“Daenae worry, Hannah is doing the very same. Where is she, by the way?”
Lucas chuckled. “Freshly married, and ye have already lost yer bride? She is dancing, man.”
Aiden felt a smile creep onto his face. The ceremonyhadgone by in a rush. It was a small and intimate wedding, with only a handful of guests. Hannah had insisted on inviting Duncan, which he wasn’tverythrilled about, but then the man was her friend. Besides, he hadn’t actually asked her to marry him after all.
The cèilidh part of the celebration was at the other end of the hall. Musicians gathered on a low platform. There were several fiddlers, a small woman with a very large harp, pipers of course, and a boy with a hollow drum. Together, they were playing a jaunty, thrilling tune that made Aiden tap his foot, wanting to dance.
Couples thronged together on the dance floor, but there were singles dancing, too. Hannah was one of those. She and her sister danced nearby, spinning around, hair flying loose, skirts swinging out around them.
Leaning against the wall, safely away from the crowd, Aiden watched with a smile.
Hannah laughed, saying something to her sister that he could not hear, and spun in a tight circle, her arms held up above her head.
Her hair had been let down for their wedding, carefully braided with wildflowers and leaves. It was tangled by now, but that didn’t seem to bother her. Her dress was a pale green, made especially for the wedding, and embroidered with white flowers around the hem and cuffs.
Violet wore a plain yellow gown, but she had flowers braided in her hair, too. That had been Hannah’s idea, as her sister was the one who’d walked her down the aisle. Lucas had offered to do it, but Hannah had been insistent.
“It is me and me sister,” she’d said firmly. “We’ll go together.”
Violet would come to Calder Castle, of course. She hadn’tquiterecovered from the shock of seeing Aiden and Hannah curled up in bed together that first evening, almost a month ago, but she had taken to affectionately calling Aiden ‘Braither.’
He found that he liked it.
A familiar voice caught his attention, and he glanced over his shoulder to find Duncan standing nearby. His entire attention was fixed on a plump, red-cheeked maid in a gray dress, clutching a jug of wine to her chest.
“Just a wee dance,” he was saying, smiling hopefully. “Just a moment.”
The maid looked crestfallen. “I cannae, sir. I am working, ye see. I have to serve the wine, and if I’m caught dancing with the guests…”
Aiden strode over to them.
The maid paled, dropping into a curtsey. “I wasnae slacking, me Laird,” she blurted.
“Didnae think that ye were,” he assured evenly. Glancing at Duncan, he lifted his eyebrows. “Ye want to dance with this lass? It’s Daisy, is it nae?”
Daisy reddened and dropped into another curtsey. “Aye, me Laird. It is.”
He cocked his head. “And do ye want to dance with him?”
Daisy blinked, taken aback. “I… I cannae. I am working.”
“So ye are. But that’s nae what I asked. Do ye want to dance with him? Speak honestly, now.”
Daisy’s gaze slipped past him to Duncan, and she smiled shyly. “Aye, me Laird. I do.”
Aiden let out a long sigh, closing his eyes and rolling his neck. It was incredible how tiring one’s wedding day could be.
“Then why daenae ye take a wee break, lass. Go. Have a dance. Eat some food. Return to yer duties in about half an hour. If the steward or any other servant berates ye, tell them to take it up with me.”
“Really?” Daisy and Duncan asked at the same time. Duncan certainly looked more incredulous than the maid.
“Aye,” Aiden sighed again. “Go on, then.”
Daisy beamed with delight. Setting aside the jug, she seized Duncan’s hand and all but dragged him onto the dance floor. Aiden pursed his lips to hold back a smile, watching them curiously.
And then, quite without warning, Hannah appeared beside him. She was out of breath from the dance, the flowers half-falling out of her hair. If he turned his head even just a little, he would smell the delicious, fresh scent.
“See how Duncan looks at that wee plump maid?” She chuckled. “Did ye ever see him look atmelike that?”
