Interesting. Was that what she should be doing? Instead of throwing herself at Dougal, should she be pursuing another man instead? Intrigued by the idea, she reached for a piece of mutton, nodding in welcome when Nairna sat down.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Lady Eiloch?”
“You may call me Celeste,” she corrected. “And yes, I am. It was kind of you to host a gathering for me.”
“Have you spoken with Dougal tonight?” Nairna asked.
Not since I kissed him, and he ordered me to stay away.
“A while ago, he showed me the horses.” She toyed with her goblet.
Nairna sobered. “He spends far too much time with the animals. He needs a wife.” Eyeing her closer, she added, “Have you considered him as a possibility?”
“I don’t think Dougal has any interest in wedding a woman like me,” Celeste said. She stood up and the ground seemed unsteady beneath her feet. “He’d prefer one of your maidens, I suppose.”
“Then why is he staring at you?” Nairna countered, nodding toward the opposite side of the crowd. Celeste followed her gaze to where she saw Dougal holding his own cup of mead. Just as the woman had said, he was watching her.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. But his earlier kiss lingered with her still. She knew he’d done it to prove a point—that Edmon was nothing compared to him.
And she was well aware of it. She excused herself from Nairna, wanting to be alone. She skirted the crowd, moving closer to where a large bonfire blazed. Sparks drifted into the night sky, and several children danced while another clan member played the pipes.
“Will you dance with me?” came the voice of a young boy, perhaps seven years old. His brown hair was cut short, and he had a smile that could charm any girl into doing what he wanted. Celeste couldn’t help but beam at him, and she took his hands. Several of the MacKinlochs were amused at the sight of them, but she was startled to find that the boy was quite good at dancing. He spun her around, and without meaning to, she started laughing. The mead, coupled with the dancing, made it nearly impossible to stand upright. But when she stumbled, another man caught her.
“Mind yourself, lass. We wouldna want you to be burned this night.”
Celeste thanked him, but instead of giving her back to the boy, the man kept her hands in his. This time, the song had finished and another began that was slower. His palm rested upon her spine, and he added, “Kerr, I’ll be dancing with the lady now. Find another and be off.”
The boy looked disgruntled but did as he was ordered. Celeste stumbled again, but the man steadied her. “I am Robbie MacKinloch.”
She ventured a smile, but the man’s confidence made her feel uncertain. He was broad chested, with strong arms and a sword at his side. He, too, could be a protector. And yet . . . she found herself wishing she could hide away from all men. She went through the motions of dancing with Robbie, dimly aware of their conversation.
“Lady Eiloch?” He was waiting for an answer, and she realized she hadn’t heard his question.
“I’m sorry. What was that?”
“I was asking if you’d like to walk with me by the loch.”
Celeste glanced in the direction of the water, suddenly understanding that this man was offering exactly what she’d wanted—a private moment that could lead to more.
And yet, she found herself unable to move. Every instinct told her no. Why had she ever thought she could do this? The idea of lying beneath a stranger was appalling.
“Not just now,” she said to him, apologizing as she excused herself. She kept walking through the crowds, past Dougal, until she stood near the stone wall surrounding the castle of Glen Arrin. Ivy had wound its way through the stones, covering the gray in a veil of green.
Footsteps sounded behind her, but she already knew who was following her now.
“I want her found,” Lady Rowena demanded. Lionel de Laurent removed his helm, and his expression was shielded. “You know what will happen if she has conceived a child.”
“I do.”
His voice was like iron, and Rowena took comfort from it. Lionel was a strong man, a husband who would not allow anyone to threaten the future of their children.
“I have sent a dozen men in search of her,” he said quietly. “When the scouts return, we will bring her back, and that will be the end of it.” His gray eyes sharpened. “If she were with child, she would not have fled.”
“You don’t know that. She might be trying to protect the babe.”
Rowena would have done the same, were she in Celeste’s place. She would do anything to guard her sons and daughter. Just as she would do whatever was necessary to secure their future inheritance.
She went to stand by the hearth in the solar, unable to stop herself from pacing. “There can be no child, Lionel.”
