Donnan leaned down and kissed Bernadine again, a softer, sweeter kiss that she relaxed into instinctively.
He feels even better than before, she thought as she snuggled closer into him, letting him envelop her completely in his manly warmth. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest, finally feeling safe and happy. Complete. She had everything she could have ever wanted, and with Donnan, nothing scared her. Not her father, not childbirth, not the future. So long as she had him at her side, she could weather it all.
Epilogue
The trip back to Scotland took nearly a week, since they were travelling by carriage rather than horseback and Donnan insisted on frequent rest stops, especially once he had learned of Bernadine’s condition.
“I am perfectly fine to travel, Donnan,” his wife had assured him after their third stop in one day, but Donnan had dismissed the comment.
“I ken yer strong, lass, but I’ll not have ye riskin’ the health of our bairn just so we can reach the castle a day earlier. Things are fine in Camdyn’s hands, I promise ye,” he said.
And indeed he was right, for when they returned, not only was his study in order and Bernadine’s chambers prepared for her, but Camdyn had also found the time to throw them a wedding feast.
The entire castle was covered in bouquets of flowers, and every lantern was lit, giving the place a merry glow. The banquet hall had been set up with tables of the most succulent meats, stews and cakes, and the ale was already flowing when Donnan and Bernadine made their way down later on the day of their arrival back.
Bernadine was dressed in a gown of deep aubergine that brought out the dark blue of her eyes. Her hair was done in a bun high on her head, showing off her swanlike neck. Jewels adorned her neck and ears, twinkling in the candlelight from the chandeliers high up in the ceiling.
“Ye look beautiful, lass,” Donnan whispered in her ear as he led her into the hall, her hand wrapped tightly in his arm. “Ye ‘re glowin’.”
Bernadine preened, a shy smile on her face as she walked into the hall. The whole room erupted in cheers of congratulations, and they both laughed as glasses were raised in their honor.
“I cannot believe Camdyn planned all this on his own!” Bernadine shouted, looking at the room full of well-wishers.
“Me neither, lass,” Donnan said, looking around to try and spot the lad. He was standing off to the side of the room, near the hearth, looking awkward with a tankard of ale clasped in one hand, the roaring fire at his back. Seamus and his men were nearby, jostling each other and no doubt cracking jokes that would make the lad faint with embarrassment.
“I’m goin’ to go thank him,” Donnan said into Bernadine’s ear over the noise. “Ye go and take yer seat at the table.”
Donnan strode toward Camdyn, stopping to pour himself a glass of ale on his way. He received hearty claps on the back as he passed table after table on his way to the lad.
“Camdyn,” he said as he came to stand in front of the boy. “I cannae thank ye enough for this. What a welcome to come home to,” he said, shaking his head.
Camdyn shrugged, smiling uncomfortably and ruffling his sloppy red hair. “It’s nothin’,” he muttered.
“Nay, lass. It means a great deal. Yer a good man, Camdyn. A good worker and a good friend, as well. I’m lucky to have ye,” Donnan said earnestly. He saw the lad blush.
“How’s yer family?” he asked, both because he was curious and because he wanted to find a topic that didn’t make the lad look like he wanted to melt into the earth from embarrassment.
He was rewarded with a smile as Camdyn perked up, actually looking him in the eye as he said, “Verra well, me laird. They sent their sincerest gratitude for gettin’ them to safety. Me ma said the bairn’s already lookin’ healthier now that there’s fresh air and enough food to eat. I cannae thank ye enough for what ye did. After I betrayed ye that way…”
“Nonsense,” Donnan said, cutting the lad off. “Ye dinnae betray me. Ye were caught in a bad situation, thanks to that Magnus Payne. It’s his fault, not yers.”
Saying the bastard’s name made Donnan realize he had never properly dealt with the man. He had rushed out of his study before he had even formulated a plan for how to find him, and now it was nearly a week later and the man was still on the loose.
I’ll tend to it tomorrow, he promised himself, smiling at Camdyn and asking him to follow him to the table at the front of the room. It was reserved for the most noble of the castle’s inhabitants, but on that particular occasion, Donnan thought the lad more than worthy of such a signification.
* * *
Camdyn was beside himself with joy as he sat across from Lady Young. She was so kind, asking him all about his family, where he had grown up, what his favorite books were. It was the most attention he had ever had from a woman, and he was blushing under her gaze.
“Would you like more suckling pig, Camdyn?” she asked, gesturing to the dish beside her.
Camdyn was about to nod fervently, his stomach still growling despite being on his third helping of food, when out of the corner of his eye he caught a well-wished approaching the table.
People had been coming up to the laird and lady all night to offer their congratulations, so at first Camdyn did not think the man’s presence unusual. That is, until he glanced up and got a good look at the man’s face.
His fork paused in the air, the pig forgotten as he stared into Magnus Payne’s eyes.
Though he had seen the man but once before, he would never forget those eyes. They were cold, devoid of any warmth or emotion. They were a flat grey that made Camdyn think of cold days and stormy seas. Those eyes had haunted Camdyn this last month. They were the reason he had not felt able to stop smuggling, because he knew that if he did, those gray eyes and their owner would be after him.
Camdyn saw Payne’s eyes light up as he took a step closer to Bernadine, now only three feet away. Payne’s hand was resting on his hip, and Camdyn could just see the glint of a blade in the candlelight. He had to act fast.
Picking up a pitcher of wine, Camdyn stood up and leaned across the table, making for the laird’s glass. He took it out of Laird Young’s hand, and when the man turned toward him, no doubt to tell him that he had no need of wine, that his glass was full, Camdyn grabbed him by the neck and whispered, “Payne is but three feet away and headin’ for Bernadine. He has a knife.”
Camdyn saw the laird’s warrior instincts kick in as he turned toward his wife, who was seated on his left side. Payne was but a step away from the lady when Laird Young grabbed the man by the collar and smashed his face into the suckling pig, the knife falling out of Payne’s hands in the process.
“How dare ye try and hurt me wife!” he roared. “Seamus, get his knife!” he called, and Seamus leapt from his chair and scrambled to the floor, grabbing the dirk just before Payne’s feet found it.
“She deserves it after what ye ‘ve done to me!” Payne yelled as he was yanked upright and shoved away from the table by Donnan. Bernadine, who had moved her chair back to allow her husband to walk past her, watched the scene in horrified fascination.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered, her words clearly audible in the suddenly silent room. “What just happened?”
“What happened, lass,” Donnan snarled, not taking his eyes off Payne. “Is that this man was plottin’ to kill ye, no doubt in revenge for his loss of profits. Is that right’, Payne?” he asked, shaking the man.
“Aye, so it is, and I’ll not apologize for it, neither. The Sassenach deserved what was comin’ to her. Ye all did. Ruinin’ me operation. It was to benefit us all, ye ken! All of us Scots, Donnan,” he said.
“He’s yer Laird!” Camdyn yelled, shocking even himself with the ferocity of his voice. But he would not hear his laird so disrespected as to be addressed by his first name from so inferior a man. “Address him as such!”
“He’s no laird of mine,” Payne snarled back, glaring at Camdyn. “And yer nothing but his
servant boy, no better than any of us. A twist of fate could put ye in my shoes, lad.”
“No,” Camdyn fired back. “I would never do such a thing. I’m not a criminal. I might not agree with those taxes, but I wouldnae willingly steal to fight against them. And I most certainly wouldnae have innocents doin’ my biddin. Only cowards resort to such measures.”
“How dare ye call me a coward!” Payne spat out, his face reddening in anger.
“Enough!” Donnan roared, shaking Payne as he yelled. “I’m takin’ ye to the dungeons, and then I’m goin’ to continue my weddin’ feast with me bride. I’ll deal with yer punishment tomorrow, ye swine,” he said.
Camdyn was breathing hard as he watched Payne be dragged away. He could not believe it was all over, finally. He had felt better once his family was safe, but he had not rested easily while the lord was gone knowing Payne was still out there.
He didn’t want to worry the laird with the matter, knowing he was far too focused on collecting his bride from England to worry about a man hunt, but Camdyn had been frightened for the seven days that the laird had been gone, worried his throat would be slit in his sleep.
Now, however, he could breathe. It was over. They were all safe and well. He would never have to smuggle, to lie, to steal, ever again.
He could not wait to go back to his family’s cottage and hug them all, to rejoice that their troubles were truly over. But as he was making his way outside, Camdyn was stopped by someone shouting his name. He turned to find Lady Young running toward him at top speed.
It was an odd sight, to be sure, and he felt his heartbeat spike in his chest. The lass could surely only be running to him if there was trouble afoot. Not again, he grimaced as he watched her come to a stop before him. There was something large and shiny in her hands, though he could not see quite what it was.
“I am so glad I caught you. I wanted to speak to you before you retired for the evening,” she said.
“Is somethin’ wrong, Me Lady?” he asked, scanning her face for signs of distress. But all he saw was a wide smile and a cheerful glint in her eye. He relaxed slightly, waiting for her to continue speaking.
“This,” she said, holding up what Camdyn could now see was a coin. “Is a symbol. Well, it’s a coin, actually, but also a symbol. Because there has been a bounty out for Marcus Payne’s arrest, and because you have caught him, you will receive the bounty. It should come to you in the next few days, but I wanted to tell you tonight. You’ve had a trying time these last few months, and I thought you deserved some good news,” she said, pressing the coin into his hands.
“But, Me Lady, I couldnae…Surely, the bounty is yers and the Laird’s, not mine…” Camdyn said, shaking his head. It was too much. Far too much.
“Nonsense! We have no need of such coin. I have all I could ever need to feel blessed in this world, and the Laird feels the same. And besides, you deserve it. You earned it. It is yours. Thanks to you, the Laird and I are safe, but you and your loved ones have suffered greatly. Use the bounty to take care of them.”
“She’s right, lad,” a deep voice said from the shadows, and Bernadine gave a start as Donnan walked toward them, brushing dirt off his hands.
“Goodness! You gave me a fright!” she laughed, holding her hand on her chest, her cheeks flushed with surprise.
“Came from the dungeons,” the laird said easily. “Ye’ll be happy to hear that Payne is secured in his cell for the night. He willnae be interruptin’ anymore of our celebrations, wife,” he told Bernadine, who responded with a smile.
Camdyn watched as the laird turned to him and nodded at the coin that Bernadine was still pressing into his palm. “Take it, lad. Ye well deserve that bounty. It’ll keep yer family fed and comfortable for years to come,” Donnan said.
“But—” Camdyn started, but one glance at the stern look on the laird’s face told him there was no sense arguing.
And so, he nodded and accepted the coin and what it symbolized, staring in disbelief at it.
“Thank ye. Thank ye both,” he said to the laird and lady, bowing to them before he made his way out the door. He walked down the hill and, when the laird and lady were no longer in sight, he broke into a run, sprinting back to his home. He could not wait to tell his family of the gift.
* * *
Lord Nibley put his quill down and read over the words he had spent all day agonizing over. He had wanted to get things exactly right, knowing he only had one chance to make Donnan Young see him as something other than the monster he had been to both of them. And as he read over the letter in his hands, Nibley thought that its contents would do much to ingratiate himself to his daughter’s husband. If Bernadine loved the man, then he was most certainly worth getting acquainted with.
Dear Laird Young,
My daughter has written to tell me of all that has happened of late at your castle, specifically, that you yourself stopped a smuggling operation on your grounds. It is no doubt one among many examples of your exemplary character, something I have unfortunately overlooked thus far. However, I hope you will accept this letter as my attempt to absolve myself of such a sin. You are a good man, Laird Young, a great one, in fact, and I am glad my daughter has attached herself to you. I am sorry for how I have treated you in the past, and hope that in time we might come to be friends, or at the very least, no longer enemies. It is clear to me that you and the men of your ilk, the Scots, are deserving of only the highest praise. Lord Hammilton was right in counting you as a friend.
Yours sincerely,
Lord Jacob Nibley
The only thing remained was how the young couple would receive the letter...
* * *
“Did ye really mean what ye said before, lass?” Donnan asked Bernadine as they lay in bed curled against each other, his nose buried in her fragrant hair.
He was the most relaxed he had ever felt, after a day of horseback riding in the woods with Bernadine that ended with the delivery of a surprise letter from Lord Nibley. The man was trying to make amends, and Donnan found he was more than amenable to the prospect, especially as the letter put such a smile on his wife’s face. He would do anything, including getting to know his barmy Sassenach father-in-law, if it kept her happy.
“When I said what?” Bernadine asked, sounding half asleep.
“When ye said ye had all ye needed in this life to feel blessed. Is that really true, lass? Ye want for nothin’?” Donnan asked. He himself had all he could ever want, but the lass had weathered far worse than him these last few weeks. He wanted to do whatever he could to make her happy, to make her feel safe and loved.
Bernadine turned her body so she was facing him. “Yes, I meant it. I have you, I have my papa and Guinevere, I have this baby,” she said, putting Donnan’s hand on her lower stomach. “I have books and Iris. I have everything I need to feel happy for the rest of my days.”
“Och, lass,” Donnan started, leaning in to place a kiss on her lips, but Bernadine held up a hand.
“Although,” she said, and Donnan stilled.
“What is it ye need, lass? Anythin’. I ‘ll give ye whatever ye want, so long as ye ‘ll be happy,” he said on a rush.
“In that case,” she demurred, trailing her finger down his cheek, resting it on his chin. She brought his face closer to hers, until their lips were just touching.
“I’d like a few more babies after this one, please.”
Donnan laughed, kissing her at first softly, then deeper and deeper, until it was not so much a kiss as a devouring, slow and luscious and rich.
“I think I can manage that, lass,” he said, laughing as he enveloped her in his arms and rolled her on top of him, their cores lined up perfectly together. “I think I can well manage that, lass.”
The End?
Extended Epilogue
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Disciplined by the Highlander
About the Book
Danger and delight grow on one stalk...
Emma Marston, daughter of the Earl of Dawaerton, travels to Scotland to marry her childhood foe—a deal arranged by their parents since birth. But fate has different plans…
Daring the Highlander: A Scottish Historical Romance Novel Page 26