Convincing (Roe, Isabella)

[Isabella]

Isabella did not pull away from Thea immediately. Instead, she froze, saying and doing nothing for a few seconds, waiting for her to speak. Then it came:
"You love him."
She had certainly not been expecting that. The words surprised her, and she did not know quite how to reply. It was not a question, but a statement. But how could Thea think that was true? At the moment, she could not think of anyone she hated more than Roe. He had used her, and Thea must be able to see how furious she was with him. But she hesitated, her eyes flicking back towards him for a second.
"I'm sorry," she said again, disentangling herself from Thea's grip and continuing through the market.

[Roe]

As bad as he thought things had gone, the only thing that could possibly make them worse was to have have Thea run afyer Isabella to talk to her again. At least Bella's parting words had not been as hostile. Now he had 2 people, 2 women, that he now knew by their actions, had feelings, both positive and hateful for him, were now comparing notes. They were too far away to hear him. He noticed, though, that both had their backs to him, and their was an old vendor's shed right next to them with its back blind pulled down. Quickly and quietly he led Sherfore into the stall, quieted her, and listened closely.

[Thea Linnet]

Thea shook her head at Isabella. She wasn't giving her the answers she wanted! And she insisted on apologizing for everything. The way Isabella's eyes flickered back toward Roe made Thea's hand reach out for the noble again, but she stopped. Obviously this was a task for another day, when both she and Isabella weren't in such states. She made one last attempt before going back to Roe.

"It's alright if you do," she called after Isabella. "I'm sure he feels the same." She admitted in a softer voice, picking at her sleeve. Then it was her turn to walk away, and she was only a few steps when she stopped and looked around her, suddenly lost in the throng of people. One would have thought that a man such as Roe would have been easy to find despite the large crowd, but Thea stood searching for him, unable to see her husband.

[Roe]

Roe information gathering, though crude, had been productive. Thea had confirmed what Roe believed that she had felt. He doubted that, even before today, whether Isabella had even thought along the lines of love in their relationship. It had merely moved in a positive direction over a short space of time. she had been damaged so severely, first by her brother selling her out to the best available prospect, and the way that she had suffered while under the domination of her husband. of course Roe could not realize the full extent of that since she only alluded to what her husband had done and how he had treated her.

The unsettled way that Bella had responded, or better, not responded to that statement, indicated that love was not the first thing on her mind. However, the way that Thea responded to Isabella's non response: "It's alright if you do .... I'm sure he feels the same." Did she mean that she was telling her that the marriage did not represent his true feelings and that she hadn't lost him. This of course would mean that she had gone back to the realization that Roe was simply a tool to be used to get her lands back, and that once that was accomplished he would be free to go. Or was it an attempt to keep Isabella at bay for a time until she could figure out what to do to get her what she wanted .... which may very well have been everything? The second was the more diabolical, and the one that he feared the most. Only time would tell.

Roe stepped out from the stall, with his horse, quite suddenly, in front of Thea. "I find it interesting that any love between myself and Isabella you have given your blessing, and I wonder when it was that I told you that you could speak for me, my beautiful wife, hmmmm?" And Roe took her chin by his left hand and gave her a deep but soft kiss in the middle of the market.

[Thea Linnet]

Thea gasped as Roe stepped out, her hand flying her chest in shock. She opened her mouth to respond, but found that before she could answer, Roe's lips were upon hers. She melted into the embrace, all worries leaving her mind for a moment. Perhaps she was making things up, but she could have sworn there was more that kiss than the others. She returned the gesture willingly, letting her hands rest on the back of his neck. When they finally broke apart, she had to look away from Roe before responding. He kept making her forget what she was going to say. Instead she focused her gaze on the crest that adorned his clothes.
"I didn't...I mean I... I don't know." She admitted finally, hiding her head in his shoulder. "You probably think I'm a right fool after what I just did." She muttered into his shirt. She thought about what he had said and pulled away to study him. Did he love Isabella? Or were they just friends? Had Thea been completely wrong in her assumption? Her brows knitted together with this thought, but she pulled her lips to his once more. Better savour this while I still can, she thought as she kissed him. She wrapped her arms around him tighter and asked quietly, "Was I right?"

[Roe]

He could tell by the way that she responded that, at the very least that there was likely a disconnect in her, betyween her body and her heart, on one side, and her brain on the other. He thought, although he could be wrong, that right now her brainwas at an extreme disadvantage. As a further reinforcement he found that when they parted that she could not look him in the face, let alone the eyes. "Do you find my crest to be more fascinating than my eyes?," he chuckled.

He thought that that kiss had done much to unsettle her. She had apparently been so positive that Isabella loved him, and perhapsthat Roe loved her in return. But the kiss seemed to change that. Roe wondered how much he could rattle her cage, how open she was to the power of suggestion. If one kiss was enough to drive her from being decisive to being undecided he wondered what more might do. Besides, he needed to know what her true intentions were, not just for him, but for Isabella as well.

"I didn't...I mean I... I don't know .... You probably think I'm a right fool after what I just did .... Was I right?"

With his left hand Roe tied Sherfore to a post next to the front of the abandoned vendors stall and walked her back a few feet within its confines for a bit of privacy, after all they weer newlyweds wee they not. He proceeded to pulll her into the contours of his body, and give her a series of deep kisses, and finished with a light kiss on her lips, her nose, and her forehead. "What do you think," he whispered, wondering whether that was enough to break down her resistance and get her to say what she really was after.

[Thea Linnet]

Thea's face flushed a bright red as Roe pulled her to him. Her heart raced in her chest and she wouldn't have been surprised if Roe could hear or feel it. Sighing again, she molded herself against him, enjoying it much more than she should have. With each kiss, more and more of her worries went away, sending her heart racing faster and faster. Why did he have this effect on her? she asked silently though she didn't want to know the answer. The world around her was forgotten as she returned the kisses with her own. She was just about to wind her fingers into his hair when she pulled apart and planted herself against the opposite wall. The distance between them wasn't great, but it was what she needed.

"I don't know what I think," she said breathlessly. She wanted to stay away from him and get the answers she wanted, but even now she could feel her resistance crumbling. "I...I want..." she took a step closer, "I want to know..." she could feel the heat from his body now, "I want to know the truth." She said finally after falling back into his embrace. When he pulled away, a pang went through her, but she looked down to hide it. She tried to look at him with hard eyes, but she was melting under his gaze.
"I want to know the truth." She said again before all her restraint gave way to her heart and body.

[Roe]

Roe could see the color flood into her cheeks. He could smell the perfume that she was apparently wearing. He wondered if she could detect his aroma. At least he thought that it apparently was not repelling her. They were close enough where could bithe feel and hear her heartbbeat. He could have been mistaken but he thoght he could detect an acceleration. He wondered whether she was a having a similar effect on him/. It appeared to him, at any rate, that she was being more affected, perhaps due to the surprise of the onslaught. As a result of his actions he could feel her physical resistance to him slowly, but steadily, weakening. Her body seemed to be welcoming his more and more, as she seemed to be moulding herself willingly to his more massive form.

Finally, though, at what seemed to be the point of no return, she separated from him, and stepped back against the opposing wall. She seemed to try to gather herself up .... trying to think about what was happening in a logical way .... a last attempt to gain control of the situation. "I don't know what I think .... I .... I want .... I want to know .... I want to know the truth .... I want to know the truth."

Although she was finally able to get the question out twice, by the time she had asked the question the first time he had already crossed the room, and by the time she asked a second time his lips with nestled into the nape of her neck, beginning to leave a trail of soft kisses in a diaginal line across it up to her ear. "Although she may be in love with me in her heart, the truth is that I have not given my heart to any woman, .... yet." After which his lips settled upon hers for another kiss in which he drunk in much of her air, and then released them so she could take in some-much needed air, and he could see what her reaction was. He was prepared to let her go, if that was what she wanted, or to take it further, but it would be her choice.

[Thea Linnet]

Thea's head fell back against the wall as Roe trailed kisses up her neck. Rolling her eyes heavenward, she let her hands make feather-light circles on his back. Her body responded before she could think properly and even as he spoke, the words didn't sink in. Placing a hand on his chest, she pushed him away so she could not only catch her breath, but understand him.

"Although she may be in love with me in her heart, the truth is that I have not given my heart to any woman, .... yet." They made Thea's stomach jump. What was he really saying? She was filled with questions, questions that would get her that answer she wanted, but once again her body reacted before her mind. Running that hand on his chest up to his cheek, she kissed him deeply.
"Christ, Roe. Would it kill you to give a straight answer?" she asked huskily before kissing him again.

She was far past the point of no return now. She'd thrown herself off the edge of the cliff. At that moment she wanted nothing more than for her and Roe to finish this conversation in a more private place. Her chest was pressed against his and she could feel his heart moving at a similarly frantic pace. She couldn't decide if what she was doing was right or wrong, but at the moment it all felt so right. She'd worry about consequences later, for now all she cared for was Roe and what he was doing.

Her hand snaked into his hair and held his head close to hers. Her trailed kisses across his jaw and down his neck, trying to get the same reaction out of him. She'd made her choice, now it was time for him to make his.

[Roe]

Thea had shown some sudden resistance to his first of his advances, at least in trying to have some of her initial questions answered. However, as Roe had continued to press forward with his assault on he senses, he had continued to watch her. He could both see and feel her begin to collapse, but still she maintained enough tawareness to try and understand what he was sayin,and once more she pushed away to try and produce some separation. If hed truly wanted to, with his size advantage he could have simply decided not to give in to her physical request, but he backed off slightly.

As she listened to his words as closely as she could,though, he could see it had multiple effects on her. He could tell that one of her several interpretations on his words was that although Isabella had feelings for him, she did not possess him, and this was Thea's opportunity. Was she going to allow this chance to pass her by? Although she was apparently trying to think it through, it was obvious that her body was reacting physically more quickly than her head could, and she pulled herself closer to him, as she searched for a deep kiss, replacing him as being more of the aggressor. "Christ, Roe. Would it kill you to give a straight answer?" She didn't wait for an answer, as she began to kiss him even more insistently, has he began to embrace her with his hand intertwined through the small of her back, giving her even less of an opportunity to escape if she she chose to do so and he chose to allow it.

As soon as she took a break fro her kisses, he started to kiss her from area below her right ear, slowly to the base of her neck, just to see what effect it would have on her. She responded by beginning to run her fingers through his mattes of hair, seemingly trying to force his face to stay in contact with hers, and not to be allowed to disengage. Finally he said: "Thea, this isn't exactly a very private place. Do you want to stop. Don't you think that we should think about moving on to Birmingham shortly. Wouldn't that be a better place to continue both with tis and our plans?" He honestly didn't know what she would decide in her present state, or if her mind had enough self-control left to make a decision. But he decided it was decision that she would have to make.

[Thea Linnet]

Once again Roe's words didn't truly reach her ears, but one clicked in her mind. Birmingham? Yes, that's what they were here for. With dazed eyes, she gave Roe and small push and stepped away from him.

"Yes, we should go to Birmingham." She walked out of the stall and hoped the flush on her faced had faded. Her heart rate calmed down finally and she held her hand out to Sherfore. Glad for the distraction, she rubbed her nose absentmindedly. All of Roe's words came back to her and she froze. With the distance between them, Thea was finally able to think straight. The first thought that came to her mind was how did he really feel, closely followed by how did she really feel.

He'd never been that physical before then and she wondered why. Her mind raced trying to figure out the truth, trying to figure out what he was really after. If he really loved her why wouldn't he answer her with a straight answer instead of riddles?

How did she really feel? Now that he wasn't right there to distract her, she could finally think about it. How can you tell if you love someone? But she didn't love him, she was using him to get her lands back, right? Thea shook her head, she was lying to herself if she said he didn't affect her, but did that translate to love? Another onslaught of questions filled her mind, each more bothersome than the last. But the true question was whether or not she wanted the answers.

She was nothing but a young girl in his mind, someone who didn't truly know anything. She'd let herself go too far in thinking he'd felt something. What she'd felt, she was determined to believe wasn't love. Thea wished her heart and her mind would work together once in a while since it would have made this mess a lot easier to deal with. She whipped around to face Roe, determined to get answers without being distracted.
"Right now, Roe. Answer me this: how do you feel about me?" Thea gaze was upon the ground, not allowing herself to become weak. She was going to get this answer before they left for Birmingham. Keeping a safe distance from him, she waited for his answer.

[Roe]

It was as if Thea were in a a room filled with haze and smoke, Roe thought, that was slowly clearing. At first his words didn't seem to penetrate. However, after a while they seemed to register a bit more strongly, and then she seemed to finally be thinking independently of her emotions.

"Yes, we should go to Birmingham."

After several moments, and after having pushed him enough inches away for her to maneuver, she had stepped around him and out of the vendor stall. The father she was from him the more rational she seemed to become. It was easy for him to sense that his close physical proximity was quite effective in breaking down te tough exterior that se sometimes hid behind. In any case, now, he could see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to figure things out, and more importantly, what she wanted to do with him.

He knew that she was so much younger than he was, in age she was much likely to be a niece than anything else. He was too old and too experienced at life to be a good fit. The Crusades had made him damaged goods hadn't it. And what about Isabella? He knew that his whole purpose here was to be used, but he'd have to be a fool not to realize that she had had some feelings for him. What they had just done was to test her to see what she really wanted. She really wanted her lands he knew, but how much more. He now realized that this was not just a pretty girl, this was a desirable young woman, and that one kiss led to another, and even more if he had pressed it.

He could tell that she had a lot of pent up desires and the physical attraction was definitely there. He had found almost all of the necessary buttons that were ready to push. Fortunately she had not found any of his or they might have gone way too far. She deserved better than what he could give her. He knew now that she was open to wanting much more than just her property, but he knew, despite how she had acted, that that material gain would always be of priority to her. He just continued to worry that once she had her material goods she might want even more.

"Right now, Roe. Answer me this: how do you feel about me?"

Roe realized that he could easily go too far in his answer. Right now, one of his advantages was being the elder more authoritative figure, and he decided to use it. "In my line of work I'm not apt to give direct answers, unless its on the battlefield. Besides, if you really wanted the truth you would gaze directly into my eyes as I look into yours. Look Thea, I'm old enough to be your uncle. You are a beautiful woman with many fine years ahead of you. Once you get your lands back you will have your choice of of of many fine nobleman from across the land. So, you can do so much better than me. The Crusades made me damaged goods. Remember, your first priority is to get what belongs to you back. As far as your question, it would be impossible for any man of any age NOT to desire you .... to wish to protect and defend you .... but I doubt if I'm the man destined for that role. I would simply advise that you not encourage me to do something we'll both regret."

[Thea Linnet]

Thea almost growled at Roe as he began speaking. She wanted a straight answer, but once again he was beating around the bush. She looked up to glare at him, but her eyes softened as he spoke. So now she knew. It was interesting to note the way he worded his response. At no point did he directly say that he disliked Thea, in fact he'd said something like the opposite. He was decisive in what he said, making it sound as if the blame fell upon him. He said that he was damaged goods and that she could so better than him. She wanted to thank him for what he said. The subtle rejection didn't hurt as much as she thought it did, and she knew that was his doing. There was a strange emptiness in her chest, but she hoped it would be short lived. They had both been impulsive, she more than him, and it had led somewhere that Roe didn't want to be.

She couldn't fully smile, the disappointment still a bit too Strong. So she simply nodded and offered her hand to his. Of course it would take much more than a few moments to get completely over Roe, but Thea knew it would happen eventually. She only hoped that they could stay friends.

"So where does this leave us?" she asked quietly.

[Roe]

Roe could tell that she wasn't too happy with his answer, at least its beginning. He now knew she had been planning or at least hoping for a bit more than just the 1-day marriage. One could tell that she was quite young, in that she had no patience. She wanted everything to be spelled out clearly to her from him. However, she was definitely not going to come clean if she didn't have to. However, he had to admit that he was quite attracted to her .... in a way he had not been attracted to anyone .... besides Isabella in a long time. He ad doubted, in fact, that he could be made to feel that way by anyone. He had thought that he was well past that sort of thing. He clearly thought, though, that hooking up with him would not be in her best interest. She would be best off with a noble tat had some connections at Court, and someone her own age. However, Roe thought, given the opportunity it would be tough to resist her in close quarters. Fortunately, he thought, she would probably keep her distance from him now. He just wondered what she would want the relationship to be now.

"So where does this leave us?"

"That depends entirely on whhere you want to take it, My wife," he smiled. "Let us be on our way .... to Birmingham," he said as he took er hand and helped her up onto Sherfore.