Page 8 of Rescued By the Highland Warrior
“Nice tae meet ye, Mr. Murray,” Moira smiled. “This is the best introduction I’ve had yet, an’ trust me, I’ve had plenty today.”
“’Tis a pleasure,” he said, taking the seat which Lady Fraser had left vacant. “May I?” He asked, before settling down.
“Ye may.”
“Well, well, well, Lady Wilson,” he said, filling up a glass, his voice carrying a teasing tone. “So ye’re the one who finally got our Roderick tae settle down.”
“An’ here I was, nae havin’ kent that was a difficult feat. But then again, a laird o’ a castle can certainly have his pickings.”
Mr. Murray leant back in his chair, laughing heartily at Moira’s words. “Aye, he’s had his pickings, an’ out o’ all o’ them, he chose ye.”
“Aye, an’ how dae ye ken it wasnae I who chose him?”
“That’s right, she did,” Roderick chimed in. “Fer better or fer worse.”
Moira knew that she should be sitting closer to Roderick, but there was something restraining her. Outwardly she was relaxed, but she was still very much on her guard. However, she enjoyed the company of Roderick’s friend very much, it felt good to jest around.
But while itfelt good, there was still a part of her that remained cold and detached. The part that was saved for Roderick. She was wary being next to him, on edge for some reason, with all the commotion going on around them clouding her thoughts.
“An’ how did ye two meet, then?” Mr. Murray asked.
“Lady Wilson loves tae tell the story, dinnae ye? Much better with stories than I am.”
“Nae, that’s nae true, ye’re just lazy is all.”
“Och, feisty,” Mr. Murray laughed.
“I cannae be too nice tae him,” Moira winked, “fer I fear he may get used tae it.”
After a few minutes of playful banter during which Moira took all the opportunities she could to throw jabs at Roderick and avoid questions by creating the illusion that she was somehow still answering them, Mr. Murray excused himself to go dance.
Much to Moira’s relief, the couple barely had any time to talk alone. They were distracted by the lively and bustling feast, there was no need to delve any deeper than they were in their roles. And yet, Moira could feel Roderick’s watchful eye on her often, and felt as though he might ask her anything at any point.
As Mr. Murray left, yet another Councilman approached and joined their table.
“Lady Wilson,” Roderick spoke, shaking the greying man’s hand. “This is Mr. McDougall. Malcolm, may I introduce ye tae Lady Wilson, me betrothed”
Moira smiled, at ease after her interaction with Mr. Murray, and well-used to introductions, she spoke with a merry candor. “I’ve met so many councilmen at this point, I feel as though I have joined meself.”
To Moira’s surprise the man neither nodded nor smiled, but he cast his eyes briefly over Moira, as though assessing something, and grunted a little, greeting her as though he wasn’t really greeting her at all.
Immediately, the interaction left a sour taste in her mouth. Moira detected contempt.But why?
It was so unexpected, such a stark contrast to the others around her, that if she hadn’t known better, she might have been offended. But she wasn’t. Moira wasn’t easily offended; she just wasn’t sure if she had said something wrong.
As the group continued their conversation, she noticed how Mr. McDougall avoided her gaze entirely. When she spoke, he ignored her, so much so that Moira fell quiet. She felt that it was both too obvious, and too strange not to ask Roderick about it, despite her reluctance.
She edged closer to Roderick, leaning back in her chair and speaking carefully, in a hushed tone. “This Mr. McDougall, he is cold with me, is he nae?”
“Ye noticed?” Roderick asked.
“How could I nae?”
Roderick’s mother had caught wind of what Moira had asked, and startled them both as she came up behind them.
“Pay him nay mind,” she said cheerily, her eyes relaxed and her face reddened from almost an hour’s worth of dancing. “That’s just how he is, a quiet man, a bit suspicious. I wouldnae worry, he just tak’s a wee bit o’ time tae warm up tae others.”
Moira flashed Lady Fraser a warm smile, trying to decipher whether her positive attitude meant she believed what she said or whether she’d only intended to save Moira’s feelings.
