To Marry McKenzie

'Reverse psychology—cuz?' Logan returned bitingly. 'I'm now supposed to

rush over and ask Darcy to dance just to prove you wrong—right?'

Brice was unconcerned. 'I was merely wondering why you haven't danced

with your future stepsister.'

'Probably because my cousin is being such a pain in the neck about it!'

Logan rasped.

'And will continue to be so until you ask Darcy to dance,' Brice assured him

unrepentantly.

Logan stared at his cousin. 'Why is it so important to you?'

Brice laughed. 'It isn't important to me.'

'You could have fooled me!' Logan exclaimed.

'She dances like a dream, Logan,' Brice encouraged. 'So light in your arms,

and yet so sexy at the same time. I— something wrong, Logan?' Brice said

innocently as he heard the slight choking noise in Logan's throat. 'Oops, too

late, Logan,' Brice informed him as he looked across the salon. 'Grandfather

got to her first!'

Logan turned in time to see his grandfather leading a rather self-conscious

Darcy onto the large area that had been cleared in the centre of the room for

dancing.

At almost eighty, his hair showing only a slight salting of grey, his

grandfather looked extremely handsome in his black evening suit and

snowy white shirt, the slimness of his body showing no signs of age as he

led Darcy nimbly around the floor in a waltz.

The two of them talked softly as they danced, Logan able to see that Darcy

was slowly relaxing, moving more fluidly to the music now, her steps

perfectly matched to those of his grandfather.

Logan couldn't help wondering—given the fact that Daniel would be the

third husband of Hugh's eldest daughter, a daughter Hugh was extremely

proud of but also shocked by on occasion too—exactly what the two could

be finding to talk about. Whatever it was, they were obviously enjoying

each other's company, laughing together several times before the music

stopped and Hugh gallantly guided Darcy back to her father and Meg.

'The old devil probably enjoyed that immensely,' Brice remarked

laughingly.

'Probably,' Logan acknowledged dryly. 'I think we're about to learn

firsthand just how much,' he added ruefully as their grandfather made his

way over to the two of them determinedly.

'What's the matter with you young men?' their grandfather attacked, helping

himself to a glass of champagne as a maid passed by them with a laden tray

of glasses. 'Put you amongst a lot of pretty women and you cower in a

corner like a couple of idiots!' He drank the champagne thirstily.

'I take exception to the "idiot" part of that statement.' Brice laughed.

'And we're hardly "cowering" anywhere, Grandfather,' Logan replied.

'You aren't dancing, either.' The elderly man fixed Logan with a gaze as

blue as his own. 'In fact, I haven't seen you dance once yet, Logan. What's

the matter with you—company a bit too provincial for you?'

'Hardly. The majority of these people are up from London, anyway.'

'Pretty girl, that,' Hugh said appreciatively.

'Darcy?' Brice put in, his expression completely innocent as Logan turned to

give him a hard glance.

'Name's a bit odd.' Hugh nodded. 'But the girl's sound enough. I suppose

Meg and this Simon chap might make a match of it,' he allowed grudgingly.

'About time one of you settled down and made me a great-grandfather.' He

fixed his steely gaze on both his grandsons.

'Oh, please—not you too!' Logan protested, putting his empty glass down

forcefully on a side-table. 'If you'll both excuse me?'

'What did I say?' a bewildered Hugh turned to ask of Brice.

Logan didn't stay around long enough to hear Brice's reply, but strode across

the room, reaching Darcy's side just ahead of one of the young actors he had

been introduced to earlier.

'Dance?' Logan asked tightly.

She had turned to smile at him as he'd approached, but that smile faded as

she took in his coldly angry expression. 'Are you sure that's what you want

to do?' she said warily.

No, what he really wanted to do—what he wanted to do almost every time

he saw Darcy!—was to carry her off somewhere and make love to her. In

the circumstances, dancing with her was as close to that as he could get, so a

dance it would have to be.

'Perfectly sure,' he confirmed briskly.

She frowned, undecided, obviously unsure of his mood.

With good reason, Logan allowed impatiently. Damn it, he was irritable

when he didn't see her, and angry most of the time when he did. He wasn't

sure of his own mood at the moment!

'Perhaps you've danced enough for one evening,' he grated. 'Perhaps you

would prefer to go outside for a walk, instead?'

And perhaps she wouldn't, he groaned inwardly as he saw the puzzlement

on her expressive face. Would he want to go for a walk with someone who

looked as frustratedly angry as he felt? Definitely not!