Page 27 of Confessions of a Highland Assassin

Ava tried her best to swallow the feeling of guilt that was building up in her chest. Skye’s words were doing little to ease her conscience. There wasn’t much anyone could say that would convince her otherwise at this point.

“I tell ye what,” Skye said when she saw that her attempts to help her friend were failing. “I ken that this will probably nae put yer mind completely at ease but the only thing I can suggest tae ease yer conscience is that ye mak’ his death as quick and swift as possible so that he disnae suffer. Give him a dose of yer potions that will dae the job in minutes. Ye can even give him something tae knock him out cold ‘aforehand. That way, he will never be any the wiser as tae what happened, or who had done it.”

Ava sighed heavily and smiled at her friend, if only to make her stop worrying. It didn’t make the task any easier. But it did give her peace of mind that she could make his death a little quicker and less painful. If she knocked him out before she administered the potion, he would at least not even know it was her.

She thought of his lips lingering against hers and the way his wet hair had clung to the sides of his face when he had towered over. Her stomach fluttered in ways she'd never experienced before. In an attempt to stop the feeling, she covered her abdomen with her hand. Perhaps she was getting sick or the stress of the situation was getting to her. She'd have to take care of that before the ball. She couldn’t be sick when the time came. She needed to be as fit as a fiddle if she was to complete her mission.

At present, all Ava was certain of was that killing the man who had saved her life and been her very first kiss was going to be far more challenging than anything else she had ever done before.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Skye gasped when she looked at her friend. “Ye look absolutely radiant, Ava,” Skye said as she stood back and surveyed Ava in her brand-new dress of woven silk and finely embroidered detailing. She looked like a completely different person. “Naebody would ever doubt who ye are, ye were born tae play this part.”

Ava looked at her reflection in the floor-length mirror that stood in the fancy bedroom that one of the servants had shown them to. Her petite waist and slim figure were fully accentuated by the bright green dress that brought out her eyes and complimented her aristocratic features.

Skye had washed her hair and brushed the strands until they hung down her back in glorious silky rivulets of ebony. She placed some fresh bluebells in a few carefully braided sections. Ava looked every part the proper lady; she just couldn’t bring herself to enjoy the moment. She was after all, about to deceive a man and trick him into falling in love with her before taking his life.

She felt out of place in the fancy room with its canopy bed, high walls, floral wallpaper, and wooden finished furnishings. Even the fine linen on the bed made her slightly uncomfortable, as though she had stepped into an entirely different world. Her furnishings at the cabin were meagre, to say the least, but at least it was home.

“Dinnae fash too much, Ava,” Skye spoke again as she lay her head on Ava’s shoulder and looked her reflection in the eyes. “We had nae problem coming in the gates and naebody has questioned whether we should be here or nae. Things are going tae work out just fine, ye will see. I’ve spent more than me fair share of time talking tae the ladies that hang around the dressmakers, ye will dae just fine. I promise.”

“Thank ye,” Ava tried her best to seem confident while not feeling so at all.

Skye was wearing a simple black dress, befitting a lady’s maid. Simple, elegant, and classy, but not so much that it would ever upstage the lady she served. The cuffs and bodice were trimmed with simple white frills to add a delicate touch.

Ava marveled at how, even in a maid’s uniform, Skye looked as breathtaking as she’d ever been. How no young men had ever convinced her to marry them by now was beyond her understanding. If it weren’t for the fact that she needed to make the laird fall in love with her as a special condition, she would have convinced Skye to play the lady while she played the maid.

“We better get going. I can hear the rest of the ball downstairs. Ye can at least have a wee dram and calm yer nerves a bit,” Skye teased. “But nae too much, ye must keep yer wits about ye. We have a laird tae win,” she laughed lightly, hoping to cheer up her friend.

Ava took a deep breath and followed Skye into the hall that was lined with a deep red carpet, leaving the fine furnishings of her temporary room behind. They walked down together, with Skye trailing behind as befitting a lady's maid. They greeted everyone they passed until they reached the top of the stairs leading down into the hall.

Looking over the wooden banisters, Ava and Skye surveyed the scene of the brightly lit ballroom beneath them. Several torches had been lit and placed in the iron scones that adorned the rough stone walls. The flames flickered in the slight breeze blowing through the open terrace doors beneath. The solid oak doors had been flung wide open to allow the fresh air in as the guests enjoyed their evening of merriment and polite conversation.

Long wooden tables with benches had been set up on the sides of the hall for the guests to take a breather and enjoy their ale.

Twelve ladies dressed in their finery laughed and talked quietly with their chaperones at their sides, while their fathers laughed louder, holding massive mugs of ale. The gentlemen all wore their finest jackets with either clan-colored kilts or neatly pressed white breeches. In the background, a few young men played bagpipe tunes as guests caught up with old friends or made new acquaintances.

Ava and Skye descended the stairs as quietly as they could, not wanting to draw any undue attention to themselves. There was, after all, only one person whose attention they desired. The rest of the guests at the ball were irrelevant to their plan.

“My hands are sweating something fierce,” Ava whispered through her teeth, keeping her smile fixed on her face.

“Sssh,” Skye hissed back under her breath. “Ye cannae say things like that this evening, Ava. Ye are a lady. Just keep smiling and we will fetch ye a glass of ale tae cool ye down. It will help with yer nerves as well.”

Ava smiled even wider as they made their way through the crowds of hopefuls, fathers, and chaperones. They arrived at the long table draped in a pure white sheet, where Ava lifted a glass of ale and nearly drank it in one gulp.

One of the clan leaders standing nearby smirked at her before turning and walking away with a bemused look on his face.

“Ava,” Skye said quietly as she smiled at the guests around them. “Ye are a lady, remember, and ladies sip their ale carefully. They dinnae gulp it down. Ye need tae slow down a little. Luckily none of the other lairds’ daughters saw ye.”

“This would have been helpful information ‘afore we came down intae the hall,” Ava hissed back under her breath while shooting a fake smile at a lady nearby. “Just because I look like a lady, disnae mean I ken how tae act like one.”

“Aye, I’ve realized my mistake. Ye are more feral than I imagined. I didnae notice this because I live with ye,” Skye laughed softly as if they were having a pleasant conversation between friends. “Just because ye look like nobility, disnae mean ye ken how tae act like it. I should have prepared ye better. But there is naething we can dae about that now. Let’s just look for Laird Boyd Cameron and casually make our way over tae him and cut tae the chase ‘afore we slip up tae badly.”

Ava scanned the room and spotted the unmistakable blond head towering above the rest of the guests. “Over there,” she whispered to Skye. “He’s very tall, as ye can see.”

Boyd was wearing a dark dinner jacket over his green and black kilt, with high socks that came up to his knees. His black leather shoes had been polished and his hair was neatly slicked back into his signature ponytail. There were several other men at the ball wearing the same-colored kilts.

Skye looked at where Ava was gesturing with her head. “He’s tall!” she hissed under her breath. “Ye didnae say he was that tall. Why did ye nae mention this ‘afore, if I knew a man that tall, it would be the first thing I tell anyone that would listen. He’s very formidable… and handsome.”