Aaron took her hand, his other hand settling on her waist with ease.
This was nothing like the dance lesson in the Great Hall, with its stamped boots and breathless laughter and the small lad who had interrupted them at the end.
This was charged in an entirely different way.
Every movement felt deliberate, weighted with something neither of them had voiced aloud.
When he spun her, her hair caught the afternoon light exactly as it had that first night, the scent of wild lavender rising between them as she returned to his arms.
When his hand pressed against the curve of her waist, he felt her breath catch, the same way it had in the carriage, the same way it had every time he had allowed himself to touch her since their arrangement had begun.
Aaron swallowed. It struck him then that there would come a day when another man would put his hands on her like this.
The thought tightened his chest so violently that he nearly missed the next step.
I cannae allow it.
They moved through the rest of the dance with a synchronicity that had nothing to do with practice and everything to do with the tension that had been building between them for weeks. Every glance held a beat too long, every touch lingered past what propriety required.
The crowd around them faded into the background, and there was only Edith. Her eyes locked on his, her smile soft and unguarded in a way she rarely allowed in public, her hand warm in his as he guided her through the final steps of the dance.
When the music finally drew to a close, neither of them stepped back. They stood there, their hands still joined, their breathing slightly unsteady. The entire clan was watching, but neither of them seemed aware.
“Edith,” Aaron said quietly, her name carrying as much weight as a full sentence would have.
She looked up at him, her eyes searching his.
Whatever she might have said was lost in the applause and cheers that erupted around them, but Aaron held onto it regardless, his breathing heavy under the weight of her gaze.
Her warm hand still rested in his, and along with it came the terrifying knowledge that whatever was happening between them had stopped being a performance days ago.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Edith relaxed in Aaron’s arms.
Dance after dance, she felt herself giving in to him a little more, finding comfort in the steadiness of his hands.
He drew her closer, and her heart fluttered slightly, her cheeks flushing in a way that was impossible to ignore.
For a while, she allowed herself to forget the reality of their situation.
Perhaps a life beside Aaron would not be as dreadful as she had imagined at the beginning of their arrangement. Perhaps they could learn each other’s ways, growing fond of each other as Scarlett had of Robert. Perhaps his hand on her waist would always be warm, and perhaps it would always cause her heart to flutter with feelings for which she lacked proper words.
Perhaps…
But today was the last day Aaron would ever hold her, and after today, she would leave Hallow Castle, never to return.
Her chest tightened painfully at the thought.
She looked around the lively courtyard, her vision blurring slightly before she blinked back her tears.
The music stopped, marking the end of yet another dance, and Aaron eased back just enough to look at her, his brows drawing together almost immediately.
“Are ye well?”
Edith swallowed, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment.
I am nae. But it wouldnae matter anyway.
