The force with which she hit the floor took her breath away momentarily. Dazed and confused, her head rolled to the side as Douglas leapt down from the bed and crouched down, snatching her back up into his arms and backing her up against the wall.
‘Oh God, please!’ Isobel begged with a low whimper, realising that if Alasdair had given his permission, she was entirely helpless to stop Douglas from doing as he wanted; and perversely, her struggles only seemed to be pleasing him all the more. ‘Please don’t, please don’t do this –’
Her desperate plea was cut short as the heavy door burst open, slamming back against the stone wall as Alasdair sprinted through it, breathing heavily as he dashed across the solar and tore Douglas away from Isobel. The fearsome and terrible anger she saw upon his face left her in no doubt that he had not, in fact, given Douglas permission to take her, and that realisation was just as great a relief as the fact that he had spared her just in time.
With a loud sob, she slumped down against the wall and slipped to the floor as Alasdair drew back his clenched fist and struck Douglas with all the force he could muster in the stomach before following it up with a vicious left hook that broke the other man’s nose. He had been sat at the table still, silently surveying the hall as his men began to return it to some semblance of order when Isobel’s piercing scream of terror echoed throughout it from the solar above. Finally noticing Douglas’s absence, he had put the pieces together and hurtled up the stairs three at a time, his face bloodless as his heart raced in terror.
To enter the room and see Isobel trapped by Douglas, just moments away from being raped by him, had confirmed his worst fear and filled him with a reckless, all-encompassing fury. Barely retaining a tenuous grip upon it, he advanced upon Douglas again, ushering him towards the door. ‘Get out, bastard!’ he growled, his fists clenching tightly again at his sides. ‘I said, out! Begone – from my solar, from my lady, and from Glen Carrick!’
‘From Glen Carrick?!’ Douglas echoed in astonishment, unable to prevent his eyes from wandering back towards Isobel – a fact that did not escape Alasdair’s attention. ‘Come now, old friend, such anger over some lass –’
‘My Isobel is not just some lass! She is mine, Douglas, in every possible way, and any offence against her is an offence against me. Now, get out of here before I call for my sword and run you through – for I promise, were it not for Isobel’s presence, I would have done so already!’
Douglas stared at him incredulously, but it was very clear that Alasdair’s threat was sincere. Shaking his head, he scowled at Isobel before turning on his heel, wiping the blood from his face as he stalked from the room and pulled the door shut behind him.
The sound of Douglas’s footsteps faded away down the stone steps as Alasdair hastened across the solar to pull the shaking Isobel into his arms and cradle her against his chest. ‘Darling, my darling Isobel!’ he crooned, a pained grimace upon his face as he felt the tears streaming from her eyes. ‘You are safe now – I have you, and I give you my word that no man but me will ever touch you again! Why are you still crying, my lovely?’
Isobel clung to Alasdair tightly, drawing comfort from his nearness as her sobs finally began to abate. ‘I...I was afraid –’
‘Of what he would do to you?’ Alasdair interrupted, his face contorted.
‘No – well, yes, of course, but more that...’ Isobel trailed off, a blush creeping up her face as she hesitantly met his curious stare. ‘Alasdair, he told me that you had given him permission to do as he liked with me! I thought that it meant that you...that you and I...’
‘You thought that I had broken my promise to you and no longer cared if another man took you?!’ Alasdair finished for her. ‘No, Isobel –God, no!’ he exclaimed
‘Oh God, please!’ Isobel begged with a low whimper, realising that if Alasdair had given his permission, she was entirely helpless to stop Douglas from doing as he wanted; and perversely, her struggles only seemed to be pleasing him all the more. ‘Please don’t, please don’t do this –’
Her desperate plea was cut short as the heavy door burst open, slamming back against the stone wall as Alasdair sprinted through it, breathing heavily as he dashed across the solar and tore Douglas away from Isobel. The fearsome and terrible anger she saw upon his face left her in no doubt that he had not, in fact, given Douglas permission to take her, and that realisation was just as great a relief as the fact that he had spared her just in time.
With a loud sob, she slumped down against the wall and slipped to the floor as Alasdair drew back his clenched fist and struck Douglas with all the force he could muster in the stomach before following it up with a vicious left hook that broke the other man’s nose. He had been sat at the table still, silently surveying the hall as his men began to return it to some semblance of order when Isobel’s piercing scream of terror echoed throughout it from the solar above. Finally noticing Douglas’s absence, he had put the pieces together and hurtled up the stairs three at a time, his face bloodless as his heart raced in terror.
To enter the room and see Isobel trapped by Douglas, just moments away from being raped by him, had confirmed his worst fear and filled him with a reckless, all-encompassing fury. Barely retaining a tenuous grip upon it, he advanced upon Douglas again, ushering him towards the door. ‘Get out, bastard!’ he growled, his fists clenching tightly again at his sides. ‘I said, out! Begone – from my solar, from my lady, and from Glen Carrick!’
‘From Glen Carrick?!’ Douglas echoed in astonishment, unable to prevent his eyes from wandering back towards Isobel – a fact that did not escape Alasdair’s attention. ‘Come now, old friend, such anger over some lass –’
‘My Isobel is not just some lass! She is mine, Douglas, in every possible way, and any offence against her is an offence against me. Now, get out of here before I call for my sword and run you through – for I promise, were it not for Isobel’s presence, I would have done so already!’
Douglas stared at him incredulously, but it was very clear that Alasdair’s threat was sincere. Shaking his head, he scowled at Isobel before turning on his heel, wiping the blood from his face as he stalked from the room and pulled the door shut behind him.
The sound of Douglas’s footsteps faded away down the stone steps as Alasdair hastened across the solar to pull the shaking Isobel into his arms and cradle her against his chest. ‘Darling, my darling Isobel!’ he crooned, a pained grimace upon his face as he felt the tears streaming from her eyes. ‘You are safe now – I have you, and I give you my word that no man but me will ever touch you again! Why are you still crying, my lovely?’
Isobel clung to Alasdair tightly, drawing comfort from his nearness as her sobs finally began to abate. ‘I...I was afraid –’
‘Of what he would do to you?’ Alasdair interrupted, his face contorted.
‘No – well, yes, of course, but more that...’ Isobel trailed off, a blush creeping up her face as she hesitantly met his curious stare. ‘Alasdair, he told me that you had given him permission to do as he liked with me! I thought that it meant that you...that you and I...’
‘You thought that I had broken my promise to you and no longer cared if another man took you?!’ Alasdair finished for her. ‘No, Isobel –God, no!’ he exclaimed
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