Page 14 of Harrowing Hall
“Exactly.” Blake dropped a soft kiss on her lips, then another, then the sort that curled her toes, before he groaned and pulled back. “But the only way to prove to you that commoners are more accepted than you think is to show you.” He stepped back, bowed, and held out his arm. “Allow me to escort you to your first official MacLauchlin Castle All Saints’ Eve Masquerade Ball,mo leannan.”
She smiled widely, then caught herself, determined to seem proper when she wanted to race down the stairs headfirst into all this grandness. Scream at the top of her lungs that the laird of the castle loved her, and they would be married any moment now.
For a split second, she imagined a female presence stood beside her, wishing her the best. As if perhaps, from another time and place, or, as her fanciful mind would have it, Lady Annabel rallied her on.
Still bowed with his arm held out, Blake peered up at her and grinned. “Maude?”
“Yes?”
“Might I escort you, lass?”
“Dear me, yes, you may.” She took his arm, chuckling when he laughed. Smiling when he grinned. “I would like that very much, Laird MacLauchlin.”
She meant to question him about his plans for Jane and Hugh, but the moment they started down the stairs, everything became a fairytale. From the way Blake kept looking at her with adoration to how the entire room seemed to pause and watch them descend.
Most looked at her kindly. Some with curiosity. A few women with resentment. The men? With unmistakable admiration. Desire, even. Typically, their uninterested gazes slid past her but not now.
For the first time in her life, she was beautiful.
And, in a moment of revelation, she knew why. Not because of her lovely gown or jewels but because she was loved. She glanced at Blake. Loved in a way that made her see, better yetfeel, her own beauty, and that made all the difference.
Once they reached the bottom, a waltz began, and Blake swept her onto the dance floor. Though they had danced together at Hastings Castle and it was wonderful, this was even better. They moved in perfect sync with one another. Sometimes he swirled her fast, taking her breath away. Other times, they moved slower, and he pulled her closer. They did not speak at first but enjoyed the moment. The intimacy of being in each other’s arms.
Maude was certain her heart raced the entire time. Breathing was a struggle, and her skin afire. Not just that, but the desire she had felt upstairs had not abated. She had never considered herself an amorous woman, anything but, yet that seemed to be changing by the day. Hour. By the very minute. As it were, she had resolved herself to being a spinster and never feeling a man’s touch, so she thought nothing of it. Now it was all she could think about. Imagine. What would Blake look like without clothing? How would he touch her? Should she touch him?
“Though I look forward to the evening’s festivities with you,” he eventually murmured in her ear, evidently of the same mind. “I especially look forward to being alone after.”
“I as well,” she said before she could stop herself. Her cheeks warmed more than they already were. “What I mean to say is…” What precisely? That it would be interesting? Entertaining? “It should be very nice.”
“Oh, it will be far more than that,mo leannan.”His gaze fell to her lips as though he longed to kiss her here and now. “Far more than that.”
Maude tried to speak but could not find her tongue. Not until the music ended and Jane strolled by on the arm of a tall fellow who was not Hugh. “Oh, my, we nearly forgot to discuss how you plan to bring Lady Jane and Hugh together.”
They received glasses of champagne as they left the dance floor, which seemed to be everywhere rather than just in the ballroom.
“Ah, yes, Lady Jane and Hugh.” Blake linked arms with her. “You are certain Lady Jane wants to be with him?”
“Unquestionably.” She nodded. “She told me herself.”
“Then we will take them aside and speak to them straight away.” He gestured at a portly, red-faced man across the room. “Then I will speak to her father. But first, you must meet one of my dearest friends.” He called out to the man on Jane’s arm. “Rothesay, old chap.”
As it turned out, the handsome man attracting many a female eye was none other than the Duke of Argyll. Moreover, the man her sister had nicknamed Rothesay the Scoundrel. In Maude’s opinion, he seemed no scoundrel at all but dashing as he, adukeno less, bowed ever so slightly and kissed the back of her hand when they joined him and Jane.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Maude.” Rothesay smiled from Blake to her. “Lord MacLauchlin speaks very highly of you.” His smile widened. “And now I hear you are to be married.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Your Grace.” Maude curtsied. “And yes,” she returned his smile, “it seems we will soon be married.”
She could just imagine the look on Prudence’s face when she wrote her about this. Here she was getting married to a viscount and exchanging pleasantries with a duke. A man who seemed different than how Prudence had painted him.Hadthe duke flirted with her sister while still married? He did not seem the type. If anything, he seemed friendly. Better still, not put off that his closest friend was marrying beneath him. Nor, as she was sure he knew who her sister was, did he act untowardly.
“Maude and I will be married sooner than anticipated, in fact.” Blake cued the orchestra to keep from playing the next waltz, took her hand, and begged the room’s attention. “My fine folk, as always, I thank you for joining us for MacLauchlin Castle’s annual All Saints’ Eve Masquerade Ball. Do enjoy everything we have to offer, including the bonfire and games outside.” He grinned and raised his glass. “Also, as we simply cannot wait, do join my lovely Maude and me as we exchange our vows this verra night.”
For a moment, she feared a hushed silence of shock or even a rumble of discontent, but they received no such reception. Instead, people far and wide raised their glasses and clapped, wishing them much joy. She even spied many servants smiling her way and nodding.
“I told you that you need not fear being accepted,” Blake whispered in her ear as the music resumed. “Everyone loves you as much as I.”
While that was impossible, as she knew few of them, she appreciated his vote of confidence. She also appreciated that he moved swiftly when it came to making others just as happy as them.
Chapter Ten
