“I’m—”Margaret began, but Ryan cut her off, beating her to the introduction.
“She’sto be yer new lady,” he said, offering no more information as he led Margaret to the head table.
“Colby, ye…”Cali started, the rest of her statement fading into the background as Ryan led Margaret away from them.
Eyes remainedon them as they walked, and curious whispers rose from the tables they passed. Occasionally, he could pick up a word or two from an older person who was beyond the age of caring and overheard their opinions. Ryan paid them no mind. They would have to get used to Margaret’s presence as would he.
While Margaret knewthat the people in the Clan McGhee would be curious about her, she hadn’t anticipated her arrival would draw this kind of attention. The people—herpeople—craned their heads to watch her pass by. She tightened her hand against Ryan’s elbow, holding her chin up high as they went.
It feltas though she was being judged with every step she took. Her worth was being weighed by the way she moved through this hall. Perhaps she imagined just how far their judgment went, but they were certainly forming opinions about her just by looking at her.
I supposethat it must be strange for them. He turned down so many other ladies before I came along. Of course, they’re all dying to get a look at me.
She wonderedwhether she should feel some kind of pride at being the one he chose. If he’d wanted, he could have turned her away yesterday. Instead, he brought her into his castle and presented her to his congregation.
As they passed a table,Margaret overheard someone whispering, “She’s a bonnie thing.” She decided then that she was proud of being chosen. It didn’t matter that they were only together as part of a deal; he had still decided that Margaret was good enough for him.
ShouldI really be taking pride in getting chosen by a Highlander, though? Aren’t they all savages? Perhaps he’s turned down all the Scottish women around because he respects them more than he respects me.
As she triedto push the thought out of her head, a young girl waved at her. With a smile tugging at her lips, Margaret wavedback. This seemed to be the right thing to do as a chorus of jovial laughter and murmurs rose from the table.
When they gotto the head table, Margaret dropped the Laird’s arm. Without him touching her, she felt a little exposed and out of her element. He was right next to her, yet she felt as though she were a ship without an anchor. The only reason she didn’t drift was because of all the eyes on her that pinned her in place.
As she movedto prepare herself to take her seat, Ryan grabbed hold of the polished oak chair and pulled it back from the table. Her eyes shifted between his unfairly handsome face and the seat she was being offered. Then, after a beat, she smoothed out her skirt below her and settled in.
Lookingout over the great hall, Margaret realized that everyone had stopped eating. Some had their forks halfway to their mouths. There weren’t any more poorly concealed whispers about her. Instead, they were all wide-eyed, focused on Margaret and Ryan. All of them seemed shocked.
Perhaps this is morethan strange to them. They look as if they’ve seen a phantom. Or perhaps I’ve broken some kind of rule that I’m not privy to. I don’t know how they operate here in the Highlands.
“Thank you,”Margaret whispered as Ryan took the seat to her right. She thought that he sat a little closer than strictly necessary.
“Ye’re to be me wife,”he replied without looking at her, spreading a napkin over his kilted lap. “Ye daenae need to thank me.”
The low raspof his voice settled over her. It warmed her in a curious way. The strangeness found its home in her stomach. She shifted in her seat in an attempt to dispel the sensation she didn’t understand, but it didn’t go away. This feeling wasn’t uncomfortable, and she knew it was intrinsically tied to the Highlander sitting next to her.
When she beganto pick it apart in her mind, her cheeks warmed. With all the attention turned this way, she didn’t want to be caught blushing. Clearing her throat slightly, she focused on the people. Any time she met a gaze, they’d avert it as though embarrassed to be caught looking.
All the peopleshe saw didn’t look much different from the Englishmen she saw back home. Their clothing wasn’t the same, but there was nothing that set them apart from the people down south. Well… when she looked over at Ryan, she had to admit that therewassomething that Highland men had that the English didn’t.
He was watchingthe rest of the great hall as well. His features were set hard. There was a hawk-like quality to the way he scanned the room. Margaret felt almost as if she were disturbing him when she leaned over to speak.
“They seem surprised to see me,”she said, her voice shaking with anxiety she didn’t know was coursing through her.
Ryan turned toward her,and his gaze made the jitters subside a bit. Then he said, “Aye, but I think they like ye. When they daenae like somethin’, they arenae afraid to say it. I’m nae, either.”
Those words pushedthe nerves away. He could have been lying, but he didn’t have a reason to spare her feelings. She was nothing but a stranger to him. He had nothing to gain from lying, and that consoled her.
“Well,I hope they don’t change their minds about me,” she murmured.
“They willnae,”he assured her, gaze sweeping back out to the great hall. “Ye seem like a good lass. They can sense it.”
She knewit was dangerous to feel comfortable with Ryan. She had barely learned his first name, and she had a sinking suspicion that had she not stopped him before he left the study the night before, she wouldn’t have even gotten that. This man, her husband-to-be, was a stranger. She didn’t know him.
This wasa deal made out of desperation. If Margaret had had any other choice, she’d never have set foot in this castle. Yet, she was here now, and Ryan hadn’t done anything that made her question her decision. At least not yet.
When a maid seta plate in front of her a few moments later, the food was unfamiliar but smelled savory and made her mouth water. She picked up her fork and dug in. It was surprisinglydelicious, and she took another bite, perhaps a little too enthusiastically for a lady.
Her attempt toclear her mind by filling her belly didn’t work for long. Beside her, Ryan grunted and said something she didn’t quite catch in that accent of his, and her worries returned. This time, though, she wasn’t concerned about the way the people perceived her but about where she was and who she was to be wed to.