Chapter 14 #2
Paisley rose to her feet, darting over to the mirror which hung above his shaving bowl. She leaned forward, running her hands through her hair to tidy it.
"It takes a long time to prepare for a ball," she said absentmindedly. "A Ceilidh, excuse me."
"Do ye having something to wear?" Dominic asked, getting to his feet. "Because I really don't mind..."
"Yes, I told you I have something. I have just the thing."
"And..." Dominic broke off, uncharacteristically self-conscious. "I was intending to introduce ye at the Ceilidh as me betrothed."
Paisley went still, staring at him through the mirror.
"Betrothed?"
"Aye. Nobody would dare touch ye if ye were me betrothed. Ye would be safe, I can promise ye that."
"I couldn't possibly ask..."
"We're not really betrothed." he added quickly. "It's just to get me Ma off me back, and to please some of the more old-fashioned council members."
"Oh, of course, of course." Paisley said, just as quickly. "Naturally, we aren't really betrothed. Well, I don't have any objections to that. I'm quite looking forward to it, actually. Rabbie taught me the basics of Ceilidh dancing last night, you see."
Dominic snorted. "Rabbie was too drunk to teach ye much of anything."
Paisley turned back from the mirror and extended her hand to him.
"So, we're agreed. We shall play at being betrothed for the night, shall we? I must say, it'll be an exciting thing for me. A lot of firsts. I've never been to a Ceilidh, least of all with a real Scottish laird, and certainly never with my betrothed. I'm quite looking forward to it."
Dominic smiled wryly at her and took her hand. Her hand was soft and smooth, and he remembered what Emma and Thomas had said about her hands being so soft and ladylike.
It should have been obvious right from the start that she was a real lady, not some common girl who'd run away from home.
Downstairs, the door opened and closed, and Paisley flinched.
"Who's that?" she whispered, eyes wide.
"It'll be Brodie, comin' in early."
"Oh, no. How shall I get away without him seeing me?"
Dominic chuckled. "This isnae London Society, lass. There'll be nay judgement here. Besides, he'll probably never put two and two together. Brodie is nice, but a wee bit absent-minded."
She winced, smoothing out her impossibly crumpled skirts. "Oh, well. I suppose there's nothing for it, then."
Before either of them could make a move for the door, there was another slam from downstairs, and then Ava's voice rang out.
"Where is she?"
Brodie mumbled something that sounded shocked and incoherent.
"I don't care how long ye have been here, Brodie. Paisley dinnae come home last night, and I know she must still be here. Where is she? Tell me at once."
More incoherent mumbling.
"Brodie, I swear to God, if ye don't tell me where she is right now, I'm going to end ye, got it? I know ways to keep it bloodless."
Paisley pulled a face. "I... I should probably go down."
"I hadn't realized how close ye two were. For Brodie's sake, aye, ye should hurry." he agreed, suppressing a smile.
Paisley hesitated, one hand on the doorknob. Then she darted over to him, stood up on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the cheek.
"I'll see you tonight." she murmured, then she was gone, door swinging open behind her.
Dominic followed her to the doorway and leaned against the frame, listening. Downstairs, it sounded like Ava had turned her anger onto Paisley instead.
"Where have ye been, lass? Ye didn't come home last night! I was worried sick! I went through the forest, expecting at every moment to find ye dead in the bushes!"
"Well, I'm not dead, I'm perfectly well." Came Paisley's cool, measured response.
Ava was having none of it.
"Oh, aye, I can see that. Ye are glowing, lassie. I'm expecting details when I get home."
"Ava!"
"What? Come on, ye can tell me."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Now, let's go home and have some breakfast, shall we?"
The door opened and closed again, shutting out Ava and Paisley's conversation. Dominic shook his head, suppressing a smile.
Ava would guess at once, of course. However, she would likely assume that Paisley's clandestine meeting had taken place with Brodie. After all, why would Ava think that he, Laird MacLennan, would be sleeping in a pub when he had an entire Keep at his disposal?
It is silly, Dominic thought, stepping back into his room and closing the door. Why am I sleeping here when I could just go home?
The answer came immediately.
Because it doesn't feel like home.
He groaned, filling his washbasin with cold water from the jug. In winter, the water froze over, meaning that he had to break the thin layer of ice on top before he could wash.
The Keep was more comfortable, for sure. It was also less private. His mother was there, with her well-meaning nosiness inescapable. Dominic had left the Keep because he needed to escape, he needed to be free, needed to be himself.
Perhaps he and Paisley had that in common. A desire for freedom, to choose one's own fate.
The difference was that the thing Paisley had fled from didn't affect hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent men and women. She wasn't a clan laird with weighty responsibilities, and people who relied on her for food, shelter, and safety.
Dominic shook his head, not wanting to think about this right now. He splashed cold water over his face hoping to wash away the thoughts, too.
It didn't work, of course.