From the night she’d come pounding on his door in high dudgeon, and he’d reacted out of proportion to it, he’d been doing his best to ignore her and concentrate on his Megan, yet he somehow couldn’t. She kept flitting through his mind when she had no business there. And that kiss they’d shared certainly hadn’t helped.
He still couldn’t understand why the urge to kiss her had been so compelling. But he certainly wished it hadn’t happened, because he couldn’t stop thinking about that either.
There was something about that kiss that he’d found highly stirring, the way she’d clung to him, the way she’d opened her mouth to his ravishment, the complete yielding of her soft, supple body against him. And for once he hadn’t gotten a stiff neck, bending to reach her lips. There were some definite benefits to kissing a tall woman, but he could have done without finding that out with his particular woman.
Tonight, he planned to further his campaign against Megan. He would have the opportunity to dance with her. She wouldn’t refuse him at such an affair. And once he held her in his arms, anything was possible. He had high hopes of breaking through her ridiculous assertion that she was happy with that stodgy Englishman she’d married. She was merely putting on a good face for what was a terrible mistake, and he meant to prove that to the both of them.
Aye, high hopes, and they did not include mulling over that shrewish, albeit lovely butterfly that just broke out of her cocoon.
13
“What the devil? I could’ve sworn she was dancing with someone else just now.”
“Who?”
“Lady Kimberly.”
Megan nodded in a distracted manner, as if her attention didn’t just perk up. She was dancing with Lachlan only because he wouldn’t stop pestering her until she agreed. But that he could notice another woman, at least Kimberly Richards in particular, while he’d been whispering outlandish blandishments and compliments in Megan’s ear…well, she couldn’t have been more pleased.
Not that she hadn’t thought he was sincere, or rather, she was sure thathethought he was sincere. But for someone who’d heard just about every compliment that could be thought of, she wasn’t impressed.
She was impressed, however, by the remarkable change in Kimberly Richards, and apparently, so was Lachlan. And just in case he wasn’t aware of it, she decided to emphasize it.
“Shewasdancing with someone else, now that you mention it,” she said now. “They’re cutting in on her partners. Not very sporting of them, but young men are so impatient, don’t you know.”
“I dinna know,” Lachlan grumbled.
Megan smiled inwardly. He actually sounded a bit jealous. That was certainly more than she could have hoped for at this early date.
“She’s very popular, it seems,” she continued, watching his expression carefully. “Not flighty, not giggly like the younger girls tend to be, and a very good listener. Men like that in a woman. Oh, and she’s very lovely besides, if you haven’t noticed.”
He grunted. “You are verra beautiful, Megan, but I dinna see them standing in line tae dance wi’ you as they are wi’ her tonight.”
She laughed. “I should hope not. Devlin broke these young bucks of that notion long ago. But as for our Kimberly, I would imagine she’ll have a few proposals before we return to Sherring Cross. I should ask her if anyone in particular has caught her fancy yet. Perhaps you would be so good as to take me to her as soon as this dance is over?”
He nodded curtly. And she noticed his compliments had ended. Actually, he barely spared her another glance, and it was all Megan could do to keep from laughing and patting herself on her back.
This matchmaking business was really much simpler than Megan had first thought it was going to be. Either that, or Lachlan and Kimberly were simply destined for each other, no matter what anyone did to aid them in figuring that out for themselves.
Lachlan did lead her straight to Kimberly the moment the music stopped. Dragged her there was nearly the case. And not a moment too soon. Megan knew the young gentleman about to escort Kimberly back onto the dance floor, and she quickly forestalled him, sending him after some refreshments instead. As for Lachlan…
“If you’ll excuse us now,” Megan told him in a no-nonsense tone, “I’m going to take Kimberly out for a quick turn on the balcony—”
“Nay, what would your husband be saying, darlin’,” he cut in, “if I didna lend you my protection for such a dangerous undertaking?”
Megan nearly snorted at such nonsense, but she was in fact glad he wanted to stay close. However, she didn’t want him to know that, so she shrugged and said, “Suit yourself, but do keep your distance.”
She didn’t wait for him to agree, but took Kimberly’s arm and led her outside, though not too far outside. Windbreaks had been set up along most of the balcony edges to keep the worst of the winter cold at bay. It allowed the guests an area to cool off without it being so cold that they couldn’t enjoy it for very long, but you still didn’t mistake what season it was.
Megan hadn’t actually planned to grill Kimberly about the men she was meeting, but with Lachlan eavesdropping on them, and he was doing just that, it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Kimberly?” she began, her tone merely casual.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“None of that now,” Megan admonished gently. “I’d like to think we are becoming friends, you and I, and my friends call me Megan—if not worse.”
Kimberly smiled shyly, though her eyes kept drifting to where Lachlan was standing several feet away, pretending not to be paying them any mind.
