Page 7 of The Highlander's Auctioned Virgin
“Women,” she started, forcing the tremors out of her voice, “have always been required to have some attributes when they’re being auctioned off for marriage. They must be fertile, obedient, and nurturing.”
More silence ensued, such that one could hear a pin drop.
“For this particular auction, I expect the Lairds to boast some qualities as well. I expect them to be protective, caring, and humorous.”
For some reason, the last sentence elicited a ripple of murmurs amongst the men.
“There’s a lot of humor in here, M’Lady!” the voice of a man pointing to his trousers called.
Mild laughter rang out across the hall.
Elinor studied him for the briefest of minutes as he basked in the joy of making people laugh.
He looked incredibly scruffy and was in his late fifties. It wasn’t like he had a chance with her in the first place, but now with those words, he was certainly out of the ring.
She would let him keep playing, though. It would make it hurt even more when she revealed to him later that he never had a chance in the first place.
The murmurs resumed, and Elinor moved further into the hall, watching the lairds speak with one another. She could see it in their eyes, the zeal. Each of them seemed to think that he’d be the victorious one once this ended.
The thought alone made her laugh.
Katherine walked up to her with a smile on her face. “Ye see, that wasnae so bad now, was it?”
Elinor nodded.
Katherine handed her a glass. “For ye.”
Elinor took it and wrapped her hands tightly around it, as if the glass were her anchor.
“’Tis as if I got the runt of the litter,” Elinor muttered. “These men arenae impressive, Katherine. If I have to end up with any of them, I’d probably kill meself before the wedding.”
“Dinnae worry,” Katherine said, “ye already mentioned earlier that the challenge is difficult, is it nae? Who ever wins it wins ye.”
Elinor nodded. Perhaps her friend was right, to a certain point.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the utter silence that descended on the room at that moment froze the words in her throat.
The lairds suddenly all parted from the entrance to where she was standing, revealing the cause of the silence.
A man stood by the entrance, the sun casting a bright glow behind him.
Elinor narrowed her eyes at him. He seemed to be enjoying the attention he was receiving, and she wasn’t certain if she liked that.
He walked in, the sound of his footsteps reverberating across the floor and echoing through the hall as the silence grew thicker.
“Who is that?” Katherine whispered behind her.
Elinor shrugged in response.
He was tall. Very tall. And he walked like he owned the hall. Like everyone was waiting for him and he was happy with his entrance.
Elinor watched as his figure drew nearer with each footstep, till he stopped before her. She studied him, her eyes raking over him from head to toe.
His green eyes and long dark curls were piercing, adding so much mystery to his face and the way he seemed to carry himself.
“Greetings, M’Lady,” he greeted, his voice clear and smooth.
Elinor held out her hand, and he took it, leaned down, and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. His stubble tickled her skin, sending shivers down her spine.
