Page 107 of Wedded to the Devilish Highlander
Archer laughed. “He was so drunk that he might have mistaken ye for a man even if ye were dressed in yer regular clothes.”
Eileen let out a giggle. For the average onlooker, they must have seemed like a happy couple about to be wed.
Archer asked. “When ye first arrived in these lands, ye meant to overhear somethin’ about Reid and then try to find him on yer own. That wasnae the best plan, was it?”
“Nay, maybe not,” Eileen agreed. “I didnae think it through, but I thought I would make it up as I went along, just like most things I do.”
“Then it was a fine stroke of fate that I was in the tavern with ye that evenin’.”
“Aye, it was,” Eilen agreed. She took another sip of wine. “What was it about me that gave me away? Everyone else was fooled, but ye werenae.”
“I dinnae ken exactly, but I just kenned. I couldnae see yer beautiful body or yer strawberry blonde hair, but there was something on yer face that drew me in, and I kenned that ye couldnae be a lad. Call it a laird’s intuition.”
“Seems ye were thinkin’ with somethin’ else when ye saw me,” Eileen teased.
“I think that way a lot when I see ye,” Archer admitted.
“I never thought we would… end up like this,” Eileen said. “I dinnae mean the betrothal. I kenned that from the start.” She took another sip to mask the tremor in her voice. “I mean that when I first came to the castle, we were at each other’s throats.”
“Aye, we were, were we nae?” Archer snorted. “I’ll admit that I thought ye were the most annoyin’ lass I’d ever met, but then I got to ken ye, and ye turned out to be the most brilliant lass I’ve ever met.”
“And I thought ye were stubborn and angry all the time. A complete boor and a rake.” Eileen smiled as she looked out over the crowd.
“And…?”
“I guess ye’re doin’ all right now.”
“I’ll take that,” Archer drawled.
“I suppose that when I’m gone, ye’ll go back to yer old ways?” Eileen asked. “Have all the women ye please and go back to skulkin’ around yer castle.”
“Aye, somethin’ like that.” Archer’s eyes twinkled. “Although I didnae really get much happiness from sleepin’ with a different woman every night. I dinnae ken if I can go back to that.”
“Aye?” Eileen asked.
“A man still has needs, but it’s… I dinnae ken. How about a dance? Will ye dance with me one more time?”
Eileen ached to be close to him one more time, but she couldn’t bear it. If they danced together and she felt his body pressed to hers, it would break her when she left in the morning. She couldn’t put herself through that pain again. She’d made as much peace with her situation as she could, and that was that.
“Nay.” She shook her head. “I like sittin’ here and watchin’ everyone dance. Perhaps later.”
“Aye, of course.”
Eileen felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned her head to see Reid behind her.
“This is a braw celebration,” he told them. “We should have more of this in McFair Castle. There’s always a good reason to celebrate if ye look hard enough. Will ye dance with me, Eileen? Do ye remember the jig and reel we danced when we were bairns?”
“I remember how much Faither laughed at us.”
“Will ye dance it with me now?” Reid asked.
Eileen wanted to, but she’d just refused Archer. “Nay, nae right now,” she murmured. “I’m enjoyin’ watchin’ everyone else. Why dinnae ye go find another partner?”
“Yer loss, Sister,” Reid intoned.
She watched as he made his way down the table and held out his hand to Lyla. The old woman scowled at him as if he had just insulted her, and he quickly moved on.
Eileen burst out laughing.
