Chapter 6
The hall was loud and a little too warm, with what seemed like hundreds of people eating and talking or milling around.
Serving maids wove their way through the crowd, pitchers of ale or platters of food precariously balanced in their hands as they were jostled from all sides.
Some of the men reached out and squeezed the maids’ breasts or bottoms as they went by, causing Allia to roll her eyes.
It was probably difficult enough to serve so many people under these conditions without being pawed at in the process.
But women’s lib was a few years off yet.
She glanced up as her uncle appeared at her side and, after a stern look that told her she had better behave, regally led her to her place at the high table.
She gave him the most genuine phony smile she could muster as she sat down, reaching immediately for the cup of wine in front of her.
Taking a long swallow, she once again let her gaze scan the room, telling herself she was only taking in the crowd.
But that, of course, was a lie. After making it only halfway across the huge hall, her eyes locked on one figure that stood out starkly from the rest. Taller, broader, and somehow just more there than anyone else, he could have easily been on the cover of GQ in her time, well her other time, or at the very least, a seriously successful cover model for romance novels.
Eian Mac Coinnach. He was laughing as a group of several women flirted outrageously with him, in a scene that was growing increasingly familiar to her.
He tossed his head back and his silky brown hair fell in waves around his shoulders.
One of the women, a curvy brunette who stood with her hip leaning towards him in a blatant come-on, reached up to brush a lock from his face and tuck it behind his ear.
Allia’s fingers clenched around her cup.
She wanted to be the one to do that. Eian smiled at the woman and said something that made them both laugh.
Well, he certainly seemed to be enjoying himself, she thought sullenly.
But then, she shouldn’t care. And anyway, the laird had just signaled the staff and dinner would be served in a few minutes.
As if sensing her gaze, Eian suddenly looked directly at her and the smile slowly left his face, replaced with…
was it determination? She froze for a long moment before quickly looking away, her heart suddenly beating much faster than before.
Then he was coming toward her, heading straight for the high table.
Oh god! Watching him, Allia was vaguely aware of her uncle beside her gesturing to an empty chair across from where she sat.
“Eian, please join us.”
“T’would be my honor, Laird”, Eian said, the more serious expression on his face looking slightly out of place, compared with the easy grin she had seen thus far.
Leon glanced to his right. “My niece and ward, Allia.”
“My lady.” He bowed his head to her, his lips curling up at the corners just a little in amusement and his eyes sparkling with what looked like mischief.
“Welcome to Lochain”, she replied politely, averting her attention again to her cup of wine. Eian picked up his own cup, his eyes meeting hers over the rim as he took a long sip. There was no mistaking the heat that burned within them. Then he held his cup up and smiled at her.
“To the lady’s most uncommon beauty”, he said, and took another drink. Allia glanced nervously to her uncle, and found him watching intently, his gaze flicking between the two of them. Oh, great! He knows… will he say something? Have Eian beaten for looking at her? Lock her in her room?
But Leon abruptly looked away and engaged his guests in talk of politics and what was happening with the clans to the east, and slowly Allia began to relax. The wine helped too, and a maid had come around and refilled her cup at least twice already.
Though she couldn’t follow most of the unfamiliar conversation and didn’t know any of the various men they mentioned, she soon realized that Eian Mac Coinnach was far more than a pretty face.
He spoke with confidence and authority on every subject Leon brought up, and it was soon obvious to anyone listening that he was both very intelligent and well educated.
Which only made him more attractive in her eyes.
Damn, why couldn’t he be some sort of all brawn and no brains jerk that she could never really fall for?
Why did he have to be gorgeous and interesting too?
Allia sighed and turned to the roast venison that had been sliced and placed on her trencher.
She cut off a small piece with her eating knife and chewed it slowly.
It was good, but she felt too on edge to really taste it.
Instead, she drank some more wine, hoping it would calm her enough to make it through the rest of the evening.
It wasn’t long before Eian spoke to her again. “My lady, have ye been at Lochain long?”
“No.” She set her wine down on the table. “Just for a few days.”
“And where were ye staying before, then?”
He was doing that thing again, holding her captive with those eyes, making her feel as if she were the only person in the room. “I… um… I was with other relatives. In London.”
She caught her uncle’s sudden frown out of the corner of her eye. Well, what was she supposed to say?
She deftly turned the tables on him. “What brings you all the way to Lochain, Eian?”
“My brother. I’m just passing through Lochain on clan business to the south, but Bren likes to keep up with all of our allies.” He nodded respectfully at Leon. “I willna be here more than a few days. But… I have some time tomorrow if per chance ye could show me around, my lady.”