Her face flushed that gorgeous red color again as she said, "I practice dancing in my room quite often. I've never danced quite like this, but…" She shrugged, giggling when he spun her.
"Well, yer practice was certainly worth it," he said as they continued to move around the dancefloor. "Ye're an excellent dancer, and I would wager that ye're just as talented. Ye couldnae have practiced this dance."
The grin he got in return warmed him. The cold shell that he kept around his heart cracked a bit. It wasn't until this moment that he realized it was there.
Had I known that she would do this to me, I would have left the castle the second the letter arrived. That missive was nae a mistake.
As they took another turn on the dancefloor, someone tapped on Hugh's shoulder. He glanced at the person interrupting, a bit relieved to see that it was only Anna's father. There was a smile on his face, his eyes locked on his daughter's joy.
"May I interrupt this dance?" Timothy asked, never looking away from Anna.
"Of course ye may," Hugh said, letting go of her a little reluctantly.
As Anna's father swept her away, Hugh realized that somewhere in the last few days, he'd begun to see Anna as his wife already. Now, he wanted to monopolize her time. If her father wanted a dance with her, he'd allow it, but if she wanted to dance, Hugh would participate despite his dislike of the activity.
I daenae even ken who I've become. But I willnae complain. I was meant to meet her, and it willnae just be her dowry that helps me repair Castle McDonald, but her presence as well.
"You look as if you're enjoying yourself," Anna's father said as they moved in time with the other pairs.
"I am," she confirmed, realizing that she much preferred the faster pace of Hugh's dancing. "I never imagined so many people would attend an engagement party for me."
"I told you that you're a wonderful woman," he said. "Those friends you made because of that letter to Hugh, they're sticking around because they finally saw how lovely you are."
"I think that many of them are simply curious about the fact that there's a Highlander in our midst."
Her father laughed, then went quiet. She was aware that this would likely be the last time the two of them would dance for a long while. Even though Hugh had promised that they'd throw a proper celebration when they got to Scotland, she knew her father wouldn't be able to get away from his entanglements in England at short notice.
The song washed over them, the musicians playing all of her favorite tunes. By this time tomorrow, Anna would be a married woman on her way to her new home in the Highlands. So, shedid everything she could to soak in this moment, starting with the songs.
Bodies moved around her, and for the first time in her life, she felt as though she had been accepted into the delicate social folds of her community. The candles' golden glow cast over everything, making the night feel almost dreamlike. She overheard the soft murmurs of others' conversations, little glimpses into the lives of the people she grew up around.
At the next turn, a man whom Anna had never spoken to approached her and her father. Wordlessly, he interrupted the dance, taking hold of her hand and grabbing onto her waist. Then, with more force than she was expecting, he swept her across the floor.
"I'm surprised to hear that you'll be leaving us," the man said. "I'll miss seeing you at the balls."
"Will you?" Anna asked, racking her head for the man's name. When she found it hidden in the recesses of her mind, she said, "I don't believe I've ever danced with you, sir."
"That was an oversight on my part," he said as he moved a bit clumsily.
It felt almost as if he was trying to mimic the moves that Hugh had used. Out of politeness, Anna followed along. Though she found herself wishing she were still dancing with Hugh.
"Excuse me," a gruff voice with a Scottish accent said, breaking through the music a few moments later. "I'll be takin' me betrothed now."
He didn't wait for a response from the man, grabbing onto Anna's wrist and pulling her through the ballroom. Jogging to keep up, she struggled to articulate her confusion. It wasn't until the two were on the front porch of the manor that he stopped pulling, though he didn't let go of her.
"What are you doing?" she asked breathlessly, glancing back at the closed door, the weight of his fingers around her wrist anchoring her in this moment. "I was… Hugh, that was rude!"
"What was rude was another man dancin' with an engaged woman," Hugh replied, doing nothing to hide his anger.
No… no, that's not anger. It's something else. Is it… jealousy? Was Hugh jealous of that man?
"He was being kind," Anna said defensively. "The point of this evening was to dance. Besides, you only promised me one dance. I don't see the issue in me dancing with another."
His fingers tightened on her wrist. With deadly seriousness, he said, "I need ye to promise me somethin'."
"And what could that possibly be?" she asked, a little insulted at the way she was being spoken to.
He stepped in closer, so close that she could feel his breath fanning over her cheeks. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt an inexplicable pull in her gut. It urged her to press against him, to feel the heat of his body along the line of hers.
