Page 80 of Highland Renegade
When the music finally stopped, Ian didn’t release her hands immediately. Instead, he studied her. “Do ye ken what ye do to me, lass?”
Warmth flowed through her that had nothing to do with the exertion from the dance. This was when she should flirt or act coy, but she had never liked such silliness. “I think I do.” When his eyes widened slightly, heat seeped into her face, but she went on. “You affect me, too.” They were standing at the far end of the hall near a door and she glanced at it. “Where does that lead?”
“I suspect into a hallway to the kitchens.”
She gave him a tentative smile. “Would it give us a moment of privacy?”
He grinned. “It might. Would ye—”
“Ah! There ye are!”
Emily turned, not particularly surprised to see Glenda hurrying toward them. The girl had watched them rather sullenly from the sidelines as they danced. Hopefully, she hadn’t heard what had just been said.
“What is it?” Ian asked, a trace of annoyance in his voice.
She didn’t even spare Emily a look. “Ye must come quick. Neal has accused Devon of trifling with his sister and they are about to fight!”
Ian swore under his breath, then gave Emily an apologetic look as he turned away. “We will finish this conversation later.”
Emily silently said a few choice words as he left. Of all the moments to be interrupted. And her trying to protect Devon had been for naught? She looked after Ian for a moment, then followed.
The altercation had moved into the bailey. By the time she got there, Neal and his father were standing beside Margaret who, somehow, looked miraculously well put-together, given the state of her undress when Emily had last glimpsed her. Even her hair was in place… Emily let her gaze slip to Devon. Where had he acquired the skills to be adept at serving as a lady’s maid? Perhaps she didn’t want to know.
At the moment, his fists were balled and he’d assumed a fighter’s stance, even though Ian, Carr, and Rory were all trying to restrain him. He shook them all off and glared at Neal.
“Ye are calling your sister a liar?”
“I am calling ye one!” Neal growled. “I’ll nae have a MacGregor sniffing around my sister’s skirts.”
Margaret frowned. “I told ye, Devon did nothing improper.”
Emily looked down quickly to conceal her surprise. Nothing improper? A woman with her bodice down around her waist, stays undone, and a man with his shirt already out?Thatwasn’t considered improper?
“I doona believe ye.”
His sister punched his arm. “All we did was go for a wee walk.”
Emily looked up at that, only to find Devon watching her. There was nothing apologetic in his look nor was it pleading. He simply stared, almost as if defying her to say something about what she had seen. Then he looked away.
Neal rubbed his arm. “Ye were in the garden with him nae an hour ago, weren’t ye?”
His father stepped forward. “By God, if ye took liberties with my daughter, I’ll see ye—”
“If I may?” Emily interjected. She looked around the group, pasting on what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Whatever had transpired between Devon and Margaret, the girl certainly wasn’t crying foul which, in Emily’s mind, put the matter to rest. “I happened to be taking the air in the garden earlier, about that time actually, and no one was up and about.” It wasn’t atotallie…the two hadn’t beenstanding.
“There ye have it then,” Ian said. “Surely ye will take the word of Lady Woodhaven?”
Neal made a disgruntled sound while his father sighed. “For now.”
Carr nodded. “Then I suggest we go back inside before Argyll decides we are all still barbarians.”
That seemed to break the tension. As they made their way toward the entrance, Devon swung his gaze back at her, eyes narrowing slightly, before he turned around to join his brothers.
…
Ian waited a good fifteen minutes until the Camerons showed no more inclination to escalate things, then he signaled to his brothers that they needed to talk. He left through the very door that he and Emily had been going to use to seek some “privacy,” onlythatprivacy was meant—he hoped—to have had a satisfying lustful ending. How ironic that the subject forthisdiscussion was also lust.
Carr appeared a moment later, accompanied by Devon who wasn’t looking quite as angry as Ian thought he should.
