A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and support! Hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 10: Whispers
Anastasia roused from her sleep to the feeling of light, gentle kisses along her collarbone. She let out an involuntary moan, shifting her body slightly when the lips pressed against her skin smiled. Anastasia blinked open her eyes in the pre-dawn light to see a thick mop of dark copper-colored hair resting near her bare shoulder.
Memories of the previous night returned to Anastasia, and she could not help but smile, warm flutters spreading throughout her stomach and into her fingers and toes.
"Good morning, beautiful," Christian whispered, shifting against her slightly as he lifted his face up and gazed into her eyes. "How are you this fine morning?"
Anastasia couldn't help but giggle. "I'm wonderful, thank you."
"Oh, I could get used to waking up to the sound of your beautiful voice," Christian whispered, moving his lips along her jaw before reaching her lips. Anastasia whimpered against him, her arousal causing her heart to pound loudly in her chest. She had never known herself to react this way to a man's touch, but ever since Christian had deflowered her last night, every brush of his skin seemed to ignite something that had laid dormant within her all these years.
Unfortunately, Christian pulled away from her before anything could escalate between them, and he let out a sigh. "Alas, I cannot stay for much longer. I need to get back to the castle before the others wake up."
Anastasia glanced out the window toward the blue-tinted sky, and realized that the sun was indeed going to be rising very soon. She sighed, feeling suddenly sad.
"I don't want you to go," she confessed quietly, turning to gaze into Christian's eyes, and he gave her a small, sad smile.
"I don't wish to go either…" he said, brushing his hand gently along her arm. "In a perfect world, I think I would spend every moment of the day in a bed with you, without a stitch of clothing on either of our bodies."
"Stop it," Anastasia giggled, and he quickly moved so he was hovering over her again. He leaned down to kiss her deeply on the lips, and she didn't hesitate to kiss him back.
"Last night was incredible," Christian whispered after a moment, pulling away slightly as he gazed into Anastasia's eyes. "You were incredible. I know I'm going to remember it for my entire life."
Anastasia blushed, staring back at him with an equal amount of love and desire. "You were incredible as well," she whispered. "I never knew it could feel that way… I mean, it was indescribable."
"I am glad you enjoyed it," Christian chuckled with a warm smile, pressing one more kiss to her lips before finally getting out of bed. He began gathering his strewn clothes from the floor, shamelessly naked in the dim morning light, and Anastasia watched him while unconsciously biting her lip.
"You know it is rude to stare, Miss Steele," Christian smirked at her while putting on his trousers, and Anastasia couldn't help but smile.
"I apologize, sir, but I only stare because I like what I see," she said amusedly, and Christian chuckled, now pulling on his shirt and tucking it into his pants. There was a brief silence between them as he got dressed, and Anastasia didn't know what else to say. She wanted to ask if what he had said to her last night about loving her was true, but instead she asked: "When am I going to get to see you again?"
She felt a bit uncomfortable asking that, the vulnerability of her question causing her cheeks to blush bright pink, and she quickly glanced down at the quilt covering her naked body: "I mean, if you are too busy with royal affairs, I understand. I merely thought that… well… I wondered if you and I could… I mean…"
"Anastasia," Christian interrupted her, smiling at her with affection. He sat down at the edge of her bed and cupped her face gently in his hands. "Don't doubt for a second that I want to spend every moment with you - because I do, truly. If I can get away from my family this evening after sundown, I would love to come back here and see you again."
Anastasia bit her lip and smiled, happy at the prospect of being with him again so soon. "Are you sure you can sneak back here again without being caught?"
"Nothing would be able to stop me," Christian smiled, leaning forward and giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. Anastasia closed her eyes at his touch, and slowly blinked open her eyes once he pulled away; she gazed into his eyes, feeling suddenly a bit insecure.
"What is it?" Christian asked, noticing the expression on her face.
Anastasia bit her lip, wondering if she should say what was on her mind. "Last night," she whispered. "You said I was your love."
Christian gazed into her eyes for a few moments, his expression unreadable, before giving her a smile. "You don't believe you are?"
Anastasia saw the sincerity in his expression, and could not help but smile too. "I don't know… would that make you my love as well?"
Christian chuckled, his expression conveying all the love and affection he felt for her. "Oh, sweet Anastasia… I believe I have been yours from the moment I laid eyes on you."
Christian left before the sun rose completely, and Anastasia decided to get up and ready for the day, unable to fall back asleep after her and Christian's conversation this morning. They had confessed their love for each other, and Anastasia felt as if her mind was in a cloud, flying higher than she ever had before. The man she loved told her that he loved her too, and they had demonstrated their love and devotion to each other last night in a physical manner… Anastasia doubted anything in the world felt better than this feeling she had right now. She couldn't help but have a smile on her face throughout the day, her mind straying to all the wonderful things she and Christian had done together last night.
After getting dressed and completing her morning chores, Anastasia decided to go to the market that afternoon and stock up on food for when her father and uncle came back home tomorrow. She pulled on her red cloak and grabbed her shopping basket before heading out for the town square. The day was bright and sunny, and Anastasia's happiness was contagious as she found herself smiling at everybody she passed on the street.
She made it to the market, and immediately noticed Leila and her friend Charlotte standing near one of the fabric stands and chatting with each other over the various items of fashionable clothing. Anastasia remembered all of the awful things those girls had said about her the other day, but it hardly bothered her at the moment - her mind was still dwelling on her night with Christian, and that was something nobody could ever take away from her.
"Anastasia," Leila looked up and smiled widely as she saw Anastasia approach. "We have not seen you in so long! How are you?"
"I am well, Leila," Anastasia smiled, thinking with satisfaction that she was reliving some recent memories of her passionate night with Christian. "How are things with you? How is The Glasgow?"
"Same as always," Charlotte rolled her eyes with a smile. "Drunken revelries nearly every night."
Leila and Anastasia both laughed. "Sounds like a lot of fun," Anastasia smiled. "I have not been there for awhile - I wonder if I could stop by anytime soon?"
"Well, we were about to have something to eat there," Charlotte said with an eager smile. "The pub has a new chef that makes a delicious turnip stew. It's gotten very popular with the patrons, and we were about to have some for our midday meal. Would you like to join us?"
"I would love to," Anastasia grinned widely, and the three of them began making their way to the main street where The Glasgow was.
"By the way, Anastasia, do you think your friend Chris could come by the pub for a pint sometime soon?" Leila asked, her casual tone of voice clearly trying to hide her fervent interest in him.
"I don't believe so. His family is from out of town, and I guess he will be visiting them for the next few weeks," Anastasia lied. A look of disappointment flashed across Leila's face, and Anastasia couldn't help but feel a bit smug.
"Oh… well I am sorry to hear that," she said in a disappointed voice. "Perhaps once he is back, the three of us could meet at the pub for a pint or two?"
"Sure, sounds like fun," Anastasia said with a smile, though she honestly doubted they would ever do something like that. The three of them continued on their way to the pub, making idle small talk.
The Glasgow was rather full, a substantial amount of people crowding in for the midday meal; the pub was usually pretty dark, with very few windows letting in sunlight, and Anastasia had a difficult time navigating the area since the dim candles on all the tables offered very little light. Leila, Charlotte, and Anastasia weaved their way through the tables and ended up seating themselves near the bar. Another barmaid, who Anastasia recognized as Leila's and Charlotte's friend, approached them to take their food orders.
"Well, aren't you three a cheery lot," she said with a smirk, crossing her arms as she gazed at the three of them. "At least some of us work to earn our keep around here."
"Do not worry, Elizabeth - Charlotte and I are working the night shift tonight," Leila consoled her friend with a grin. "But until then, we'd like three bowls of the turnip stew and a loaf of bread, please."
"And three pints of ale," Charlotte piped up
"Alright then," Elizabeth grinned and rolled her eyes, "But next time, you all shall be the one serving me."
She went away to get their food, and Leila, Charlotte, and Anastasia began talking with one another. While Anastasia knew Leila and her friends had said some rather unkind things about her behind her back, she could not bring herself to entirely dislike any of them - Leila was one of the first people Anastasia had met when she moved into town, and for the most part she was very friendly. Perhaps she gossiped a little, but that wasn't a terrible offense, and Anastasia could not bring herself to hold it against her.
And although Leila may have had feelings for Christian, Anastasia knew she would never have him the way she, Anastasia, had already had him. The thought was rather satisfying.
"How is business going for you and your father, Anastasia?" Charlotte turned to her. "I noticed your shoe shop wasn't open yesterday."
"Oh, yes - my father and uncle have been out of town on a business trip these past few days. They should be back in town by tomorrow, hopefully."
"So you got to be home all by yourself?" Charlotte asked, her eyes perking up excitedly. "Oh, that sounds simply wonderful! My parents are both farmers, and with all eight siblings living under one roof, there's always someone around who needs to tend the fields and milk the cows…"
The three of them continued to talk about their families, and Elizabeth soon returned with their soup, bread, and ale. After she set everything down at their table, she began making her way through the bar, gathering all the empty dishes that were left on unoccupied tables.
Anastasia's eyes idly followed her to the other side of the bar, where she suddenly stopped and stared at something in the corner of the room. Anastasia followed her gaze, and noticed a man sitting at a table alone in the corner, looking back at Elizabeth with an unreadable expression on his face. The entire pub was rather dark, but the man looked practically invisible since he sat discreetly in the shadows while wearing his cloak and hood.
Elizabeth stared at the man for a moment or two, her posture conveying her surprise, before quickly glancing nervously at her surroundings and hurrying into the backroom with her head down.
Anastasia frowned after her, wondering what on earth had caused Elizabeth to act in such a strange manner - she glanced back over to the man in the corner, but he was still rather difficult to make out while in his dark cloak. Neither Leila nor Charlotte seemed to notice anything odd as they continued to chat with one another about mundane things.
Elizabeth came back out from the kitchens, her arms no longer filled with dirty dishes, and she glanced around the whole bar again before walking hesitantly over the hooded man. Anastasia watched her with keen interest as she whispered something harshly to him, clearly upset at his presence. He lifted his face slightly to her and said something back, but the pub was too crowded and noisy for Anastasia to hear from across the room.
She didn't like the look of that hooded man, and she was extremely curious as to how Elizabeth knew him. Perhaps he was a patron who had been banned, and somehow managed to sneak back in again? Anastasia suddenly felt a bit nervous for Elizabeth, and decided to help her if the need arose.
"Pardon me, I need to run to the washroom," Anastasia excused herself from the table, getting to her feet. Leila and Charlotte both nodded at her, and Anastasia hurried across the bar toward where Elizabeth and the man were.
The hallway leading to the backroom was right near where Elizabeth and the man were, and Anastasia discreetly walked past them and down the hallway, pretending to be heading for the washroom. Once she was further down the hallway and hidden from view, she silently tiptoed back to the entryway, where she was able to eavesdrop on Elizabeth and the hooded man speaking with each other:
"…thought you said you would never come here. It's not safe, you know," Elizabeth hissed, and Anastasia frowned in confusion.
"Who in this seedy little pub is going to recognize me anyway?" the man sneered. He had the deep voice a middle-aged man, and it was one Anastasia didn't recognize. "Besides, I am well-hidden here."
"Well I recognized you, and someone else might too," Elizabeth said, sounding very worried. "I thought we were meeting at my flat later tonight."
"It may not be safe. I am growing concerned the others know I am planning something," the man said quietly. "We must remain discreet."
"I have work to do, and it will seem suspicious that I am standing here talking to you for a long time."
"Then I shall be quick," the man said, and Anastasia heard him shifting in his seat before lowering his voice. "I think we need to act soon - by the end of this weeks' time."
Elizabeth let out a barely-concealed gasp, and Anastasia felt inexplicably nervous. It sounded as if the two of them were plotting something devious.
"But we are not ready," Elizabeth said quietly.
"I have spent nearly all my life preparing for this. I am more than ready," the man hissed. "The throne at Grey Castle will rightfully be mine, and I can finally start ruling this land the way it ought to have been since before King Theodore's death. And the townspeople will be thrilled that a woman of your standing will be by my side through it all. Now is the time to strike, where nobody would be expecting us."
"There ought to be a better way, though," Elizabeth whispered in distress. "She is just an innocent girl. Everybody in town adores her. If anybody received word of what we did…"
"If all goes according to plan, no harm shall befall sweet Amelia's head," the man said, though the tone of amusement in his voice was disconcerting. "Do not concern yourself with that, Elizabeth. All will be well soon enough."
Elizabeth did not answer for several long seconds. "I must be getting back to work," she said quietly. "I shall meet with you when I am finished."
"Good," the man said, and Anastasia heard him getting to his feet. "I shall be waiting at our usual location."
Anastasia shrunk back down the hallway as she saw the silhouette of the mysterious man pass by the corridor and head toward the front door. He still had his hood up, so she couldn't make out his face, and after a moment Elizabeth walked away to continue waiting tables.
Anastasia could only stand frozen to the spot, fear filling her entire body, and the only thought that could penetrate her head was how she was going to tell Christian that she had overheard a plot to kidnap his sister in order to usurp his father's throne.
A/N: The plot thickens! If you enjoyed that, please leave a review. Next chapter, something else a bit unexpected happens.
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