Page 29 of The Scot is Hers
“’Haps, I should intervene,” Alec mused.
“I’m staying well away from that,” Euan shook his head. “I’ve enough troubles with all the females in my house. Besides, Maggie’s much better at regulating than I am.”
Poor Euan was the only son and had six sisters. When his parents passed away, he was barely more than fourteen years old and suddenly in charge of raising six females. How he’d survived to tell the tale, and still have a personality, was impressive.
“As is Jaime, having to deal with sailors and dockhands daily,” Lorne said. “I’d rather hang back than get in her way.”
Alec knew his friends were only trying to rescue him, but they failed to understand that hewantedto go over there and save her. Again. To free them both.
Well, perhaps they didn’t all think that. Malcolm was staring at him with astute eyes that never missed a beat. That was why he was so good at his position with the War Office. They’d all long suspected that there was more to Malcolm than met the eye.
“I’m certain she’d welcome the distraction,” Malcolm said. And if he said it, then it had to be true because the man made a living off of knowing what other people thought, sometimes before they even contemplated it.
Just as Euan promised, his sister invited several of the women over to a table to play cards, leaving Giselle to decline and Jaime to beg off to sit beside her friend.
Now was Alec’s chance. So what was holding him back? He wasn’t certain what it was, only that he felt unmoored. For so long, he’d clung to his desire to be alone. Vowed to swear off females after the pain of rejection grew to be too much. Or at least resigned himself never to have a life partner.
Watching Lorne fall in love the year prior had given him the first twitches of desire for his own partner. But that had quickly squashed when he recalled how society lasses like the ones here tonight made clear he was not the one they were looking for. From what he’d observed, those who were willing to look past a man’s less than desirable visage married the widowers who were bound to keel over soon, leaving them rich. Or they struck deals about furnishing an heir and a spare and moving into separate quarters. That was not what Alec wanted.
And just because Giselle hadn’t shied away from him didn’t mean she was willing to take him as a husband either.
* * *
Giselle watchedAlec from across the room where he stood with several other large males. Funny how beasts seemed to congregate together.
“What are ye smiling about?” Jaime asked, sitting down on the chair beside where Giselle lounged on a settee. Her astute regard followed Giselle’s line of vision.
“I’m no’ smiling.” Giselle was quick to frown as she focused on the table in front of her, which only made her friend laugh.
“Ye’re a terrible liar,” Jaime said with a playful roll of her eyes and then poured them both a cup of tea from the service the footmen had laid on the table.
“I know. ’Tis one of the reasons I am so witty. It throws people off.” Giselle wiggled her brows and picked up her cup of tea, savoring the warmth.
“Good thing I know ye well.” Jaime stirred in a lump of sugar.
“Aye.” Giselle’s gaze slid back to Alec. He said something to his friends that made them all laugh, and he looked a little put out. She found his grumpiness endearing, and it made her smile, thinking of ways she could tease a grin from him.
“Ye like him,” Jaime drawled, adding another lump of sugar to her tea.
“I do no’ know what ye’re implying.” Giselle tasted her tea, if only to avoid saying another word that might give away the dreadful thought her friend had given her, which was that she did like him quite a bit.
Jaime leaned closer, a teasing smile curling her lip. “Ye find himdashing.”
Giselle pursed her lips to keep from laughing. “I’m no’ certaindashingis the word I’d use.”
“Then what would ye say?”
With a naughty smile, Giselle said, “Beastly.”
“But in a way that makes your heart race.” Jaime pressed her hand to her heart with a romantic sigh.
Giselle’s heart did thump up a notch in her chest when Alec winked at her from across the room at that precise moment. Dear God in heaven, how was it possible that so slight a movement of the eyelid could affect her? He wasn’t even near her. And yet, her heart was thudding practically as frantically as it had when she’d nearly fallen off the cliff. This man, who’d irritated a few years ago and irritated her again this afternoon, was somehow affecting her in all sorts of mad ways.
“I think ye make his heart race, too,” Jaime mused. “I’ve no’ seen him so...animated since I met him.”
“What is he normally like?”
“Much more reserved. And he hates these sorts of events.” Jaime observed Alec from across the room.
