Unique Love

Chapter VI

Ross retired to his study and she bought the hare stew to him, he grabbed her hand gently and kissed it.

"Anything else you require sir?" she asked.

But Ross gave her the look. "Ross?" She repeated.

"Just you by my side" he said.

"Ross I am tired and just wish to go to bed" she insisted.

"Okay, you're dismissed" he answered and allowed her to leave. Isla went to sleep while Ross stayed up late configuring his plans for his mine, but his thoughts were soon occupied by Isla. He recalled what happened the night before, the bond they now shared, but she was right about the gossip that would spread around town.

But Ross didn't care, he went to bed in the early hours of the morning, but his dreams were still interrupted with the whispers of the townsfolk, he imagined what they would say, after a few hours of tossing and turning he soon drifted off into the world of dreams.

The light shone through the window of Isla's bedroom and onto her bed, she woke up with a smile on her face and stretched knowing that something who loved her was on the other side of the wall literally. As Ross had his hand and the side of his body pressed against the wall, so Isla got up following her senses and rested her hand where his was and her body, she even put her ear to the wall and she was pretty sure she could hear his breath.

But she pulled herself away and got ready for the day, she had jobs to do but Ross had other plans for her, she began to sweep the floor but Ross wrapped his arms around her waist causing her to drop the broom, which fell with a thud and he swayed with her gently, causing a smile to pull on her cheeks and which soon beamed on her face, Isla couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy, and he put his head over her shoulder and kissed her neck. "Good morning" He whispered in her ear.

"Morning, how did you sleep?" She asked.

"Restlessly, you?" He replied.

"Restful" she answered twirling around in his arms.

"You're coming to town with me" he told her.

"I am" She quizzed him.

"Yes" he insisted. "As you're no longer a servant of mine, you will need better clothes" he said to her.

"No Ross you don't have to..." she began to detest.

"I want to" he responded. "Can you ride?" he questioned me.

"I used to, as my mother would take me out for rides along the shore of the Cornish coast" I explained.

"We leave now" he said pulling on his waist coat and hat. Jud had already saddled his horse, Ross mounted his steed first and slid back in the saddle, then helped Isla onto the back, and cantered to the town, people gawping at them, whispering to one another, Isla didn't know what to do, until Ross whispered into her ear "Ignore them, you're all that matters to me"

Ross tethered the horse up and then walked through town with Isla's arm linked with his. He could tell she was nervous, so he kissed her on the cheek reassuringly to show he was not afraid. Ross showed her all the places he went to when he was a boy, he walked in confidence with her where as she shied away slightly, and it was almost as if though she hid in Ross' shadow.

They met his cousin Verity. "Ross, Isla it's so nice to see you both. Have you both been well?" Verity politely inquired with a smile.

"Yes we have" Ross answered. "We were just heading to the tavern would you like to join us?" he asked.

"I would have loved to Ross but however Elizabeth sent me down to pick up some supplies for her" she answered. "Talking of which I must start heading back, it was nice seeing you" She said and then departed from them both.

Ross and Isla strode into the tavern and Ross bought the drinks over, he sat opposite Isla with his back to the men on the other side of the tavern, so he was oblivious to the signs that they were miming to Isla and whispering about her and Ross while looking at her and making obvious eye contact.

She got up and went to walk out when Ross grabbed her arm gently "Where are you going!" He inquired sternly.

"I need some air" She replied.

So she walked outside and stood there admiring the town, but she was wrestling with the two options she had been mulling over her in her mind ever since they had sat down in the tavern.

'One does she leave Ross and head back to the house or two does she go back into the tavern and confront the men' She saw Ross through the window staring into nothing, his mind swimming with thoughts. Isla decided to head back into the tavern but before she did a man and a woman walked past they were laughing to one another and then gazed back towards Isla, she just took a deep breath and strode back in, she proudly walked over to the men holding her head up high.

Ross had turned around to watch, but was ready to intervene if he had to. "Gentlemen, I may just be a servant to Ross Poldark, but what I am sensing is jealousy coming through those hard exteriors of yours and I think it may be because your wives left you for other men, may be it was because you couldn't please them" She said speaking to them boldly.

One man slapped Isla around her face splitting her ruby lips, Ross raced up as quick as a Cheetah and restrained the mans arm as he was ready to hit her again. "Keep your hands off her" he spat.

"Or what?" The man challenged Ross.

"I will break your arms!" he snarled squeezing the mans arm and making him squeal like a pig. "Isla lets go" He said softly, so they rushed back to the awaiting steed and galloped back to Ross' house where he sat her in the kitchen and filled up a bowl of water and took a cloth and tipped her head back to see how bad the cut was, and he began to dab her wound.

"I understand what you were doing, it was very brave but just ignore them, that's what's best. As I keep telling you, I am here to protect you and always will be" he reminded her, and rested his hand on her cheek gently and she laid her small hand over his, her tears began to dribble down her cheeks so he wiped them away with his thumb.

"Just remember I will always love you" he told her and kissed her head.

Please vote and comment