Page 72 of The Thief
He held her close, but not too close, keeping his distance appropriate. They moved together to the music, Scarlett’s heart beating quickly. As he moved, he started pulling her closer, her hand in his beginning to sweat.
He led her around the floor, the palm at her back guiding her easily.
Her hand rested on his arm, the leashed strength there making her feel safe.
She couldn’t explain it but whenever he was near, she felt like nothing bad happened to her. Alastair protected her and had done so since the day she arrived.
When he wasn’t around, Scarlett felt off, as if she needed him by her side or she would never be completely safe. That thought unnerved her, as she had never needed a man to protect her. She hoped that it was just the situation with Catriona that put her so off-kilter, and once this whole thing was over, the constant needing him around would pass.
They might be getting married, but she had other interests and pursuits to enjoy and she wanted to be able to enjoy them. The overwhelming thoughts of her codependence soured her mood, making her tense up. Shifting slightly, she put the appropriate distance between them once again, watching as Alastair tried to hide his confusion. A few seconds later, the song ended, both of them taking a small bow as the musicians struck up again and other couples joined them on the dance floor.
Alastair led her from the floor, his hand grasping hers firmly. Melody and Ragan came down to meet them as he reached the bottom of the stairs, Melody becoming concerned at the change in Scarlett.
“Go and dance, we will be all right,” Alastair said, waving them off.
With one last look at Scarlett, they headed out to the floor, leaving Alastair and Scarlett alone. When they arrived at the top of the stairs, the seating areas were empty, everyone having gone down to dance.
Alastair led her to the seating area, sitting down in the chair instead of on the settee with her. He sensed the change in her, felt her pulling away from him and for some reason, it disturbed him more than he felt it should. He stared at her for a few minutes, trying to figure out what it was. When he was unable to deduce what went wrong, he took his gaze from her to the rest of the party.
Both of their parents were dancing, talking, and laughing as they twirled on the floor.
Most of the people in the ballroom he knew from one function or another. There were a few new faces, but he wasn’t overly worried about them since he knew that the upper crust did not take their plans into their own hands. They always kept their hands clean.
He was on the lookout for suspicious waiters or staff that would possibly put Scarlett in any danger. Ragan had been striking up conversations with the staff to see if any of them knew what was going on. Since Ragan was not considered royalty, he was better able to get the information they would need.
Bard had let him in on plenty of the gossip going around the servants before. Alastair had relied on it in the past and though a lot of it was gossip, some was true and could be of some use.
Melody tried her best to help, but she was more recognized and therefore people didn’t want to speak to her for fear of the information getting back to the queen.
Ragan had given Alastair a quick update before they had been asked to dance.
Scarlett sighed, breaking him from his thoughts.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded and looked away, Alastair becoming irritated.
“If I have done something, please let me know what it was so I can try to make the proper reparations,” he said, leaning over to her.
When she didn’t look at him, he growled in frustration.
She was fine and they were having a good time, and now she wouldn’t look him in the eye and they were sitting in silence.
“Scarlett,” he murmured, trying to get her to look at him.
When she refused, he cursed softly, getting up for a drink, leaving her with Ronald and a few other guards. She watched him go, knowing he was upset but also determined to rid herself of this awful neediness. With a sigh, she looked back up the side window.
Alastair stepped up to the bar, ordering a drink and turning around to face the ballroom.
He saw Babette heading for the powder room, and Graham headed towards him.
“Hello, Lord Kensington,” he greeted the man as Graham joined him at the bar.
“Call me Graham. I am to be your father-in-law after all.”
Alastair drank his beverage fully, putting the glass down and asking the bartender for another.
“Something wrong?” Graham asked with a chuckle as he ordered his drink.
