Page 79 of Highland Renegade
“You must forgive me. I have a matter to attend to.”
“Of course.” At the moment she was so relieved, she didn’t even care what that matter might be. “I will just take some air.”
He moved away, talking in low tones to the servant. Turning, Emily left the Great Hall and went down the steps to the courtyard. The evening breeze was cool, which felt wonderful on her overly heated skin. Rounding the side of the castle, she entered the gardens through a stone archway and stood for a minute, inhaling the scent of heather lining the walkway.
Several oil lamps suspended on metal poles cast dim light into the shadows. It did not appear to be a manicured garden like the ones on English country estates. Various shrubs and bushes were scattered about, but in the center two chestnut trees towered over a folly similar to the one at Glen Strae. Hearing the strains of music begin again, she decided it would make a good refuge so as not to endure another rigorous dance. And she had no desire to watch Ian with Breena.
She was near the entrance to the folly when she heard a low moan coming from inside. It was followed by another, slightly louder. A whimper. Good heavens! Was an animal hurt? Emily rushed up the three steps and stopped so abruptly she nearly toppled over.
No animal, save for human ones and certainly not hurt at all. In her foolish quest for privacy, she hadn’t considered lovers might be trysting. And not just any lovers.
Devon glared up at her, a half-naked Margaret Cameron in his arms.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Emily! Lady Woodhaven!”
Ian was calling her name. She gave Devon a cursory look, then turned and practically ran down the path she’d just taken. It would not do to have Ian finding his brother in a compromising position. Especially not with Neal Cameron’s sister. Emily didn’t even want to think about the consequences of that.
“Lady Woodhaven! Are ye out here?”
His voice sounded louder, which meant he must be heading toward the garden. She slipped through the archway and took a deep breath as she smoothed her skirts. “Yes, Mr. MacGregor, I am here…” She hurried toward the front of the castle, colliding with Ian as he rounded the corner. His large hands went around her waist, steadying her.
For a moment, she reveled in their strength. “I…came out to get a bit of fresh air.”
Ian dropped his hands. “I saw ye leave and thought something might be amiss after Campbell walked away so abruptly.”
Had he been watching her? From across the hall? She had thought him engrossed with Breena… The thought that he was not all that enthralled sent a pleasant little shiver through her.
“Are ye cold?”
Without waiting for an answer, Ian removed his frock coat and settled it over her shoulders like a cape. The warmth was comforting, as was the faint, male scent of him. She pulled it closer. “Thank you.”
For a moment, he held her gaze, then let it drift to her lips. Instinctively, she moistened them, tilting her head as he lowered his, brushing softly across her mouth.
“Would ye like to stroll in the garden?”
Reality returned with a jolt.The garden. Drat it all. Devon was in there. As much as she wanted to have the privacy—and definitely more kissing—she couldn’t take the chance of Ian finding his brother.
“I… It is a little chilly out here. Perhaps we should go in.”
Ian narrowed his eyes slightly, then he straightened. “As ye wish, my lady.”
Emily cringed at his formal address, all too aware that he’d taken her suggestion as a personal rejection. But what else could she do?
Ian was silent as they walked around to the front of the castle and mounted the steps to go in. He stopped once they were inside the Great Hall and bowed slightly. “If ye’ll nae be needing my coat…?”
“Oh! Of course.” Since he didn’t attempt to remove it from her, she slipped it off, realizing as she did so that Glenda was glaring at them from not far away. Good heavens! The girl probably thought that they… Emily felt herself blush as she finished the thought herself. It would have been nice if it had happened. Very nice. But it hadn’t. Reluctantly, she handed Ian his coat. He slipped it on just as the musicians started an allemande. On impulse, she laid her hand on his arm.
“Will you dance with me?”
He eyed her warily, probably wondering what kind of a game she was playing. And it was a game of sorts, but not one in which she made up the rules—she would much rather have been out in the garden folly at the moment—but she couldn’t let Ian walk away thinking she had purposely turned him down. She smiled, wishing she were more of a natural flirt like Lorelei.
It still must have had an effect because, after a bit of hesitation, he smiled back. “Aye, if ye like.”
“I do. They are playing an allemande.”
They joined the others on the floor, forming two lines of couples, and extended their paired hands forward as they paraded the length of the Great Hall and back with a series of three steps and a pause. What Emily liked about this dance was that their hands were together throughout.
