“Why are ye so keen to get me alone?” she asked the moment they were away from the others.
They were walking down the corridor that led away from the dining hall, their footsteps echoing off the stone floor. Portraits of Arthur’s ancestors lined these halls, and he felt each of their eyes on them as he walked.
“The cèilidh tonight,” he grunted, “we can count it as one of our outings.”
Marissa chewed on her bottom lip, considering for a moment before eventually nodding. “Alright,” she answered. “That will put us at three.”
“That means we only have two more outings,” he mused. “And I thought ye might want to get married while yer family is here.”
Her mouth dropped open in surprise, and she whirled to look at him. It took Arthur a moment to register that she had stopped walking entirely.
“Dinnae act surprised,” he said. “It makes sense, does it nae? To get married while they’re here? I assume ye want them here for the weddin’. And it might help them nae to have to make the trip twice.”
Heat flared in Marissa’s cheeks, and she looked down at the floor. Her entire body shrank back from him, and she seemed reluctant to speak.
All the agitation he’d been feeling moments ago fled his body. He hadn’t meant to be so pushy with the idea. He’d thought that she’d be appreciative of him putting that much thought into it.
He opened his mouth to tell her as much, to assure her that it would all work out, but she began speaking before he could.
“If we get married,” she said, her words barely above a whisper, “I might nae be ready to consummate our marriage. Nae this early.”
Her eyes darted up, and he could see the worry in her brown eyes.
“Did ye believe that I’d expect ye to?” he asked.
When she gave a nod, he grimaced.
“I willnae be mad or disappointed if we dinnae consummate our marriage immediately,” he assured her. “I ken that what happened last night was somethin’ ye wanted to wait for.”
At the mention of it, Marissa’s cheeks flushed crimson once again.
“I dinnae regret it,” she said quickly, and Arthur couldn’t stop the rush of relief that flooded him at her words. “I want ye to ken that. I dinnae regret a single moment of it. I couldnae imagine that anythin’ could feel quite like that. But…” she trailed off.
Arthur felt the need to finish for her. “But ye think we might have moved a little fast?”
He was rewarded with a quick nod of her head.
“I stand by me words,” he assured her. “Just like I told ye last night, if ye say nay, then nothin’ will happen. And right now, ye’re sayin’ nay. So, I’ll nae try anythin’ with ye—ye can trust that. Ye should ken by now that I’m a man of me word.”
“I dinnae ken that, though,” Marissa said, looking at him sheepishly. “I dinnae ken ye that well. And that’s why I think I want to wait for a little while before we move any further. I want to feel as if I actually ken who ye are.”
Arthur bristled at her words but worked to keep his expression neutral.
It willnae serve either of us for me to be frustrated right now. All I can do is keep me word. That is the only way she’ll learn to trust me. It’s the only way we’ll learn to trust each other.
“I understand what ye mean,” he responded as softly as he could. “And I promise ye, I am willin’ to wait however long ye need. I take nay pleasure in a lass who doesnae want me. Even if I can be an arse sometimes, I’m nae that much of one.”
He was rewarded with a chuckle, some of the heaviness evaporating.
“Ye have that right,” she said, giving him a grin.
Some of the tension seemed to leave her shoulders, and she gave him a soft smile.
“Alright then,” she added, her voice hesitant but hopeful. “As long as ye’re all right that I may nae want to consummate our marriage right away, I’d love to marry ye while me family is here.”
He gave her a smirk before nodding his head back toward the corridor they’d been walking down.
“Now,” he asked, “what do ye say we go see where yer family will be stayin’?”
