Her eyes darkened, and she said, "It occurs to me, milord, that if you fulfilled such a promise, logic dictates it would be you who lay exhausted on top of me."
"Indeed?" he said with the raise of an amused brow.
He whirled her into the final spin of the dance before the music ended. The dance crowd dispersed and new couples assembled as the music began again. They stood, still in each other's arms. She moved to step away, but he held her fast. She gave him a quizzical look.
"Come, take a walk with me, love," he said.
The dancers began dancing around them.
Elise shook her head. "You can't abandon your guests, and I promised Winnie I would help with the food." She pushed his arms from her and backed away.
A couple danced between them. He saw the bemused look the woman gave Elise and realized she had seen it too. She was clear of the dancers now.
"I had better go see if any help is needed in the kitchen," she shouted above the music.
Marcus watched her turn and hurry away. So, the little minx had ventured a dip in the waters only to yank her foot back when it had been nibbled. Perhaps next time he would simply yank her in.
Marcus hadn't considered the possibility that Elise would wish to accompany the women the following day on the yearly tradition of swimming in the cool waters of Loch Katrine. Now, the procession had started and, per his order, his guards had stopped her from passing beyond the gates. He grimaced at seeing her agitated pacing as he approached. She stopped and glared at him.
"Do you mean to keep me here while the other women go to the loch?" Her narrowed eyes dared him answer yes.
"John," he called to the nearest guard, "fetch another man and the two of you accompany the women to the loch."
John's eyes widened. He cast a quick glance at Elise, then jerked his attention back to Marcus.
Marcus gave him a dry look. "You are to watch for trouble, John, not the lasses."
Marcus looked back at Elise and stifled a laugh at the tight-lipped look on her face. Apparently she didn't care for being singled out with an escort. Imagine how she would feel when he came for her in a short while. The most important part of the tradition was allowing the women enough time to discard their dresses and frolic in the water. The men later followed to engage them in a sporting game of chase.
Elise abruptly whirled and strode through the gates down the path.
"Hurry, lad," Marcus urged. "She's getting away."
John called to a man on the wall, then hurried through the gates after her.
Marcus turned his attention to Elise's retreating back. "Any antics, lass, and I'll turn you over my knee."
She didn't acknowledge the threat, but he knew she'd heard him. His first wife, Jenna, hadn't been predisposed to clan traditions and never participated in the game. This year, he had reason to participate. Elise disappeared from view down the path. She didn't understand the game. She soon would.
Twenty minutes later, unable to resist the idea of Elise's scantily clad body gliding through the water, Marcus emerged from the trees at the bottom of the mountainside. He hurried across the twenty-foot clearing where he ducked behind one of the larger patches of juniper bushes lining the jagged shoreline.
Peering through the foliage and across the rocky shore, he witnessed the exact scene he had imagined. Elise, stripped to her chemise, dove into the blue waters of Loch Katrine along with the other giggling women. The thin cotton chemise she wore the night he accosted her in his library revealed far more than the heavy flannel the women wore in the interest of modesty during this adventure, but he envisioned the revealing shadows he knew would be visible through the wet material. A giddy anticipation settled in his stomach. She would, at first, be furious. With gentle persuasion, however…
Marcus emerged from his hiding place and strode to the shore's edge. The women splashed one another, the recipients shrieking when their companions' aim found a mark. A woman squealed. He had been spotted. Elise looked his way. Just as he thought, the surprise on her face said she hadn't been informed of this part of the game. He suspected that, if she knew the real reason behind the yearly ritual, she would have declined participation. She insisted on being a part of Brahan Seer; logic dictated that she receive full measure.
Eyes steady on her, Marcus stripped off his boots. He stepped into the loch, his shins, then thighs, slicing through the water as he ventured deeper. The women blazed a path for him, shrieking with delight while Elise remained frozen.