Chapter Nine
Aidam watched his uncle leave Ellie and the feast and tried not to frown. Oddly, Ellie returned to circulating the room without looking upset at all. Still, Aidam found himself fuming on the inside. To him, it was an insult—not an insignificant one. How could his uncle abandon his future lady in the middle of his own betrothal feast?
Dinnae get so upset. It’s naught to do with ye, Aidam. Ye dinnae care.
Maybe if he repeated that to himself enough times, he’d believe it. And yet, the irritation churned in his belly, souring the sweet wine that had seen him through dinner.
It wasn’t long before Ellie approached him, and Aidam tried hard not to stare. How could one woman encompass heaven and earth all in one dress? Everyone else said she was beautiful, but to Aidam, when he looked at her, he saw the glory of the sun. With her careful poise and how she wore that dress, Ellie looked like she was a goddess to be worshiped. How could any man leave her behind?
“Do ye see that?” she asked, approaching him with a slight, conspiratorial smile. Aidam was starting to appreciate her brusk nature. She did not offer him a formal greeting. She made no apology or thank him for his escort. When it came to him, Aidam supposed, Ellie felt they were equals. She could behave as herself.
He found that he didn’t mind. Actually, it was refreshing to have a woman speak with him as if he were an actual person rather than a prize to be won. Perhaps that was why he’d once thought of her his whole world.
And now? What do ye think of her now?
No, he wouldnotallow his mind to take him down that path again. Instead, he said, “See what?”
She nodded over to the side of the room where Jemina stood awkwardly by a chair. Aidam’s younger cousin looked like a woman who awaited an invitation to dance. Men of the clan from all ranks and status approached her, at least three just in the last moments he had been watching. She seemed intent on turning every potential partner away.
Aidam frowned in confusion, then glanced at Ellie, who pointed under the cover of her wrap. Aidam followed the direction of her hand and saw precisely what was about. In the center of the hall, surrounded by a group of friends, was the youngest son of the visiting Laird Maguire. Colin was the lad’s name, if Aidam remembered correctly. Aidam had been friends with his older brothers in their childhood.
He glanced back at Ellie, whose unexpectedly wicked grin gave her a childlike appearance.
“She’s been staring at that lad all night. Do ye ken him?”
Aidam raised an eyebrow. “I do. What are ye saying? Ye think young Colin has caught me cousin’s eye?”
“I do,” she replied, eyes sparkling. She was in her element. Aidam supposed some would be annoyed at Ellie for her love of interfering, but that wasn’t what this was, not really. No, Ellie had always loved fixing things. And, given how shy Jemina tended to be, she was a puzzle waiting to be solved.
Aidam grinned. “Why are ye telling me?” he asked. “Surely ye dinnae have some devious plan for the pair of them?”
Everything around them fell away as Ellie took Aidam by the hand and pulled him to a side of the room where they could speak privately. Aidam felt his heart in his throat, his entire body alighted with her faint touch, but Ellie didn’t even seem to notice.
“We’re gonnae get those two dancing before the end of the night,” she said confidently. “Ye’ll see. I need yer help in planning, though.”
Aidam chuckled. “What is this? Some sort of game?”
Ellie shook her head. “Nay. It’s nae a game. Jemina is so caught up within herself. She obviously has a fancy for this lad. I dinnae see any harm in pushing her a little to explore that, ye ken? She needs a little help tae open up.”
Aidam considered Ellie’s point. He loved his cousin and did not want to interfere where he wasn’t asked, but Ellie was right. Jemina had spent so much time alone in the castle. She did not have a confidant or a guide in the womanly arts. If she fancied Colin, which watching her face as she looked across the room at the lad, she certainly did, then it was upon Aidam to help her secure him for, at the very least, a dance. There was no harm in helping his cousin with a slight shove in the correct direction. At the same time, he saw this as an opportunity to get Ellie to trust him a little more and possibly open up to him a tad as well.“All right, I’ll help ye. But…”
“But what? Do ye nay want tae see yer cousin happy?” She was staring at him with her arms folded across her chest. Every bit the stern lady of the keep.
“Aye, but I also think we shouldnae mettle where we arenae wanted. So if ye want me help, then I say we make it interesting. Let’s make a bet.”
She raised one dark eyebrow. “A bet?” Her eyes widened, and Aidam instantly regretted his choice of words. She had already made clear she thought him a cad. He would have to soften his approach.
“Aye,” Aidam replied. “If I can convince Colin to approach Jemina first, then ye owe me yer evening pudding.”
Ellie blinked, taking a step back, and he knew he had her. “Ye want my…lemon cake?”
He nodded, surer of himself now. Ellie looked amused, not scared.Good God, she is lovely when she smiles.And when she didn’t.
Stop it, Aidam!
He pushed on. “And ifyedo the impossible and make young Jemina approachColin,then I oweye…” he started.
“A dance,” she said immediately.“What I mean is that ye’ll have to dance with me. I ken ye were always awkward about it when we were bairns.” Her cheeks tinged red. “Unless…I mean, I can think of something else…”
