Page 9 of Claimed By the Heartless Highlander
It was soon clear that her spilling the cup was only her first attempt to put him off the idea of marrying her. Over the course of the feast, she made at least two more attempts that might have offended another man.
She positively gulped her drink, both wine and water alike. “Apologies, Me Laird… I dinnae ken why I’m so thirsty, but me mouth is dry, and it makes talkin’ difficult.”
Duncan smirked to himself and somberly refilled her glass and his. “Och, I understand, lass. I kenexactlywhat ye’re feelin’.”
When the soup came around, she nearly managed to spill it on both of them. He forestalled that by taking the tureen from her, with a deliberate brush of his fingers against hers that made her blush and pull back.
“Mayhap ‘tis best if I handle the dishes with any sauces, to make it easier for the both of us. Wouldnae want ye to burn yerself. Nor me.”
When the fish came around, she asked for a second portion—an unladylike indulgence. He served her with a nod and a whispered “I like a lass with a healthy appetite, ye ken.”
She did manage to spill on him the bread sauce from the roasted stuffed birds that followed the first course, and she acted as if she was going tohoardthe neeps and taters. She also made sure to breathe into his face when she passed them over.
He was aware that she was plotting something. Then he overheard her red-haired sister make a comment to her twin and father about her being “nervous” and “so shy.” It was followed by a consoling statement involving “their first meeting” that made their father nod and sit back with a satisfied expression.
Duncan turned politely to Laird Clyde. “Is there somethin’ wrong?”
“Och, nae at all. I was concerned that there was somethin’ wrong with Ailis, the way she’s behavin’.” Laird Clyde waved the matter away with one slightly pudgy hand. “But then Freya reminded me that Ailis has always been a shy and quiet lass, and she’s likely just actin’ out of nerves.” He gave him an apologetic smile. “She’s usually a fairly quiet and gentle lass, but she hasnae spent much time around men. I’m certain she’ll relax around ye soon enough if ye give her a chance.”
Like as not, Laird Clyde was concerned about his daughter and their fragile new alliance.
Duncan moved to reassure him. “Nay worries. ‘Tis only fair, seein’ as I gave her nay warnin’. I’ll nae hold any nerves against her.”
Though I doubt she’s as sweet-tempered as ye seem to believe, Laird Clyde. She certainly spoke her mind earlier.
But he didn’t want to say that, so he changed the topic. “Ye said Freya? That’s the name of yer red-haired lass? Is she yer daughter as well?”
“Aye. Ailis, Freya, and Grace.” Laird Clyde nodded, his eyes sparkling with fatherly pride. “Ailis is me oldest, ye ken, but her sisters are the same age—both seventeen winters.”
“Twins. A rare gift.”
“Aye. When they were babes, Ailis could always tell them apart, but I couldnae. Thank the fates, they’ve changed as they’ve grown older.” He chuckled. “Truth to be told, I didnae ken until Grace was old enough to walk and talk just how lucky I am that Ailis and Freya are more even-tempered.”
Duncan wasn’t sure if that was the way Laird Clyde would describe his eldest if he saw the letters she had sent. Or the way she’d argued with him.
“Grace is a wild one, then?”
Lily was sometimes wild in her ways, though young enough that it was practically expected. Still, it was something of a relief to know that someone else had raised a scapegrace of a girl-child, and the lass seemed to have grown into a bonny young woman.
Not as bonny as her eldest sister, perhaps. But knowing what he did about Ailis, and knowing she’d grown up with at least one mischiefmaker in her home, served to confirm his suspicions about her actions.
It was a game. A test of his resolve, but also a challenge. He was more used to challenges of a combative or physical kind, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t capable of handling himself in this situation.
More to the point, Lily had made his entire household immune to the potential irritation at messes, kidnapped food, and clumsy accidents.
With Lily, however, he would never even consider more than a slightly indulgent smile and a mild scolding. He certainly wouldn’t lean over and whisper, “Yer sister seems to think ye’re nervous around me. Is that so, little Ailis?” He took Ailis’s hand and offered her the smallest of smirks before leaning close to her ear. “Ye dinnae need to be nervous, love. I know how toproperlytreat a lady.”
Ailis gulped, and he sat back, pleased with her reaction. Then her eyes sparkled with mischief as she rose to the challenge. “Then ye understand why I’m so nervous, as this is our first meetin’. I’m afraid I dinnae ken how to act around a man other than me faither.”
She bent close, her hand on his arm and her eyes wide open and shining with an innocence he didn’t trust at all. “Ye must tell me, Me Laird, if I make ye uncomfortable, and how I might put ye more at ease. After all, if we’re to be wed, I have much to learn.”
Innocent words on the surface, but the low, breathy voice she used to address him and the way her hand lingered and slid softly over his arm were anything but. And the angle she’d chosen gave him an excellent view of her bosom.
He was suddenly very well aware of her attractive features and the warmth of her, so close to him. It sparked a long-forgotten heat in his blood and a definite stiffness below his belt.
It also gave him far too many ideas of how he could “teach” her about making him comfortable. Andmorethan comfortable. Half of them were entirely inappropriate to be thinking of at a supper table with her family seated nearby.
None of them were thoughts he could afford to be having when he was determined that she would be his wife in name and nothing more.
