Page 49 of A Scot to Wed

She studied him for so long, he thought she would saynay, but finally she nodded. “Aye.”

He tugged her hand, pulling her to join him on the comfortable chair near the fireplace. She landed in his lap, and he lowered his head.

Right before he placed his lips on her warm ones, he said, “Tomorrow.”

Chapter Twenty-One

My wedding day.

Katie stared in the mirror, surprised that she looked like a bride, since she didn’t feel like one. But her reflection proved it to be true. The lovely pale blue gown that clung to her figure had been borrowed from one of the MacDuff lasses who’d been wed in it the past year. She tried not to think about the poor lass who’d died two months ago, giving birth to her first child. Her husband had cried as he’d handed her the gown.

Her hair was braided and wound about her head, with blue ribbons woven throughout. The ribbons had been a gift from the cook, Mrs. MacDuff, whose granddaughter had run off with the butcher’s son on the eve of her wedding to another man. She’d cried as she handed over the ribbons.

Her shoes did not match her gown, but ’twas better than her work boots, which was all she had since there had never been a reason to dress up fancy. The pale green satin slippers with stones on the front had come from Mrs. Stirling with the eleven children. The woman had patted the corners of her eyes and wished her a long, happy, and fruitful marriage.

Katie was almost afraid to wear them.

A wedding day was not something she had dreamed about, as most young girls did. From the time her mum had died and Katie had taken over the care of her brother and the entire Stirling keep, she’d shoved thoughts of love and marriage to the back of her mind. The only man who had shown any interest in her had been Richard Armstrong, and she kenned precisely why he wanted to marry her. And it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with her sweet brother. She shuddered.

But here she was, ready to marry a man she’d only known for a few weeks. Of course, everything she’d learned about him only strengthened her opinion of him as a man, a laird, and, most likely, a husband.

Except he was a bit—ach, truthfully, more than a bit—arrogant. But he seemed to care for her and would be a wonderful example for Gavin. The poor lad needed a strong man in his life. Even though she would not change anything she’d done as his only parent, she was fair enough to allow that he needed a bit of toughening up.

A light tap at her door drew her from her musings. “Mistress, everyone is gathered and waiting for ye.” Meggie walked into the room, her eyes bright. “Ye look like a bride.”

“I ken, but I dinnae feel like a bride.” She sighed and picked up the pretty bouquet made from the flowers one of the Stirling lasses had gathered.

“I dinnae ken why yer so glum, mistress. Yer husband is a braw, handsome mon. He is laird of one of the strongest clans left in Scotland. He is flush with coin and even has a liking for yer brother.”

“Aye, I agree with ye on all those points. But the mon is also full of his own importance. Not that a laird is not important, but I dinnae want to enter into a marriage where I will be silenced on every opinion I offer.” She shook her head. “’Tis also that I feel rushed. I barely set my feet down in MacDuff castle, and now I’m to drag myself and my poor brother to Argyll, leaving behind all my clansmen who I’ve kenned since birth.”

“Ye have me,” Meggie snapped.

Katie reached out and touched her maid and friend on the arm, then pulled her in for a hug. “Aye. I apologize. Of course I’m thrilled that ye are coming with me.” She leaned back and smiled. “Shall we get this wedding thing over with?”

As they passed through the bedchamber door, Meggie lowered her voice. “The best part of this wedding is the wedding night.” She winked and added. “But I believe ye have already sampled that.”

Katie ordered the flush that had risen on her face to perdition.

Evan waited for her at the front of the Great Hall with the minister, another MacDuff (what else?), and Alasdair, acting as his witness, standing alongside him. The minister’s beaming smile made her grin, since Evan had told her what he had to confess to get him to marry them posthaste.

Her breath caught as she approached the three men, but she had eyes only for Evan. He was dressed in full regalia, surprising her, since she had no idea he would have traveled from Argyll with his formal clothes.

His hair was still damp from his bath, but what caught her breath more than the clothes and damp hair were his eyes. Two crystal clear green eyes the color of the Scottish hills bore into her as if he could see right to her soul. She shivered at the intensity of his focus on her. The slight tilt of his lips made her feel as though she walked toward him without her clothes. Another flush began in her middle and spread to her face. Good heavens, she must regain her composure. This was not the time nor place to let her mind wander inthatdirection.

“Ye look beautiful, lass.” Evan took her free hand and kissed her knuckles.

Despite her misgivings about being hurried into this marriage, she was forced to admit that she could have done a lot worse. All the things Meggie had pointed out about her husband-to-be were true. She was sure there were many a lass who would gladly trade places with her right now.

Evan’s strong hand gripping hers, they both turned toward the minister, and he began the ceremony.

For all her worries and fearmongering, the ceremony was over in a flash, and it seemed within minutes she was no longer Mistress Katie Stirling but Lady MacNeil. They turned toward the crowd of MacDuffs and Stirlings and grinned at the explosion of cheers. Roars of “Kiss the bride!” echoed throughout the Great Hall.

“Aye!” Evan shouted and pulled her to his warm, hard body and kissed her in such a way that Father MacDuff began to clear his throat in a rather loud manner. Luckily, her new husband had the presence of mind to pull back, because she’d forgotten everything once his lips covered hers. She was also grateful for his strong arm wrapped snugly, and possessively, around her waist to keep her upright, since surely all her bones had melted.

They made their way to the dais, which was to be used for the first time since she had arrived. There were six places set. She, Evan, the minister, Alasdair, Gavin, and Meggie took their seats, and serving lasses immediately entered the room, carrying large platters of food and pitchers of ale. The rest of the guests—more than a hundred—quickly sat and began pouring ale and digging into the offerings from the kitchen.

She looked over at Evan, who had just turned from speaking with Alasdair. Gavin, sitting on his other side, rose from his seat and tapped Evan on the arm. Gavin spoke to him, a very earnest expression on his face. Whatever he said, Evan took seriously, because he bent his head to the lad and, placing his hand on his shoulder, must have reassured him about whatever it was that had troubled him, because the boy’s wee face relaxed, and he broke into a bright smile. Practically skipping back to his seat, Gavin settled in and dug into his food.