Page 15 of The Highlander's Auctioned Virgin
A part of her wished he would fail the first trial just so she could see that smug smile fall off his face.
Thomas arrived, and soon, they both made their way to the feast.
“Lovely morning to ye, M’Lady,” he greeted as they sauntered down the passageway, the sound of murmurs in the Great Hall drifting to their ears.
“I suppose it is. Who did ye wake up with today?”
Thomas squared his shoulders and rested a hand on the hilt of his sword. “Today isnae about me. Today is about ye and everything ye have set out to achieve.”
“Ye’re nae going to tell me her name, are ye?”
“Nay.”
Elinor laughed and walked into the Great Hall.
Maids flitted about the tables, serving food, ale, and cakes. The smell of venison and lettuce filled her nostrils as she made her way to a makeshift pulpit, the only place in the hall where she could see everyone and be seen.
She stood for the better part of three minutes before the chatter died down. Thomas stood fiercely beside her, his arms folded behind him, his eyes sweeping over the tables.
“I believe ye all had a wonderful night and came here well-rested.”
A series of grunts rippled through the audience.
“I even believe some of ye wanted to have an even better night by trying to accost some of me maids. I would like to reiterate right now that ye are all here for one thing and one thing only—the auction. If ye are caught with a maid, especially one who has refused to talk to ye, ye will be kicked out of the castle, and any chance of an alliance with yer clan will be ruined. I hope I am understood.”
Thick silence ensued.
Not that she was surprised. If she had learned one thing from her late husband, it was that men like these lairds only responded to blunt warnings. They also responded to an example, but she wouldn’t go that far. Not now.
“Yer first test is quite simple,” she continued. “Ye all have to sit in this hall for at least an hour and nae cause offense. Ye cannae say anything offensive to me or the maids serving yer food or me man-at-arms. Nae even to each other.”
She swallowed after the words tumbled out of her mouth. A wave of dissatisfied grunts swept through the hall, most of them complaining about the unfairness and how this was a waste of their time.
“M’Lady?” Thomas murmured, slowly placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Relax, Thomas. Let’s give them some leeway.”
“This test makes nay sense,” a gruff voice rang out, the first coherent sentence she had heard since she had entered the hall.
Her eyes flicked in the direction of the voice, only to land on the laird she had used as an excuse to escape Ciaran’s presence the previous day.
“I assure ye, Laird McAllister– ” she started.
“’Tis Macaulay!” he corrected, his voice laden with utter frustration.
Elinor nodded. But before she could continue, she heard it. A mild snicker from a corner of the hall. Her eyes shifted to where it had come from, and she sawhim, the biggest grin in the world playing on his lips.
Ciaran.
“Laird MacAulay, I assure ye, these tests were set by me. I ken ye were here yesterday when I made it known that I needed a gentle husband, nae a brute.”
Silence fell over the hall.
“If ye cannae handle that, ye are free to quit and return to yer clan.”
Laird MacAulay lowered his head in response.
“Let the tests begin,” Elinor then declared, her voice clear.
