Page 10 of How to Woo a Highlander

William chuckled at her and took a few loose strands in his fingers, trailing down their length absently before releasing them. She flinched from how close he was, wondering if he knew that he was flirting. Perhaps she had been wrong when she arrived and he did not spend time with her. From his actions now, it looked like he was interested in her after all. A blush stained her cheeks.

"Nay, ye look lovely, Jane. I am beginnin' to believe ye would look lovely in anythin'," he said, dismissing her fretting.

She smiled nervously. He was always so nice and polite, treating her as though she was a good friend. It seemed to be in his nature to be good-mannered.

"I ken I should visit ye often. I hope ye are nae disappointed in me as a betrothed. It is in yer rights that I woo ye, yet I am always busy and neglect ye," he said.

Jane softly laughed; she was unbothered by the problem he mentioned. William was so sweet and direct; there was nothing to dislike, even though he did not always give her his attention. Whenever he did, he was so sweet that it made up for everything. She wondered if she would be satisfied with his behavior if she were more attracted to him. He was simply friendly and open with her, and although some of his gestures counted as flirting, it was not as passionate as she would have liked.

"I know that you are busy, Laird William, I would never hold that against you. It's nice of you to worry about me though," she added.

He offered his arm, and she took it, allowing him to lead her down the hallway.

"Ye dinnae ken how grateful I am for how considerate ye are, but it would be shameful of me to take advantage of the fact that ye are. I deserve a scoldin'," he said.

Jane laughed again "Alright, I will scold you next time," she promised, making him laugh as well.

"How have the past few days been since ye got here? Are ye satisfied with the castle?" he asked.

She thought about it before responding. All that she did was spend her days in the bedroom he’d assigned her. She only came out for mealtimes and only had the company of Mary, and occasionally Lain, when she stepped out of her room to eat.

"Well, it is very nice here. I wish I could see more of your lands," she answered truthfully.

William nodded, "Aye, I heard that ye spend all day in yer bedroom. I apologize, I was supposed to take ye to see the villages and show ye how our people live."

He looked deeply apologetic, so she nudged him sideways, making him raise his brows at her before amusement settled on his features. She knew that she had been slightly forward by being so playful with him, but they were to be married, and formalities could be done away with. Luckily he did not seem to mind at all.

"I've told you, don't worry too much about me. You look like you have a lot to worry about already."

His eyes widened in surprise at her honesty, and for the first time since they met, he let out a hearty laugh. They made their way down to the courtyard, and she admired the stellar architecture of his castle.

"Ye are truly an interesting person, Jane. I think our marriage could be successful despite being arranged. I can nae confidently offer ye a proper romance right now since me clan is in troublesome times, but I believe we can have a good future together." They stopped in the courtyard, as he brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear before taking her hands in his.

She gave him a genuine smile and nodded. She already knew he was right, seeing as she thought the same thing, but it was comforting to hear him say it. She was just about to speak when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and found Alastair making his way into the courtyard.

When he saw them, he paused, taking in the scene with a surprised expression before he met her gaze and gave her a vicious glare. It had been days since she had looked directly at him, and now she wondered if his eyes had always been that dark. He looked at the place where her hands met William's, and his jaw ticked with rage.

She immediately wanted to detach from William, somehow feeling as though she was doing something wrong. Luckily, William released her to check where she was looking.

"Ah, Alastair, ye're finally here," he said, and to Jane's shock and horror, he slipped an arm around her waist while Alastair watched. He seemed to be oblivious to the fact that his friend hated her.

William used his hand at her waist to propel her forward until they stood before Alastair, who continued to glare at her like she was a blight on the whole land.

They definitely would riot if they found out that I was going to marry William if just seeing me with him causes such a reaction.

"Ye said ye had an important task for me?" Alastair asked William, acting like she did not exist. She did not look his way either, but stared at the wall.

William moved her, so she was standing between the two of them. Alarmed, her eyes widened.

"I need ye to show Miss Baxendale around the clan," William said brightly as though it were the best idea he'd ever had.

Both Jane and Alastair froze, meeting each other's eyes with equal amounts of panic. They began to protest at the same time. Jane turned to William, gripping his hand, which he dropped from her waist.

"William, I don't think that's such a good idea," she said even as Alastair took a step forward.

"Why would ye ask me to dae that?" Alastair looked bemused.

William placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.