Page 62 of The Highlander's Auctioned Hellion
Should me bride nae be dancin’ with me?
Lady Bentley took his hand and lifted it between them as Lydia and Tommy took up position before him.
Lydia’s hair had been tied with tiny bows that glittered in the weak daylight from the windows. Callum couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to run his fingers through it.
Why did I nae take the opportunity to do that in the library?
“Now, we bend our knees at the same time,” Lydia instructed, and they all followed her lead.
Callum had to admit Tommy was very sweet. He was watching his sister with deep concentration on his face and solemnly following every instruction to the letter.
“And again, very good Tommy. Now we pace forward twice and repeat the action.”
Lydia glanced back, and the light in her eyes made it all worth it.
“Now pace forward, one, two, three, four, and stop. Turn to your partner and bow to them.”
Callum mimicked Lydia’s movements, aware of the Duchess keeping a watchful eye on him throughout.
Alexander was strumming a very slow, morbid tune that Callum could neither enjoy nor follow—it was too slow. He was used to lively Scottish music, and this was just as somber and dull as the English were in his mind.
“And now we walk in a circle around the room, keeping your hand in your partner’s, and then step to the side and bow, exactly! Very good, Tommy.”
Her brother was beaming up at her as they moved through the rest of the dance. Callum could see the benefits of it for a wedding, as it was slow and easy to follow, but it didn’t fill him with any excitement.
As they moved slowly around the circle, Callum’s legs were itching to increase the pace.
“I think ye should learn a Scottish dance after this so we can show ye how to have some fun at a weddin’,” Callum muttered, and Lydia’s mother gave him a cold side-eye.
Callum exchanged a pleading glance with Alexander, who was grinning around at them all as he strummed the instrument in his arms.
Finally, the interminable dance came to an end, and Callum clapped his hands together loudly, making Tommy jump.
“Killiecrankie!” he said, pointing at Alexander, who nodded, beginning to strum the opening bars.
Callum walked decisively over to Lydia and grabbed her hand.
I willnae be dancin’ with her maither on this one.
“Girls!” he called, knowing very well that Eilis and Amy would be hiding somewhere close by.
Sure enough, they both scurried into the room at his summons, Amy solemnly handing Alexander the kitten as she passed, which he placed on his knee.
“Come and join the dance,” Callum said to the twins, catching Lydia’s look of approval as she held out a hand to Amy, who joined hands with Tommy in turn.
Lydia’s mother was between Eilis and Callum, and they all stood together in a formation of six.
“Ye will have to try to keep up, lass,” Callum murmured to Lydia, then looked to the girls.
“First, we all stand opposite one another.” He let go of Lydia’s hand so they could form two parallel lines. “Then Lydia, ye turn, and I turn and move back around the couple to your right.”
He moved, stepping around the Duchess and coming back into the center, taking Lydia’s hand and twirling her in place, enjoying her happy laugh.
“Then we all join hands, step back, form a circle, and move in formation. There. Amy, look out for Tommy’s toes, would ye? He only has two feet.”
He walked them through the rest of the dance, with the lively tune in the background raising his spirits.
Callum hadn’t realized how much he had missed music and moving his body.
