The Cruel Highlander’s Virgin (Seducing the Sassenachs #3)

Chapter 1

“Really, Katie,” her mother hissed, her voice low but insistent. “You must make an effort. Look at how your friends have succeeded. Leah’s book has made her the talk of the town, and your sisters have married well. You must seize this opportunity.”

Katie’s anxiety spiked. She had always been more comfortable in the shadows, content to watch life from the sidelines. But this Season had thrust her into the spotlight, and she struggled to navigate the new attention.

“Mother, I’m trying,” she whispered, glancing nervously around the room. “But I don’t know how to be more… alluring.”

Her mother sighed, clearly exasperated. “You must be witty and demure, my dear. Smile, laugh at their jokes, and, for heaven’s sake, stand up straight. No one will notice you if you keep slouching.”

Katie forced a smile, though it felt more like a grimace.

She straightened her posture and tried to look more engaged, but the effort was exhausting.

As she scanned the room, she saw ladies and gentlemen mingling, their conversations a cacophony of laughter and polite chatter.

Tables along the walls were laden with delicate pastries, fruits, and fine wines, but Katie had no appetite.

“There’s Lord Pembroke,” her mother said, nodding discreetly toward a distinguished-looking gentleman. “He would be a fine match. Go, be intriguing—make an effort, for goodness’ sake.”

Katie hesitated, feeling a knot of dread in her stomach. “Mother, I can’t just walk up to him. What would I say?”

The Viscountess’s eyes narrowed. “You must learn to be more confident, Katie. You won’t find a husband by hiding in the corners.”

Katie clenched her fists, trying to quell her rising frustration. “I need a moment,” she said, turning away from her mother.

“Katie, don’t you dare walk away from me!” her mother called, but Katie had already slipped through the crowd, her heart pounding. She needed space, a respite from the relentless pressure.

She found a small, unoccupied room off the main hallway and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. The noise from the ballroom became muted, and for a moment, she felt a semblance of peace, but it was short-lived. Her mother had followed her and opened the door with a soft click.

“Katie, you cannot continue to avoid this,” her mother said, her tone sharp and insistent. “I only want what’s best for you, even if you can’t see it.”

Katie turned to face her, knowing her cheeks were hot and flushed with anger. “Mother, I do understand that, but you don’t realize how hard this is for me. I’m not like Leah or my sisters. I can’t just transform overnight.”

The Viscountess’s expression hardened. “You will do as you are told, Katie. Your future depends on it.”

Katie sighed, feeling the weight of her mother’s expectations pressing down upon her. Without another word, she turned and walked back to the ballroom, her resolve hardening with each step.

She would face the evening with as much grace and confidence as she could muster, for herself and her family.

A rebellious spark had been lit within her. She was determined to carve her own path despite her mother’s relentless pestering, but the evening had deteriorated into endless dancing, introductions, and curious lords and ladies.

Katie kept her smile firmly in place as she glanced around the ballroom, praying that she would not have to dance with yet another forgettable member of the ton.

She felt tired down to her bones and longed for her comfortable bed and a good book.

The room was hot and unpleasant, with bodies moving in every direction. Even the small space she had found between two potted plants was constantly being disturbed by passersby.

She looked across the room at her mother, struck once more by how alike they were in appearance. If Katie needed any indication of what she would look like as she grew older, her mother was proof.

I wish I had her smaller frame. My knees are hurting from crouching.

She always tried to make herself look smaller than she was. The habit stemmed from several loud and unkind comments about her height when she’d first come out in Society.

Her father was an extremely large man, and, much to her mother’s chagrin, Katie had inherited that trait from him. She was much taller and ungainly than all of her friends.

In her first Season, her height had put off quite a few prospective suitors, and she had unintentionally become something of a wallflower. It hadn’t helped that she had spent most of her time with two of the prettiest ladies in Society.

As her thoughts turned to Leah and Daphne, she smiled affectionately.

How I miss them.

It had only been a few months since she had returned from Scotland. She had stayed there for as long as possible, but much too soon, her mother had written to her, telling her in no uncertain terms that she was expected back in England before the summer.

She had returned, expecting to stand at the edges of the ballrooms again and watch as her other friends met and married their suitors. Instead, the opposite had occurred. As soon as she had joined the first ball, she was accosted by dozens of acquaintances asking about Leah’s book.

It had been quite the sensation, and Katie, by association, was more popular than she had ever been in her life. Not only did she know the author, but she had spent time with the “Greatest Laird in all the Highlands,” and everyone wanted to talk to her about it.

She still thought the idea of Magnus as the greatest Laird in the Highlands was extremely amusing, but she would never tell Leah that.

“What are you doing, hiding over here?”

Katie sighed as her mother’s waspish expression appeared before her.

“Good evening, Mama,” she said as cheerfully as she could. “I am not hiding, just resting. It is exceedingly hot in this room.”

Her mother looked her up and down and brushed something invisible from her shoulder as Katie emerged from between the plants to stand beside her.

“You look well this evening. You should wear burgundy more often,” her mother said with satisfaction as she flicked open her fan and blew cool air over Katie’s face. “And you are right. It is unseasonably hot today, and there are far too many people.”

Katie rolled her eyes. The mamas around the room appeared scandalized by the number of attendees at the Illingham Ball this year. They loved to gossip and complain, and the overcrowding had become the topic of choice for the evening.

“Come and stand here,” her mother said, pointing to a spot on the edge of the dance floor.

Katie slowly moved forward as her mother pulled her to the required spot, with her fingers painfully tight around Katie’s upper arm.

Lady Theodosia Crawford was not the easiest woman to live with and had been a source of great pain to Katie throughout her life. With two older sisters married to well-bred, wealthy men, Katie had always felt as though she was the disappointment of the family.

Her mother’s comments were usually sharp and unpleasant. Lady Crawford rarely complimented her youngest daughter on anything, and Katie had often avoided spending time with her as a form of self-preservation.

However, since the miracle of Leah’s book, her mother has been far more accommodating, particularly now that Katie had a full dance card at most functions.

A full card meant the possibility of finding a husband, and that was all her mother cared about.

But, in truth, Katie dreaded the notion of marriage.

She looked around her at the ‘talent’ on display this Season and stifled a grimace. Some of the men looked utterly bored, others appeared intrigued, and the worst of the suitors simply looked desperate.

Katie had joked with Daphne that she needed to find a Highland laird of her own to marry, and since she had returned to London, the idea had grown in its appeal. It was not so much that she wanted to emulate her friends, but more because all the men in the ton were horribly dull.

“Stand up straight,” Lady Crawford hissed as she brushed a hand down Katie’s sleeve for the third time. “You will never find a husband if you slouch. Don’t stand so tall, though. Keep your head at the same level as mine.”

Katie almost groaned aloud as she, once again, had to crouch slightly to be considered at a ‘normal’ height. It was exhausting.

“Who else has marked your card this evening?” her mother asked accusingly.

Katie hid it behind her back. “I have danced a great deal, Mama. I need to rest for a moment. I will join the next set.”

Lady Crawford narrowed her eyes at her. “Oh? And that is what will win you a husband, is it?”

Katie’s patience was wearing thin. “I am quite content to find a husband, Mama. I have danced with more men this Season than any other. I am doing my best.”

“And what if I have chosen to follow in my friends’ footsteps?” Katie asked angrily.

Lady Crawford turned to her in surprise. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Perhaps I have also found a Highland laird to marry. Did you ever think of that?”

Katie was unsure what had come over her, but her desire to make her mother stop criticizing everything she did was so strong that she had utterly forgotten how unwise it was to lie to her.

Lady Crawford stared at her, her mouth hanging open in shock. “A Highland laird? You?” She laughed derisively. “And where is he, pray tell?”

Katie opened her mouth to take back her words when a long shadow fell across her path. She looked up, and then further still, into the face of an extremely handsome man in Highland attire, standing before them.

He had sharp features and wide eyes which skimmed briefly over her figure and back up again before he executed a formal bow.

“Miss Katie?” he asked in a deep, gravelly voice.

Katie held her breath. Perhaps she had been hasty in her declaration. One more dance might be acceptable, after all…

“Great,” Aiden grumbled under his breath, watching as a lady and her young daughter started toward him.

They thought better of it as he stared back at them, his arms folded across his chest, impatient to be done with all of the pleasantries.

He stood near the edge of the grand ballroom, feeling the familiar sense of entrapment that always accompanied such events.

He hated ceilidhs and balls alike; the etiquette and suffocating formality made his skin crawl.

If it weren’t for his business associate, Lord Illingham, hosting the ball, he would never have set foot in the lavish affair.

The room was a spectacle of opulence, with crystal chandeliers casting a warm glow over elegantly dressed couples twirling to the rhythm of a classical string quartet.

Aiden’s dark hair and brooding expression stood in stark contrast to his glittering surroundings. He tugged at the stiff collar of his formal attire, longing for the freedom of the open sea or the rugged Scottish Highlands.

With his business secured and pleasantries exchanged, Aiden was ready to make his exit.

He began to edge toward the door when a sudden movement caught his eye.

Standing somewhat apart from the lively crowd was a very tall lady, her posture elegant yet noticeably tense.

She had raven hair styled in an intricate updo, her curvy figure draped in a gown of deep burgundy that highlighted her striking beauty.

Aiden’s curiosity was piqued. This must be Miss Katie, the friend his ally’s wife had mentioned.

Leah had given him a letter to deliver, insisting he meet the recipient personally.

She had forgotten to mention just how beautiful the woman was.

However, Miss Katie appeared quite shy and distressed, and her eyes darted around the room as if seeking an escape.

He watched her for a moment, noting how out of place she seemed amidst the merriment, much like he felt. There was a vulnerability in her expression that stirred something within him—a desire to offer solace and a way out of her discomfort.

Summoning his resolve, Aiden crossed the room toward her. As he approached, he couldn’t help but notice the delicate blush on her cheeks and the way her eyes widened slightly at his approach. Despite her obvious distress, she held herself with a grace that intrigued him.

“Miss Katie?”