The Wolves of Scotland (Retro/Unforgiving18)

[RetroWitchcraft]

"I shan't go!" a shrill, feminine voice squealed. "You can not make me!"

This was completely and thoroughly unacceptable! Adeline fumed as she stormed up the stairs. Her golden red curls were asunder, having toppled down from their elaborate design her maid had worked so hard to pin up perfectly. Her pale cheeks were flushed crimson and her lavender eyes flashed dangerously as her father stomped up the stairs after her.

His hands were balled in fists of rage. "You must go! It is unsuitable for a woman to cry off at this time. Why, he will be at our front door to pick you up at any moment!"

"You made this decision without my consent! Why should I have to take the burden of your debt because you made bad choices with the West India Trade company?"

She turned the corner and slammed the door in his face. That was what had upset her the most. Even the indignity of having to marry a Scot was not nearly as infuriating as the fact that her father had put so much faith into the stock system; it had only been introduced a few years beforehand and someone had swindled a good deal of money from it, leaving most shareholders high and dry. The only reason she was in this sordid mess was because of her father's foolishness.

"Adeline Bellamy," he called sternly through the door. "If you do not come out of there and act as a proper bride should act, I swear to all things holy I will have one of the outdoor hands come and knock this door down!"

A sound of disbelief sounded in her throat; an agitated noise that was a mix between a grunt and a cry. "That is not how you treat a woman of gentle breeding, father!"

"Gentle breeding indeed! I have half a mind to have you beat within an inch of your life for showing your father such disobedience. If the king had daughters, he would not suffer them to act this way."

"Oh! How would you know that?! All the king has are a herd of curly haired spaniels!"

Instead of answered he simply pounded on the door, which Adeline refused to acknowledge. Calmly she walked over to her bags and made sure everything she would need was in one. Plenty of women ran away from arranged marriages and who would blame her in this circumstance? Perhaps, she thought dreamily as she shouldered the bag, she would find a wealthy and handsome, English benefactor.

The pounding stopped and she heard her father and a male servant's mumbled conversation.

"He is here!" her father exclaimed clearly. "Double damn!"

Before she could hear anything else she moved towards the back of her room. There was the door that lead to her maid's quarters. Millicent's door, as all maids' doors should have been, was without lock so their mistresses' could slip in anytime they needed to. Of course it locked on Adeline's side... for precaution. The young woman was not in her room, which made it easy to get to the servant's back hallway and the narrow set of stairs that lead into a small room between the kitchen and dinning area.

With any luck she would be able to sneak to the door whilst her father was preoccupied with keeping the Scotsman at bay while the help attempted to break into her room to fetch her. A sly little grin crossed her lips as she imagined the look on their faces when they finally managed to break down the door and found her room completely empty. Carefully she tiptoed towards the door and slipped out of it. Just as she thought her father, with his back turned to her, was greeting the man. She did not get a good look at him; her eyes instantly went to the ground to watch her footwork; to make sure she was going as silently as possible.

 

[unforgiving18]

Arthur sat in the stage coach, looking out the window, watching as the world slowly move by. His mind was deep in thought, he thought about his future wife, what she was like, and how she might look, and how she would feel about him. Arthur was a tall man, about six feet tall, he had brown hair, and brown eye's, his skin pale. He was truly a very handsome man, a rich and powerful one as well. And like all rich and powerful men and women, he had a secret.

"My lord,what are you thinking about" said Brian, his most trusted servant. "Not much, just......thing's" Arthur said, now directing his gaze to Brian. "That is not good, you should stay focused, we are almost there". Arthur gave the man a sigh, his eye's close as he lean's back in his seat. "Sir, what is the matter?" Brian asked. "I am tired" Arthur said, answering Brian's question. "I see, so another sleeples night?" Arthur looked back out the window, his gaze straight at the house in the distance. "It happened again...I changed in my sleep"


Brian did not say a word, this was a touchy subject for his master. Arthur has lately bin unable to control his form while he slept. It was some kind of sleep walking state of being, this was a risk for him, if anyone in his family learned of this it would destroy his chances of becoming the alpha, the head of his family..... All rich family's have there secret's....... His was, they were all werewolves.

The stage coach came to a halt, the house was right there, only ten feet from them. "Brian you stay outside, help with the packing" Arthur said as he exited through the door. He slowly took ten step's, taking a deep breath before knocking on the door.


"Yes" a voice said as the door opens, a girl on the other end. "I am sir Arthur burn's, i have come to take Adeline" he said to the young women. "Come right in sir, the master and his daughter have bin expecting you"

Arthur walked into the house, yelling can be heard up the stair's. "He is here!" a man's voice yelled "Double damn!" he yelled again before rushing down the stair's. "Hello Sir' Brian i apologize for my daughter but she is taking her time,...uh sh-she want's to look perfect for you, women are like that you understand" the man said, making obvious excuses for her. "I see, will she be much longer? i had hoped to be gone from here soon, i hate being on British soil" he said, finding her father very boring. "Well, she wont be, there might be a few more minutes bu-" her father was cut off by Arthur's voice. "Listen hear old man, cut the lie's, just make sure she is down hear soon and i will be on my marry way". Her father gave him a look, only for a second before shaking it off, "We will have her down soon, she locked herself in her room but i ordered the door to be broke down"

"I see" Arthur said as a women's scent came into the room... It was not the maid, she smelled like water, and soap, normal to him for some one that clean's. But this women smelled more like cherry's, a young women, still pure, "I don't think you should waist your time with the door" he said turning around to see a girl tip toeing to the door, her gaze at her feet. "Adeline i presume" He said to the girl, "I am disappointed to see you trying to escape without even giving me the benefit of the doubt, how unladylike to try and leave her betrothed" he then walked up to her, his hand now on her shoulder. "I expected better of you" he said before taking a deep breath. 'She has changed, i hardly recognized her'


He thought to himself, his grip now tightening so she could not run off. "Let's get you to the stage coach, i will have my servant pack your thing's inside, i wish to leave this place soon" he said walking her out the door and practically pulling her into the stage coach. "Brian, pack her thing's", the man then nodded before rushing out the door, and into the house. Arthur then looked at her expectantly, looking into her eye's. "So, do you remember me?" he asked, hopeful of her memory's of him.

 

[RetroWitchcraft]

Adeline pulled a sour face when she was taken from the once stately mansion. Nearly all of the effects that had made the estate so grand had been sold to pay for the debt that had mounted so high against her father. In the end they broke even but, with the lifestyle the man was accustomed to and the taxes due in a few months, they had to offer Adeline's hand in hasty marriage to a foreigner.

Her delicate feet kicked and one of her slim slippers flew off her feet and landed on the outside steps. Damn it all! A squeal escaped her lips as she struggled more. No matter how hard she fought, however, he still managed to push into the carriage. Her pale lavender eyes glared daggers at him and her golden red curls were a true mess; springing fourth and tumbling over her shoulders and down her back as if she were a moor child.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she told him tartly, pursing her full pink lips and tossing her strait nose into the air. "I am sure I have never met a Scot before... at least no one who had more rank that a dish hand or stable boy."