“We didn’t get these costumes just to stand around and watch. Let’s join up.” Charlotte replied just as a man approached to ask a question.
Vi waved them on and stayed to answer him. Charlotte and Thea had just started toward the dancers when Thea stopped suddenly.
She pointed. “I just saw a man fall down over there.”
“Probably drunk. It’s pretty common tonight.” Charlotte laughed.. “Come on.”
“You go. I’m going to make sure he isn’t hurt,” Thea replied.
Charlotte knew from past experience that Thea always had a soft spot for the down and out—although she hadn’t meant the thought to be a pun—so there was no point in arguing. She nodded and continued on.
In a short time, she’d joined hands with the other revelers and was skipping in a somewhat convoluted circle—thanks to whisky having been consumed with the previous proceedings—along the banks of the river and into the street.
Some of the dancers broke rank, led by a young woman whose long, auburn hair swirled around her as she formed an inner circle that moved counter to the outer one. When Charlotte reached out to join hands again, she found herself looking into the eyes of the dark stranger she’d seen earlier.
Close up, he was even taller than she’d thought. His hand was warm and strong as it grasped hers, and he grinned, showing a dimple on one cheek. He didn’t speak, but the speed of the dance had picked up so much that Charlotte would have had trouble answering him if he had.
Finally, the pace slowed and the merrymakers launched into an edition ofAuld Lang Syne.And as the final lyrics were sung, he leaned over.
“Would ye be mindin’ if I stole a kiss, lass?” He grinned again. “’Tis tradition.”
Would she mind? Mind?Mind? Charlotte had a hard time not throwing herself at him. What a perfect way to end Hogmanay! And the man even had a Scottish burr!
“Aye,” she replied, trying to mimic his accent. “I’d be likin’ that, I would.”
He bent, his lips slowly brushing hers. Not questioning, or asking permission, but rather a slow, lazy exploration that promised it was only a beginning.
She sighed as his arms closed around her, drawing her into his embrace.
And then she was drifting…drifting…drifting… into a fine, white mist.
Chapter One
New Year’s Eve: 1745
Inverness, Scotland
The dancing had stopped and people were now milling about, many of them walking away from the banks of the River Ness. Charlotte looked up at the attractive, dark-haired stranger she’d just finished kissing—the man knew how to kiss!—but instead of looking as bedazzled as she felt, he was only smiling politely.
Had her response not been enthusiastic enough? For a moment, she was tempted to wrap her arms around his neck and press herself against the length of him—it’s what one of her daring heroines would have done—but he’d dropped her hand and stepped back. She didn’t want toleapat him, so she just said, “I enjoyed that.”
Let him think what he would.
“Aye. The dancin’ gets a wee bit wild toward the end.”
The dancing? What about the kiss?
He grinned, his smoky-gray eyes crinkling a bit. “’Tisoidhche Challainn,nae?”
Thankfully, she knew that was Gaelic for Hogmanay, since both Thea and Vi had cheat sheets with common Gaelic phrases. But what about thekissing? Did the man not remember it? Or was he so used to kissing women that it just wasn’t that important? She gave a soft sigh. More than likely, with his skill, it was the latter. She forced a smile. It wouldn’t do to let him think she was upset. She didn’t even know the man.
“I suspect some people get a little bit too festive on Hogmanay.”
“Aye, they do.” He dipped his head slightly toward her. “Since no one is about to introduce us, I’m Niall Fraser.”
“I’m Charlotte Campbell.”
“Campbell?” The smile left his face. “What is a Campbell woman doing in Inverness?”
