“Now there’s my brave, strong, beautiful sister.” In her own way, Annahadanswered the question of whether it had been the same for her. It just wasn’t what Saoirse had hoped to hear. She’d envisioned love and romance and a happy marriage like that of her mother and father, not a feat of endurance that would last a lifetime.
Steeling herself, she prayed she had the strength for that.
CHAPTER4
“What daeye think about that one?” Scott leaned across Noah’s shoulder to point at a girl with long red hair. Noah couldn’t help but stare a moment at the girl. Her hair, flowing around her as she danced, reminded him of the sunrise.
Dropping his gaze, he cleared his throat. “If ye think ye can bed her, I cannae disapprove,” Noah replied with a chuckle. “But I daenae think it a wise choice. Ye ken the dangers of touchin’ fire—ye get burned.”
“I wasnae talkin’ about me,” Scott whispered, flashing a wink.
Noah jolted. “I’m a married man.”
“Are ye now?” Scott’s eyebrow arched as he leaned back. “Then tell me, where is yer bride? I daenae think I’ve seen her about since she stormed off the dance floor and left ye lookin’ a fool. Besides, ye wouldnae be the first husband with a few… additional amusements. It’s almost expected.”
Noah’s eyes shifted through the faces in the Great Hall. His heart clenched as he tried to recall exactly the last time that he had laid eyes on his wife. There was no denying the fact that he had hurt her. She might have marched away with her chin up, but not before he saw the way her eyes had once again glittered with tears that caught the torchlight.
“Aye, I should find her before the guests are too drunk to remember to whisper their gossip.” Rising, Noah moved through the hall in search of his bride.
He stopped abruptly at the far side of the dance floor, shocked by the sight of her spinning and whirling in another man’s arms. He should’ve known she’d try to embarrass him out of spite. Judging by the gaggle of lusty-eyed, whistling men who circled his wife and her eager new partner, waiting for their turn, she was succeeding in making a mockery of her husband.
A burning sensation in his chest caused him to take a step back. Anger would get him nowhere, but it raged, nonetheless. Oblivious, Saoirse twirled around and slipped easily back into the stranger’s hold; the flowing skirts of her dress whipping up to reveal her slender ankles as they caught up to her movements. Noah’s heart sank into his stomach, hearing the men’s gleeful cheers.
A marriage of convenience doesnae mean a marriage where ye can dae as ye damn well please!Spurred into action, he stormed to his wayward bride and grabbed her by the wrist before she could dance another intimate step with the unknown Highlander.
“And just what dae ye think yer doin’?” Noah hissed. It was practically impossible to keep his emotions in check. The jealousy coursing through him made his hands tremble against her wrist.
“Dancin’,” Saoirse answered with a sloppy smile. The smell of strong liquor drifted off her lips as she batted her eyelashes.
Noah narrowed his eyes, gripping her tighter. “The only one ye should be dancin’ wit’ is me.”
“Well, seein’ as how ye dinnae want to, I had to find a new partner,” she said with a giggle.
He pulled her to the perimeter of the dance floor, but she dragged her heels. “Ye’re makin’ a rare fool of yerself, Lass. I suppose ye think ye’re bein’ clever?”
“Me? Nay, I wouldnae dare to be clever in case ye changed yer mind about me bein’ dim.” Saoirse grinned wildly as she prodded him hard in the chest. “Besides, it is ye who is the fool.”
He tried to haul her toward a side door that led out into the gardens. “Ye’re drunk. Some fresh air will clear yer head.”
“Am nae,” she retorted, jerking her hand out from his grip.
“Then why are ye dancin’ wit’ that Highlander?”
“He asked,” she answered, clearly unashamed of her actions.
Behind them, the music shifted from the merry tune to a more somber ballad. Noah skimmed the crowd as he tried once again to pull her toward the door, only to meet with stubborn resistance.
“Ye’re a married woman,” Noah said sharply.
“Aye, and he’s a married man,” Saoirse replied boldly. “In fact, let me introduce ye to his wife—my sister, Anna. I daenae think the two of ye have been properly introduced.”
Noah’s chest tightened. His face flushed with heat. Glaring at her, he wondered if maybe he was the one in the wrong. After all, if she was dancing with family, then there was no quarrel to be had.
He locked eyes with the Highlander that she’d been dancing with. A woman who vaguely resembled Saoirse stood at the man’s side: his arm around her shoulders. They both stared at Noah as if he were a beast who had just prowled in.
“Ye should have said as much,” Noah whispered as anger flowed through him. It was one thing trying to come to her defense, to protect her from making a fool of herself. But to have the tables turned on him; he knew it painted him in the wrong light.
Saoirse crossed her arms over her ample bosom. “And when would ye have listened?” she challenged. “’Tisnae like ye gave me any time to explain myself, grabbin’ me like that. Ye just barged onto the dance floor, thinkin’ the worst of me. What should I expect, though? Ye daenae ken me and, accordin’ to ye, ye daenae want to.”