Nightmares

In the wee hours of the morning, Alexander Donovan found himself wide awake in his bed, unable to sleep.

Of course, he was sharing the bed with a young lady and an attractive one at that.

It wasn't every day that something like this happened.

In fact, never.

He hadn't shared his bed, his life or his heart with anyone in all the twenty-eight years he had lived.

But somehow he would have to share two out of these three with the lady sleeping beside him.

The whole situation was unfair on both their parts though more on hers he supposed.

If he had known that he would be married to a slip of a girl all those months ago when his grandfather called him to their ancestral place, he would have run as far away as possible - at least, he would have tried to.

Despite all that, he had noticed earlier in the day that she had looked like a siren in her red gown - beckoning everyone to marvel at her beauty.

More attractive than her parents had been certainly. He recalled that her father had always been a robust man of few words and though her mother had been a classic beauty in her own right, Anastasia seemed to have inherited the good genes from both her parents.

All the more, he admired her courage.

It must have been difficult for her to marry a stranger all of a sudden - well, a stranger to her because thinking back, she wasn't that unfamiliar to him.

They had been acquainted as teens. How long had it been since then?

She had been a mere nine-years-old when he went to stay at one of her family's hotels. He himself had been around seventeen at that age.

They had been introduced and since their parents had been busy with their respective works, she had followed him around like a young duckling.

His own memories of her were vague, mostly of a scrawny little girl with raven black hair and an impish face.

He had forgotten about that and had only recalled it when he was going through a background check of her friends etc in the last few days.

And now that girl was his wife and he actually felt worried about her.

Regardless of her feelings, the fact remained that they were married and the earlier both of them accepted it, the easier it would be to deal with others.

Not only because of the people eyeing her company but also the people who might target her because of his own work.

She hadn't realised but by marrying him, she had become a magnet for all kinds of troubles and was his responsibility.

Ha! He couldn't contain his joy at the prospect.

--------Line Break--------

"The girl needs you and nobody can protect her better than you." His grandfather had tried that line as the last tactic of persuasion when he had remained adamant that he wouldn't marry her.

The logical arguments, the benefits to them as a couple had not moved him in the slightest.

The fact that The Donovan's and he especially owed to the deceased Rayburn's to look after their daughter hadn't made him amenable to the marriage.

Or the reasoning that there was no one else who would not only help her but also, take care of her physical and emotional wellbeing hadn't changed his answer.

No.

The one thing that had changed his mind had been those few words spoken by his grandfather.

No, the one argument he hadn't been able to counter was the one argument he didn't believe for a moment.

That somehow Anastasia Rayburn - or anyone for that matter - might actually need him for anything other than financial resources.

His heart had weakened at his grandfather's words and given in at that point.

However, the evidence staring him in the face for the past few hours was enough to render those words mute.

He could still recall with perfect clarity how her hand had shaken in his grip when he had gripped it during their oh so brief wedding ceremony.

Thinking back to that moment had him pressing his lips together in repressed rage and fury at his grandfather.

She had been clearly terrified at the prospect of marrying him and had still gone through with it to save her parents' hard work.

A taste like bitter metal seemed to rise up in his mouth.

How wonderful.

To add a cherry to the cake, she had proclaimed that she hated him just before she went to sleep.

How sweet.

He had known all that to begin with; he certainly hadn't needed it flung in his face by Miss Rayburn.

Such joys to brighten up his own dark world.

He sighed in exaggeration once again.

He felt that he had sighed more than he had breathed today.

Did she really think that he would make advances towards her?

Not to mention the fact that she wouldn't give him a second glance, he himself wasn't into forcing his company or himself upon anyone.

He supposed that when the news got out tomorrow, everyone would be thinking of him as the big bad wolf who had cajoled and eaten the little girl.

Still, to have his own wife think of him in such a manner made his stomach clench with an unknown emotion.

What was important now was what to do next. The trouble was, Alexander had no idea what that might be.

--------Line Break--------

A sound caught his attention and when he rolled over, he saw Miss Rayburn whimpering and asking her head fitfully.

Cries of terror soon replaced the whimper, "Papa, Papa, Mamma."

Alexander reached out and touched her shoulder - trying to shake her awake, but the girl was in the throes of a nightmare and couldn't seem to get herself out of it.

With mounting anxiety, he shouted at her, "Miss Rayburn."

He hoped she wouldn't be startled terribly by his shout but couldn't find any other way to wake her up.

The girl cried out again, twisting her body away from him as if stung by a wasp.

"Miss Rayburn," he raised his voice once again and his sharp sound brought her out of her nightmares.

As soon as she woke up, the lady huddled into herself - bending her knees and hugging them while her body was wracked by sobs.