9: An apple a day...

I turned my head away from him but he shoved away my hand and pressed the cloth harder against my bleeding forehead.

"Ouch!" I yelped still trying to steal the cloth he was holding.

He just finished a call with Madame Jo on the other line.

"Stay still woman or else I will tie you on the bed." Marcus voice was scarier but his expression was way more than that. His eyes were narrowed, cold and sharp. His jaw was clenched, his lips were thin and pressed. Even the way he held me against the wall sparked a fang of anger coming from his deepest core.

Why is he mad anyway?!

I should be mad!

I noticed the small reddish bulge on his forehead caused by our head "collision". I bled obviously and he was so quick to get a clean cloth from one of the drawers and pressed it against my wound.

My back was against the wall while his other hand was holding my shoulder to keep me from moving.

"It was all your fault!" I screamed out of intense frustration.

But darn! My head was bleeding. I am bleeding! And that was because of him.

"How is that my fault? You're the one who butt her head on me."

"I wouldn't do that if you didn't try to kiss me again!" I hissed.

I won't back down to him. Not this time. I got injured because of this pervert!

"And I would dare kiss you again if you won't stop talking and moving!" His face was above me as if testing my patience.

"Dare!" I made a hardened face.

We challenged each other with our intensifying gazes.

"Now! Now! You two. I got Dr. Andrews to help out."

I heard Madame Jo entered the room. Marcus was the first to look away and turned to the directress.

"My lord. The physician is here." Madame Jo was standing before us and staring at our peculiar state. She took the bloody cloth from Marcus' hand and helped me get up.

She deposited me to the edge of the bed as the old man who came with her started inspecting my bleeding forehead.

"I didn't expect that you'll get into this little situation right after your return, milady." Madame Jo's tone was quite amused than worried.

"She's a redhead prat!" Marcus remarked. His piercing eyes were locked on me while his hand was busy applying cold compress on his own head injury.

"Who are you calling prat?!" I stood up but the physician held me back. He continued disinfecting my wound.

"Who else in this room was stupid enough to bleed after butting her head to the dresser's foot?"

"It wouldn't happen if you---" I paused in the middle of my sentence when I saw Madame Jo's grinning face. Even Dr. Andrews' face was undoubtedly weird. I suddenly felt shy.

The heck with this man!

I remained quiet the whole time Dr. Andrews tended with my wound. He gave me some pain killers to take just in case I experience some headache or nausea.

"Please be careful next time, milady. You're lucky today, Lord Marcus is here with you."

"Thank you, Doctor." I politely answered with a smile. When my eyes turned to where Marcus was sitting, my smile was gone. A darker shadow flooded my face.

"Take a rest milady." Madame Jo then turned to Marcus and nodded before she headed to the door with Dr. Andrews beside her.

In a while, it was just him and me again, all alone inside that bedroom.

I traced the bandage over my temple.

"How's your wound?"

I looked up and saw Marcus already standing two steps before me. His eyes were expressionless.

The flicker of rage I saw in his eyes earlier was gone.

I raised my arms in a defensive position.

Well, just in case he'll do something unlikely again.

I heard him sigh.

I slowly lowered my arm and look at his face.

He then raised his one hand and gently touched the bandage on my forehead.

I froze.

"I'm sorry."

I was caught by surprised.

Those words didn't seem to belong in this man's vocabulary.

"I-I…"

"You should rest." He said before he turned his back on me and walked towards the door.

I stood up and followed him. I stopped a few steps away from him.

"You said we're going to talk."

He strolled to the door as if he did not hear me.

"A-Are you really my husband?"

He paused, glanced sideways before he opened the door and left.

I traced the bandage he just touched a while ago.

I felt his warm fingers ran through it even just for a few seconds.

Somehow, I felt better. I felt assured.

I drew a deep shuddering sigh before I laid flat on my bed.

"Everything is on a daze, Ruth. Pull yourself together and get on with finding the truth."

I felt dizzy looking at the ceiling as I try to make up things on my mind, I cannot remember how I fell asleep.

…

"Are you sure you don't need Dr. Andrews to check on your head too?" Marcus' twin brother asked. Matt's face was full of amusement. Emily though remained quiet and simply observed the two men.

He saw him with Emily in the dining hall after he returned from Ruth's chamber.

"Piss off Matthew!"

His twin brother threw a piece of apple on him. He was fast to catch it.

"An apple a day keeps Dr. Andrews away." Matt burst into a fit of laughter.

"How is the lady doing, my lord?" Emily asked with a curious knot on her forehead.

"She said I'm her husband." Matt butted in.

"Because you tricked her!" Marcus retorted.

Matt bit a piece of bread he was holding before he answered back.

"Nana Beryl left me with no choice. I had to since you refused to take her back."

"Because she forgot about you."

Marcus and his twin's eyes darted simultaneously at Emily's expressionless face.

"Oh! I heard Madame Jo spoke about it on the phone earlier."

She was fast to pick up.

"Let's keep it as our little secret for now, shall we?" Matt patted Emily's hand.

"Sure." Emily hid her hand under the table.

"I just think she might be so confused right now after finding out she got two husbands."

"I'll explain it to her later. She's just in shock, for sure."

"You better do so, brother!" Marcus glared at his twin.

He continued munching his bread.

"Later. I'm starving so let me fill my poor tummy first, all right?" Matt rubbed his flat stomach and grabbed two more pieces of bread and dug in his sheppard's pie which were neatly placed on his plate.

"You must be starving too, my lord." Emily politely invited him to join them.

He stepped forward and sat across Emily. Matt was sitting beside her.

Emily carefully picked up a piece of bread, scooped a handful of mash potatoes and put it on his plate.

She gave him a genuine smile.

"Thanks, Emily."

"Ruth should be doing that, you know?"

He glared at him.

"Only if she remembered you."