At her wolf comment his saliva caught the wrong pipe and he gave a cough. Isobel wouldn't have told her sister in law- of that he was certain...well mostly certain. No...he decided she wouldn't have let the family secret out so freely, not knowing that her place in society, her children's place in society was at stake if her In-Laws decided to take exception to having a tribe of werewolves so closely connected to them. Still, the comment brought first colour and then pallor to his cheeks as he managed to complete the troublesome swallow.

Murdock had not perhaps realised the impact of his actions, her hands had seemed cold so he had taken them, his large hands covering her smaller ones. It was, he realised a strangely intimate gesture, one he had not done in years, but then he had not had occasion to take himself off onto private verandas with women for the same length of time. The intimacy of the setting had prompted the intimacy of the action. She would have been within her rights to slap him. However, she was very polite, assuring him that she was fine, that the temperature, and he hoped the company were not prompting her to run back to the warmth and social protection of the ballroom.

Taking her words at their face value he removed his hand, finding a place for it, in the breast of his waistcoat. 'Are you mightily offended at my sisters meddling?' he asked, it was perhaps a little bold of him, but he had found that it was better to ask, if she was standing here out of obligation or if he was holding her back from some revelry then he shouldn't have liked to keep her. But his sister knew him well, if she believed that Murdock should speak to and spend time with this woman, who he had to admit looked enchanting, like a sea goddess in her blues and whites, then he would be a fool to throw away the opportunity to spend time with the first woman he had felt the inclination to spend time with since his wife's passing.

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