Page 116 of Hand-Fasting and Other Hazards
Before he could respond, the woman in question came shuffling toward them, her heeled boots clicking unevenly against the stone floor as her hands flapped wildly, like she was trying to corral their attention.
But she certainly wasn’t naked.
“My goodness,” Nancy exclaimed, her voice breathless and chipper. “I can’t believe I’m running into you again, Lochlan! We hardly see you at?—”
“Yes,” Lochlan cut in sharply, his tone overly bright. “Yes. Hello, Nancy.” He gave her a tight smile, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “Well, we’re on our way somewhere. Was there, uh, something you needed?”
“Oh gosh, no,” Nancy said, waving him off as if the question were absurd. “But when I see Lochlan about, I have to make sure I say hello. It’s such a rare sight!”
Nia blinked, her head swiveling between. Nancy’s cheerfulness was practically buzzing off her, but Lochlan looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. He shifted awkwardly, looking more than anything like a cornered animal as Nancy continued to beam at him.
Then, as if she’d only just noticed Nia, Nancy’s wide eyes flicked to her, and she seemed genuinely shocked. “Oh, my word,” she said, straightening abruptly. “Hello, hello! Excuse me for being so rude.” She extended a hand toward Nia, her small fingers wiggling expectantly. “I’m Nancy.”
Nia, a little bemused, shook her hand. “Hello, I’m Nia.”
Nancy’s face lit up as if someone had just handed her a free kitten. “Of course you are,” she said, nodding knowingly. “Well?—”
“Wonderful seeing you, Nancy,” Lochlan cut in, his hand already tugging gently at Nia’s arm. “Truly. But we’ve got to get going.”
Nancy didn’t seem the least bit deterred. “Oh, yes, of course! But make sure you stop by next time you’re at the arch?—”
“Will do!” Lochlan called back, already steering Nia deeper into the tunnels.
The laughter she’d been holding back bubbled out as Lochlan glanced back over his shoulder, as if checking for signs of pursuit.
“Loch,” she said between giggles. “Wait. What was that?”
Lochlan didn’t answer immediately. Only when they turned another corner, and the air grew cooler and the tunnel dimmer, did he finally seem to relax.
Nia nudged his arm. “Seriously. What was that about?”
“What?” Lochlan asked, feigning innocence. He rubbed the back of his neck, his expression sheepish. “Oh. I just didn’t want to get caught up with her.”
“Naked Nancy?” Nia prompted, her grin widening.
Lochlan’s groan echoed through the narrow space. “Yeah,” he muttered, his hand falling back to his side. “There was an incident at Mabon, and…”
He trailed off, but the words hung there.
Nia froze. Mabon. The equinox celebration, the night that had upended their lives and forced them both into a marriage neither wanted. The comfortable, weightless bubble they’d been living in suddenly felt fragile, on the brink of popping.
She hadn’t thought about the bargain—hadn’t thought about proving her father wrong, about earning the annulment she’d once craved, in days.
Did she still crave it?
And why was Lochlan acting so strange about Nancy?
Nia’s gaze flicked to him, watching the way his shoulders remained tense, his easy charm from moments ago gone. Nancy had clearly rattled him, and not in the way an overenthusiastic acquaintance normally would. Something about it didn’t sit right.
Nia pushed the feeling aside and blamed it on the lingering bitterness her father evoked. But her unease remained, lurking at the edges of her mind like a shadow she couldn’t quite shake.
The tunnels wound endlessly behind them, their footsteps echoing in a soft rhythm against the stone walls as they neared an exit. Nia barely had time to register the gentle tug on her hand before Lochlan pulled her into an unlit alcove.
“What are you?—”
His hands framed her face, thumbs brushing her cheeks as the kiss pulled her under, deep and dizzying, until everything else—the encounter, the bargain, the weight on her shoulders—slipped away.
For a moment, there was only him.
