Loyalty Or Honour (Book 3)

Chapter Thirty Five

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"Lady Arabella looks as if she is going to heave." Ari replies. Hunter twists round to see to Arabella. What he sees is not a woman about to heave. He only sees one pale Beatrice, an in charge Mary and a slightly green Arabella. He turns back and Ari has gone in a rustle of her skirts, her arm slipping from his grip while he was distracted. He sighs. Mary rises.

"I will follow her and make sure she leaves if anything dangerous is to happen." Mary kindly tells him before rushing after Ari. Hunter has to blink a few times to recognise the prim woman now racing down the halls after Ari. He bites down harshly on his cheek to stop himself running after them. Ari could be getting herself in a position where she could get hurt. Hunter wants to protect her from that. His heart stutters at the idea of her being harmed.

"Beatrice!" Arabella exclaims and rushes over to her friend. She places a hand on her forehead and checks her pulse. Hunter moves to hover over them. "She has fainted!" Hunter brushes Arabella to the side with a frown. He checks for himself that she is still breathing steady and that there is a regular pulse under his fingers on her neck. Then he arranges her on the chaise so that she is lying down on her side comfortably.

"Some people cannot handle the sight of blood." Hunter says without compassion. His actions differ however as he gentle props her head up on a cushion. "What do you think you are doing?" He literally growls and Arabella freezes on her way to the door. Hunter turns and pins her down with pitch black eyes. "Sit down by your friend." He orders.

"Lady Arisxandre has taken it upon herself to visit the injured. What is wrong with my desire to visit my harmed fiancé?" She asks him, her mouth drawn into a pout. Hunter scowls.

"Lady Arisxandre is not under my guard. She also tricked me otherwise I would have her locked in here also." Arabella glares at him, her ladylike façade shattering before his eyes, wrecked by him. "Sit down!"

"I refuse to be in a room alone with you." She admits honestly. Hunter sighs and glances down at the still unconscious Beatrice.

"We are not alone. Miss Frith is here." Hunter chuckles and shakes his head. "Plus you were very clear that what happened would never happen again. I trust with such strong words you have the willpower to achieve them." His eyes flicker to her still frozen figure. "Is there even some feeling between you and the Prince? Do you actually look forward to marrying him as a person?"

"You are heartless. He is downstairs, bleeding and in pain and you ask me this." Arabella deflects.

"Yet you are still here and have not made one move to go see him. He is bleeding, yes; he is in pain, most likely. But he is not dying and he will recover with the best care possible. You call me heartless yet you cannot even answer a simple question about whether you even hold affection for your future husband." Hunter calmly states the facts. Arabella hugs her arms around her. She considers running for the door but she fears he will catch her. She knows that if he touches her she will lose any sense of control. Even now she can feel the sparks flying across the room and the heat of his gaze.

"Love and affection will grow. This is a marriage for a kingdom. This is not a marriage based purely of emotion. A future king would be foolish to choose that path. He needs a woman who will support him, who will entertain his guests and be a listening ear. It is better to start off with respect and friendship." Arabella states with her head held high. Hunter inclines his head in agreement.

"But do you really have to be that woman?" Hunter softly asks, his voice taking on a gentle and soothing tone. Arabella slowly crosses the room to him and looks down on her sleeping friend.