James glanced at her briefly, his expression unchanged. “It will do,” he said simply, before turning his attention back to the hall.
Eloise stared at him for a beat, disbelief flashing across her face before she huffed quietly and looked away. Her appetite vanished entirely, and she began to push the food around her plate with little care.
“It will do,” she muttered under her breath, the words sharp with frustration. If he noticed, he gave no sign, his composure as steady as ever.
The meal passed in a blur of half-heard conversations and careful glances, until at last it came to an end and the hall shifted into a looser, livelier atmosphere.
Fiona appeared at Eloise’s side with a bright smile, dipping into a small curtsey. “Come, miss, ye cannae sit here all night lookin’ like a statue. Come meet some of the folk,” she said lightly, her tone warm and encouraging.
Eloise allowed herself to be guided away from the dais, grateful for the chance to move, to breathe without the full weight of the room upon her.
“Is it always like this?” she murmured as they stepped into the throng.
Fiona gave a soft laugh and replied, “Only when somethin’ unexpected happens, and ye, miss, are as unexpected as they come.”
As they moved among the gathered clansfolk, Eloise felt the eyes upon her once more, though now they were closer, more pointed. Snatches of whispered conversation reached her ears, too soft to catch in full but sharp enough to unsettle. She kept her expression composed, offering polite nods and small smiles where needed.
“They’re only curious,” Fiona said quietly, as if sensing her unease. “It’ll pass in time.”
Eloise nodded, though she was not entirely convinced, her gaze flickering from face to face.
A name drifted to her then, carried just loudly enough to be heard.
“Mairead,” someone whispered, followed by a hushed murmur she could not quite make out. Eloise’s brow furrowed slightly,though she did not ask, uncertain whether she wished to draw attention to it.
Who is Mairead?
Eloise let it pass, though the name lingered at the edges of her thoughts, unanswered and uneasy.
Before she could dwell on it further, a young man stepped forward, offering a respectful bow.
“Would ye grant me a dance, me Lady?” he asked, his tone polite though his eyes held clear curiosity.
Eloise hesitated only a moment, her instincts urging caution, yet she knew refusal would draw more notice than acceptance as all eyes were upon her.
She inclined her head slightly and said, “Aye, I will.”
As he led her toward the center of the hall, she cast one brief glance back toward the dais. James stood where she had left him, watching, his expression unreadable as ever, and for a fleeting moment, she wondered what he truly thought of it all.
He doesnae care… nor do I… and that is the agreement.
CHAPTER FIVE
She is bonnie.
James had thought himself prepared when she entered the hall, yet nothing had braced him for the sight of her now.
The green of her gown caught and deepened the color of her eyes, making them seem brighter, sharper, impossible to ignore.
He felt it then, a brief heat, a momentary lapse in the control he held so carefully.
“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath, swallowing hard as he forced his gaze away.
This is nae more than a ruse. Remember that.
A temporary deception meant to serve a purpose, she was not his, nor would she be, and it was folly to think otherwise. Yet hefound the reminder did little to quiet the pull she held over his attention.
When she stepped into the dance, guided by another man’s hand, something shifted within him, sharp and unexpected.
