Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I t was not the nicest thing to do, but Alistair had to admit that he was at a loss on what the right thing under the circumstances actually was. He didn't want to be seen sneaking out of his wife's chamber in the early morning hours, but even more, he didn't wish to be there when she woke up, and have that conversation.

That conversation. He wasn't even sure what that conversation was. The truth was that he enjoyed it every bit as she did. He allowed his carnal desires to take over. He had destroyed the wall he had been building between them, the same wall which was supposed to keep him safe. But… from what?

He was fighting himself on this one, his own desires to have her by his side as a real wife, not just a wife on paper. But that was impossible, no matter how much his heart seemed to skip a beat at the thought of it. When the truth finally came out, she would be forced to choose between her brother and him. Alistair feared that no matter how hopeful he was, her choice would be family over love, because they were all taught that family came first.

He sighed heavily, raking his fingers through his hair, when a sudden knock on the door interrupted him.

"Aye?" he shouted in an effort to let the intruder know that he wasn't in the mood for any meetings right now. Besides, it was still early. All the guests should be asleep, seeing how late it was when the festivities had ended the previous night.

The door opened and Hunter's face peered in. Alistair immediately frowned. The only reason this man was still unharmed was because the information he held over Alistair felt like the dagger of Damocles' about to fall down and behead him at any moment. That was why Alistair had to be even more cautious now than before.

"What do ye want?" Alistair growled, unable to control himself as much as he wanted to.

"May I enter?" Hunter asked, but he did so even before Alistair replied, closing the door behind him.

"Ye already have," Alistair refused to ignore this lack of manners. "Again… what do ye want? I married yer sister, dinnae I? Did ye come to ask me to marry yer other sister as well?"

That was uncalled for. Alistair could tell as soon as those words rolled down his lips, but now they were out. They sounded offensive to Hannah, and she was the last person he wished to offend. It was her brother he wished to do more than just offend, but that was something else.

"Of course not," Hunter replied, without any ill will in his voice regarding this rude comment on Alistair's part.

He walked over to Alistair's mahogany writing table and stepped on the other side of it, resting against the polished surface with his open palms, so that now, he was looming over both the writing table and Alistair himself.

"I ken this has been… difficult," Hunter continued, his brow furrowed.

Alistair felt one step away from smacking him, but he controlled his temper. He tried to focus on the fact that Hunter would soon be gone, and he would be left with Hannah… alone. That was yet another difficult situation, but he was certain that he would find a way to sort it out. Hunter, on the other hand, was an enemy. There was only one way to deal with enemies.

"Ye think?" Alistair scoffed, getting up from his seat. He couldn't do anything about being blackmailed into a marriage to Hunter's sister, but he would be damned if Hunter would be the one looming over him in his own house. "Is that what ye came over to tell me?"

"Nay," Hunter shook his head, much less antagonistically than Alistair expected him to. "I came to talk about Hannah."

"Hannah?" Alistair echoed. This caught him off guard. He hated being caught off guard. "What about her?"

"She has grown rather fond of ye. As a brother, I can tell," Hunter admitted in the voice of a brother who truly cared about his sister and her happiness. Alistair could understand that. He could even sympathize with that. "And I wish her to be happy."

"If ye truly wished her to be happy, why did ye make her marry someone she dinnae ken?" Alistair pointed out.

"The circumstances of yer marriage are as they are," Hunter was relentless. Alistair wanted to force him to be aggressive. His fists were itching to feel the bone of Hunter's chin, but Hunter didn't allow himself to be provoked. "But me sister… her emotions are real. I just wanted to make sure ye ken that."

"Yer sister is now me concern," Alistair growled. "As per yer own request. Ye comin' in here tellin' me once again what I should or shouldnae do will nae end well for ye."

This was a direct threat. That much was clearly obvious. But at the same time, it was a threat for Hunter alone. Alistair would never allow any harm to come to Hannah, whether or not he decided to admit to her his true feelings.

"I just wanted to tell ye… nay, to ask ye to be kind to her," Hunter said, ignoring the threat that was just aimed in his direction. "She is a sweet, tender soul, and she deserves to be happy."

Alistair knew all that even before Hunter told him. Hannah deserved all the happiness in the world, but she was married to a man who did everything in his power to fight the emotions he had for her. That was not a good fate for any woman.

"Yer sister isnae to blame for any of this," Alistair could agree that much.

"Aye," Hunter nodded. "Yer anger and hatred should be mine to bear alone. Me sister has nothin' to do with this."

Alistair looked at Hunter as someone more than just a blackmailer for the first time. Right now, Hunter was just a brother wanting to see his sister happy.

"Ye have me word that yer sister will always be taken care of," Alistair said gruffly. He didn't want to agree with this man, but for Hannah, he would agree with the Devil himself. That realization surprised him. "Ye need nae worry about that. What ye need to worry about is yerself."

Again, a threat. He didn't want this man to think that they were bonding over his sister. Hannah was now his wife, and Hunter was still the enemy. No doubt about that.

"I can handle meself," Hunter nodded, pulling back. "I thank ye graciously for yer hospitality. Me carriage leaves in the afternoon."

That of course meant that the two men would not be seeing each other again before or after that carriage left. Alistair would make sure of that. But still, he couldn't help but feel a speck of respect for a man who would enter the lion's den to plead for his sister's happiness. He had to admit that he didn't expect that.

Hunter lingered on for a moment longer, then walked out of Alistair's study in long, hasty strides, closing the door behind him silently. Alistair exhaled loudly, although that action didn't bring any relief. In fact, he doubted anything would at this point, other than Hannah's lips on his.

But that was a dangerous path he needed to stay clear of.

Hannah didn't have time to miss Alistair and wonder when exactly he managed to sneak out of the chamber and leave her to wake up alone, with the other side of the bed cold and empty.

"Oh, he is so handsome!" Olivia gushed, unable to remain seated, and instead, her excitement forced her to pace about the room like a caged animal, desperate to escape. "And he is such a good conversationalist! Did ye ken that he is a merchant, and he has traveled all over the world! He's been to Africa, where the sand is so hot it burns yer feet! Can ye imagine that, Hannah?" Olivia chuckled, words just pouring out of her without an end in sight.

Hannah followed her sister with her gaze, allowing her all the freedom to speak, as aways. Hannah did not know the man in question, but so far from what Olivia had told her, he really seemed like a good potential husband for her sister. That alone made Hannah more interested in him as well, although she was far less mesmerized by this man than Olivia.

"Why don't ye sit down for a moment?" Hannah chuckled. "Ye are makin' me dizzy with all yer walkin' about the room."

"Oh, I cannae," Olivia admitted, although her pacing ceased. She pressed her hand to her chest, almost in an effort to prevent her heart from jumping out and rushing over to give itself to the man who had obviously occupied it from first sight.

"I'm certain he is a fine gentleman," Hannah pointed out. "But there is always room for caution, at least until ye get to know someone better."

"Oh, well…" Olivia smiled, blushing fervently.

The moment Hannah heard those words, she knew something had happened, something forbidden, something that would give her a headache.

"Olivia?" Hannah asked, standing up, now her turn to be too anxious to sit in one place and have this conversation. "What happened?"

"Well, we… I mean, he…" Olivia stopped to chuckle like a fifteen-year-old girl smitten by the love of her life. "He kissed me."

"He kissed ye!?" Hannah gasped, her eyes wide with shock and her eyesight blurry from the mix of emotions that was taking over her. "When on earth did this happen?"

As soon as she asked this question, it dawned on her. There was a small period of time during last night when her sister was unaccounted for. Hannah looked for her, but she could not find her. Did the kiss happen then?

"I went outside to the terrace, for some fresh air," Olivia started. "I need to be alone for a moment, but he followed me."

"Why dinnae ye call me to join ye?" Hannah asked, shaking her head. "Ye ken I would have come with ye."

"Ye were busy dancin' with Alistair," Olivia reminded her. "I couldnae pull ye from his embrace, now could I?"

Hannah frowned. She had to admit her sister was right. It would have taken the strength of at least ten men to pull her away from Alistair once she found herself in his arms. But she wanted to show her sister that her love story also mattered. "Ye could have waited."

"I just needed a moment or two of peace, that was all," Olivia said softly. "I dinnae ken he followed me. When I turned around, he was there. He said the crowd was too much for him, as well. We were lookin' over the railing, at the castle grounds, at the sky, at the stars, and… it just happened. He dinnae force himself on me. I wanted to kiss him back."

"Oh, Olivia," Hannah said sadly. "Ye ken better than this. What if someone saw ye? What if Hunter saw ye!?"

Olivia looked down at her feet. "I dinnae plan for any of this, it just happened." A pause for the two sisters to lock gazes again, and immediately, Hannah could understand everything. Her sister didn't need to explain, although she did in very simple terms. "Life happened. Love happened."

Hannah didn't know what to say to that. She was silent for a moment, picking her words, although none of the right ones seemed to come to her.

"He said that he would come to visit me," Olivia continued, seeing that silence as her sister's approval.

"Here?" Hannah wondered.

"Aye," Olivia confirmed. "That was why I was wonderin' if perhaps, I could stay here wee bit longer than I planned?"

Hannah frowned. She had no problems having her sister around longer. In fact, she welcomed the thought. But now that she knew the real reason for her desire to stay, it worried her. It worried her a lot.

"Ye ken that ye are more than welcome to stay on," Hannah assured her with a smile. Then, before Hannah could continue her thought, Olivia jumped in.

"And Colby is welcome to come and visit?" She sounded hopeful, pleading.

Hannah knew what this meant. Olivia would continue to see this man, whether Hannah agreed to it or not. She was absolutely besotted. Hannah wondered how charming this man must be to have Olivia fall for him so quickly, so hopelessly.

Then, she reached a very wise conclusion. If Olivia would meet this man in any case, then it would be far better to do it here, where Hannah could meet him, and where she would keep her eye on both of them. She didn't like this either, but it was the lesser of two evils.

"Of course he is," Hannah smiled, walking over to her sister and taking her by the hand. "I would love to meet him and see what a good conversationalist he is for meself. Besides, I am also very interested to hear about those scorching sands."

"Splendid!" Olivia pulled her hand away, only to clap enthusiastically, like a little girl. Her joy was infectious.

Hannah didn't want to ruin a potential love match for her sister, but at the same time, as the older sister, it was her duty to be cautious for them both. She vowed silently that she would first get to know this man well herself, and then make her judgment whether he was a worthy man to marry Olivia.

"But, enough about me," Olivia suddenly changed the topic. "Last night was yer weddin' night." She raised her eyebrows questioningly. She looked so ridiculous that Hannah burst out into a chuckle.

"Aye, it was," she nodded, blushing immediately.

"Ye're blushin'!" Olivia extended her finger at Hannah to accentuate the statement, a rude gesture she wasn't prone to doing, but this was for playful purposes. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"It means ye are lookin' at a happy, satisfied woman," Hannah couldn't resist joining in the fun.

After all, that was the truth. She was more than happy. She was fully satisfied. The pleasure her husband provided for her the previous night was something she could not have thought possible even in her wildest dreams. It was as if someone had whispered to him exactly what she loved, what felt the best, and he caressed there, he licked there, he pressed there. It was pure perfection in every sense of the word.

Those thoughts, however, remained locked deeply in Hannah's mind. Those were just for her.

"Was he gentle?" Olivia asked, intrigued.

"Very," Hannah nodded. She knew that Olivia probably thought that they had made love. Something assured her it was alright to allow her to believe that. There was no need for any clarifications because Hannah was certain that this would also eventually happen.

She didn't think it would. The way this all started, she believed their marriage would be only on paper, and they would be one of those couples living in different homes, seeing each other only a handful of times a year. But the events of the previous night assured her otherwise. There was still hope for her happily ever after, although she never thought she would be able to find it here, in this place she was brought to almost against her will, forced to marry a man who gave her the cold shoulder the moment they met.

"I cannae imagine Alistair being gentle," Olivia chuckled.

"Oh, ye'd be surprised," Hannah giggled, feeling that warmth wash over her, and her insides clenching at the memory of how he made her finish.

"That is why ye should always keep yer mind open," Olivia suddenly went back to her own story. Very cleverly so, as well. "Ye never ken when people will surprise ye."

"That surprise can be both good and bad," Hannah pointed out, knowing what her sister was referring to, but at the same time, wanting to remind her that not everyone was like characters in her book, where it was more than easy to distinguish who was the hero and who was the villain.

"We need to be optimistic," Olivia gushed. "And only good things will happen to us."

"If only life was that way," Hannah sighed.

She turned to the door. She didn't want to ruin her sister's good mood.

"How about we go and see if Hunter is up?" Hannah suggested. "He is leavin' this afternoon, and I'd love to spend some more time with him while he's here."

Olivia came up to her, locked her arm underneath hers, and together, they walked out of the chamber. Hannah didn't know what the future would bring, but she knew one thing. She would do anything to keep her sister's heart safe.