Her British Bard (Dream Come True Sweet Romance Book 2)

by Darci Balogh

  Sofia was glad for the distraction this trip provided. But the truth was, it couldn't distract her completely because she knew that Ian would be performing at the ball. She hoped that having her bosses and coworkers there, Bea and Travis, as well as Luna, Angie, Thomas and Bridget, would give her enough people to interact with that she could successfully avoid Ian. Plus, Tawnyetta's pregnancy was going to be a major focus. Bridget wanted to throw her a baby shower since all of her American friends would already be present. With all of that to keep her occupied, Sofia was almost one hundred percent certain she would be fine.

  Almost.

  As they boarded the train, used their keycards to enter their berths, and settled in for the overnight trip to Inverness, Sofia's stomach churned. She couldn't blame it on motion sickness, because the train wasn't moving yet. The problem was that every time she thought about the last time she saw Ian perform at Claymore Castle, she couldn't help but feel an intense mixture of excitement and dread. Excitement because she would get to be near him and feel the way he made her feel. Dread because she knew it was going to tear her heart into pieces.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Smashed into the small car shuttling them to the castle, Sofia tried to decipher what their driver, Allen, was saying. She remembered his thick Scottish accent from her previous trip to Claymore Castle, but had forgotten how impossible it was to understand him.

  Sofia sat in the front passenger seat with Liza perched in the middle between her and Allen. Luna, Dr. Clara, and Professor Shipley were squashed into the back seat in that order. Bea and Travis were hiring a rental car and bringing Henry with them. Occasionally Dr. Clara would lean her large frame into the front seat in order to ask Allen or Sofia questions. This disruption wreaked havoc on the comfort of the others in the back seat, especially Professor Shipley, but Dr. Clara didn't seem to notice.

  "Tirna ban sauna bok tu ere," Allen said. Nobody knew what he was saying, which made Sofia smile.

  "So charming, quite charming, don't you think?" Doctor Clara exclaimed before dropping back and wriggling into her place between Luna and Professor Shipley. Professor Shipley grumbled something that Sofia couldn't hear. Dr. Clara chuckled. Sofia was beginning to suspect that Dr. Clara enjoyed getting a rise out of Professor Shipley whenever possible. It must be how she had managed to work with him day in, day out, for so many years.

  "Oh my," Liza said under her breath as Claymore Castle came into view.

  It had been a long time since Sofia was here with Tawnyetta and all of their friends. That vacation had been amazing. It all started when Bridget became a runaway bride and brought Tawnyetta on her honeymoon to Claymore Castle instead of her cheating ex-fiancé. A glorious two-week holiday turned into an epic love story where Lord Michael MacBrody and Tawnyetta fell in love. The whole trip had been a truly life changing event for Tawnyetta, and for all of them really. Without Claymore Castle Sofia wouldn't know Bea and Travis, she wouldn't she be coming to this grand event with her boss and coworkers...and she would never have met Ian.

  The conversations of the other passengers melted into the background as they got closer. She wondered if Ian was already there, if she would see him right away or could she avoid him until she saw him perform at the ball. And which scenario did she want? As the great stone walls and towers of Claymore Castle grew larger, so the butterflies in Sofia's stomach grew more active.

  "Beautiful," Luna said. She had leaned forward this time and was peering at the castle through the windshield. She looked at Sofia, "It's still hard to imagine that this is Tawnyetta's home now, isn't it?"

  "Yes," Sofia agreed. "I haven't been up here to see them since the wedding."

  "They got married here?" Liza was star struck.

  "Ech to fee nar 'te wee bairn," said Allen with a chuckle. Luna and Sofia shared an amused look.

  When they arrived, Tawnyetta met them at the door. It was easy to see she had fallen into the role of Lady of the house with grace and style. Maybe it was the title, maybe it was the fact that she was a married woman, or maybe it was because she was happily pregnant with her first child, but Tawnyetta simply glowed. Sofia felt calmer just seeing her on the steps. Her friend was fully in her element and Sofia was excited once again for all of the festivities they were going to enjoy.

  As the car stopped and they got out, Tawnyetta greeted them, "I'm so glad you're here. All of you." She hugged Sofia and Luna and shook hands warmly with the others. Sofia could see that her colleagues were smitten with Lady MacBrody. And when Lord MacBrody, or Laird MacBrody as he was known here, arrived on the scene they all got a little star struck, even Professor Shipley.

  "Welcome, please come in," Michael said as he gallantly ushered them into his family's castle.

  They barely got through the front door and greeted Stewart, the butler, when a high-pitched squeal emanated from the end of the Great Hall.

  "Fiiiifiii! Luuuluu!"

  Sofia and Luna turned to see Bridget rushing to greet them, her blonde curls bouncing, her blue eyes bright with joy. She was followed closely by the flowing, graceful Angie, her red hair wild and unkempt as it tumbled every which way down her back.

  Sofia was overjoyed to be with all of her best friends again. Though, there was one missing.

  "Where's Thomas?" she asked.

  Bridget's pretty lips pouted as she threw a dirty look toward the spiral staircase at the end of the Great Hall that led to the honeymoon suite in the castle keep. "He's up there...with his new girlfriend. In our old room!" Bridget gave Tawnyetta an incensed look.

  "He requested that room, Bridge," Tawnyetta said soothingly. "He really likes Marin."

  Bridget scowled and leaned toward Sofia as if sharing a big secret. "I don't like Marin."

  Sofia laughed, "I gather that."

  Bridget, Angie, and Tawnyetta helped Sofia and Luna settle into the room they were sharing. It was a second story bedroom with the grey stone outside walls boasting two massive windows that gave the best view of the formal gardens below. Two Queen size four-poster beds didn't even make the room seem cramped. They had pale blue silk bed curtains that could be closed for privacy and thick royal blue comforters with white lace pillow cases and more cozy blankets folded at the foot of the bed in the same pale blue as the curtains. The coffered ceilings were made of dark stained wood that matched the furnishings and the floors were polished stone covered with a thick blue and white rug. They had their own fireplace and en suite, complete with plush Claymore Castle bathrobes and slippers.

  "Everything a girl could need," Luna said happily as she put her toiletries away.

  "And your gowns came!" Bridget opened a large wardrobe to reveal two large hanging travel bags. "I peeked," Bridget admitted. "They're gorgeous! I'm wearing a vintage pink off the shoulder. It's very Pride and Prejudice." She told this specifically to Luna who nodded her approval. "We're all going to be just beautiful tonight," Bridget beamed.

  "How are you, Sofia?" Angie plopped down on one of the beds and patted the space next to her for Sofia to sit down. "Do you like London?"

  Sofia sat down, appreciating the comfortable mattress. "I do, it has a lot going on all the time, which is nice. Work is going well. A little bumpy to start off, but its been getting better."

  "All of your coworkers came with you, didn't they?" Angie asked. Sofia nodded. "How fun!" Angie offered, though Sofia wasn't sure it was as fun as her friend made it sound.

  Bridget had a thought. "Are there any eligible bachelors among them?"

  Sofia screwed up her mouth thoughtfully. "Well, there's Henry, but he's still in school. And I think he likes Liza."

  "He definitely likes Liza," Luna giggled.

  Bridget waved her hand, dismissing the subject. "Well, that doesn't matter anyway because we have a wonderful party tonight..." she moved to Tawnyetta's side and gave her a sideways hug. "And we have Tawny's baby shower tomorrow!"

  All of them turned to Tawnyetta, which made her redden. "All right, all right, that's tomor
row. I have a million things to do today before all of the guests arrive this evening." She unconsciously rested her hand on her slightly rounded belly as she spoke.

  "What can we do to help?" Luna asked.

  Tawnyetta did have a lot to do, but with the assistance of her staff and handing off more personal tasks to her friends, the preparations for the fundraiser ball continued smoothly. She specifically asked Sofia to check in on Professor Shipley and Dr. Clara to ensure they had everything they needed. Sofia agreed, happy to have something to do to keep her mind off of Ian. She headed toward the rooms that her university friends had been assigned.

  "I'm with Shipley again," Henry said as soon as she saw him in the hall. After sharing a berth on the train with his boss, Sofia was sure Henry had had enough of Professor Shipley.

  "I'm sorry, Henry," Sofia offered. She put her hand on his shoulder in condolence.

  "It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't snore so bloody loud," Henry grumbled.

  Sofia had to suppress a laugh. She tried to think of something encouraging to say. It seemed that both Henry and Liza looked to her as a kind of supervisor or big sister who could guide them through sticky situations with the professors.

  "You have the ball tonight," she said. "You can stay out practically all night having a good time and you won't have to listen to his snoring." Henry shrugged, his head drooped. Maybe distracting him with romance would help. "Liza will be at the ball, too. I'm sure she will be happy to stay out with you, dancing and having a good time."

  Henry snapped his eyes to hers, dread filling his features. "Dancing?" he asked. Sofia nodded. He swallowed, sending his Adam's apple up and down his long, pale neck and asked, "Ballroom dancing?"

  Sofia could see this was a problem for him. "Well...yes...at least during the first part of the evening." Her thoughts flew to Ian who would be performing the second show of the evening. "But then it will be more like club dancing." Henry's face grew paler, if that was possible. "You dance, don't you?" Sofia asked, though she was sure she already knew the answer by the look on his face.

  "Bloody hell," he said, though it came out as a kind of choked whisper.

  "Don't you go to clubs?"

  Henry nodded as he ran his thin fingers through his dark, floppy hair. "Yes, but I don't bloody dance," he admitted. "I don't know how!" Again he whispered. A pathetic, plaintive sound.

  "I'm sorry, Henry," Sofia said with pity. She wished she could think of some way to help him.

  Henry made a fist and pounded it gently onto his forehead. "I should have listened to my Mum. She said I should take lessons."

  Sofia nodded sympathetically. "My Dad taught me. He insisted. He used to let me stand on his feet when I was little, but eventually I got the idea."

  "You know how to waltz?"

  "Yes, and fox trot, and salsa." She didn't mention belly dancing, though Angie had drug her to enough classes as a drop in that she could confidently say she knew at least the basics.

  Suddenly, Henry grabbed her arm and gave her a beseeching look. "Can you teach me?"

  "What?"

  "Teach me...please! I'll be forever grateful."

  "But the ball is less than eight hours away!"

  "I'm a fast learner."

  Sofia hesitated. "I don't know..." she said, but she did know. Looking into Henry's pleading eyes, she knew she would do what she could to help him out. And with just hours to work with, she also knew they needed to get started right away.

  Chapter Twenty

  They gathered in the weapons room. Sofia originally thought the ballroom was a more obvious choice, but Henry didn't want everyone in the castle to witness his attempts at dancing. So they settled on the less used, low traffic, weapons room. It had a wide marble floor in the center used for sword practice that would do nicely for dancing.

  What had started as a one-on-one tutorial by Sofia to instruct Henry quickly turned into a larger group hoping to improve their skills before the ball that evening. Dr. Clara and Professor Shipley joined to get in some practice.

  Travis showed up unexpectedly as well. Clearing his throat before asking, "I wonder if you might show me a step or two? I thought it might be a nice surprise for Bea if I took her on a few turns around the dance floor."

  "Of course!" Sofia was delighted at the idea. "That leaves us one lady short. I'll see if Bridget can join us."

  Bridget, an accomplished dancer starting at age four when she started in ballet and tap, agreed whole-heartedly. So did Luna, who had learned from her uncle alongside Sofia when they were little. This left Sofia without a partner, which turned out to be good because she needed all of her concentration to watch the group of dancers as they practiced.

  "That's it, one-two-three, one-two-three," she moved alongside Bridget and Henry as they stepped to the music. "Very nice, Henry," she complimented him and his cheeks turned even redder than they had when the beautiful Bridget had been chosen as his dance partner. Embarrassed as he was, he was definitely catching on quickly.

  That was not the case with Travis. When his wife told everyone that he could not dance she was not exaggerating. Tall and awkward, stiff in his mannerisms and worrying so much about keeping count that he forgot to take steps, Travis was not making strides. With just hours until the ball, Sofia worried he wouldn't be able to dance with Bea after all.

  Luna, bless her sweet heart, was patient with him. "Just take a deep breath," she told him quietly while she paused after he stepped on her toe for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

  "I'm so sorry. I'm probably a lost cause," he let his arms drop to his sides.

  "Don't give up!" Dr. Clara called out to him as she and Professor Shipley waltzed past. She was at least six inches taller than the other women in the room, but she moved her larger frame as gracefully as anyone. "It's glorious once you get the hang of it!" She smiled at Professor Shipley who seemed to be focusing on not leading her into the other couples. "Isn't it glorious, Frederick?"

  Professor Shipley was a bit out of breath, but determined to keep in time with the music. "Hush, woman, I'm concentrating."

  "You can't give up, Travis," Luna encouraged her defeated partner. "Bea will be over the moon if you just get the basics. We can do that, I'm sure of it."

  "I think you're looking a lot better than when you first started today," Sofia added.

  "Really?" Travis looked up, daring to be hopeful.

  "Yes, much better. You are good at this, which doesn't surprise me." Sofia wanted to tell Travis something that would help. Maybe relating it back to the one thing she knew he felt more comfortable with, numbers, would give him the confidence he needed. "Besides, dancing is just numbers taken off the page, off the computer screen, and using them in the 3D world...with a little style thrown in."

  Travis tilted his head and grinned, "I suppose that's true."

  "I'll start a new song," Sofia went to her phone that was hooked up to a speaker Henry had brought to amplify the music. She chose the rousing Voices of Spring by Strauss. Soon all three dance pairs were swirling around the weapons room. If not overly graceful, at least they were moving without stumbling or stepping out of time. Sofia swayed to the music as she watched them. She had always loved to dance. In the past few years she hadn't taken much time to get out and do much of anything, let alone ballroom dance.

  Closing her eyes for a moment, Sofia lifted her eyebrows as the sound of the strings lifted and fell, lifted and fell. The song pulled her along and made her feel light as a feather. Suddenly, she felt the weight of someone's gaze on her skin. She opened her eyes to see Ian leaning casually on one of the sword display cases on the other side of their makeshift dance floor. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him and a shiver rushed down her spine.

  He had grown a beard since she'd last seen him. Had it been that long? His beard was the same deep red as his hair, maybe a little darker, and cut short so the square lines of his jaw were still very much visible. He wore a long sleeve black Henley shirt with the sle
eves pushed up past his elbows. The black made the gold in his eyes stand out even more than normal and they glittered as he looked at her, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

  Her hand fluttered to her chest, as if she was feeling for her heartbeat. The others continued dancing because the music was still playing, in fact it seemed to be playing even louder. Sofia found that she couldn't quite catch her breath as she watched Ian break into a grin and push himself off of the display case, making his way around the dancers to where she stood rooted to the floor.

  When he reached her he made a slight bow. "It's good to see you," he said.

  The sound of his voice sent another shiver through her body. Being this close to him again was intoxicating. She still couldn't breathe.

  The song ended and just as she thought perhaps the whole dance lesson would dissipate and she could escape Ian's gaze, a new song started. Another waltz by Strauss. The Blue Danube. The introduction of the song began delightfully through Henry's small, but powerful, speakers. Music wrapped around Sofia and she lost track of what her dancing pupils were doing. Her eyes were glued to Ian.

  He watched her steadily, not smiling, not frowning, soaking her up with his eyes. Sofia couldn't look away. She couldn't smile or speak. He was looking into her, searching for something. Or waiting for it. He let his gaze leave hers for a few moments as it traced her cheeks and mouth, brushing them with his attention so singularly that she thought she could feel the tickle of his touch on her skin. When he lifted his eyes to hers, they shone with desire, dark and molten.

  Ian lifted his hand formally in front of her. A hand wrapped in tattoos and silver rings. Elegant, strong, masculine. This was the hand of a rebel, a musician, an artist. It was a silent request to dance. Beckoning her to join him, to trust him on the dance floor.

  Without thinking of the consequences, Sofia lifted her hand. Her fingers trembled as they reached toward his. One corner of Ian's mouth twitched and his face softened into a crooked smile. Before she could change her mind, he took hold of her hand. The warmth of his skin sent a charge through her body. A shock of pure excitement that made her insides buzz.