Extended Epilogues

There had been no sign of rebuttal from Lords Bennett and Turner for more than six weeks.

The only news that had reached the keep was Bennett’s return to England. The tale went that he had suffered heartbreak at the hands of Turner’s daughters and sought a new start in his father’s old manor in York.

Life was peaceful in the Highlands, and Nora relished every moment of it. She spent most of her days with her family and most of her nights in Jonan’s bed.

That morning, however, Jonan had gotten out of bed early to head to a council meeting.

I should not be tired, Nora worried, before summoning all her strength and getting out of bed. Her neck and back hurt, but she forced herself to get out of bed.

I must have slept the wrong way.

After changing into fresh clothes, she headed downstairs.

“I did not want to wake you. You looked like you needed the sleep,” Amelia said with care.

Nora gave her sister a friendly smile. Amelia had decided to stay in the keep and become a permanent member of the clan. The villagers had accepted her because of their love for Nora, whom they had been quick to forgive.

Amelia let go of Leah and dashed into the arms of Nora.

“Are you alright?” Amelia asked her sister when she saw Nora almost lose her footing. “Are you late to bleed this month, sister?” she added quietly.

“No, I feel tired,” Nora said, holding back a yawn. Her mind struggled to make sense of her sister’s words.

“Hmm, are you certain it is tiredness?” Amelia asked with a suspicious look.

Why is she worrying over me so? “Yes,” Nora answered defensively.

“Then I must be mistaken,” Amelia apologized.

Nora went into her garden, as had become her habit, and picked up some new cucumbers and onions for breakfast with Leah’s help.

“Good morniin’, milady,” Callan said as Nora entered the keep.

“Good day, Callan” Nora said as she placed a basket of fresh produce in the center of the kitchen counter.

“Lady Amelia,” Callan said next, smiling proudly as he stole glances at her.

“Would ye like to accompany me on a ride, Lady Amelia?” Callan inquired, as he had done every morning for the previous two weeks.

“Certainly,” Amelia replied gleefully.

Amelia had a knowing look on her face that caught Nora’s eye that morning. She could tell her sister wanted to send her a message without saying anything in front of Callan.

When Leah arrived, Nora immediately asked, “Is there something wrong with my face?”

“Nae,” the youngster replied with an exaggerated shrug.

Nora was still bothered by her sister’s worry.  “Are you late to bleed?”

When was the last time I bled?

Nora suddenly felt alarmed for she couldn’t recall.

Where is Jonan? Since Callan was here…Jonan could not have gone for a council meeting.

She began to worry.

“Would you lie to me, Mae, if I asked you a question you might feel odd answering?” Nora asked.

Mae’s brow furrowed immediately. She looked at her knowingly. “Would you accompany me, milady?”

“Where to?” she asked.

“To see a physician in the village…” Mae responded. She clearly did not want to say anything that she was unsure of. “I wonder if… maybe…” Mae let her words trail off and returned her attention to Nora’s stomach.

Nora’s hand moved over her stomach as she pondered the meaning. Am I with child?

She and Jonan had discussed having a child together. Nonetheless, the thought caught her off guard.

“How long has it been since I bled?” Nora inquired, hoping Mae would remember. “Do you remember?”

“Not exactly, milady. But I have nae heard ye speak of it in near two moons.”

Two months!

“Nora!” she suddenly heard her name called from outside.

Jonan! She dashed out to meet him, who was galloping his horse towards her.

Nora was in his arms faster than she expected, he was panting for air and seemed restless; something made him happy, she could tell.

She drew back and nervously placed a hand on her stomach.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, placing his hand on hers. “Are you still feeling unwell?”

“Well… Mae suggested I go see the physician,” she told him, not knowing what to say.

“I have just ridden from the physician’s. I asked whether he would ride up later, to check on ye,” he told her, sheepishly. He then lowered his gaze. “But he wonders…”

“Yes…?”

Jonan smiled. “He asked me the last time that ye bled.”

Nora sucked in a breath. “Could it mean…?”

Nora’s eyes widened as she raised her gaze to meet his.

Jonan wrapped his arms around her again, lifting her off the ground. Looking down at his face, she could tell he was overjoyed that she was carrying his child.

“You will make such a wonderful father again, much better than mine ever was,” she told him, and he responded with a deep kiss.

“Ye will make the best mother to our child,” he said to her before easing her back onto her feet.

“Should we tell Leah and Amelia now?” she inquired as Jonan led her back into the keep.

“Nae, let us check with the physician first, to be sure. But from now on, just in case, I shall do all ye need,” Jonan said, and Nora laughed.

He would go to any length for her.

He’d proven it time and time again.

Later that evening, Nora noticed a familiar path rush past the moving carriage.

“Jonan,” Nora inquired suspiciously from the carriage. She wondered if he still had the same devilish smile he had earlier when he had asked her to accompany him somewhere.

Jonan jumped down from the carriage to hold the door open for his wife. The chilly night breeze caressed Nora’s cheeks. She immediately melted into Jonan for warmth, and he had plenty to offer her.

They walked together along the loch’s shore. Nora smiled as she remembered their first kiss and felt her skin tingle.

“This is where it all started,” Jonan said, staring into the darkness beyond the loch. “This is where I first loved ye,” he breathed and Nora’s heart warmed.

“I will always love ye and our child as long as the loch exists,” he assured her. “And my love shall be as vast and endless as the loch’s water,” he promised.

He loves me.

“I love you ‘till the end,” Nora breathed.

The End.

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One year later

Bevin sat in the sunroom with Louisa, sipping a cup of tea. She’d been married to Keenan for a year now, and life had been beautiful and blissful since then. He had kept his promise to her, constantly demonstrating his love for her in small and large gestures. She also made certain to reciprocate his efforts so that he would never feel unloved.

The Athol clan was doing outstandingly well. Keenan had made it his mission to restore the clan to its former glory and then gone above and beyond, introducing new ideas he was certain would benefit the people’s growth.

Keenan was unlike any other Laird. He made sure that he listened to people who had complaints — that he was physically available. He was always working with them, going out to join them during the planting season and assisting them in building silos and digging wells to prevent fires around farm areas and provide more water sources.

He was still the same person he was before becoming Laird. He made certain that Athol had many allies by attending meetings with other Lairds himself rather than sending others in his place. He was excellent with people. He proved to be physically and mentally strong, and people preferred to work with him rather than oppose him.

He trained new guards and soldiers, incorporating techniques he had learned on the street and from the many masters he had served under, and their military strength more than doubled. His soldiers were regarded as the best in the villages and clans that surrounded them.

He had Mr. Balfour by his side, which aided him in his mission. The merchant, who had connections with other merchants, assisted in bringing good trade to Athol, causing other villages to turn to them for goods they required.

Mr. Balfour maintained his habit of rescuing strays and training them to be experts in various fields. He no longer warned them against using their hearts, but instead reminded them that the brain was a very important tool that they should use.

The old man’s habit appeared to have grown with age and since his reunion with Keenan. He did everything he could to replace Keenan while still holding him in high regard. When he returned from his trips, he always brought some boys with him and trained them to be better, effectively removing them from the streets and ensuring their basic needs were met.

Mr. Balfour chose to settle in Athol after becoming tired of constant travel. He had built a large network with his boys and those he had met over the years, and he no longer needed to leave his house on long trips.

His friendship with the former Laird remained strong. The two of them trained the boys in their different areas of expertise and picking a new spot to travel to every few months. The two would go away for a few weeks at a time, sending letters back and forth about their adventures. They always returned with stories of their explorations and gifts for everyone.

John was no longer tempted to drink, though he did occasionally share a glass with a friend on nights when they decided to stay in and enjoy a quiet evening.

Once Bevin asked him about her mother and he’d made it clear that any mention of her only caused him grief and drove him deeper into the bottle. Bevin had been afraid to ask again because she didn’t want to jeopardize his progress. She was surprised when he smiled and told her about her mother’s shenanigans and all the times she had made him worry.

The night had been filled with so much laughter that Bevin had been moved to tears. She had tried so hard to keep them from falling down her cheeks because her father still felt guilty about how he had treated his daughter, and she wanted the night to end in the same joy it had begun.

She attributed part of his happiness to the merchant and loved him for it. She was grateful to him for the man Keenan had become, but now she loved him with all her heart, just as much as she loved her father. The old men’s mischievous behavior only reinforced that love.

She was grateful for Keenan’s special bond with Mr. Balfour, whom she had come to know as James. It appears that James and her father brought these boys and trained them to be mercenaries in order to ease Keenan’s position. The two frequently dispatched young mercenaries to him, who always joked that his land would soon be overrun with young men.

The merchant had told Keenan that he was their older brother in a way because they all looked up to him as their father. Keenan was glad to train them, glad that he could at least provide them with a stable future as guards.

He would come home from the training ground, clean himself up, and join her in the sunroom or wherever she was at the time to spend quality time with her. She was particularly fond of their amusing exchanges. He was a very busy man, but he showed that he wasn’t too busy to spend time with her.

Keenan appeared just as she was thinking about him, as if she had summoned him with her thoughts, and kissed her cheek, causing her to smile. He smelled like the soap he’d used in his bath, and his hair was still slightly damp.

“How is me lovely wife doing today?” he asked, striking up a conversation. Bevin responded that she was feeling great and that she was glad he could join her. He left their bed before she woke up this morning, telling Louisa to notify her when she awoke that he had been called for an emergency and didn’t want to wake her up to tell her.

“I have been thinking of ye all day,” he said to her. Bevin couldn’t believe that after a year of marriage, he still made her heart skip a beat. Her new friends had told her that once she settled into marriage, her feelings would level out, but she was relieved to know that she still felt the same way she did when she first fell in love with him. It made her so happy that Keenan was feeling the same.

“Louisa, I hope this one has nae talked yer ears off,” he joked, pointing to Bevin, who smacked him lightly on the arm, unable to keep her laughter at bay.

Louisa, who was used to both their antics by now, laughed with them as she said, “Nae me Laird, she has been perfect.”

The two continue to have light conversation, frequently including Louisa, who tried but failed to stay out of their antics. She eventually gave up trying as they laughed and joked.

Keenan told her about his day, including the emergency that had compelled him to leave their bed. A Laird from another clan had had his land flooded and required assistance in dealing with it. Keenan had taken some men provided by James and gone to the Laird’s land before the flood caused any further damage than it had already.

He had advised him to construct an irrigation system that would direct the water to the farmlands instead, and he had stayed with his men to assist the Laird in this endeavor. Bevin was pleased with her husband. He was selfless, always willing to lend a helping hand to others. There was no other man she’d rather be with, and she ensured he knew that.

“I saw yer faither in the study on me way here,” said Keenan suddenly. Bevin looked at him, wondering what he had done or said this time.

“He said he was proud of how we handled the clan and our marriage so far. He is glad that both have been going so smoothly.” Bevin was moved by her father’s efforts to be present in her life and grateful that, even though he was no longer Laird, he was still working hard to ensure the clan’s success.

“He said that now all he wanted to make his joy complete was for us tae give him a grandchild,” Keenan laughed. “James asked me the same thing a few nights ago. Maybe we should get tae it now so that we can give them the grandchild that they want so badly,” Keenan joked.

Bevin set the cup she was holding down and exchanged an excited look with Louisa. It had been their topic of discussion today.

I cannae wait tae tell him I am with child.

The End.

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Two years later

“Edna! I think Tory is calling for you.” Ronin’s voice forced her to turn around and look at her husband and their two kids. Ronin was seated on the grass of the castle grounds with Tory and Tywin, their twin children, while Edna was taking a leisurely walk in the evening breeze. She turned around and walked to where they were sitting and noticed that Tory and Tywin were happily playing with one another and certainly did not need her.

“They look just fine tae me,” Edna replied, and Ronin quickly jerked her down to the ground. She landed on his lap, laughing, and looked at him with love in her eyes.

“Tory didn’t need you, but Tory’s father was missing you very, very much,” Ronin told her as he bent down to kiss her lips. Edna turned to face him completely and held his face lovingly in her hands while deepening the kiss with a fervent passion. Even after two years of marriage, they could never get enough of one another.

“Well, I do believe ye two have yer own bedchamber where ye can kiss one another as much as ye want.” Lachlan’s voice forced them to part and look at him. Edna laughed and moved from Ronin’s lap to sit beside him.
“Why do you always show up at such a bad time?” Ronin asked his friend, and Lachlan laughed good naturedly. Edna loved what these two men shared. Their friendship was a beautiful bond, and Edna enjoyed watching them playfully bicker and argue.

“Out of habit, my laird,” Lachlan said with a smirk and came to sit beside them.

Edna watched how he lovingly kissed both Tywin and Tory and started playing with them. She couldn’t help but feel grateful about the fact that her kids had all the love in the world and would have it forevermore. They had loving parents, Lachlan, and Edna’s mother. Edna did not know when she had gotten so lucky, but most of the time she felt like she had the world at her feet.

“My laird,” she looked up just as a guard showed up to them.

“Yes?” Ronin asked.

“There is a young miss who has shown up at the castle door and is asking for help. She says she is in trouble and needs tae speak with someone from the castle,” the guard explained, and Ronin turned to look at Edna with a confused expression.

“Ye two stay here. I will go and see what this is about,” Lachlan said and stood up at once to go. Neither Ronin nor Edna objected since they knew Lachlan would handle the matter with ease.

Once he was gone, Edna moved closer to Ronin and placed her head on his shoulder as they watched Tory and Tywin play with one another. Edna knew their life would never be a bed of roses. As laird and lady of the clan, they were going to face troubles all their life, but with Ronin beside her, life was always beautiful too. This was all she had ever wanted. This was what she finally had.

The End.

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Four years later

Lorna was shaking her head, hunched forward, hands over her waist, trying to catch her breath. “He’s got a big ol’ mind o’ his own,” she said.

“Hmm, interesting,” said Arran beside her; his eyes laughing. “One could say he reminds me o’ a certain ferocious woman that I know.”

Lorna arched her eyebrows to the sky. “Don’t you dare,” she warned.

Arran threw up his hands in feigned innocence. “Merely an observation,” he protested.

Lorna glared at him. “I’ve no idea who that might be,” she insisted.

“Oh, I’ll give ye a clue alright.” He leaned into her and he looped his arm around her waist; pulling her against him. He dropped his mouth to her ear. “I married her,” he said.

Lorna shivered in response to her husband’s touch. They had been married for nearly four years. One would think that time would have dulled her desire or that it would have faded completely, but time had had the opposite effect on her. Her husband could still make her swoon, melt her body, and make her legs tremble for him with a single touch. She wished she could lean into him, bury her head in the crook of his neck, open her mouth to him and let him kiss her senseless.

But there were far more urgent matters to attend.

Chief of which was the taming of the ferocious little boy running ahead of them; tugging on the fabrics that danced over the tops of the nearby stalls, snatching up gloves dangling from stands, grasping for anything and everything, like a fiery bundle of chaos.

Before the shop owners even got the chance to marvel at his boisterousness or shake their heads and laugh at the little boy’s speed and agility – he had run on to the next interest, picking up fruits from baskets and loaves from tables, squealing and giggling heartily all the while.

Lorna untangled from her embrace with her husband. She was shaking her head. Bruce was a delightful handful but he was a handful alright.

“He’s back at it again,” she said. Arran followed her gaze to the little boy bouncing down the street. Shaking his head at her, he laughed, at her. He was enjoying this.

“Nae less than we’re used tae.”

“He’s making trouble.”

“He’s getting tae know his future subjects,” Arran teased.

“He’s snatching up their apples and toys!”

“Out o’ love,” Arran drawled; trying and failing to contain his amusement. His face was ablaze with laughter. “This is love.”

“Easy tae say when it’s nae ye running after him,” she said. “I suppose we ought tae be grateful that the vendors take it in their stride. I dinnae think I’d have the ability tae be as patient as them.”

Arran’s eyes were shining bright with humor but his tone was reassuring. “Oh, yer people love him,” he said to Lorna. He was right, of course.

Each time they had journeyed to the markets in her father’s domain, Bruce had made a spectacle; stopping to speak to anyone who cared to listen to a little boy’s rambling, to watch him skidding down the street clothed in the finest garments a little laird could dream of — and the journeys had been beyond counting.

The vendors and shopkeepers cooed and doted upon him and if he did not stop by their stalls to snatch up something, they almost looked disappointed. Some of them even had their baskets ready and waiting for him, and said, “Anything that pleases yer eye, my laird?” and, “Have at it, my laird!” when he stopped by.

“Yes! This one!” Bruce would say; picking up a miniature horse or an apple or a potato, or a sword cut from wood, and the merchants would exchange amused glances before shaking their heads and laughing.

Lorna rolled her eyes and sighed. “Off I go, yet again,” she said. Her voice revealed her exhaustion but she could not deny a small part of her enjoyed these little journeys through her home.

Arran lifted his hand in playful cheer. “I believe in ye,” he said. She made a face at him, then gathered her gown and ran after Bruce.

She raced after her son, steadying and catching her breath as she reached him. She looped her arms around him, gathering him to her side. He had found his way to the front of a silverware shop and had been smacking a silver spoon against the merchant’s steel table; as if testing its fortitude and strength.

“Forgive us, kind sir” said Lorna as she pulled her son away.

The merchant failed to hide his disappointment as Bruce put his spoon away, albeit reluctantly. “Please, dinnae apologize,” he said, laughing. “Always an honor tae have the young laird visit our streets and judge our goods,” he joked.

Lorna shook her head and laughed. “Certainly one way tae put it,” she said to the merchant then turned to her son. “Let’s go, Bruce. Come on. Up ahead.”

Bruce was already shaking his head, the strong-minded little animal. “Nae, Mama. Nae, I want the spoon.”

“Well, ye cannae have it. I mean it, Bruce.”

“Sure he can,” said the old merchant. He caught himself and then added in a more reverent tone, “That is if ye dinnae mind, my lady.”

Lorna sighed. Oh, well. He had picked many “souvenirs”, as they liked to call them, from all the other stands in their time, and the vendors been more than happy to relinquish their goods. What was one more silver spoon to add to his collection?

The merchant lifted the spoon from his table and handed it to Bruce, who snatched it like a precious little thing, and was already running ahead before Lorna could get her words out. “Bruce! Say thank ye!”

She returned to the merchant, still shaking her head. “I’m so sorry. Thank ye, sir.”

He waved away her gratitude. “Please,” he said. “What greater honor than tae tell people that our good laird’s heir is my most favorite customer?” He laughed and Lorna eased up a little; laughing along.

An arm came over her waist and she turned to see that her husband had caught up to them; pulling her close and kissing her cheek.

“Evening, my laird,” said the old man; bowing a little.

“Evening, good sir. I see my son has bestowed you his patronage,” said Arran, laughing.

“The very best customer, my laird.” The man laughed too.

Arran shook his hand and poured some coins in his palm. The man looked down and gushed his gratitude. “Thank ye, my laird, thank ye, sir.”

It was Arran’s turn to dismiss his gratitude with a wave. “Please. It is the least I can do for the chaos our little Bruce wreaks in these streets.”

“Oh no, sir, we look forward tae it,” the merchant assured him; smiling as he pocketed his money.

“We encourage it,” added a female vendor selling fabric beside him and the other merchants who’d been watching and listening laughed and shook their heads.

“Tis the least we can give back tae a laird who protects and supports his people thus so,” another merchant in the crowd added, and there were murmurs of approval as they laughed and nodded.

Lorna also smiled. Perhaps she had worried for nothing after all, and Bruce’s antics were all in good humor – not that she would start encouraging Bruce but she resolved to leave him alone for the time being. The sight of him running around the flea market, grabbing toys and goods and striking up conversations with the most unlikely of people had turned out to be a blessing for the shopkeepers. They loved him because they loved his father – almost as much as she loved her husband and son.

Lorna turned from the elderly merchant but first she waved him and the rest of them goodbye. “Have a fine journey ahead, milady,” said the merchants.

“Please bring our future laird back soon,” they added as they called after her.

Lorna laughed at that. As if she could possibly hold Bruce back from having his way!

“Oh, he’ll be back,” Arran assured them; a small smile lingering on the corner of his mouth.

They continued walking, past shops filled with swirling gowns and merchants shouting out the prices of their wares. Bruce continued to grab and seize whatever was in his path, while his father continued to dip his hand into his pocket and pay each merchant for each good snatched up and stolen. They laughed and said thank you.

Lorna sighed as she watched everything. It was a happy, satisfied sigh, the only kind she’d let out since starting a family with the man she loved.

Ahead of them, a group of vendors and villagers alike were huddled around the boy as he regaled them with stories about his newest chest of toys, his grandfather’s last birthday, and his favorite uncle Douglas.

Lorna watched her son spread his arms wide, making a face and gesturing as he entertained his audience and they broke into laughter. She realized she was laughing too. “He’s a delight,” she said dreamily.

“When he’s nae being a tyrant,” said Arran as he followed her gaze.

“That we can agree on,” she said and he laughed. “Mischievous like the brither he’s named after,” he added and she smiled. Arran’s eyes were smiling too.

She enjoyed hearing his voice free of pain and anguish as he spoke of his brother. He’d let time and new love heal his broken heart. He’d made it this far and her heart swelled in her chest as she realized her husband had overcome the greatest pain of his life.

She had never loved him more. She added softly, “Strong and handsome, like ye.”

“Beautiful and stubborn, like ye,” he said.

Lorna feigned affront. “Excuse me, sir. I am the softest, meekest little maiden ye’ll ever come across, thank ye very much.”

Arran shook his head at her. “With a very strong mind o’ his own, like ye too,” he added. “His younger brothers and sisters will definitely have an example tae follow.”

“If they’re nae already a larger handful than their big brither,” said Lorna.

“Well, now there’s only one way tae find out,” he replied as he clasped his hand over the small of her back.

She shivered and while she already knew what he was going to say – she asked anyway, “And what would that be?”

“We make more bairns,” he whispered against her cheek and she laughed.

She laughed because she felt lighthearted and joyful. She laughed because it was the perfect time to tell him that she was with child.

She had yet to confirm it with the surgeon but the signs were all there, as they had been with Bruce: the early morning dizziness, the inability to keep a meal down one moment and the overwhelming urge to devour anything she could lay her eyes on the next. She could have delivered the happy news to her gorgeous husband right then, at that moment…

But she decided not to. She would wait until they were in the castle, until they were all alone in their chambers. She would lay down beside him and plant his hand on her bare belly, and she would look in his eyes and say, “I’ve got a little something for ye.”

Then, she would watch him shake with enthused laughter as he lowered his mouth and kissed her belly; kissed her all over.

For now, Lorna leaned into him as they walked side by side. He held her so tightly but tenderly too. He kissed her ear, her cheek. She turned her mouth to him and, despite all the onlookers, she let him kiss her like his kiss was the only thing that mattered in the world.

It was as pure and overwhelming as the first time he had held her and claimed her as his own.

It was as pure and overwhelming as she knew it would always be.

The End.

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This is the story of Julia, an intelligent English lady who runs away to escape her woes and finds herself in the keep of an enticing Highlander. This Highlander, as handsome as he may be, has serious economic troubles, and only a miracle can save him. But perhaps one's answer is closer than he thinks. How will he help her face the past that is haunting her? And how will she save him?

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★★★★★ 213 ratings

This is the story of Gale, an adventurous English lady who runs away to escape her murderous mother and finds herself in the company of an alluring Highlander. There she is called to change her ways, and he helps her see the world from a different point of view. But her past is catching up with her. How will she elude her mother? And will this be the only obstacle in their relationship?

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Five years later

“It’s hard tae believe that it was seven years ago that yer father and brother were killed,” Edmund’s mother said as she stared in front of them.

Edmund stood at the gravesite of his beloved family. His mother and wife stood next to him.

“Aye, it looks well. The flowers have grown just as I hoped they would. Father would be happy about the way his gravesite looks, up on a hill with a soft breeze blowing. It is a beautiful summer’s eve.”

“Aye,” Doreen agreed, leaning against his shoulder. Edmund kissed the top of her head, thanking God once again that he had brought Doreen Rose into his life. He couldn’t imagine a day without her, and the last five years as heads of the MacVarish Clan had been bliss itself.

“Well, shall we go inside and enjoy the feast in their memory? The whole clan will be coming tae celebrate, and Murdoch has been busy helping tae prepare,” Edmund smiled.

Two years before, Murdoch had become his new father-in-law. While it was a surprise in many ways, Edmund was happy that his mother had found happiness again. And he’d realized that there was always something about how Murdoch looked at his mother. Now that he thought about it, he was surprised that he’d never noticed it. He was happy to have a whole family again.

“The poor old man. We shall go tae help him, will we nae, Doreen?” They turned to go, and Edward wrapped his arm about his wife.

“I would be happy tae, but he seemed insistent to handle things. I think he wants tae pay homage tae yer family in this way. Each year I try tae offer me assistance, but he turns me away, telling me that I must enjoy meself.” Doreen shook her head, laughing, and his mother smiled.

“I think you’re right, lass. It is so very kind of him, but he does put himself under so much pressure tae pay that homage. I think he still feels guilty that he wasnae there that day. He wishes that he could have suffered as the other men had suffered.”

“Nae, nae,” Edmund replied, walking back down the long, winding, dirt path to the Castle. “I wish he wouldnae feel so. I have tried tae talk about it with him many times. He did what he needed tae do, staying at the castle, protecting it, and protecting the young soldiers who were far too inexperienced tae fight in full battle.”

Doreen grew quiet, and he knew that she was thinking about how her family and Lord Johnson had played a role in all this. “Peace is now ours, and it is time tae put all guilt behind us,” he whispered, and she nodded.

“Aye, true enough,” his mother said. “Ye are kind tae say so.” She squeezed his arm.

“I am a blessed mother tae have such a son, and I hope that ye two will have children who are just as wonderful.”

MacVarish Castle was in the distance, and when Edmund looked up at it, he took a breath. Even though he’d now been laird for five years in body, it still felt like yesterday when he’d returned from prison with his few men who’d survived, and he’d planned his revenge. He could never get enough of looking at his home and feeling the pride that came with it. This was his land to rule and his people to help. Doreen was now a part of that, and together they had begun to make a new life without any darkness surrounding them.

Things were in a slight frenzy back in the castle as servants moved through the rooms and the hall, setting up tables, restocking hearths, sweeping dusty corners, and putting flowers in vases. The scent of meat and bread in the air came from the kitchens below.

The three of them stood in the doorway to the hall, looking out over the activity. “It will be wonderful, as it is each year,” he said to his mother.

She thanked him and left to find Murdoch, who was now doubt busy instructing servants to do things just as he wanted them done.

Doreen put his hand around his waist. “I hope me father will arrive in time. He must have had some trouble for him tae be this late.” She frowned.

“Nae, I think he doesnae want tae intrude. He came this late last year. What of Oliver and Fiona? I forgot tae ask ye. Will they be joining us?”

“Aye, but nae tonight. It wasnae possible for them tae leave so early. But they will travel soon tae feast with us in a day or so.” She took his hand and squeezed it, looking up into his eyes.

His eyes moved over her familiar and bonny face. It had been five years, and yet she looked the same to him as when he first laid eyes on her through the window at Rose Castle. She was still beautiful, fierce and full of a fire that was never quenched.

“How do ye feel about this? Celebrating yer father and brother and all the men who lost their lives year after year? I ken that ye smile and laugh and enjoy yerself, but I want ye tae be honest with me.” She turned her head to the side and waited.

It was a wonderful thing about marriage. He felt finally that he had someone with whom he could bare his soul. Even though he’d been brought up to fight and to protect his clan, Doreen had encouraged him to be more honest about his feelings.

“I am well, me love,” he said, chucking a finger under her chin. “It gets easier with each passing year, and I think it gives me the chance tae let out me grief just a little bit more. I want tae keep honoring them and keep their memory in people’s minds. I think it would be far worse tae do nothing and let people forget about them and what they meant tae our lives.”

She nodded and took his hand up to her mouth, kissing it. “Ye are a wonderful husband, ye ken?” Slowly, she took his hand and put it on her stomach. “And ye will make a wonderful father too.”

Edmund blinked at her for a few seconds, unsure if he’d heard her correctly. “Ye mean…?” he said in a low voice, afraid to get his hopes up only to have them be dashed again. There had been some trouble for Doreen to conceive, but now all his hopes were being realized.

“Aye,” she said, nodding with a bright smile.

“Thank God!” he cried, and he lifted her and spun her around, laughing as he did.

She shrieked with laughter, too, catching the attention of those in the room. He kissed her soundly on the mouth when he lowered her down , and the servants turned away. They were used to the laird and lady’s fervent displays of affection.

He cradled her face in his hands, and he saw tears in her bright, green eyes. “A child at long last. May I announce it tonight at the feast? It will be another great honor tae me father and brother.”

“Aye, ye may. I waited until I was very certain tae tell ye so that there will likely nae be another disappointment.”

He sighed with happiness and put both hands on her belly. “I love ye, Doreen.”

“And I love ye. What another exciting adventure we have ahead of us, Laird MacVarish.”

“And one I am only too happy tae take with ye, Lady MacVarish.” They giggled like children and left to go ready themselves for the feast.

***

Doreen felt thoughtful once she was at the feast, surrounded by the clan members.

Sometimes, she found it difficult to be the lady of a clan. She had been a laird’s daughter and Lady Johnson, but this was different somehow. Maybe because now, she was the wife of a man she truly loved and a lady of a people she truly cared for. There was more pressure, and more people were looking to her to do the best thing.

But at the same time, it was so freeing. Doreen was her own woman, and she could do as she pleased; no one restricted her. Clan MacVarish had a healer, but she also helped with the healer’s work whenever she could, and she tried to learn more and more as the years went on so that she could gain new skills.

Edmund had begun to teach her to fight after he was finally healed from the battle with Norman five years before, and she was now well-skilled with the sword and was a fine archer. It gave her the confidence and strength she’d been seeking for so long, and even though these were times of general peace, she still felt better that she would not be left feeling helpless if another battle came to their doorstep.

And then there was Edmund. He was the perfect, loving husband she’d hoped for. He was everything she could ever have asked for from above, the complete opposite of Lord Johnson. Each day was better than the last, and now she and he were soon to have a child. She felt nervous about the announcement as she sat beside Edmund at the head table at the feast. His hand was in hers, giving her comfort before he stood up and raised his glass.

The clan in their finest dress went silent. The musicians quieted, and she turned to look at her father sitting beside her. He smiled and patted her arm. He had grown far older in the past five years, more so than expected, and she was glad that he would be there to hear the announcement of the child’s arrival.

“Clan MacVarish, ye have been through difficult times, but today is a day for celebration. We are here tae celebrate the former Laird MacVarish and his son, me brother, Robert. Lift yer glasses tae them and those brave men who lost their lives that day in the battle against the English!”

“Hear, hear!” they called, lifting their glasses in the air and then drinking to honor them.

“But there is more,” Edmund said, a bright, joyful tone in his voice. He turned to look lovingly at Doreen. “There will be another tae join this clan in a few months, another member tae join Clan MacVarish!”

The crowd cheered, and she could hear her father’s happy shout next to her.

“Congratulations, me daughter. Ye have waited a long while for this,” he said, kissing her on the cheek.

“Thank ye, Father,” she said, smiling at him and then at Edmund’s mother, who had tears in her eyes.

“Enjoy yerselves,” Edmund said. “For ye deserve it, and there is much tae be happy for this day!”

When he sat down, the music and festivity continued. He leaned closer to Doreen. “Did I do well?” he asked.

“Quite well,” she said, touching her hand lovingly to his cheek. “Ye have made everyone so happy.”

“And ye have made me happy, as ye always do,” he answered, pulling her hand from his cheek to place a kiss on her palm.

Two hours later, Edmund and Doreen stole away to the castle’s battlements once they’d had enough of the cheer and frivolity. She wore a woolen tartan to keep out the slight chill, and Edmund walked alongside her. To replace the secret stargazing place she would miss at Rose Castle, Edmund had built them one of their own, and so now, no guards could see them as they took a little stroll in their secret spot.

He looked up. “Beautiful night,” he said.

“Aye, always a beautiful night when I am here with you.”

He pulled her close as he leaned against the balustrade. She could feel the heat in his body and knew what he wanted. Wrapping her arms about him, her tartan fell to the ground. She kissed him, and he kissed her back, their passion coming to a frenzy in mere seconds.

“I want ye, me lass,” he said in her ear as he kissed down her neck. “I have been waiting tae steal away from the party so that we could be together. But may I make love tae ye here.”

“Aye,” she said breathless, pulling him back against the taller wall and began to pull up her skirts. “Here and now.”

He grinned. “I can never get tired of this, Doreen. Ye wanting me as much as I want ye.” He paused and frowned. “I willnae hurt the baby?”

“Trust me as a healer, Edmund,” she said. “Ye will nae hurt the baby.”

He untied his trousers and hoisted her legs up around his waist, filling her in just a few moments. They had done it so often that their bodies knew each other and knew how to find where to join. She held tight to his shoulders as he began to move inside her, his hands on her buttocks as he guided himself in.

“Edmund,” she said, whispering his name like a prayer as he thrust deeply, stroking her center. “I am yers,” she said, feeling her pleasure coming faster than expected.

His mouth moved from her mouth to her jaw to her neck, unable to be satisfied with her taste. “And I am yers,” he said, quickening his pace as she tensed her thighs about his waist and came to her climax, stars behind her eyes calling out his name.

He came soon after, spilling into her. They gripped one another as their pleasure calmed, and he stared into her eyes. “I donnae ken what I would have done without ye, lass,” he said softly.

He kissed her gently on the lips and slowly let her feet drop. Her skirts fell back down around her ankles, and he held her tight. It was a good thing, for her legs still felt like jelly.

“Aye, ye wouldnae have such a hidden-away space with stars and lovemaking,” she said, moving her hands up to clasp around his neck.

“True, what a shame that would be.”

He leaned in to kiss her again, but they both heard the booted footsteps of one of the soldiers on patrol on the higher part of the battlements. It brought him back to reality. “I suppose we should return. People will want tae continue tae congratulate us.”

“Aye. It is our duty,” she said, nodding. They were about to leave when she pulled him back and kissed him. “I hope we willnae give this up, this wanting of each other so desperately we cannae wait. I ken that a child could change that.”

He laughed. “Nae child could change me wanting ye, Doreen. It will mean things are busier, but that means I will only have tae work harder tae find places tae make love tae ye. I will never stop wanting that.”

Comforted by his promise, she embraced him and said, “Nor I. I shall hold ye tae that.”

“Good. I will heartily fulfill me end of that vow.” With a smile, she tucked her arm through his, and they let their secret place to return to the feast.

The End.

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