He liberated a glass of wine from a passing footman, then slipped into the crowd to arrive beside Matthew Harris. “There ye are,” he said with a nod. “I’ve a question for ye.”
“What is it? I’m on my way to claim Eloise for the country dance.”
“Yer sister,” Aden went on, matching Matthew’s pace. “She’s a fine lass.”
He could practically feel the abrupt tension roll down his companion’s spine in response to what should have been a mildly interesting comment. Matthew had already proved willing—reluctantly or not—to use his sister to protect his own reputation. Whatever he said next would play very heavily into how Aden proceeded from there.
“Mia?” Matthew returned. “She has a beau, I think.”
“Some naval captain,” Aden said dismissively. “I reckon I’m willing to take my chances. What do ye think, though? She’s a stubborn woman, and I’d appreciate it if ye’d put in a good word for me.”
“I… try to stay away from Miranda’s business,” her brother put in, his words clipped and clearly chosen very carefully. “And she dislikes wagering, so I’m not certain I could honestly vouch for you.”
“She dislikes wagering, but I hear ye still make the odd bet, aye?”
Matthew Harris’s face grayed. “No, I don’t. Not for some time.”
“Ah. So the rumors I’ve been hearing are all lies, then? That ye and this Captain Vale play deep, and ye’ve gotten in over yer head?”
“I—You cannot—” Coming to an ungraceful stop, Matthew clamped his mouth shut. “You aren’t from here, so I’ll overlook the… insult to my character, but here in London we generally do not barge into other people’s private affairs.”
Hm. He hadn’t lied about it, at least. Not yet, anyway. Aden nodded. “I’ll give ye my apology, then. And ye’re right; I’m nae from here. I’m from the Highlands, from clan Ross. That’s a place where family and honor mean everything. Where if a lad needs help, he says so, and his clan does whatever needs doing. Even if it gets bloody.”He caught Matthew’s gaze and held it. “Eloise says ye’re to be her husband. That makes ye mybràthair—my brother. So if ye need someaught, ye tell me.”
“That’s very nice, Aden, but I assure you that I don’t—”
“I told ye a truth. Now ye nod to show ye understand what I said,” Aden interrupted. “We dunnae lie to each other, so when ye decide ye want to say someaught to me, ye make damned certain it’s the truth. Aye?”
The younger man swallowed, then gave a stiff nod. “Aye.”
“Good. Now go dance with my sister. Ye ken where to find me if ye’ve a need to chat. And I do expect that we will be chatting.”
There.Aden watched as Matthew hesitated again, then hurried away into the crowd. He’d put the lad on notice, but hopefully hadn’t said enough that young Mr. Harris would feel the need to wag his tongue to Captain Vale. Or he wouldn’t feel the need, yet. After tonight that might just change.
Once Miranda partnered with some pretty lad from her large circle of friends, Aden made himself go pluck a wallflower and coax her onto the floor. Captain Vale hadn’t noticed his presence yet tonight, but when he did so Aden meant to give him a great deal to think about. That meant doing things a bit different than he generally did them. Subtlety had its place, but it wasn’t here, and it wasn’t tonight.
“Give me yer name, lass,” he said with a smile, taking the hand of the thin, pale young lady he’d selected.
“Regina,” she answered, her high-pitched voice a near whisper. “Regina Halston.”
“Good evening to ye then, Miss Halston. I’m Aden MacTaggert.” Inclining his head, he moved them into position in one of the circles of other guests.
“Yes, I know. You danced with my cousin earlier this Season. She talks of almost no one else.”
That caught his attention. “Who might yer cousin be?”
“Alice Hardy. I daresay seeing us together now will make her quite jealous.” Regina gave a brief, painfully tepid smile. “I know she’s a widow and we should be generous-minded, but she hogs all of the attention she can manage. She even says the two of you are practically betrothed.”
Bloody hell.“I reckon she can think what she likes, and I’ll do the same. We may nae agree on all the points, though.”
The music began, and he bowed as she curtsied before they all joined hands and twirled about in their circle. Miranda did the same halfway across the room in another group, with Eloise and Matthew in yet another cluster of dancers. When he spied Coll also there, in the company of a wee blond lass, he nearly lost his footing and fell onto the floor. The two of them together looked like a giant and a bairn’s doll, but at least his older brother was making an attempt to socialize.
He tried to keep his attention on what he was doing, but every time he took Regina’s fingers or twirled her about it wasn’t her hand he wanted to be holding, her cheeks turning a fine rose that he wanted to see. Someone had said once that the best lies were those based on the truth. If so, telling Matthew he found Miranda to be a fine lass had to be the best yarn in the history of knitting. He wanted her. He craved her. Just bloody talking to her aroused him. And if telling her to embrace the darker side of things hadn’t been purely for her own benefit, he could only hope he would be forgiven.
Away from the polished dance floor stood Captain Vale, his gaze shifting between Miranda and the elderly Duke of Dunhurst, who sat close by the fire in the company of half a dozen other high-ranking lords. Those were the men by whom Vale wanted to be accepted, the menfrom whom he wanted recognition and undoubtedly admiration. And the captain didn’t dare approach them now, because they would ignore him. No, he needed Miranda Harris first, needed her politically minded father to make introductions on behalf of his new son-in-law, needed her smile and her charm and her reputation to wrap around him so he could steal it for himself.
It was likely a nice dream for a falcon-faced man with no sense of humor and no prospects of his own, but Aden meant to see that it never came to fruition. Not for anything. Not even if Miranda decided she didn’t want either of them. This all would have been easier if he’d fallen for a stupid, malleable woman—but if she’d been stupid and malleable, he wouldn’t be imagining a lifetime of waking up beside her.
The moment the dance ended he escorted a blushing Regina Halston back to her tittering friends, sent a quick glance about for her troublesome cousin, then headed directly for where his brother Niall and his bride, Amy, stood feeding each other bits of cheese.
