Page 12 of The Highlander's Auctioned Wife
As such, now Gordon only had a “ council” of five: himself, his m an-at-a rms, his two uncles, and his cousin. But they were more like casual advisors than a proper council who was filled with personal agenda and self-serving behavior.
“Well, I couldnae be without me council,” Ardal said haughtily, shaking his head. “I rely on them entirely.”
Gordon leveled the man with a cold look. “Then, perhaps that’s why ye have a problem with brigands and I daenae .”
“I never said thatmelands had a problem with brigands,” Ardal protested, shifting uncomfortably in his chair, awkward beneath the frost of Gordon’s intimidating stare.
“But ye do,” Gordon said, matter-of-factly.
Ardal shrugged, clearing his throat. “They daenae causetoomuch trouble. They stay awhile and then they leave, and only a handful of people get harmed.”
“A handful is too many.” Gordon curled his lip in distaste, intensely disliking this weak creature.
Anna nodded, her striking eyes narrowing as she looked at Gordon, as if she hadn’t expected him to say something like that. “I quite agree, and it’s always the most vulnerable: women, children, elderly.”
“Aye, I agree too,” Ardal insisted, his smile tight. “What I meant was, we’re dealin’ with the problem so thatnay oneis harmed and we daenae have the problem at all anymore.”
Gordon resisted the urge to snort at the pathetic nature of the reply, for the laird was clearly trying to cover his tracks. It was obvious that Laird Glendenning was the kind who didn’t care for the weakest in his pack, as long as nothing affected him personally. He was a pup, not a wolf.
“When are the other Lairds due to arrive?” Ewan interrupted, offering Ardal some relief from Gordon’s scrutiny.
“Tomorrow,” Anna’s father replied, flashing a look at Anna. A warning, like he expected her to say something she shouldn’t.
“We should practice for the ceilidh,” Anna said, avoiding her father’s eye.
Ceilidh?The word sent a shiver down Gordon’s spine. A rare feeling, for there were few things in the world that he feared. Dancing just happened to be one of them.
Her father’s jaw clenched. “The ceilidh will begin when all the Lairds are here.”
“Well, I would like to dancenow,” Anna replied, her voice a note too bright. “Is that so awful? There cannae be any harm in it.”
Ardal nodded eagerly. “I quite agree. Iloveto dance. There is nothin’ so compellin’ as?—”
“Laird Lyall,” Anna interrupted, turning to Gordon, as if she could sense his apprehension, “would ye accompany me in a dance?”
Gordon lowered his voice so only she could hear. “Another one of yer games, lass?”
“I daenae play games,” she protested with a sly smile. “I just like to dance, and ye look so tense that ye might benefit from a reel or two. But if ye daenae dare, then I’ll just dance alone.”
Smirking, she scraped back her chair and got up, sauntering toward the empty space at the front of the room. There were no musicians to play along, but Anna’s other brother, Jackson, took that moment to begin clapping, beating out the rhythm of the dance.
“Thank ye,” Anna said with a smile, laughing to herself as she turned and waited.
Gordon knew a trap when he saw one, and didn’t appreciate being manipulated in such a way, but he couldn’t leave her to dance alone. It was amusing now, but it would soon become embarrassing for her. And he didn’t want Ardal swooping in because he wouldn’t.
With a heavy sigh and a gulp of his wine, Gordon wiped his mouth and went to her.
Heaven help me…Evidently, this was another one of her tests, and it was probably the only one he stood a chance of failing.
CHAPTER 7
As Jackson continued to clap,Gordon bowed his head to his unexpected dance partner. Anna smiled an irreverent smile and dipped into a curtsy, before beginning the reel.
It was the kind he hated above all, full of hops and leaps and complicated steps back and forth that threatened to tangle his legs into knots. Still, he wouldn’t embarrass himself in his efforts to spare her from embarrassment, racking his brain for the memory of the movements that he’d learned in boyhood.
He echoed her steps, mustering all the grace he possessed in a body that hadn’t been designed for elegance. After a minute, he settled into the memory of how to dance, his muscles taking over, much like they did when he was in battle.
Anna seemed disappointed, as if she’d expected him to make a fool of himself, but he was managing quite well.
