Ford felt trapped as Macnair approached, though he technically could have turned and walked away. The way that Macnair held him with his eyes and the determination in his step as he approached had him frozen in place. This felt dangerous. Surely someone else might notice the intensity in Macnair's manner as he approached, and might think it strange? Surely it couldn't just be Ford's perception of the circumstances?
"Stop it," he pleaded under his breath. "Someone will notice."
Maybe Macnair wanted someone to notice, or at least wanted Ford to think someone might. Maybe this was a strategy, to apply some amount of pressure either to get Ford to be more cooperative when they spoke or to try and leverage him into a more private setting. Macnair had been planning on cornering him at the wedding, apparently, so he would have had time to strategize a way to handle this when half a dozen other eyes were on them, just as Ford had been strategizing a way to avoid Macnair that didn't involve either apparating out of the middle of a party or making a scene by literally running away. He might still have resorted to running away, if he thought it would work, but Macnair was already too close for that — if he was going to run, he at least needed a head start. As it was, he'd risk making a scene for nothing. Actually, now that he was running through the possibilities for how this might play out in his mind, it occurred to Ford that it might be in his benefit to follow Macnair out of the ballroom, if offered the opportunity — at least then he could resort to tactics like being openly hostile in the hopes of shutting down his questions, or in the worst case scenario, fleeing the same way he had on Saturday (hopefully with less blood this time around). So long as they were in the middle of the ballroom, he was limited in what he could say or do to only what no one else would find especially noteworthy.
"Stop it," he pleaded under his breath. "Someone will notice."
Maybe Macnair wanted someone to notice, or at least wanted Ford to think someone might. Maybe this was a strategy, to apply some amount of pressure either to get Ford to be more cooperative when they spoke or to try and leverage him into a more private setting. Macnair had been planning on cornering him at the wedding, apparently, so he would have had time to strategize a way to handle this when half a dozen other eyes were on them, just as Ford had been strategizing a way to avoid Macnair that didn't involve either apparating out of the middle of a party or making a scene by literally running away. He might still have resorted to running away, if he thought it would work, but Macnair was already too close for that — if he was going to run, he at least needed a head start. As it was, he'd risk making a scene for nothing. Actually, now that he was running through the possibilities for how this might play out in his mind, it occurred to Ford that it might be in his benefit to follow Macnair out of the ballroom, if offered the opportunity — at least then he could resort to tactics like being openly hostile in the hopes of shutting down his questions, or in the worst case scenario, fleeing the same way he had on Saturday (hopefully with less blood this time around). So long as they were in the middle of the ballroom, he was limited in what he could say or do to only what no one else would find especially noteworthy.
Set by Lady!