Beside him, Violet dipped her head and smiled with a grace sharp enough to cut. “Thank ye.” Her voice was steady, but her hand, still resting on his sleeve, was not.
More guests approached, and before Connor knew it, they were surrounded.
A tenant’s wife offered blessings for the baby, and a cousin from a nearby village spoke of the castle as a stronghold. One of the older men clapped Connor on the shoulder and wisely removed his hand when Connor looked at him.
Violet answered each congratulation with polite words and careful eyes. Every time they said her new title, her fingers shifted against his sleeve.
Connor leaned closer, enough for only her to hear. “I daenae think ye wanted a kiss. Did ye, wife?”
Her shoulders tensed. He felt it under his hand before she managed to hide it. She turned her head slightly, not fully toward him, because too many eyes were still on them. After taking one breath, she gently shook her head.
“I thought so,” he said. “Since ye have been actively avoiding me since the last one.”
Her lips parted. “I wasnae…”
He looked down at her, the glint in his eyes saying nothing more thanDaenae do that.
Violet exhaled through her nose, and her fingers relaxed a fraction against his sleeve, then tightened again.
“Maybe I was.” Her voice dropped. “I am sorry.”
Connor blinked at the words, the noise of the crowd fading into the background. He had expected denial, irritation, or some clever evasion about how she was only trying to be a sensible woman who avoided him near the training yard. He had not expected anapology. Not from Violet, and definitely not here, where guests brushed close enough to steal fragments of their breath and words.
He turned slightly, blocking her from the next approaching couple.
“I am sorry too,” he murmured.
Her eyes lifted to his. “For the kiss?”
“Nay.” He held her gaze, knowing he should have left the answer there and not trusting himself to do it. “For making it impossible for ye to pretend it didnae happen.”
The color rose in her face at once, and he suppressed a smile.
Good. It was nice to know he was not the only one still haunted by that kiss.
The noise in the hall swelled further as two footmen opened the doors to the Great Hall, where music started playing. That gave him an excuse to lean into her ear so that she could hear.
“I’ve been dreaming about that kiss every single night.”
Violet went still, and her lips parted before she remembered herself. Her hand tightened so hard on his sleeve that he felt the pressure through the fabric.
“Ye cannae imagine what it has done to me,” he murmured.
He did not give her the chance to answer. That was the only mercy he trusted himself to offer. He released her, let his hand fall away, and turned as another guest came forward with a raised cup and a wide grin.
“Me Laird,” the man greeted. “A fine day for the clan.”
Connor accepted the blessing with a nod. “See that ye remember it tomorrow when the ale has settled in ye.”
The man laughed and moved on, dragging another guest into his cheer.
Violet stood beside Connor, smiling where required, but he felt the confession burning through her silence as clearly as if his hand still rested on her back.
Hannah appeared near the edge of the gathering, watching Violet. Aiden stood beside her, speaking to one of the older men, but his attention often returned to Violet.
Yes, let her have them near. Connor had taken enough from her. The least he could do was give her space in a crowded room.
The musicians in the Great Hall struck more lively notes, and the crowd shifted in that direction. The servants moved ahead with plates, the smell of roasted meat, warm bread, ale, and spiced broth wafting through the passage.
