Chapter 17
“Anything?” Victoria asked ahead of any greetings, as she burst into Kristin’s chambers.
Barely startled by the intrusion, Kristin and Ruby both turned to look at her. As the latter babbled, the former replied with a faint laugh, “Ye’d be the first to hear, since ye’re back and forth from that courtyard more than a maither who has sent her son to war for the first time.”
It had been almost ten days since the rumor was set loose into the world, and still nothing had been heard from the Earl.
“Do you think Arran actually sent the messenger, or do you think he has just been humoring me?” Victoria went to the window and stared out at the rocky coastline, as if a ship or a rider might suddenly come into view, simply by the force of her will.
“I mean, he has been avoiding me. Maybe that is why.”
Arran had not come to her bedchamber at all since she had departed his study, nearly a fortnight ago.
He had been absent at meals, spending all of his time behind the closed door of his study or out in the training yard.
In fact, the only time she had spoken to him was when he had approached her to inform her that he would use her plan, after all.
“I daenae like it,” he had made a point of saying, “but if ye agree and me sister does, then I cannae reject it. I’ll send word of me plan to kill ye this afternoon.”
It had been a rather shocking statement.
“So soon? Will you not allow me to say farewell to my loved ones first? Oh, what a tragedy!” she had joked, but he had not laughed.
“I’ll inform ye if any news arrives,” was all he had said, before excusing himself.
That was the last time she had seen him, and though she told herself that it was probably for the best if her stay here would soon be at an end, her wayward heart yearned for the comfort of him all the same.
Her bed felt so very empty, her nights not nearly as restful without him to help her into that deep relaxation.
“He’s avoidin’ ye because ye’ll distract him,” Kristin said with a smirk. “And he might have ye wantin’ to stay with us heathens, if ye’re nae careful. Still, at least ye’ve developed better taste in men.”
Heat rushed into Victoria’s face, and she focused on playing with Ruby in a vain attempt to hide it. “How many times must I tell you, there is nothing between your brother and me!” She cleared her throat. “Although, you and this little one are assuredly reasons that I shall miss this place.”
I shall miss him more than I will be able to bear. How was she supposed to find a new husband among the ton when no man could measure up to the one who was right here?
“Ye can keep tellin’ me, and I still willnae believe ye,” Kristin replied, chuckling. “Me braither has never avoided anything or anyone before. That tells me everythin’ I need to ken, if yer blushes hadnae told me first.”
“I am not blushing; it is feverishly hot in here,” Victoria protested, gesturing at the blazing fire that did, indeed, have her sweltering.
Kristin smiled, but it was sadder than before. “Ye could stay, ye ken?”
“I cannot,” Victoria replied, her tone tinged with a mirrored melancholy. “My sister needs me and, when all of this is ever, she will need me even more. There will be a lot to do, a lot to remedy, a lot to… begin again.”
Despite sending a letter to Melody, she had received no reply. Still, she had to presume that her sister was safe, or else the Earl absolutely would have used Melody as leverage to get Victoria home. It would have worked, too. She would have absolutely insisted upon it.
“What if I was wrong?” she said quietly. “What if my plan is failing?”
Reaching over to give Victoria’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze, Kristin shook her head. “Impossible, lass. We just need to be patient. That bastard has to hear the rumor, gather his resources, and then come to retrieve ye. That doesnae happen overnight; remember that.”
It should have soothed Victoria, but she could not help thinking that she was missing something, her nerves on edge. Or, perhaps, it was the thought of Charles actually arriving that sent her nerves into a frenzy.
“Of course,” she said tightly. “Yes, of course. We must be patient.”
And I must prepare, in case this goes awry.
That night, a storm hit the castle unlike anything she had ever heard before.
Something about the stone walls seemed to make each clap of thunder echo around her room violently.
The lightning cast terrifying shadows, and made sleep absolutely impossible.
Everything felt as if it were shrinking in on her.
The bed was no longer comfortable, and she felt that if she stayed in her room alone for a single moment longer then she was going to start trembling.
If that happened, she would likely never stop until the storm passed.
That fear compelled her out of the room and into the halls, where the sounds of angry rain seemed a lot less violent.
It was calmer there, and she found her feet carrying her in the direction of Arran’s rooms without thinking.
She had only been there once before, when Sophie had insisted on giving her a tour one afternoon.
Still, her feet carried her there like they had a mind of their own.
Every corner that she turned had her jumping at shadows, and every crack of thunder made her feel like she was crawling out of her skin.
When she arrived at his room, so dazed with terror that she walked in without bothering to knock, she did not see him at first. He was not in his bed, and Victoria felt a moment of panic…
that swiftly turned to something else as she spotted him at last.
Oh goodness…
He was in the bath.
A large wooden tub with tendrils of steam curling up over the edges.
Arran’s large arms were sprawled out to either side of him, his hair undone and hanging over the edge of the tub as he rested.
He did not so much as look up when he heard somebody come barging into the room, nor did he bother to take the damp cloth off his eyes for a long moment.
How can he relax at a time like this?
She was about to call him out for how undignified the whole thing was when it registered that he was nude. Naked. And she remembered that she had barged into his room.
A large, very muscular naked man was directly in front of her.
She might have burst into flames on the very spot from embarrassment alone.
Victoria clapped her hands over her eyes, let out a squeaked gasp, and whirled around so that she was not facing the tub for a moment longer.
She had not seen much, but she had seen enough.
Enough to set her imagination spinning into a storm of its own.
Only then did she hear the sound of water swirling around the tub, Arran shifting position.
“Well, this is a surprise,” Arran said, amusement clear in his voice. “Nae the unpleasant kind.”
Even though he had been avoiding her for over a week now, he still managed to speak so casually to her, as if no time had passed whatsoever.
What would it be like to be in that same tub with him?
What would she do if he pulled her in there with him, holding her against his wet, firm body?
The water would soak through her night things and robe so quickly that it would feel as if there were almost no layers between them at all.
Heat pooled lower as she remembered exactly what it was like to feel his touch on her in such an intimate way.
She really ought to be ashamed of herself. She was headed straight for eternal damnation for how much she missed feeling his arms on her. Then again, if she could not stop this man from killing Charles, she was probably headed there anyway. So, why not ruin herself some more?
“Dare I ask what has brought ye to my rooms at such an hour?” Arran asked. He was all the way across the room, and yet it sounded as if he were standing directly behind her.
“The storm,” she blurted, knowing full well that it sounded absolutely pathetic.
Her mind was fuzzy with distraction. Was this a mistake?
It did not feel like one, but it was undoing all the work that they had done in keeping apart.
She was just so tired of feeling helpless.
Of course, it was the storm tonight, and nobody could be so arrogant as to think that there was a way for them to outmaneuver a storm, but it was the helpless feeling that was really sticking with her.
“I… I was thinking…” she began again.
“About me late at night? Lass, I’m flattered,” Arran teased, but she stomped her foot to force him to be silent.
“No! I was wondering if you meant what you said about training Ruby to fight. Do women here actually learn how to be in… combat situations and such?” she rambled, hoping that she was making any semblance of sense whatsoever.
“Erm, aye? Some of the best warriors that I have ever seen happen to be women. They are faster than I could ever hope to be. Why do ye ask?”
“I… I would like you to teach me how to fight… at least I think that I would like that very much,” Victoria blurted.
It had been on her mind for a while, increasing with the potential threat of Charles’ reappearance in her life.
She could feel the curiosity rolling from the man behind her in waves as he said, “Is that so?”
Slowly, Victoria started to lower her hands away from her face, but she did not yet feel quite brave enough to turn around.
“Whether he comes for me, or I have to go back eventually…” Victoria struggled to get the next words out, but she did not even need to, for Arran spoke over her, his voice so firm and certain that it sent a shudder down her spine.
“I willnae let him near ye,” Arran said slowly, and the threat was clear.
“Arran, please. Be realistic. You cannot always be there to protect me, and you cannot predict how this will unfold.” Victoria wanted to sound confident and assertive. But she found her voice breaking as she whispered the last few words, “Please. I wish to feel safe…”
Only then did she risk a glance over her shoulder to the handsome man watching her from across the room.
He nodded once, his expression firm but resolute. “I can understand that, lass.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded once again. “Meet me in the gardens in ten minutes.”
As he spoke, he started to rise out of the tub, water sluicing down his chest in rivulets. He cleared his throat pointedly, well aware that she was staring at his bare chest.
“B-but, the storm,” she choked.
He flashed a smirk back at her. “What, are ye made of sugar? Shall I taste ye and find out?”
Victoria felt as if her face was actually on fire as she whipped right back around, muttering half-lame apologies as she hightailed it out of the room.
She had made it halfway down the hallway when she realized that he was laughing—had the brute teased her on purpose?