A Faerie Fated Forever Read Online Free PDF Page B

long. What did one of her dresses matter rather than another? She could never change enough to be prepared to greet Nial. After prowling for a few minutes, she gave up and went back downstairs.
    “Surely you had something else to put on,” Bonnie nearly growled when she walked into the room filling with beautiful women, each wearing a gown more sensational, and more low cut than the next. It was quite plain what sort of interest they planned to inspire.
    “No, Mother. Everything I have is pretty much the same. If you will excuse me, I will go and blend quietly into the woodwork,” she smirked, and her mother sighed in exasperation.
    It was about a half-hour before the laird arrived. Nial bearded the lion in his den by joining Seamus, one of the most avid proponents of the match from hell. "I see Laird and Lady MacIver but I do not see the chit you most wish me to. Where is she?"
    Seamus pointed to the girl standing in front of a window, with her face pressed against the panel.
    "I looked right over her twice," Nial said caustically, "But that's hardly surprising, is it. She is so very easy to overlook."
    "Make an effort, laird," Seamus gritted between his teeth.
    "Since I apparently can't put this off forever, let's get this over with and I shall pray that soonest started is indeed, soonest ended."
    The elder called her name, which was rare enough to startle her. Then he insisted she walk over to greet Nial. For an instant, she looked at him, her panic as plain in her posture as it was in her soul. She remained frozen. Seamus had to get her and walk her over to the laird. She had spoken to him only once, that time at the fair. How did you greet a highland laird who wanted you the same way he wanted pestilence and famine?
    His natural charm took over to sooth her. “Lady Heather, what a pleasure to meet you at last. It was remiss of me not to visit and extend my apologies to you personally after that horrid incident at the fair.”
    She smiled, and he took her hand to kiss it in greeting. As his lips grazed her fingers, she humiliated herself by moaning. She promptly tried to snatch her hand away.
    “I believe I shall keep it for now,” he said, surprised to find that he meant it. What was the jolt he felt when his lips met her fingers? He’d never felt anything like it before. Well, he amended, only once before and that involved her too.
    “It is a pleasure to see you again. I was about to say that I doubt women generally moan in greeting, but perhaps to you,” she said brightly, “they do.”
    “Well, usually they just try to grab me somewhere.” He winked, saying, “On the whole, I believe I prefer the moan.”
    His words were polite, but inside, he was horrified. Surely the elders could not think him capable of vowing fidelity to this lass. She wore a long sleeved gray dress made of enough fabric to clothe every female servant in his household. It bore not a bit of lace or trim and looked like a sack. Certainly, it had all the appeal of a sack. Her hair was stuffed into a bonnet and she looked like a granny. He must have been drunker than he thought at that fair.
    Soon other arrivals drew him away. He played host and greeted several families, each with one or more daughters in tow. Invariably, those daughters batted their eyelashes – reminding him of spiders caught in a gale. Several propositioned him and one made a grab for his crotch right in the foyer. He was, as always, ready with the Maclee swipe. After that, he turned away in disgust, deciding he had greeted more than enough people. As he turned, he spotted the girl heading upstairs.
    He called to her, “Not tired of the party already are you?”
    She shrugged. “I'm going upstairs to read for a bit.”
    “A dime novel?” He teased, approaching her so that he could say it softly. “One of those passionate tales of lust and eternal love?”
    “I’m sure that would make a better impression. I really should lie and say it was, but actually it’s a