Under My Skin

Part Fourteen

A/N Sorry for any confusion, I knew exactly how I wanted this part of the story to play out, sorry if it's been confusing. I'll edit once I've completed the next few chapters if this is still not making complete sense. Hope it's just the stop start nature of posting chapters like this.

Feeedback always appreciated for this very reason.

Thanks MZ

Part Fourteen

 Marc ordered them some food from room service, and they ate sandwiches and crisps in the very same bed that they’d spent the afternoon in.

                “Tell me about everything,” he insisted once he knew that she was safe that he had her promise that she’d stay.

She sighed, leaning against him, loving the sensation of his hands against her arms. “I was so excited to come to your house, I mean we’d had out issues Marc.”

He laughed, “we were never going to have a calm dare I say boring relationship. “

That made her laugh, “I was excited to meet your mother, be a part of her birthday. After a few months of loving you it felt right.” He nodded along with her. “So we got to the door, and when Claudia answered...I’ve never been that scared. I mean terrified. My legs were shaking, I could barely speak. She told me you were out the garden, so I dragged Taylor into the cloakroom and waited for her to disappear. Then left. It was cowardly, I know that. And looking back I know I should have told you.”

He sighed, “I just wish you trusted me enough to come to me Isobel.”

Groaning she looked up at him, “I DO trust you, I DID trust you. I just couldn’t imagine destroying your family, challenging everything that we both know on a whim.” He made to protest that this was more than a whim, but she silenced him with her eyes, “I got back to the house and packed the car. I knew I had a couple of hours. Then I called Michael, told him I had a family crisis.”

Marc nodded, “he’s as devastated as me. I have to say I spent many an afternoon questioning him, I was sure he knew more than he was letting on.”

She shook her head, “he’s never met my Aunt Maria, and he had no idea where I was. You were the only one who ever met her.”

                “And Orla?”

Isobel sighed, “firstly I told her the same, but when I knew you’d stop hassling her, I called her and told her the truth. Both her and my Aunt thought I was behaving extremely, but by then my anxiety was well out of control and I found out I was pregnant. Everything just got worse.”

He sighed, “so it was Orla that tipped you off, that I’d found out where Maria lived?”

She nodded, “she said she’d seen you and you’d found out some information. This morning Laddie one of the workers on Aunt Maria’s farm said he’d seen a ‘big black city car’ on his way to work the last couple of mornings. I wanted to protect the farm. This is nothing to do with my Aunt, and I hoped that I could brush you off and run away again.”

                “What would happen then? You’d never see me again?”

                “I told you, I’d never thought past being terrified. But as soon as I saw you, I knew I couldn’t live without you any longer.”

He sighed, “I’m glad.” Turning in his arms he sighed, “you have NO idea what it’s been like, missing you. I’ve not worked, the kids...I could barely talk to them, it’s not right that I felt this scared, this worried, but I need you.”