Chapter 18
“Ach, I dinnae care what he thinks. I’m askin’ ye.” Edan bowed extravagantly and held out his hand. “Will ye do me the honor of dancin’ with me, me darling wife?”
Olivia could not believe the change in him. It was so extreme that it hardly made sense. But she was not going to turn down his offer.
“If ye dinnae mind, Zander, I think I’d like to dance with me husband.”
Zander gave her a half bow. “Aye, of course, Olivia. Call me if ye need any help,” he added quietly, casting a doubtful look over his shoulder before he left the dance floor.
Olivia turned to Edan, who immediately took her hands in his, raised them to his lips, and kissed them. It seemed he could not stop looking at her with loving admiration. In fact, he was acting just the way she had wished he would.
The reel came to an end, and the strains of a county dance sounded. Many of the dancers made for the refreshments tables. Olivia saw Eileen among them, looking happy but clearly in need of a rest. Once again, the sisters waved at each other.
Eileen glanced at Edan, then threw Olivia a cheeky wink as if to say, “So, he finally asked ye to dance!”
The dance was a well-known one, the steps familiar to everyone present. Couples would dance it together.
“Do ye realize that this is the first time we’ve ever danced together, Edan?” Olivia asked.
“Aye, I suppose it is. Well, we’d better give it all we’ve got then and enjoy it to the fullest. I must say, I look forward to it,” Edan replied, gazing at her lovingly. “Did I tell ye how lovely ye look in that dress?”
“Thank ye, I’m glad ye like it.”
“Oh, I like it, wee wifey. I like it very much.”
The music picked up then, and he wrapped one arm around her waist, clasped her hand, and they both set off, skipping through the steps in time to the beat of the drums.
Edan proved to be an excellent dancer as he twirled her about the dance floor, spinning her beneath his arm expertly, linking their arms as they spun in circles, turning back and forth as the dance demanded. And all the while, his eyes never left hers as he smiled down at her.
She could not remember ever seeing him so relaxed and full of joy. A wonderful sense of happiness possessed her. She found herself laughing with sheer exuberance, for being in his arms and dancing with him for the first time was like a dream come true, and she wished it would never end.
It seemed as though the guests appreciated it too because many of them stood and watched, clapping in time to encourage them, laughing, and cheering on their Laird and his lady, who appeared so much in love.
However, like all good things, the dance eventually ended. As the last chord sounded, they came to a gradual stop.
Edan put his arm around her shoulder.
“Shall we stay for another?” she asked, eager for more.
“I-I’d like to, aye, but I feel a bit dizzy,” he said, suddenly swaying against her.
She propped him up.
“Are ye all right? Are ye ill?” she asked anxiously, holding him around the waist while he swayed unsteadily.
“I’m awful dizzy—I need to sit down. I dinnae feel right.”
“All right, let’s go and sit down.”
She led him to the Laird’s table, where he fell heavily into a chair, his head drooping.
Zander appeared and looked at him worriedly, lifting his chin.
His eyes were half closed, and he looked on the verge of unconsciousness.
No one else took much notice except Greta and Eileen.
Many of the guests were in a similar state by then after drinking too much.
“What’s wrong with him, Zander? Is he ill?” Olivia asked, alarmed. She was certain something was not right.
“I’ve never seen him like this before,” Greta said, her wrinkled face full of concern as she peered at her grandson.
“Aye, me neither,” Zander agreed. “I think we should take him to yer chambers, Olivia. If ’tis the drink, he can sleep it off.”
“Aye, all right,” Olivia replied, deeply worried for Edan’s health. “Can ye get some men to help ye carry him? I’ll come with ye and watch over him while he sleeps.”
The party went on, while Olivia spent many quiet, long hours in Edan’s chambers, lying next to him on the bed, cradling him protectively as he slept, mercifully undisturbed by any nightmares.
She spent the time contemplating the rugged, masculine beauty of his face, her fingers tracing the shape of it and the fine fretwork of scars on his skin that marked him as the brave warrior he was.
From time to time, she leaned her head against his or pressed soft kisses to his lips.
“Wake up and be well, please, Edan. I beg ye. Wake up and be well,” she whispered repeatedly as if it were a magic charm, even though she knew he could not hear her.
The candles burned down, and the fire burned low. On the edge of dawn, when the birds were beginning their chorus to herald the new day, Olivia was stroking his hair when he opened his eyes.
A wave of relief washed over her as she looked into them. “Thank God ye’re awake at last. Are ye all right?” she asked, still absently stroking hair.
He frowned, looking at her in confusion. “What happened?” he asked huskily.
“I’m nae sure. Ye suddenly became dizzy and almost passed out. We brought ye here. Ye’ve been asleep for hours,” she told him.
“I feel so tired, and me head hurts. ’Tis hard to think,” he murmured, raising a hand to his forehead and finding her hand. He grasped her fingers. “Have ye been here all the time?”
“Aye, of course. I’ve been very worried about ye. I didnae ken what was wrong. I was afraid ye fell ill,” she explained.
“Ach, this is embarrassin’. Ye should have just left me to sleep it off,” he said, his cheeks flushing red.
“There ye go again with yer embarrassment. I dinnae understand ye. How could I leave ye when I didnae ken what made ye like this? Everyone thought ye’d had too much ale, but ye said ye’d only had two tankards.
And Zander said ye can hold yer drink better than this.
Can ye nae see why I’ve been so worried about ye? ”
“Aye, all right, I see what ye mean. Thank ye for takin’ care of me.”
He groaned as he pulled himself into a sitting position and rubbed his face and hair vigorously.
“Ach, me head’s throbbin’,” he added with a grimace. “And me throat’s as dry as a bone.”
“Here, have some water.” She poured him a cup and handed it to him. He downed it in one swallow.
“That’s better.”
“What do ye think caused this if it wasnae the ale?”
“I’ve got a good idea,” he told her. “I reckon someone spiked me ale last night.”
Olivia recoiled in shock. “What?! Someone drugged ye?”
“Aye, I reckon that’s the only explanation for it.”
A mixture of fear and fury gripped Olivia as something occurred to her. “Edan, do ye think…”
“Nurkirk. Aye.”
As they gazed at each other, a heavy silence fell between them, full of things unspoken, filling Olivia with a growing sense of trepidation.
Edan broke the spell, his voice low and soft but full of conviction. “Olivia, I ken I promised nae to leave ye again, and I hate to break me word. But I cannae put it off any longer. I must go after Nurkirk. I have to kill him and put a stop to all of this.”
Olivia nodded sadly. “Aye, I understand.”
“But I promise I’ll nae leave until we’ve had our last outing, all right?”
“Aye, all right. Thank ye, Edan. That means a lot to me.”
She looked deeply into his eyes and realized she was in love with him. Compelled by that love, she bent her head and kissed his lips.
The kiss was tentative at first, but all of Olivia’s fears and doubts immediately melted away at the feel of Edan’s warm, firm mouth on hers.
As if in awe of what they had started, they briefly pulled back, their faces barely an inch apart, and stared into each other’s eyes for a few intense moments.
“Edan,” Olivia murmured, trailing her fingertips down the strong column of his throat, where his shirt lay open to reveal the dark, springy hairs covering his chest.
She felt her insides turning into water at the feel of his skin and the naked hunger she could now see in his dark eyes. Her heart began racing, her chest rising and falling rapidly as the breath fled her lungs beneath the intensity of his gaze.
“Olivia, yer lips are so soft,” he murmured, his voice low and hoarse as he leaned forward and closed the gap between them, his lips seeking hers once more.
When their mouths met, a fire inside her belly sprang to life. She was suddenly consumed by the same hunger she saw reflected in his eyes, the wanting she had been holding back for so long.