His Infuriating Bride

Caught

In no mood to answer the question that hung in the solitary ambiance of the room, Griselda bit out with a vicious scowl, “It is none of your business, Lord Lancaster.”

“You keep on forgetting, Lady Brown that this manor is belongs to me now. Everything that happens here is now my business.” was Lancaster’s cool and calm reply to her retort. His equanimity scorned her. Reprimanded her. Made her feel like an idiot she knew she was not.

His attitude only fanned the flame of anger burning within her. Tantalising her to do something that she would surely regret...someday. But, oh, how nice would it feel to wipe that amusing smile off his beautiful lips.

Callum studied the fair-headed witch before him with a hooded gaze. Revelling at the fact that he had been so wrong about her.

Being new to the society, he had assumed Lady Brown, ‘the poor widow’, to be an elderly woman with a warm smile and a bad temper. Oh, how off track he was for the lady standing there, in front of him, was no grandmother but a firecracker!

A firecracker who was throwing daggers at him with her defiance embraced eyes. He smiled for the umpteenth time since he was ‘welcomed’ into the estate by, no one other than, Lady Brown herself. 

Wrapped in that clingy fabric, she had swung open the door and let him know what she thought of him. In a velvety voice that had belied the meaning of the profanities its owner had uttered. He had stood there completely transfixed by the determination in those green eyes, and the subtle tremble in her poised form. 

“Even so, Lord Lancaster-" She replied completely unacquainted with the direction of his thoughts.

“Callum would be fine-"

“-Lord Lancaster.” Her eyebrows rose in a silent challenge. “My clothing-or lack of it- is none of your concern.”

 "Your current attire would become every man's concern." he growled not bothering to hide his irritation. 

"No decent man-"

"Do not fight a loosing battle, Lady Brown. You will, eventually, be disappointed." Callum elucidated in a weary tone. "The deed is done. I am the new owner of this estate and there is nothing that you can do about it." he could not help but add, "Naked or otherwise."

For the first time since their...eerie encounter, Griselda became aware of her nudity. A deep shade of red engulfed her cheeks as she scoured her mind for a quick repartee. An insult. Anything to keep him at arm's length. 

"Nothing to say, My Lady?" his eyes gleamed with deliberate derisiveness. 

A long, strained silence follwed his question making Griselda squirm beneath the sheet. "I-" she firmly pressed her lips together keeping her thoughts to herself.

"Look-" Callum ran a resigned hand through his hair sighing audibly. "Let us not argue anymore. I am tired and, frankly, I do not know what we are arguing about anymore."

"The estate's papers were stolen from me. I-I...my brother-in-law...he took them..he-" her words came out in a jumbled whisper as the first teardrop raced down her pain stricken face. She sagged down on the suede settee and uttered, "I am tired too...of everything." 

Tears ran down her cheeks as she suppressed her sobs. The emotions coursing through her body mocked her incapability to hold onto the only thing her husband had asked her to. His family estate.

With my life, she had told him with so much confidence that he had affectionately laughed at her bravado. "No, never with your life, my dear wife. But with your passion." he had answered her with a soft smile on his face before dozing off to an incessant sleep forever.

It had killed her to see her lively husband's face look so...dead. He had lain there with a serene smile on his face as he had taken his last few breaths.

His death, though inevitable, had shocked her to the core. So much that she had not shed a single tear. People had called her a heartless gold-digger behind her back. Some even had the audacity to claim that Griselda was the one who had brought Lord Brown to his grave. 

The harsh labels were not enough to break her though. Even her brother-in-law's previous actions were not able to wrench out her feelings from the shell they were encased in. Nothing and no one was able to reach her. Except for this stranger.

Callum Lancaster had managed to push her to her breaking point within minutes. Making her want to scream and weep at the same time. But seeing no way out of the dilemma, she did the only thing she could do: retreat. 

"I-I guess you are right. There is no s-solution, Lord Lancaster...My brother-in-law has taken all the money with him..so I-I can't even buy this manor back from you. I am s-sorry for being such a...tart. I-I'll leave soon-now."

A hand grabbed her arm, "Oh, no you don't." Callum pulled her to him.

Fear snaked its way into her heart as she realized, for the first time, that she did not know a thing about Callum. She whimpered as her terrifying memories assailed her. "No!"

"It's alright. I won't hurt you." his voice softened and so did his embrace. "I won't hurt you, Griselda." he repeated huskily as his finger kneaded the nape of her neck, trying to ease some of the tension radiating from her.

When she had calmed down, he spoke again much more gently. "Stay." 

"No-"

"Yes." he cut in. "I bought this manor from my mother. Stay, and give her company. She has...been through a lot." he grimaced. 

"What if I refuse?" she asked tentatively.

"Then where will you go?" 

Having been kicked out of her house at the tender age of sixteen, she could not conjure up anywhere she could stay. "I..."

"I will not stay here for long. I will leave as soon as my mother settles here. I will go back and take care of some unfinished business with my dear father."

She flinched at the acid in his voice. "B-but-"

He cut her off with a kiss. A silencing kiss. A kiss so unexpected that she let go of her covering and gasped in astonishment. Callum's hand moved higher and caught the fabric from slipping as he probed her with his lips. 

A heartbeat later, she opened up to his kiss-to him. Looping her bare arms around his neck, she responded to his kiss. 

So lost were they in the passion that had consumed them both, that they didn't notice that they now had company. Until someone spoke up. "Callum?" An uncertain yet firm voice infiltrated his passion fogged mind.

He broke away from Griselda and pushed her behind his back, away from the prying eyes of their spectators. "Mother." he uttered with apprehension. "And ladies." Many, many ladies.

Not edited! Enjoy x