Page 96 of Hollow Court
It wasn’t that I wanted her to be upset with me. But considering all the time we spent together, I couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t wanted to string me up on the gallows along with every other traitor we knew.
She took a breath, holding my stare.
“You were always honest with me. You never pretended to want anything else. I can respect that, at least.” She gave another graceful shrug, spinning out once more. “Which is why I’m going to be honest with you now,” she added in a low tone. “You need to be careful.”
I bristled. “With Galina?”
She shot me an exasperated look. “With Tavish.”
His name barely left her voice on a whisper, her eyes darting around the room to ensure no one was listening to us.
“I’m handling the vote,” I assured her just as quietly, hoping it was true.
“Are you?” she asked pointedly.
The song finally came to an end, and I dipped into a bow while she curtsied, as was common for the end of a dance. Before the music could start up again, or another lady of the court approached and tried to commandeer my time, I held out my arm for Gracie to take.
It wasn’t until we were at the mostly empty end of the refreshment table, drinks in hand, that I spoke again.
“What do you know?” I asked, keeping my expression congenial.
“I know that he paid my father a visit yesterday, and he’s looking awfully smug today,” she said from behind her glass. “Something you would have noticed as well, were you not so distracted.”
“He always looks smug,” I scoffed, though I filed that information away for later.
MacBay was one of the lairds on the Lochlannian Council, as well a major player in the Assembly that would be voting. It was no secret why Tavish might want to meet with him now, of all times.
“But does his wife always talk to the docket master’s wife like they’re old friends?” Gracie pressed.
I subtly looked in the direction she was indicating, swearing under my breath. Sure enough, there was Edith Anderson with Laird MacArthur’s wife.
Stars damn it all.
Gracie was right. I should have noticed that myself.
When Laird Gray invited her to dance, she excused herself from my company, but not before casting me one last warning look.
Once she was gone, I quietly ran through several different scenarios, along with potential contingency plans for them.
Though grateful for the information, I was still surprised Gracie had volunteered it. We were no strangers to a late-night dalliance, but hell, we had never precisely been friends. As Gwyn had pointed out in the carriage, I didn’t have close friends outside our family. Not after Mac, especially.
At least, I hadn’t thought I did.
But then, it would hardly be the first time I had lied to myself about the nature of a relationship.
* * *
After my dance with Gracie,I tried to make a few subtle inquiries as to the nature of Tavish’s interactions. It would have been nice to banish him for the entire social season, but sadly, not feasible and not conducive to my overall new look of maturity.
I was regretting the necessity of that right now.
Gracie was right. He was looking especially smug. When I couldn’t glean what I wanted to, I made my way over to my parents where they were chatting with Gallagher.
Even then, with the need to focus on the political games afoot, I couldn’t resist looking inherdirection. Galina was dancing with a different partner. A smile graced her lips, her face lit up with the exertion of the dance.
“Did you have some damning evidence on him as well?” Gal asked, his words pulling my focus away from Galina.
Gal was watching her, too, his expression more amused than I felt.