“That’s her,” he heard one of them whisper.
Arthur noted the awe that filled their voices, and it stroked the pride bubbling up inside him.
“Excuse me,” he growled to McKellen, “I have to go see me bride.”
He didn’t wait for the man to respond, just left him standing with a gaping maw as he watched her cross the courtyard.
By the time Arthur reached Marissa, the crowd had converged on her. Michael and Cody, who up until that moment had been holding court with Joseph by the buffet table, had found the others.
“What did the council say?” Joseph’s voice sounded from close by, and Arthur turned toward it.
His brother was standing at his side, looking at him expectantly as the two men finally joined the group.
“They’ve been pesterin’ me about meetin’ her,” Arthur answered.
Marissa turned to look at him as he placed his hand on the small of her back. The moment her soft brown eyes locked onto him, his mouth went dry.
He swallowed thickly, giving her a sardonic smirk. “Glad to see ye lassies finally decided to join us,” he said. “We thought ye were goin’ spend half the night tryin’ to bonnie yerselves up.”
“We’re bonnie enough, thank ye,” Ayla interjected, having overheard what he’d just said.
He chuckled darkly but did not take his eyes off Marissa.
She looked even more stunning up close. His clansmen pressed in, everyone clamoring to get a look at their new lady.
“She’s bonnie!”
“Aye, looks like the right sort.”
“But can she dance?”
The jeers of his people filled the air around them, and Arthur couldn’t help but smirk.
“Seems they’ve taken a fancy to ye,” he muttered under his breath, pulling Marissa a little closer to his side.
He was rewarded with a throaty chuckle.
“They hardly even ken me,” she argued, but her tone was light. Then, she raised her voice and called out, “And I need ye to ken that I can dance with the best of them!”
A roar of laughter erupted around them, a few of his men raising their goblets into the air in a toast.
There was a gap in the crowd that Arthur was able to see through. McKellen had apparently joined the other council members, who were all standing along the edges of the courtyard.
Their heads were bowed together, many of their eyes fixed on where Arthur, Marissa, and her family now stood. Quite a few ofthem, including Councilman Shaw, were nodding their heads in approval.
No doubt that was the reason behind the sour look on McKellen’s face. His eyes were narrowed and flinty as he glared daggers at Arthur from across the courtyard.
Filled with bravado, Arthur raised the mug in his hand, giving McKellen a toast before bringing it to his lips and drinking heartily. The whisky burned as it slid down his throat, and he delighted in it.
The sound of a bagpipe filled the air, grabbing everyone's attention.
“Oh, Cody!” Abigail cried, throwing her arms around her nephew’s shoulders. “It’s about time we start dancin’. Is it nae grand!”
Arthur’s eyes flicked to the young man, but his gaze wasn’t fixed on Abigail at all. Rather, Cody’s attention was focused solely on Amara as he spoke.
“Aye,” he murmured in a voice so low it was hard to make out through the din of the revelry. “It will be mighty grand, indeed.”
I wonder if the lad has found himself enamored by me sister’s maid.
