His Bonnie Bride by Hannah Howell (the beginning after the end read novel .TXT) 📕

From Tavis's point of view, Alex's seduction of Storm had been well under way and succeeding. To his eyes, their smiles, laughter and hushed conversation looked like a brazen flirtation. The occasional glance in his direction he saw as a guilty one. He was sure Storm was succumbing to Alex as women always had.

As he watched her leave after he had spat his harsh words at her, he was fully aware of having offended as well as angered her. The chill in her eyes and her stiff posture made that clear enough. What he was not sure of and what made him oddly uncomfortable was that he had hurt her. There had been a flicker of what he had read as pain upon her face before it had closed to him, a trick of hers that he detested.

"Ne'er known you to have such a heavy hand with the ladies, Tavis," Alexander drawled.

"She is my hostage, not some filly at court ye can dally with at your pleasure."

"She is also your lover," Alex said softly, finding Tavis's possessiveness fascinating.

"Aye, and this is one ye arenae having, MacDubh. Did ye think I would step aside for the night or mayhaps send her to ye with my compliments? There was little to gain from this seduction."

"Actually, I offered to let her await ransoming at our keep. Thought to mention it to Colin."

Tavis gave a harsh laugh. "And of course ye promised to keep your hands off her."

"Nay, I but offered to treat her as the lady she is. That, and the choice of sharing my bed or nay, which I ken you have not done, my friend. You have simply taken, not requested nor waited for an invitation."

"As any man would do with such a prize taken as hostage. She stays here until 'tis time to return her to Hagaleah."

"And when will that be? There is plainly little rush to gain the ransom."

"It'll come e'en if we maun wait for his lordship to return and send it. Then she goes home."

Alex watched Tavis stride away, delivering curt good nights as he left the hall.

The little English lady had the man twisted every which way, but Tavis had yet to see it. Shaking his head, Alex felt a twinge of sympathy for Tavis. The blow he would take from this affair was going to make the one he had suffered over Mary look like the tiniest of bruises. Alex looked up to greet Sholto and Iain with a nod as they joined him.

"That's one he'll nay play the game with, Alex," Sholto said as he sprawled in a chair.

"So I have discovered. What he failed to query was whether or not the lady was playing."

"Was she?" asked Iain.

"Nay, my friend. Not only was I turned down in the most flattering of ways, but the lass caught on to the game and shamed me with it. She sees all too clearly in most respects."

"By the looks of that stiff little back as she left here, there will be a bloody row in the tower tonight," Sholto observed with a laugh. "Shame they took it upstairs, for 'tis a show when they go at it."

"Do neither of them see what is obvious to everyone?" Alex inquired with genuine interest.

Iain sighed. "Nay. 'Tis a shame, but it may not matter when or if they do, for she is Lord Eldon's only daughter, his firstborn, and Tavis is heir to this place. Hardly a match with promise."

* * * * *

When the heavy door shut behind Storm as she stepped into the tower room she let loose with a string of curses in her mother's tongue that was vicious enough to make Angus wince and be thankful that he could not understand a word of it. She could not recall ever having felt so furious with the man who was both her captor and her lover. Her chamber seemed a haven for once; it meant that she was not near him.

Undressing provided some outlet for her anger as she flung her clothing across the room. Yanking on her night rail, she hurled herself onto the bed and glared at the ceiling. With intense relish she imagined all manner of gruesome ends and torments for Tavis MacLagan. It always ended with his begging her forgiveness and her grandly allowing him to have it before he gasped his last. She savored the vision.

Storm knew she had as much pride as any man and Tavis had sorely bruised it with his abrupt dismissal of her. His coldness had also hurt her deeply, but she would never reveal that to him. She had little left to her save her pride and dignity, and he had tried to strip those from her in that brief confrontation. There would have to be a great deal explained before she could forgive that. It had been an unnecessary set-down.

Tavis hesitated as he reached her door. "What mood was she in, Angus?"

"It wasnae pretty. She was saying things in that Irish gibberish and 'tis glad I am I couldnae understand it. She isnae going tae be greeting ye with a smile and open arms," Angus added as he walked away.

For a moment Tavis regretted his actions, for he liked the way she always welcomed him to her bed. It would be the first time they had shared the room with bad feeling between them. Then he recalled how she had been seated so close to Alex, letting him touch her and listening to plans to leave him. He entered the room with his temper renewed, slamming the door after him with a force that reverberated through the room.

"Come to have a talk with your prisoner, sir?" Storm asked coolly as she sat up in bed.

"Nay, I have come to have a wee bit of what ye were offering Alexander MacDubh," he hissed as he approached the bed. "Did ye think ye would have enough strength to service us both?"

The increasing thickness of his accent told her the