Page 12 of Shy Innocent In The Spotlight

CHAPTER FOUR

ELSPETHMINGLEDWITHthe other wedding party guests, trying to make light conversation with one or two of them but all the while aware of Mack’s watchful gaze. He seemed to be watching her every movement. Even when she wasn’t facing him, she sensed his gaze on her. She had developed a sensitivity where he was concerned, an internal radar that tracked him as assiduously as he tracked her. What did he think she was going to do? Spill all to Sabine about her fiancé’s perfidious behaviour? Elspeth was feeling more and more compromised by the situation her twin had placed her in. Elodie had the chutzpah to wing her way through just about any scenario but Elspeth did not.

Firstly, she hadn’t had much of a social life over the years due to fears over her allergy, and secondly, she had zero experience in handling men like Mack MacDiarmid. But that didn’t stop her being drawn to him as if by some wickedly mischievous magnetic force.

Once the rehearsal was over, the guests were led into one of the grand formal dining rooms for a lavish dinner. Elspeth saw from the beautifully calligraphed nametags on the table that she was seated next to Mack, opposite Fraser and Sabine. She was so nauseated by Fraser’s act of loving fiancé eagerly looking forward to his wedding day, she knew she wouldn’t be able to eat the dinner even if she weren’t worried about nut contamination.

But then, Elspeth knew she was equally guilty in her own game of charades, which unsettled her all the more. Every moment was filled with a sense of dread she would somehow forget she was pretending to be her twin. The fallout would be crucifying, mortifying and horrifying. But even more so, she hated the thought of upsetting the lovely Sabine. The bride-to-be had been nothing but warm and friendly towards her, and yes, perhaps Sabine was a little star-struck by Elodie’s fame, but behind that Elspeth could see Sabine’s genuine affection for her twin.

A wave of self-doubt washed over her. But she wasn’t her twin. Was she doing a good enough job of being Elodie? Her twin would have been working the room, smiling at everyone with confidence, charming every man within her orbit. She wouldn’t be standing to one side, wondering with a sinking feeling in her stomach how on earth she was going to get through the next couple of hours.

Mack came up beside her at the dining table and pulled out her chair with a smile. ‘It seems we’re destined to spend more and more time together this weekend.’ His eyes contained a teasing glint.

Elspeth sent him a look that threatened to wither the whimsical floral arrangement on the table. ‘I can assure you, the prospect doesn’t thrill me one little bit.’

His smile tilted a little further and the glint in his gaze sharpened as if he was secretly relishing her sense of discomfiture. ‘By the way—’ he leaned down to speak close to the shell of her ear and a shiver tumbled down her spine ‘—I spoke to the chef and gave him strict instructions that your meal is not to be contaminated with nuts.’

Elspeth glanced up at him, her pulse still racing at his closeness. ‘That was very...’ she disguised a little gulp ‘...thoughtful of you.’ And crazy of her not to have done so herself. How could she expect to sit through a formal dinner without eating a morsel without drawing attention to herself? And how could Mack have such a potent effect on her that he made her forget the one thing that had dominated every day of her life since she was two years old?

‘He was totally unaware of your dietary needs,’ Mack continued. ‘Do you think you should’ve said something earlier to Sabine or the wedding planner so the caterers could be better prepared?’

‘It was on my list of things to do but I got distracted by...other things...’ Elspeth knew her reply sounded as unconvincing as it was for someone suffering a life-threatening allergy. But then, her twin didn’t have an allergy and suddenly making a fuss about dietary requirements was only going to draw the sort of attention to herself she was hoping to avoid. The sort of attention Mack MacDiarmid was focussing on her now, as if he was trying to solve a perplexing puzzle. His brow was furrowed, his gaze slightly narrowed, his expression a landscape of deep concentration.

Sabine and Fraser came to their seats opposite and Elspeth couldn’t help noticing the beads of perspiration beading across Fraser’s forehead. He looked as if he had been imbibing a little heavily—his cheeks were ruddy and his eyes glassy and his movements a little uncoordinated—although it seemed he was doing all he could to disguise it. It occurred to her how different the two brothers were in temperament and behaviour. Mack was all about emotional regulation, steely control and steadiness. But his younger brother was wayward, reckless and self-indulgent with a lot less ability to control his impulses.

Elspeth couldn’t help wondering what Sabine saw in Fraser, what qualities she was drawn to in him. Or had love planted a pair of rose-coloured glasses on her nose? One day those glasses would have to come off, and then what? Poor Sabine would have to face the truth about the man she married.

Sabine reached for Fraser’s hand and smiled at him in a loving manner. ‘Can you believe that this time tomorrow we’ll be husband and wife?’

Fraser’s answering smile was a little shaky around the edges. ‘I can’t wait, my love.’ He picked up his champagne glass and raised it in a toast. ‘To my beautiful bride-to-be, Sabine. My soulmate, the love of my life.’

Everyone chorused in. ‘To Sabine.’

Elspeth wanted to vomit and, judging from the brief covert glance Mack shared with her, she wasn’t the only one.

Later that night when the other guests had gone to bed, Mack stood in front of the windows of one of the smaller sitting rooms overlooking the loch. The moon cast long slim silver beams of light across the smooth glassy surface of the water. Such a tranquil scene to observe given the mental turmoil he currently was experiencing. He still couldn’t make Elodie out and it deeply troubled him. Alarm bells were ringing in his head and he trusted his gut enough to know they were ringing for good reason.

But what was the reason?

Elodie Campbell apparently had a life-threatening nut allergy but had not notified the catering staff. There was no mention anywhere online of her having an allergy, only dyslexia, which was another red flag to him given her avid interest in his library. For someone who had struggled to read for most of her life, why then would rare books hold such appeal?

But it was the allergy that rang the biggest alarm bell. Why would she risk something like that? Caterers were trained to be able to handle specific food allergies—all she had to do was inform them. Was she really so concerned about her image that she would put her life in danger? And if she was such a risk-taker and the troublemaker the press and his younger brother made her out to be, why then hadn’t she hinted at the one-night stand she’d had with Fraser over dinner? She’d had ample opportunity, not just at dinner but from the moment she’d arrived, and yet she looked as uncomfortable and on edge as Mack felt. Did she intend to sabotage the wedding at some point? Was that her goal, to wait for a moment when the impact of her revelation would be most explosive? Or were his brother’s concerns more a reflection of his own guilt and nothing to do with Elodie, who had slept with him supposedly before knowing he was engaged?

Mack preferred to see Elodie as innocent, unknowingly caught up in a drama of his brother’s making. But why was he so intent on trying to whitewash her reputation? He would be lying if he didn’t admit he was attracted to her. Attracted to her in a way he hadn’t been towards a woman in a long time, if ever. She was beguiling, bewitching, beautiful and at times completely befuddling, and yet he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Her touch had stirred a sensual storm in his body. Every time she came within touching distance, he ached to be even closer. He had come close to kissing her in the library. Every cell in his body had throbbed with the desire to press his lips to her bee-stung ones, to see if they were as soft and responsive as they looked. And yet, she had acted so shocked when he told her he wanted to kiss her. As if she couldn’t believe he could possibly be attracted to her. But what was so shocking about that? Men all over the world lusted after her, including his own brother. Surely it hadn’t been false modesty on her part. She’d looked positively stunned by his confession. Besides, he’d sensed her attraction to him on more than one occasion. Was she acting coy and shy in order to ramp up the heat? If so, it was working a treat. He was hot for her, all right. Smoking hot.

The problem was—what was he going to do about it?

Under normal circumstances, Elspeth would have quite enjoyed the morning’s preparations with the bride and the other bridesmaids under the expert ministrations of the hair and make-up team. She got a tiny glimpse of what her twin experienced in her life as a lingerie model. The pampering, the priming, the professional grooming had turned her into a stunning version of herself. Her skin glowed, her hair was expertly assembled in an up-do that highlighted her cheekbones and the slim length of her neck. The oyster silk bridesmaid dress was slim-fitting with shoestring shoulder straps, and the unusual mushroom colour worked surprisingly well with the smoky tones of her eyeshadow.

Sabine looked exquisite in a diaphanous white cloud of a designer off-the-shoulder dress, the cinched-in waist emphasising her womanly curves. The voluminous veil had a long train that made her look like a fairy-tale princess. Her face shone with happiness and her eyes with excitement. She glanced at the slim watch on her wrist—the borrowed item, from her grandmother. ‘Right. It’s time to go. I’ve made him wait long enough. Ready, girls?’

‘We’re ready,’ the other bridesmaids chorused.

The wisteria walk where the ceremony was to be conducted was in full bloom, the scent intoxicating. Elspeth was aware of a creeping anxiety, no doubt triggered by the memories of her twin’s ill-fated wedding day. Although her twin’s ceremony had been in a church, a cathedral at that, with rows and rows of guests, the atmosphere was the same. The almost palpable sense of expectation from the gathered guests, the chamber music eerily playing exactly the same piece, the groom and groomsmen dressed magnificently in full Highland apparel, including kilts, waiting for the bride and her attendants to appear.

The bride was standing with her father behind a screen, waiting for the moment to come forward, once the bridesmaids had begun their progression.

Before she began to walk forward, Elspeth glanced back to see Sabine’s father frowning as he talked to his daughter. It didn’t seem like the sort of conversation a father and daughter should be having just moments from walking up the aisle. Why wasn’t he smiling at his daughter with pride? Why was he looking so grave and serious? His hand was on her arm in a stalling gesture. His voice was pitched low but was still loud enough for Elspeth to hear her sister’s name mentioned. A wave of panic flooded her being, a cold hand of dread gripped her insides and her knees began to knock together.

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