Page 22 of Tales of Highland Loyalty

A haughty blonde lady with a long nose peered curiously over.

"Lady Matilda De Vere," whispered Trenton. "Her ladyship's only daughter. She is coming of age and looking to make a match. If you want, I could⁠—"

"No," said Will abruptly. He had not looked at the lady in question but had already tired of the occasion.

Trenton pouted. "Come, Brother. She only looks a bit like a horse!"

This got Will's attention. Flustered, he looked around. "What?" he asked, perplexed. "Pray tell, what horse?"

"Matilda," said Trenton, looking point-blank at him. Will paused and frowned.

"Tilly the filly," hissed Trenton, as Will looked impassive. "Neigh!"

But Trenton's point, if it could be called that, was massively lost. Instead, Will found his gaze returning to the raven-haired beauty in the center of the room.

She seemed to have a swarm of men around her, every one of them intent on getting close to her.

"Anyhow, I said you would take her for a spin," Trenton continued. But Will's eyes had glazed over. They did this a lot when Trenton was talking.

Clearing his throat, color came into Trenton's pale cheeks. "So, what say you, Brother? Are you going to ride her?"

He winked impetuously, but Will still was not listening. Instead, his eyes glistened. The dark-haired girl was wending her way over. For a moment, Will's eyes widened. Just for a moment, he thought she was coming over for him.

Naturally, she did not. Instead, the alluring girl and her lengthy train glided straight past him, barely aware of his existence.

Of course, she did. Because why, Will asked himself rhetorically, would she do anything else? Shaking his head, Will looked away. It would not do to stare. Instead, he let his head drop and got a vague glimpse of a girl with skin as smooth as velvet.

Trenton cast his head at his brother. "Anyhow, like I said, I have arranged everything for you," he said. His eyes were surveying the carousing room. Suddenly, it seemed like every man had found a match—and Trenton was anxious to join them. Pulling his brother's arm, Will jolted out of his dreams.

"You need to get out there, Will," Trenton urged. And when he looked less than thrilled, Trenton reminded him. "You promised Mother and Mary, remember?"

Mary.

A vision of his younger sister's face came before him. If he were not successful, she would not marry. And that would never do.

So, straightening his shoulders, Will reluctantly looked up.

"Yes," he said, checking himself. Dismally, he looked around the crowded hall. The fiddlers had struck a note and were playing—incredibly noisily—beside him. "Yes, yes, you are right. I should get out there."

Will's eyes swept the busy room. Everywhere, he looked for a trace of her. Except she had gone. Demoralized, he looked at Trenton.

"Except how?" he asked. It took him some swallowed pride to admit it, but he hardly had a glowing record with members of the opposite sex. "All the ladies are dancing now."

Placing his arms around his brother's shoulders, Trenton grinned.

"Leave it with me, Brother. Leave it with me, for I have already secured you an audience with the ladies."

Will's eyebrows slanted at the mention of ladies.

"More than one?" he asked, his heart being thrown into a panic. Seeing his face, Trenton laughed.

"Calm yourself, Brother. The trick is to spread yourself very thin and have them begging for more. Here, I have taken the liberty of sending a message out to a number of them."

Taking a slug of his wine, Will tried his hardest to relax into the idea. He had to do something. He needed to calm down a little.

"Very well," he said, trying not to panic.

"There," said Trenton, proffering forth a note. He unfurled the parchment in his hand. "I have an acceptance for a dance. That's all," he added with a wink. "From this lady. Perchance, you can track her down."