Page 36 of To Wed a Laird
“That is because o’ you,” Nell said. “Now let’s get this lovely thing on ye. I cannae wait tae see ye a’ dressed up! I am no’ a ladies’ maid, mind ye, so it might take me a wee while!”
However, it took no more than a few moments for Nell to help Rose into her dress, despite its multitude of laces and buttons.
Rose sat down in front of the mirror while Nell combed her hair with long, slow strokes of the brush. “I have always wanted hair this colour,” she said enviously. “I was a redhead an’ I hated it.”
Rose laughed. “You would have been an object of great curiosity in England! I used to think all Scots were red-headed savages!”
“Then I am glad ye have changed your mind,” Nell replied, laughing.
The party was taking place in the afternoon, and Rose had spent the whole morning trying to keep Elspeth calm, since she was so excited that Rose thought she might explode!
Rose watched her now as she was surrounded by a ring of girls and a few boys who teased and slapped her playfully and then began a game of hide and seek. It was chaotic, but utterly enchanting to watch.
After a while, she saw Cormac making a formal bow to Elspeth as he asked her to dance. He had to bend down, of course, since he was so much taller, and they looked a little comical, but they radiated happiness and love, and Rose was infinitely glad for them. This was what a father and daughter should look like, she thought.
When the dance finished, Elspeth was ambushed by some of the other children and drawn into a dance that involved much spinning and skipping. It made Rose dizzy just to look at her, but it warmed her heart to see Elspeth behaving like a carefree little girl again.
Rose was very surprised to be asked to dance by some young men whom she presumed were firmly standing on the top rungs of the social ladder, since they all looked well-dressed and prosperous. Did they know she was only a governess? She doubted it, since they would likely not have given her the time of day if they had. No doubt it was the dress that deceived them.
She spent the early evening dancing with them, young handsome men who seemed not to know or care that she was English, and reflected that it had been years since she had been to such a gathering. In fact, it had been her own eighteenth birthday, four years before, and after that, there had been no wealth to celebrate anything.
She watched as Cormac danced around the floor with other women, trying not to be jealous; after all, many of them would see him as a potential husband, since he had a lot to offer hiswife. He was handsome, wealthy, and had proved that he was capable of siring children. What else could a woman want?
After she had eaten a little food from the buffet and made sure that Elspeth was taken care of, Rose decided that it was time for her to leave. She knew no one except Cormac, and she could hardly bear to watch him dancing with so many other beautiful young ladies.
She started to walk to the door, but felt a hand close around her arm, and she turned to see Cormac looking at her with a warm smile on his face. “You are not leaving without dancing with me,” he told her.
“Of course,” Rose smiled up at him and took his arm. “Thank you for this lovely dress, Cormac, and for remembering my favourite colour. I have never had anything so lovely.”
“It was my pleasure,” he replied. “Elspeth has been a different child since you came, Rose, and I owe you far more than a dress.”
He led her onto the dance floor, then gradually she became lost in him, the touch of his body, the sky blue of his eyes, the musk of his skin. For a few moments, he was her whole world; nothing else existed but him, and it was heavenly.
There was something between them now, some magical attraction that drew them to each other even when they left the dance floor. Rose told herself she was being fanciful, however.
The danced ended, and Cormac bowed to her and smiled, then raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. At that moment, Elspeth rushed up to them and threw her arms around Cormac.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Da!” she cried. “It was the best feast ever!”
Cormac held on to her, and Rose could see that he was holding back tears, but they were happy tears, and she moved away, intending to go to her chamber and let them have amoment on their own. She was too tired for any more dancing anyway.
The space at the bottom of the servants’ stairs was dark and shadowed, but as Rose approached it, she heard a familiar voice behind her.
“Rose, wait.” Cormac cut her off before she had put a foot on the first step, then drew her into his arms.
He smelled of leather and the musk that was all his own, and she could not resist him a moment longer.
He took a few seconds to gaze into her dark eyes, then lowered his lips to hers, and the first touch set her on fire. She felt her heart skip a beat as he pulled her closer, feeling his strong, unresisting body melt against hers.
Rose gave herself up to the kiss, loving the sweet pressure of Cormac’s mouth on hers, the way they caressed her so gently and sensually. When she opened up to him and felt his tongue tangling with hers, her knees weakened, and she clung to him, tightening her arms around his neck for support.
When they drew apart, Rose was almost breathless as she looked up into Cormac’s blue eyes that were now dark with desire.
“Rose,” he said huskily, “I-I want more. I cannot resist you any longer.”
“So do I,” she answered without hesitation.
Cormac said nothing more, but took her hand and led her away to his own room. They paused while he opened the door of his bedchamber, a massive room that was decorated in a plain, masculine fashion.
