Page 40 of Her Highland Prophecy
Most things in the huge platters that cluttered the table were similar and she knew enough about Scottish cuisine to be wary of their contents. The fish that Gordain had put on her plate earlier was tasty enough, but she knew she would have to eventually branch out. She couldn’t keep having fish the entire time she was there.
She looked up when she felt both Bhaltair and Gordain stiffen on either side of her and looked straight into the dark eyes of a man with jet black hair.
Gordain cleared his throat. “Diana, this is me cousin, Jaimie.A co-ogha, this is Diana, me betrothed.”
His words were clipped and though he was not unkind, she sensed that he did not particularly like the man in front of her.
“Pleased to meet you,” she said and received a haughty look of disdain in response.
“And I, ye,” was all he said before looking away.
“Good evening, Brother,” Bhaltair said from her other side, startling her. Gone was the playful tone he had been using throughout dinner. He and Jaimie were looking at each other with mutual looks of dislike. The two looked so different that she could scarcely believe they were brothers.
An awkward silence fell.
“I hope you are enjoying dinner,” she said when it became too much to bear.
“Aye, I did. It wouldnae do to be wasteful,” he said, looking meaningfully at her largely untouched plate. She bristled but before she had a chance to respond, Bhaltair spoke up.
“Aye, and we can all see the result of that. Are ye expecting a bairn,a brathair, in the stead of yer bride?” he said, his hand making a rounded gesture in front of his stomach.
Diana stifled a laugh. Jaimie was not fat, but in comparison to Gordain’s corded muscles and Bhaltair’s thin frame he looked positively soft — all rounded curves, rather than hard muscle.
Jaimie huffed but did not respond to his brother’s taunt. He turned on his heel and walked away from the table with quick strides, roughly bumping into one of the young women who was walking up to them behind him.
Gordain entire face changed when he noticed the two women. He turned to Diana with a wide smile as they approached, his voice rising with excitement.
“Diana, these are me wee sisters, Mabel and Joan,” he said, indicating the two young girls in front of them. His enthusiasm was endearing. She turned to study the girls who were now standing in front of them.
They were both redheaded like Gordain and Bhaltair, tall and slender, and identical down to the last freckle as far as she could tell. One of them had her hair up in an elegant twist, while the other wore hers loose and their dresses were different colors, but she knew she would have trouble telling them apart when she ran into them again.
“I’m Mabel,” the one with the loose hair said with a smile on her face, “and this is Joan. It’s nice to meet ye, Diana.”
Next to her, Joan only smiled. Diana thought she must be the quieter of the twins. Mabel seemed much more talkative. They reminded her so much of Grace that she instantly felt homesick being around them.
“It’s very nice to meet you both,” she responded. “I hope that we will be able to spend some time together in the next few days.”
“Aye, we would like that,” Mabel said. “On the morrow maybe?”
“That would be lovely.”
The three women smiled tentatively at each other in agreement and the twins moved along the table to return to their seats.
Everything was so different than she had expected. When she had agreed to this charade with Gordain, she had never expected that she would be meeting so many people. It seemed like his entire extended family had shown up to celebrate their betrothal. It was a little overwhelming.
Dinner wound down slowly. More and more people started leaving the hall, but still Gordain remained seated. He leaned over to speak to her in a hushed tone.
“We need to stay a bit longer,a nighean,” he said. “We dinnae want to insult anyone who wants to meet ye or wish us well.”
She nodded in understanding. Alienating anyone in the Clan was the exact opposite of what they were trying to achieve.
Diana slowly sipped from her glass as she waited, the sharp taste of the whisky assaulting her taste buds. It was different than what she was used to, somehow harsher than the smooth blends she had become accustomed to since she and Grace had arrived in Scotland. It was still quite good, she thought, taking another sip.
When there were only a few people left in the hall, Gordain stood and straightened out his plaid. Diana got out of her chair, her muscles protesting her every move and took his arm. They walked along the head table to the exit.
“Diana?” one of the twins asked in a low voice as they passed by them. She put a hand on Gordain’s arm to stop him and turned to look at her. She could feel him looking at them questioningly.
“What is it?” she asked.
