Page 78 of The Thief
It was then that a completely mundane thought came to her mind. Her fiancée never wore any other color shirt but white.
She had seen her uncle and father in other colors a few times, but had never seen Alastair in anything else but white. She chuckled softly.
Maybe when we are married, I could get him to try at least one colored shirt.
Scarlett had to stop herself from laughing aloud.
Alastair stopped suddenly and Scarlett realized that she had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn’t realized where they were going.
Looking around, she asked, “Where are we?”
He chuckled and patted her hand reassuringly.
“Don’t worry. We are in the cellar. Well, we are below the cellar. There is something I’d like to show you.”
She watched intently as he opened the door in front of them, revealing a stone staircase, brightly lit with windows along the side of it. She turned around to face him, an excited look on her face.
“Where does it go?” she asked, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice.
“Go ahead. Just go slowly. The stairs can be quite steep.”
She took a couple of steps down into the tunnel, waiting for him to come down behind her. He took two steps, then turned to shut the door behind him, coming to meet her. She grabbed his hand to keep herself from falling, almost slipping once or twice.
The stairs were long and winding, not completely curved but just enough to make sure you took your time getting down. She was very grateful though, for all the light provided by the windows. Trying to maneuver this path in the dark would be very frightening. When they reached the bottom, there was a small landing. Scarlett brimmed with excitement to see where it went.
Alastair knocked on the door and it was pulled open by a guard, Alastair stepping out into the sunshine; Scarlett followed right behind him. Her gasp was audible when she looked up, the greatness of the castle looming above her.
“This is beautiful, Alastair,” she said, her eyes as wide as saucers.
She looked up and saw the bridge and the castle, the dark red rock lighter than the rest of the castle from years of water beating upon it. Finally, she looked around, realizing that they were on a small dock, surrounded by the ocean. The water was blue and calm, sparkling brightly in the sun.
She looked over at Alastair, her excitement shining brightly in her eyes.
“Let me show you to the boat,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her over to it. It was small and simple, easily manned by two people.
She looked at him, hesitation in her eyes now.
“Are you sure?” she asked, making him laugh.
“You will be safe. I promise you.”
“I trust you,” she said.
Just not the boat.
Alastair stepped down into the boat and moved the oars over, freeing up space for them to sit. He held out his hand for her and she took it, stepping gingerly down into the boat. Turning around, he untied the boat, throwing the rope into the boat at his feet and grabbing the oars. Once they were in place, he left the dock, startling Scarlett a little bit.
“Relax, I am a good sailor,” he said, not completely allaying her fears.
“Good sailor? That does not bode well for us I think,” she poked fun at him, opening her parasol to shade her from the warm sun.
He stared her, soaking in her beauty and the moment.
“I have an excellent sailor. I did not insinuate further as to not post, but if it should easier for years; that I am quite good.”
Scarlett smiled at his playful tone.
“It does indeed. Thank you.”
