Caledonia

Storm

Alex went to find Bella very early the next morning when he knew she'd still be asleep. She was the type of lass to enjoy partying late into the night with her friends and he would bet that she'd done the same thing last night. He stormed into her bedchamber without knocking. Their competing shouts could soon be heard all around the castle.

Bella screamed at him. "Get out of here! This is my room!"

"It's only yours because I say it is!" Alex hissed back. "Now, who were the other bitches with ye bloody gossiping about my wife?"

"As if I'd tell ye!" Bella huffed. "That's my business!"

"Bella, I'm warning ye! I won't allow anyone to upset Callie again. Everyone here will treat her with the respect she is due as my wife or they'll answer to me for it."

"Yeah, believe me, brother." Bella snarled. "Everyone can see she's got you under her thumb!"

"Have ye lost whatever sense God put in your head?" Alex growled. "She's the sweetest, kindest most beautiful lass I've met and the only one I wanted to marry. I'm the luckiest man alive, as she agreed to marry me and take on this huge responsibility of caring for this clan. If ye cared about me, ye'd see how much I truly love her! Why isna it reason enough for ye to be bloody civil to her? If ye dinna give her the respect she deserves, I'll ship ye spoilt, selfish arse off to a bloody convent so fast your head will spin! Ye are hereby ordered to help Glenna everyday with any chore of her choosing until ye give me all the names of those bloody harpies telling such bold lies about me."

Callie sat downstairs with a cup of hot tea in Alex's chair located by the hearth in the main hall opposite the dining area. She had woken up with an upset stomach this morn, likely due to nervousness knowing he was planning to confront Bella on her behalf. Servants were milling around the main hall and inside the bailey. They stood as still as statues, eyes wide open in shock at hearing their laird loudly bellowing of his love for his wife to his younger sister. Many of them assumed that he was angry enough not to realise he was announcing his affection for his wife by telling his younger sister. The clan members nearly Callie were torn between staring at her and angling their head to the ceiling in order to get more clarification on Alex's speech. As much as she was touched by Alex's speech, Callie knew he was serious in his expectations of his younger sister improving her behaviour towards his wife, but Callie wasn't naive enough to think Bella was going to warm up to her if she was ordered to do so.

Alex came downstairs to find Callie after he left Bella to stew about being forced to do work in the kitchens. He immediately smiled when he saw her sitting in his chair. He picked her up and drew her into his lap, kissing her brow absentmindedly, as he settled into the chair. She gave him a shy smile before moving hair out of his eyes. He quirked up the side of his mouth in a smile. "Hello, wife."

"My handsome protector." She said, just before kissing below his ear. "Do ye think it made any difference?"

He kissed her temple. "Ye dinna, I can see that."

"Aye, I dinna and ye ken that's why I had asked ye not to say anything to her."

"So, why did ye go bloody running to him when ye heard us talking?" Bella's voice startled Callie, making her jump and Alex began to frown markedly at his sister. When she looked up, her sister-in-law stood with hands on her hips glaring back at Callie. "Why dinna ye speak to us instead of skulking off like an errant child? Can ye nay handle your own battles, Callie?"

Alex spoke in a tone laced with steel, his arm protectively wrapped around Callie's waist. "Bella, I'm warning ye to stop."

"For as proper as ye look, ye must be fairly good in bed or my brother wouldna be thinking with his cock instead of his brain."