Page 15 of The Iron Highlander
After following Grear and meeting new faces and new acquaintances – Lairds and ladies and people of seemingly high class – it was a matter of time before her sisters would detach from her and find their own way. Kate’s eyes followed Willow and Lily furtively as they giggled away towards the music, and Freya soon followed them to mingle with the rest of the guests, talking with a couple of women whose jewelries suggested to Kate that they were not at all without means.
With the way her sister looked, unless the suitor was not there or could not see with his eyes, Kate knew there was no way that her sister would not pick the interest of someone good. But she caught herself from thinking too much of it so Freya would not unconsciously become a plan and her sisters could enjoy being free just as Grear had said.
Not quite interested in making new acquaintances as much as her sisters were and Grear was probably hoping, Kate navigated her steps furtively away from the center of the party, moving towards the side where she could rather watch everyone else. From where she could especially see where each of her sisters were.
Her gaze traveled from them and fell on the other person in the room whose eyes were not strange to her. Reuben was standing in a corner, a drink in his hand and his best mate next to him, but as Hudson chatted away about something, Kate felt Reuben’s eyes pin her to the spot from across the room.
She held his gaze too and regarded him as he did her. She wondered if he was going crazy about the fact that his mother had gone ahead with the gathering even though he did not really approve. Of course, she did not know for sure that he has been against it, but it felt like what he would, it certainly seemed to be what he was thinking as he gawked at her with intent in his eyes from yards away. Over the sea of faces. She smiled wryly, enjoying the idea that he was frustrated and there was nothing he could do about it.
Kate held his gaze a little longer before she turned away. She was not sure why, or how. But it was there, right there inside of her. Kate was attracted to him. Despite what she knew, she wanted to be with the Laird. The longer she spent with him, the more she knew it; despite her mind telling her otherwise, her heart seemed so adamantly set on the Laird, and with the way she had seen him looking at her, Kate was beginning to think he felt the same too.
Chapter 8
Kate managedto move away from the festivities and grabbed herself a pitcher and some ale. The drinks had been cooled in the cellar, and had a very relaxing feel on her tongue. She swallowed and allowed herself to relax. As much as she did not trust the McDonalds, the fact that the Lady Grear had done this for them was more than Kate could even make sense of. She had treated them with a kindness, one which she could not question, and so for the first time since she came to the estate, Kate found herself relaxing.
Three men who were most certainly drunk began a song, beating their boots to the floor to make a beat while they sang groggily at the top of their voices. Kate smiled as she knew the lyrics to the song, as it was a Puirt-à-beul which her mother and father had sang often when they lived. Tunes from the mouth, that was what they were called. It had a steady rhythm, and spoke about the success and glory of the McDonald house, replacing the names of Kate’s grandfather with Reuben and his father.
Kate shook her head, knowing that she would not allow her emotions to stop her from having some fun. Looking around at her sisters, she saw that they were having fun, and even Freya who was the most reserved seemed to laugh at something which Willow had said. They looked so comfortable, and at home. She made a promise to herself to thank Lady Grear for the feast, and to do her best to repay her for the comfort and shelter which she had given to them.
“Aye, ye cannae walk and yer tryin’ to dance? This bampot is pished to shite!” A man laughed, raising the hand of his friend who was so drunk, Kate was certain he would throw up soon.
“Even drunk…still…still a better dancer than ye!” the man shot back and joined a few other women who had begun to dance in the crowd.
Kate watched with a smile on her face. The people in the room were not just from clans, the servants had also dressed in their best, and had come out to be a part of the feast. They helped with the wine and ale, but they were having just as much fun as anybody.
Back in the McGowan estate, such a thing was unheard of. A servant seen enjoying the music would receive a beating, or at worst, would lose their place in the estate. But here, despite all of the bad things which was said about the McDonald’s from the outside, Kate was beginning to see that it was all rumor, and effort to slander the house in the eyes of others. They were the best of the best, and Kate could see why it could be called a home.
“Bet ’cha won’t know my name off the top of yer pretty little head, nae?” a man behind Kate asked.
“Nae, I’m sorry.” Kate replied.
“It’s alright,” said the man. He extended a right arm to shake her, and she took it. He brought the back of her palm up to his lips slowly and kissed it. “I’m Sir Mylo, house of Stewart.”
Kate raised an eyebrow, wondering if the man was actually British. His accent was purely Scottish, but his house name told a different story. Kate flashed a smile and took her hand back before bowing slightly, “Lilias, house of Saundra.”
The man smiled wildly, his scruffy beard moved along his jawline and he rubbed his face with an open palm. “Ye got a beautiful name. Guess it ought to be that way, since yer a beautiful woman.”
“Aye, thank ye.” Kate replied and turned around, “Excuse me.”
As she made to walk away, Mylo grabbed her, “Nae, wait a moment. Would ye like to dance with me, Lilias?”
Kate began shaking her head, but just behind Mylo, she spotted Freya with a big smile on her face, nodding at her with glee. Freya knew that Kate would refuse, and she was already pleading with her to agree to the dance. With a huff, Kate took Mylo’s hand.
“Aye, I’d be glad to.”
Both moved out to the space where the dancing happened, locking elbows and dancing in tune to the beat. They kept light on their feet, moving back and forth and swaying to the tunes. Kate laughed as she realized that it was the first time she was dancing out in public like that. In the McGowan house, there was music, but never any dancing, and while Kate had seen people dance in the town, she had never tried for herself. But as she moved now, she felt free.
The sound of the men humming and singing in unison filled her ears, and someone played a flute in the background, guiding the singers. Her shoes bounced off the floor, and soon she was controlled by the music. Mylo was great as well. He matched her every move, dancing wildly and moving to the rhythm. They switched places and jumped close to each other, before taking steps back. He grabbed her hands and spun around for a bit, before stopping and spinning back in the opposite direction. Freya let out a shrill cry of joy, and Willow followed with some hooting noises.
The Lady Grear cheered them on, saying something which Kate did not hear, but with a single look at her, she could tell that she was happy. A bunch of others joined in, dancing as well, and soon, half the room was moving to the music, with shouts and ululations filling the air. Mylo grabbed Kate by her hips and pulled her close.
“Lilias, yer the most beautiful woman I ever set my eyes on.” Mylo began.
“Yer just saying that,” Kate replied, speaking over the sound of the music.
Mylo crossed his eyes and stared at her, “Nae really. It’s hard to set my eyes on anyone else.”
Kate laughed, and Mylo grabbed her hand and twirled her. As she spun, she moved away from him and bumped into someone with a laugh. Kate began apologizing as she pushed herself away from the person, and realized just how muscular the body of the person was.
