Page 61 of Hollow Court

“Or Gallagher?” I asked.

Something flashed in his expression, but it was gone before I could read it.

“Yes, or him, obviously.”

I nodded, and his shoulders eased.

“If that’s all, I’m ready when you are,” I told him.

He hesitated for a solid second before he reached into his pocket, taking a step closer. “Not quite.”

A wave of clove and spiced bergamot washed over me, more familiar than I wanted to think about when we were alone in a room with a very large bed.

Davin gestured for my left hand, and I hesitantly held it out. Though it should have been obvious, I was unprepared to feel the cool metal of a ring sliding onto my third finger. When I pulled my hand back, it was adorned with an oval-shaped ruby framed by delicate gold wiring and studded with small, sparkling diamonds.

Red, for Clan Ram.

I let loose a breath, forcing my eyes away from the stunning piece of jewelry.

I tried not to read too much into it. His parents had reminded me more than once that our subterfuge had to be faultless. That’s all any of this was.

A perfect façade.

TWENTY-TWO

Davin

If I thoughtI was prepared for the sight of Galina here, in my home, dressed like she belongs here, I certainly had not been.

She had one slim hand wrapped around my bicep, offering the perfect vantage point of the elegant piece of jewelry that was sure to send the entire dinner into a barely contained frenzy.

But I couldn’t focus on that when warmth was pooling from each place her fingertips grazed my sleeve.

Sure enough, when we walked into the dining hall, there wasn’t a single set of eyes that didn’t linger on Galina’s hand where it rested on my arm. She valiantly pretended not to notice, dropping gracefully into the seat next to mine.

Gwyn took the seat next to me, while Gal sat next to Galina. I didn’t miss the way her shoulders sagged in relief when he smiled down at her.

“Gallagher.” Galina said his name with more genuine warmth than she had shown all evening, enough to make me remember that she and I were not actually friends.

But apparently, she and Gallagher were.

“Gwyn,” she added in a more stilted tone, nodding to them both.

Gal said something under his breath that made Galina laugh, and Gwyn raised her eyebrow.

“It’s nice they’ve had time to get to know each other in our absence,” she said drily, leaning forward so that only I could hear her.

“I couldn’t agree more,” I replied.

They continued to talk over the first course, their conversation easy. There was something about Lady Fenella’s outfit.Stars, they had inside jokes already, which was…not irritating. I had known Galina would be looking for a real fiancé, eventually, but it hadn’t actually occurred to me that her next best match would be my cousin.

Though, she would have plenty of options, if the way the lairds and their sons were eyeing her was any indication.

After my ridiculously long day, week, and hell, month, it grated on me more than it should have.

Galina fiddled with the delicate stem of her wine glass, candlelight refracting off the ruby in her ring in an array of reds and pinks. Reaching out, I took her hand in mine, running my finger over the stone before entwining our fingers together.

After all, we were a newly engaged couple, so we needed to act a certain way.