Page 27 of In Bed with a Highland Brute

“I will dae better than that.” He stepped toward Avery. “I make ye a vow now, Avery. I will never hurt Eloise. Ever. Were I tae harm her in any way, ye can run me through with yer sword yerself and I will happily take it.”

“Ye’d rather die than see her hurt?”

“Aye.” The word fell from his lips fast.

“Well, that is something.” Avery smiled a little but cocked his head to the side. There was a suspicious glint in his eyes. “We’ll just see how long this courtship of yers lasts before I decide if I completely believe ye or nae.”

CHAPTER NINE

“Why so many questions?” Eloise downed the mead from the cup in her hands, desperate to do something other than face the constant interrogation of Callie and Aila.

“When did it begin?” Aila asked hurriedly, not even bothering to answer Eloise’s question. “Who started courting whom?”

“Hard tae imagine Murdoch proposing at all,” Callie laughed deeply. “He’s so quiet a fellow. I half imagine him just taking yer hand and getting down on one knee, without actually saying the words. Oh, is that what happened?”

“Nay!” Eloise declared with vigor as Ian swept the empty cup out of her hand and replace it with a full one. She took it gladly, noting the look of humor in his eyes. “I’m stuck here now, am I nae?”

“Aye. Me wife and sister-in-law willnae let ye free until ye answer them.”

“Oh, in the name of the wee man –” She was cut off as both women simultaneously thought of more questions.

“When did he ask ye tae marry him?”

“How close are ye two exactly? I take it ye havenae already married in secret. Imagine Avery’s reaction if that was the case?”

“Callie!” Aila held her hand over her mouth in shock.

“What? They are clearly adept at keeping secrets, so we have tae ask the question,” Callie said, affecting a look of innocence.

“Of course, we arenae wed yet.” Eloise tipped more mead back to her lips, hardly caring to drink it with any degree of propriety anymore, or even slowly. All she wanted was an escape. Her heart jittered in her chest and her breathing came fast.

“Look out, here they come,” Ian said, pointing across the room. Eloise turned to see Murdoch and Avery had returned to the room.

At least Avery nay longer looks as if he will murder Murdoch. That is something.

“Come on, Eloise. How did it happen?” Callie pleaded, tugging on her arm. “There must be something ye can tell us. Who initiated the first kiss?”

“How long ago did it happen?”

“Oh God.” Eloise couldn’t handle it anymore. Murdoch was not crossing the room half so quickly as she would have liked, and she feared that if Aila and Callie kept asking her so many questions, she would soon cave and give away the secret.

It is all a ruse. A complete and utter lie that ye have all fallen fer.

With a fresh lightness in her head because of all the mead, an idea occurred to her. If she pretended to swoon from all the liquor, that would stop any further questions from being asked, and she would certainly be unable to answer them anymore.

She placed the cup down on the nearest table beside her, drowning out the constant questions.

“I bet it was Murdoch. It was, was it nae?” Aila asked.

“Nay. It had tae be Eloise tae start it. He’s too quiet tae dae such a thing himself. Am I right, Eloise? Oh, Eloise!” Callie cried as Eloise slipped to the side.

She closed her eyes, pretending to faint and dropping to the floor. There was a collective cry of panic and surprise from this side of the room, but fortunately the pipers were playing so loudly and there was so much jollity that not everyone in the room noticed.

Eloise discretely stopped herself from smacking her head on the floor, with her palm planted under her head, before she fell completely still. With her eyes firmly closed, above her she heard a commotion of people moving around her.

“Goodness, was it the heat?” Aila asked in panic.

“Ian, take this.” Callie must have thrust her own cup into Ian’s hands. “I ken what tae dae.”