Page 139 of The Highlander Is All That

Still, she vowed to find the most handsome man in the room nonetheless and dance him silly, whether he wanted it or not.

* * *

That night, Hamish prowled around Sinclair House like a little boy lost.

He knew he had missed his chance with Elizabeth, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out where he’d gone wrong.

Was she so angry about an affair he’d had—before he met her—that she would throw away their love? Or was it his concern over the duke’s approval that irritated her? He had no idea and without having a chance to speak to her in private, he would never figure it out.

She’d spent the last day hiding in her chambers and he hadn’t seen hide nor hair of her.

If he lived to be a hundred, he would never understand women.

He wandered by the study and saw a light, so he headed in there. He felt very alone and though he knew Ranald was working, just having company would help.

Aside from that, he was pretty sure there would be whisky on hand.

Ranald looked up as he came in. “Hallo,” he said. “You look cheerful.”

“Sod off.”

There was no call for Ranald to laugh. “It’s no’ that bad.”

“Is it no’?”

“You just have to understand women, my lad,” the bastard said.

“You’ve been married for what, a week? And you’re advising me?”

“It appears you require advising.”

“Where is the whisky?”

Ranald nodded to the table by the window, and Hamish went to pour himself a drink.

He sat in the seat on the other side of the desk and gusted heavily. “What am I doing wrong?”

Ranald looked up from the letter he was reading and sighed. Then he set it down and shook his head. “Can you no’ see?”

“Obviously, I do no’.”

His friend shrugged. “What do women want? What do they really want?”

Hamish raked his fingers through his hair. “Hell, if I knew that I wouldna be here blubbering to you.”

His friend’s expression was smug. “They want to be loved, beyond all things. They want a man who would sacrifice all for them.”

“I would. I would give anything to have Elizabeth as my wife.”

“Obviously you havena been clear in your professions of love.”

“I’ve told her I love her!”

“And that wasna enough, was it?”

“Bluidy hell. Will you come to the point?”

“Why did you no’ go the party tonight?”