"If he's locked ye in here, I could find a way to get ye out," the girl suggested as her eyes shifted to the door the moment they heard the heavy boots falling against the hard flooring.
"I'm not locked in here. I really don't understand why you think the Laird is such a horrible man.
Has he ever beaten anyone? Or murdered someone that didn't deserve it?
" Izzy asked as she guided the servant to the bed to have her sit.
The girl was clearly rattled and trying to hide the shock in her eye as Izzy sat her down.
"The Laird has been known to be disagreeable, and between ye and me, I'd rather nae be punished if it's all the same to ye," the servant answered as she fiddled with the tips of her fingernails.
"Has he ever been that way to you?" Izzy pressed as she studied the girl.
From what she could tell, the servant seemed to have some irrational fear of Aaron that Izzy couldn't understand.
It donned on Izzy that if she was going to make this place her home, the first thing she was going to need to do was get the clan to see Aaron as a friend rather than a lording foe.
"Well, nae to me, personally," the servant answered, her voice breaking with uncertainty. "But I've heard rumors of his cruelty, and I daenae need to see it firsthand."
The sound of the boots grew heavier and seemed to bring with them a dread that filled the room. Horror flickered through the servant's eyes as she sprang from the chair as if she'd sat on a tack. If there was any time Izzy was going to make an impression, she knew it would have to be now.
Without a word, Izzy rushed to Aaron's side and crushed her lips to the scars on his left side. She flashed him the warmest smile she could as she threw her arms around him, embracing him for a moment. The shock on his face matched that of the servant's.
"Laird McNeil," Izzy said, ensuring pride seeped into every syllable she spoke, "how lovely it is to see you this morning."
"Aye," Aaron answered as suspicion and worry lingered in his tone. "'Tis good to see ye as well. What is this all about?"
"I think I best be gettin' back to me chores now," the servant muttered as she sidestepped around Aaron and Izzy. "Laird and Lady McNeil."
Izzy flashed the girl the biggest and brightest smile as she watched the servant flee the room in haste. The sound of the door clicking behind her rattled Izzy. Aaron pressed the back of his hand to Izzy's forehead as he glared at her with suspicion and confusion.
"Mind tellin' me what that was all about? Nae that I mind the affection so early, but I thought ye made it clear that ye wanted nothin' to do with me."
Heat rushed through Izzy as she tucked her hair behind her ear. She couldn't stand how everyone was treating him after everything he did for his people and for her. Deep down she realized what she had to do.
"Have you noticed how the servants around here treat you like you have leprosy?" she asked, and she wondered how he lived in such a manner all these years. Truly he couldn't be happy with his situation.
"Aye, well, I told ye already, there's nay changin' someone's mind once they've made it up. Half the clan think I'm mad, the other think me cruel. There's nay winnin' either way, so I daenae try."
"Well, just because you have given up getting your people to like you, doesn't mean I have to. Besides, I just arrived. I'll have them loving you by the end of the year."
Aaron scoffed as he rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. "Good luck with that. Me sister has been on that campaign for years, and it's done nothin' but irk and vex her. But if that's how ye wish to spend yer time, then I wish ye the best."
Izzy folded her arms over her chest defiantly as she let out a heavy sigh. "Just because you've given up on the prospect doesn't mean I have to. And what is that you've got there?"
Craning her neck to spy around Aaron, she noticed a picnic basket hidden behind his back. Aaron's cheeks flushed a bit as he showed her the basket he had packed.
"I thought since we were just married, perhaps ye'd like to take a wee trip with me this mornin," Aaron explained. His tone was bland and monotonous. Something about the way he remained so poised bothered her. It was as if he were trying to be casual but didn't understand the concept of relaxing.
"And where exactly do you want to go?" Izzy asked as she tried to keep the excitement from her tone. But there was no point. Any excuse to escape the gray stone walls of the keep was good enough for her.
"I'd like to take ye to the loch today. Mind ye, we daenae have to swim, but it's such a lovely day, I thought, why waste it?"
"Oh my," Izzy gasped as Aaron pulled the reins back to stop the horse on the top of the bluff.
It was as if heaven had opened all the world for Izzy to see.
The great valley below was speckled with cottages and ribbons of smoke drifting into the azure sky.
She turned to the left to catch the sparkles shimmering off the water.
If she didn't know better, she would have thought the crater was where the stars went during the daylight hours.
"I don't think I've ever seen anything as lovely. Are you sure we're still in Scotland? I never would have thought a place like this existed."
"Glad ye like it," Aaron said over Izzy's shoulder. His hot breath caressed her neck as he spoke, causing little bumps to race to her fingertips. "Me faither took me here when I was a lad. He told me the only way to become a man was to climb to the top of the needle."
Izzy followed Aaron's finger as he pointed to the jagged cliff that stuck out of the ground just like a needle.
"You climbed to the top?"
"Aye," Aaron answered, his body rumbling against her as if he were purring. Her head started to spin as he pulled the reins to the left to start the trail for the loch. "Many times. The last time I went up there, I was tryin' to impress a wee lass."
"Why does that not surprise me?" she mumbled as they made their way down the slope of the hill. Aaron's arm curled around her, keeping her from tumbling over the horse's head. "And did it work? Did she fall head over heels due to your mighty strength?"
"Daenae ken yet, but ye'll have to tell me once I come back down."
"You're not seriously thinking of going up there? You could get killed."
"Well, suppose that's part of the challenge. Better to die for a purpose than to die for malice or rage. I think I'll take me chances with the needle."
Izzy body tensed as they stopped at the base of the cliff. She tilted her head back to take in the sheer size of the cliff. It stretched to the heavens, and for a moment, she wondered if they hadn't stopped at the base of Olympus.
"You're not going to just leave me here alone, are you?"
"Ye're nae alone. I'm here."
"Not if you fall to your death."
"I daenae understand the problem here; if I fall, ye'll be free to wed another."
"No," Izzy said throwing her leg over the saddle, and she slipped to the ground. She landed hard and stumbled into him. Aaron held her up, refusing to let her go. Her breath hitched as she steadied herself.
"Are ye all right?" he asked, refusing to let her go just in case the mossy ground proved to be too slick for her. Izzy didn't trust herself to let him go. She clung to him like the lifeline he was.
"I'm fine," she answered as she tested the terrain around her with the tip of her toe.
"Mm," Aaron grumbled with an arched eyebrow as she pulled back from him. She felt his gaze on her as she smoothed the wrinkles from her skirt. "That's a lot higher than I remember."