Page 28 of Confessions of a Highland Assassin

Ava felt an inexplicable bout of annoyance growing at the fact that Skye had mentioned how handsome he is. “It’s nae something I usually say about people,” she retorted. “Never mind that, let’s go over and mak’ his acquaintance.”

They smiled politely at everyone around them and made their way across the crowded floor to the laird who was surrounded by a throng of guests wanting his attention.

"Excuse me, milaird…” Ava curtsied and was about to catch his attention when another young lady came from the side and intercepted her efforts with a tiny, yet demanding voice.

“Good evening, milaird,” the strawberry blond curtsied before touching his arm in a gentle fashion, batting her eyelids to showcase her beauty.

“Good evening,” Boyd said stiffly with his back now turned to Ava and Skye. His hair was like a waterfall of gold fastened with a leather strip.

The girl who was prying for his attention was wearing a pearl pink dress of satin that flowed down her body in a shapeless fit. Her features were mousy and speckled with light brown freckles across her button nose. The rosy hue of her delicate cheeks reminded Ava of a newly born baby. The slight girl couldn’t have been more than nineteen.

“Never mind that little whisp of a thing,” Skye whispered to her reassuringly. “She has nae a chance against ye. Let’s just stand nearby and mak’ conversation with the other guests until she’s done batting her lashes.” They turned to a group of three ladies standing nearby and made their introductions and pleasantries to pass the time. All the while Ava and Skye kept an eye on the laird to see when he was done with his current companion.

“It’s just so frustrating tae never have anything for my cough,” Ava overheard one of the other ladies saying to her companions. “I’ve tried and tried everything me healer suggested. I just cannae seem to beat it. It drives me mad at night when I’m trying tae sleep.”

“Ye might want tae try some crushed mint leaves, either in a tea or a balm for yer chest,” Ava spoke up helpfully, leaning away from her group of companions and toward the other. “Works wonders for me brother’s chest.”

The group of ladies she’d been addressing turned to her with shocked expressions on their faces. “Thank ye…” the lady hesitantly replied before turning back to her companions in an uncomfortable manner.

Ava noticed some of the other guests giving her strange looks as the ladies around her quietly departed, going their separate ways. “What did I do?” she asked Skye in a hushed tone when they were once again alone.

“Ladies never participate in conversations that they werenae directly involved in. Ye never answer a question from a group o’ people standing beside ye. Yer attention should always be focused solely on the conversations at hand.”

Ava felt her frustration growing with all the silly rules she had to follow. They were not in England attending a London ball she’d heard tales about, for God’s sake. It was ridiculous.

Boyd had even glanced back overhearing the conversation with a bemused smirk on his face but quickly turned back to the mousey little blond in her puffy pink dress. Ava wondered if he had noticed her yet but was far more frustrated with the etiquette expected of her at the moment. “Dear Lord, this is still Scotland from what I recall. Am I at least allowed tae breathe normally?”

“Yes,” Skye rolled her eyes. “But nae tae deeply, mind, ladies must never seem as if they are out of breath, or they may appear ill. Which is a very unattractive quality tae a laird. He’s looking tae sire an heir, nae have someone he has tae look after.”

“Ye are making fun of me now?” Ava asked, slightly taken aback, hoping Skye was kidding.

“I wish I was, I once overheard two ladies in the dress shop talking about how the daughter of a friend had accidentally coughed in front of her prospective husband at a clan gathering and ruined her chances with the man. He was very picky and left the alliance at hand just like that. It’s nae attractive if a prospective wife seems weak and feeble, disnae bode well for bairns or the baring thereof. They want mighty Scottish heirs, nae ill bairns.”

“Heaven forbid ladies should ever be ill,” Ava sighed bitterly and shook her head. “I need tae catch me breath and straighten this dress. I am at least allowed tae leave the ball, am I nae?”

“I will escort ye and wait outside the powder room,” Skye whispered back.

“May I never be left alone even for a second?”

“I’m afraid nae when we attend a ball like this. It’s tae improper for an unwed lady to wander halls she disnae ken alone. I ken ‘tis too much, but at official gatherings like this are expected to apply more rules than usual. We dinnae pay a lot of attention to the ladylike behaviour as Scots, but still there are occasions like this that require it.”

“For heaven’s sake,” Ava muttered under her breath, the life of a fine lady was far more restrictive than she’d ever imagined. She preferred the confines of her cabin in the woods.

Ava made her way back across the room and into a small corridor that led to the powder rooms. Stepping inside she leaned against the door and let out her breath. Being a lady was an excruciatingly challenging task. There were too many rules to remember.

She couldn’t imagine leading a life with all of these regulations and loud people that cared for nothing but the clothes they wore, how many wars their clan won, and how much money and land they owned.

Money… Ava remembered with sickening clarity why she was at the ball. The people around her had enough money to look after their families. They didn’t have the worries and cares that she did in the world.

Focus, Ava Rose, ye are here for the laird and none of the rest… she reminded herself.

The thought made her sick to the pit of her stomach. She was there for the laird and couldn’t pull back now. Aborting the mission would mean losing her brother forever.

The cramped quarters, with its single basin and porcelain wash jug, were making her feel uneasy. She straightened her dress and checked herself in the mirror on the wall before leaving the room.

Looking around, Ava spotted Skye leaning against the wall talking to one of the men wearing a kilt. She was laughing happily in a world of her own. Ava recognized the man as one of the soldiers who had been talking about bedding lasses back at the cabin. She wondered for a moment if she should get Skye’s attention and warn her. But Skye was far more experienced than her and could hold her own when it came to men.

Turning her focus away from the flirting Skye and back to the ball, Ava could see that Boyd was surrounded by women with no chance of escape. The ladies around him were very chatty and flirted in a manner similar to Skye, but none seemed as experienced. Their mothers had all probably instructed them in the art of seducing a laird, something that her mother had never seen fit to teach her before she died.