Page 64 of The Thief
“No, Papa, he asked me. Don’t worry. I am still chaste,” she whispered, resting her hand on his reassuringly.
His scowl faded only slightly.
“Why did he not ask me first?”
“We did not want to let anyone know until after this whole situation had settled down. If it got out that Alastair and I are to marry, then that could potentially put Alastair in danger as well. Right now, we are just trying to keep everyone safe. I am sure he would have asked you as soon as this was all over.”
His scowl faded completely, replaced by an almost resigned look.
“Do you want to marry him?”
She nodded, happiness coming to her face.
She felt surprised when she saw a glint of a tear in her father’s eye before he leaned over and kissed her forehead.
“Then I am happy for you, my darling. I hope he treats you well. If he does not, he will have to answer to me.”
He hugged her tightly and she breathed deeply, taking in his cologne that brought back all the memories of her childhood filling her heart as she did. She remembered all the times he had carried her to bed when she fell asleep in the library reading or when she was upset and needed comforting. Papa had always been there for her and she knew it would be hard to give her away.
With a sigh, he pulled away, taking her arm again and heading down the street towards a particularly loud salesman calling to them.
A while later, Alastair slipped over to where Scarlett stood, finally able to extract himself from his mother. Scarlett looked at him out of the corner of her eye and smiled.
“How has your afternoon been?” she whispered.
He scowled at her.
“I can only assume that you are being cruel in asking that question.”
She giggled and looked down at the small vase she held in her hand. It was made of glass and beautifully colored, the sunlight creating a rainbow on the ground as it shined through.
She paid the stall owner and headed down the road, Alastair falling in behind her.
“I did not mean to be cruel, please forgive me.”
He rolled his eyes at her and knew that she was just teasing him. His mother had dragged him all over the market today, making him feel as if he was a very ungracious host.
He had apologized to Graham during the few moments he had been close enough to him and Graham had reassured him that he understood as his wife was here with her own child and would not move far from her.
“I do need to tell you something,” she whispered to him, catching his attention and drawing his gaze to her.
“Are you all right?” he asked her, stopping her to inspect her face.
When she showed no signs of a recurring illness, he sighed in relief.
“I told my father.”
Confusion filled his face.
“Told your father?”
“About our… agreement.”
He had to physically restrain his jaw from dropping at her words.
“Scarlett!”
She looked up at him with pleading eyes and rested her hand on his arm.
