“Like you, Mr. Matthews is a Sassenach, Captain Benson.” Lady Cairstine’s blue eyes danced.

“But he came to his senses and moved to Edinburgh.” Lady Sophie’s face dimpled, sending polite chuckles around the table.

Matthews slipped his arm around the back of Sophie’s chair and tugged one of her loose curls in retaliation.

“Why aren’t you ladies wearing tartan sashes over your gowns?” Harry asked, proud he had noticed that small missing detail.

“We aren’t Highlanders,” Lady Cairstine answered smartly.

“Does it matter?” Harry asked.

“Not to most people, but Father is a stickler for following the traditions when he hosts a ball,” Lady Sophie said by way of explanation.

Lord Ahern assessed Harry’s medals. “I assume you’re stationed at Glenkinnon?”

“What gave it away? My uniform or the haircut?” Harry asked dryly.

“Most definitely the haircut,” Matthews responded with a sly dig at Harry’s short style and not the scarlet-frogged dress jacket.

The wait staff circled their table with hors d’oeuvres. Harry and Elise opted for scallops while the others chose the salmon mousse and tenderloin crostini. Lady Sophie hardly took her eyes from Ahern. Matthews covered for his date’s lapse by entertaining the group with amusing anecdotes of his first bewildering months with the Scottish language.

Harry picked up on the party’s undercurrents and leaned close to Elise’s ear, inhaling the sweet, spicy scent of patchouli. “There’s a tangled love knot at our table.”

“I should have known you would catch on quickly.” Elise forked a scallop off her plate and raised it to her lips.

“With so much friction, I’m a little surprised your mother seated all three of you together,” Harry murmured.

“Mother is a firm believer that if her children spend more time with each other, everything will iron itself out. That might be true for Sophie and me and even Roddy on occasion. But Cairstine is too competitive. Everything Sophie wants, Cairstine wants too—even when it’s bad for her.”

“Which Lord Ahern is?”

“On that, I’m not so sure. Though Sophie and Ahern have been friends forever, I rather like Zander.”

“That makes two of us. A shame.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I wanted to set up a wager, and I can’t if we’re both in agreement.”

Zander Matthews, Lady Sophie’s escort, a handsome man with a square jaw, struck Harry just about right. He was a good sort with his head on straight. Matthews might play things low-key, but he was every bit as enamored with his date as Lady Cairstine was with hers.

When no one at the table was looking, Harry speared one of Elise’s hors d’oeuvres and popped it into his mouth.

“Harry,” Elise hissed. “This is not the place for picnic manners.”

“Why? I ran out of scallops, and yours was there for the taking.” His eyes laughed.