“It fits perfectly,” Isla said, emerging from her bedchamber and twirling around before Lena, who smiled and clapped her hands together.
“I thought there would be alterations to dae, lass, but ye are right; it fits perfectly. Ye look ever so pretty. My Fraser is a lucky lad indeed to be marryin’ such a bonnie lass,” Lena said.
“I am lucky to be marryin’ such a bonnie lad. I am sure he will look equally as dashin’ in his own tunic,” Isla replied.
With the gown safely packed away, further preparations could continue, and by the time the appointed day came, there was not a thing that Isla and Lena had not thought of. It was to be a joint celebration, with Duncan making his vows upon the same day and being clothed in the habit of a novice monk. Father MacConkey would conduct the wedding, and they would hold a feast with the monks at Alistair Elliott’s expense before returning to Kirklinton the next day.
It was a bright and sunny morning when the party set out from the castle. Fraser, Duncan, and Father MacConkey had walked up from the village, and the horses had been prepared by Sweeney, who was also accompanying them as a witness. Lena and Alistair were already sat in the cart, and Isla embraced Fraser as he ran up the track towards her with a smile across his face.
“Another day, and we shall be married,” he said, his arms around her, as the two kissed and exchanged greetings.
“And what a wonderful day it will be. Not just for us, but for Duncan and the rest too,” she replied. “I cannae believe that after all we have been through, the day of our weddin’ is now here.”
“Aye, there have been some dark days, lass, but now we have come through them, and we shall be happy, ye and I,” he replied.
“Come now, the monks shall be waitin’, and we want to reach Lanercost by the evenin’ to settle in,” Alistair Elliott said, smiling at his daughter and Fraser.
He helped her into the cart, and Sweeney clicked on the horses as he led them along the track away from Kirklinton and towards the west. The moorlands stretched endlessly on either side, and it was on such a day as this that any stranger could see just what an attraction life in that place held. The air was fresh, the birds were singing above them, and the sun shone down, as though blessing their endeavors with its rays.
“I couldnae be happier, father,” Isla said as she rested her head upon her father’s shoulder, and the cart jolted them along.
“I know lass. Ye have had a hard life over the years, and ye deserve all the happiness of yer weddin’ day. I couldnae be prouder of ye,” he replied.
“Duncan, are ye ready to enter the monastery,” she asked, turning to the young lad, who nodded.
He had about him an air of maturity that had not been there before. He seemed older and wiser. A different person to the boy she had first met just a short while ago. He was dressed in a black cloak, and his rosary beads hung down from his belt. He was carrying a prayer book, and already he looked every bit a holy man.
“‘Tis a day I have long waited for,” he replied, “and now that it has come, I feel as happy as I ken my brother feels in marryin’ ye, Isla,” he replied.
“Aye, ye have waited many years for this, Duncan,” Fraser said, as the cart trundled across the moorlands. “I remember when ye were just a bairn and would sit at the front of the kirk as Father MacConkey was sayin’ Mass. Ye were transfixed, and I remember the day ye told our parents that ye wished to be a brother in the monastery.”
“What did they say?” Isla asked.
“Oh, at first, they told him it was a boyhood dream, but that if he truly wished to be a monk, then he must work hard and pray. Well, he prayed,” Fraser replied and laughed as his brother shook his head.
“Aye, well, I was never going to be a blacksmith brother, ye knew that, and so did they,” Duncan replied.
Talk of the vows and ceremonies continued, and the cart trundled on across the moorlands. There was no sign of anyone around them, and though both Alistair and Fraser carried swords at their sides, they had no expectation of needing to use them. The road was quiet, and it was heading away from Musgrave castle, across the moorlands. The English would brood and plot, but each of them hoped it would be a long time before any new threat came from across the borders.
As late afternoon arrived, the towers of the monastery at Lanercost came into view. There was a large, red, sandstone church, surrounded by cloisters and a high wall. A little settlement spread around it with huts and low-lying crofts next to a river, which snaked off into the distance and was lined on one side by the trees, on the other by farmland, stretching as far as the monastery wall. As they came along the track towards the gates, several peasants stopped their work and watched them with interest.
“Greetin’ to ye, good sirs and lady,” one said, bowing to the Laird, who nodded to them.
“A new novice for the monastery, Father?” another asked, looking up at Father MacConkey, who nodded.
“Aye, this is Duncan, and ye shall see much of him now about the place,” the priest replied.
“Aye, Father, we will. ‘Tis always a joy to welcome a new brother to Lanercost,” the peasant replied reverently.
The gates of the monastery were open, and it was as though, here in this place, there was no threat of an English attack or warmongering among the Scots. Here, where the river wound its way peacefully about the sandstone buildings and the sun shone gently upon the pastureland, all seemed at peace. One of the monks, clothed in his black and white habit, was waiting to greet them, and he smiled as Sweeney pulled up the horses, and the party climbed down from the cart.
“Welcome to ye all. ‘Tis good to have ye here and to meet our newest brother,” the monk said, as Duncan looked around him with delight.
“‘Tis good to be here at last,” he replied, as the monk embraced him. “Today is a day I have long dreamed of.”
“And to welcome yer brother here too with his bride to be. Welcome, Fraser and Isla, when word arrived that ye wished to be married here in our church, we were overjoyed. But now ye must all be tired and wish to rest after yer journey. Come now and let us make ye welcome,” the monk said.
They followed him into the monastery, where there came the faint sounds of the monks at prayer, the chant echoing through the corridors. It was a peaceful place, and Isla could not help but feel a sense of calm and serenity coming over her after all that she had experienced at the hands of the Musgraves.
They were given simple rooms overlooking the cloister. A bed and a washstand were the only items in each cell, apart from a crucifix and a prie-dieu on which to kneel and pray. Isla opened the window of her little room and breathed in the sweet, fresh air that wafted in from the gardens below. Lavender bushes surrounded the cloister, and there was a gentle buzz of bees coming from the gardens where several of the older monks were tending the flowers.
“‘Tis a beautiful place,” Fraser said, putting his head around the door, “I can see why Duncan wishes to stay here.”
“Aye, I think he will be happy here,” she replied as he came to stand next to her at the window.
“And we shall be happy too, for when we leave here, it shall be as man and wife,” he replied.
She turned to him, and he embraced her, the two sharing a kiss as a bell began to toll for the evening service. They watched as the monks proceeded across the cloister, and at the back, was Duncan, walking with his head bowed.
“He already looks the part of a monk,” Fraser said, shaking his head and smiling, “I thought when he left, I would be lonely. I was dreadin’ it, even though I wanted him to follow his destiny and dae what he knew to be right. I thought I would spend the rest of my life alone as a blacksmith, a life which may have been happy enough, but wouldnae have fulfilled me as Duncan’s callin’ will fulfill him.”
“And how dae ye feel now that ye are to be a Laird one day?” Isla said, taking his hand as they walked downstairs to the cloister below.
“Now I feel happier than I have ever felt in knowin’ that ye a
nd I are to be together and that there will always be someone at my side. As for being Laird, well, we shall see,” he replied, shaking his head.
The thought of being Laird was not something he found particularly attractive, but if it was his duty, then so be it. All that Fraser wanted was to marry Isla. The future would make its own path then; so long as she was at his side, anything was possible.
That evening they enjoyed a simple supper with the monks in the refectory and an early night, ready for the festivities of the next day. Isla had soon found herself steeped in the rhythms of the monastic life, and as the monks sang their last prayers of the day, she sat at the back of the church and allowed the gentle chant to wash over her, an all-pervading sense of peace overcoming her.
“I can see why ye wish to stay, Duncan,” she said, as she met him at the door of the church before making her way to bed.
“Aye, ‘tis a special place, and make nae mistake. I am glad that Fraser will nae be left alone, though. I worried about him, though. ‘Tis silly to worry about a grown man, still, I will miss him, but I know that he will nae be alone now. I am glad the two of ye have found one another,” Duncan replied.
“Aye, yer brother is a very special person, and so are ye, Duncan. I am glad ye have found yer place in life and that he has found his,” she said.
“And I hope the two of ye shall be frequent visitors to us here at Lanercost,” Duncan said, and Isla nodded.
“Aye, we shall be. ‘Tis a place of peace and ‘tis rare in this world to find peace so readily,” she replied, and the two bid one another goodnight.
From her monastic cell, Isla looked out across the moonlit cloisters. How different it was from the castle of the Musgraves and how at peace she felt here, safe and secure with Fraser and her father so close at hand. An owl hooted in the distance, and Isla watched as it rose gracefully over the monastery. She smiled as she snuffed out her candle and lay down to sleep. In just a short while, she would be married, and how happy that prospect made her, the wife of a man who had risked so much to save her and whom she knew loved her with all his heart.
Chapter Forty-Five
The next day dawned brightly, and Isla awoke to the sound of the early morning bell tolling and calling the monks to prayer. She lay for a moment staring up at the whitewashed ceiling above. Today she would be married, and there was much to prepare for.
A short while later, there came a gentle knock at the door, and Lena appeared in the room, holding Isla’s gown under her arm. She was already prepared and had on a pretty gown of white, covered with a woven shawl, quite different from her former appearance as a servant of the Musgraves
“Come now, Isla, we have much to get ready before ye are married,” she said, as Isla stretched and sat up on the bed.
“‘Tis so peaceful here. I could lie here and listen to the bells all mornin’ and dae nothin’ but rest,” Isla replied, laughing.
“Aye, I felt like that too. There is somethin’ so special about Lanercost. Perhaps it is all those years in that abysmal castle, but I feel at peace here too,” Lena replied.
Isla splashed cold water on her face from the washstand jug, and Lena helped her to get ready. She combed her hair and pulled it back and plaited it, tying a pretty red ribbon in it, and once Isla was dressed, she looked every bit the bride.
“Ye dae look bonnie, lass, ye really dae,” Lena said, stepping back to admire Isla, who blushed.
“Ye dinnae mind that the dress belonged to my mother?” she said, but Lena just laughed and shook her head.
“I can forgive yer mother for wantin’ rid of me. I think I would have felt the same if it had been me who had been married to yer father. A dress is a dress, and it looks pretty on ye, and so be it,” Lena replied.
“I … ‘tis silly, but I hope Fraser will remember the lessons of this sorry tale,” Isla said.
It was a thought that had naturally played upon her mind. She had no doubt of Fraser’s love for her, but she knew what men could be like, for she now knew it firsthand from her father. But Lena smiled and shook her head.
“Dinnae fash about Fraser, lass. He is different from other men, and nae all men are the same. He loves ye, and he fell in love with ye completely. dinnae fear for his indiscretions. I can assure ye that there will be none,” Lena replied, squeezing Isla’s hand.
“Aye, ‘tis a foolish though. He wouldnae have risked his life for me if he were nae so in love with me,” she said, feeling foolish for even thinking such thoughts.
“‘Tis natural enough to think such things, lass,” Lena said. “All women dae occasionally, but Fraser loves ye, and today he will make that love clear for all to see.”
Her father arrived shortly afterward, and he embraced Isla and told her too how beautiful she looked. He was dressed in a red tunic and had placed a sprig of lavender from the gardens at his breast. He looked every bit the proud father of the bride, and as Isla took his arm, she told him again how happy she was.
“‘Tis a great day for us all, lass, and I am lookin’ forward to welcoming Fraser truly into our family. The return of the son that I had foolishly lost,” he said, turning to Lena as he did so. “And Lena, this family is yers too, and I promise I shall make amends for all these years of exile.”
She smiled at him and nodded.
“Let us put the past behind us and look to the future. And there is the bell tollin’ for that future to begin,” she said, as the monastery bells now began to peel in celebration.
Together they walked down to the cloisters where already many well-wishers had gathered for that great day.
“Goodness, ‘tis quite a crowd here now,” Isla said, peering into the church beyond.
She could see Fraser with his back to her, standing by the altar steps, and next to him was Duncan, clothed in the white of a novice monk. The monks were in the choir stalls, and the church was filled with local people, eager to see the new brother and his own brother married.
“‘Tis a great day, isnae it?” a voice from behind came.
Isla turned and was amazed to see Sweeney; whose transformation was quite remarkable. He had cut his hair and shaved his beard and was dressed in a new tunic. She had never seen him so clean and presentable, for usually, he was about the horses or out on some errand for her father. He had lost the smell of drink too and was smiling broadly at her as he looked her up and down.
“I wouldnae have recognized ye, Sweeney,” she said, as Alistair put his hand on the stable hand’s shoulder and smiled.
“Nor I, but dinnae be thinkin’ that ye shall be marryin’ my daughter in place of Fraser. We shall find ye a bonnie lass in time, Sweeney,” and he laughed.
“I am just glad I played my part in the deception,” Sweeney said, and he winked at Isla, as he walked into the church.
“Did everyone know about ye and Fraser except for me?” her father said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Only those who could be trusted, father,” she replied and kissed him on the cheek.
The peel of bells now came to an end, and Father MacConkey emerged from the church to greet Isla and her father. Lena had gone to take her place at the front, and Isla took a deep breath as Alistair took her by the arm, and they prepared to walk down the aisle.
“Now, we shall have the marriage and Duncan’s profession one after the other. I will conduct the weddin’, and the monks will welcome Duncan to their community. ‘Tis a very happy day indeed,” the priest said.
“Is Fraser nervous?” she asked, and the priest smiled.
“Aye, but I have never seen a man on his weddin’ day who was nae, so ‘tis hardly surprisin’. He will be more nervous if we dinnae start on time though,” the priest replied, and he looked back into the church where the congregation had now fallen silent.
At Father MacConkey’s signal, the monks began their slow chant, and the priest led Isla and her father down the aisle. The heads of the congregation turned, and all eyes were on Isla. There was much bobbing and curtse
ying among the women and low bows from the men, and as Isla and her father arrived at the altar, Fraser turned and held out his arms to her.
“Ye look beautiful, Isla. I thought for a moment ye were nae coming,” he said.
“Nae coming? Of course I was, after all ye have done for me. I love ye Fraser, and I shall never love another as I love ye,” she replied.
The chant came to an end, and Father MacConkey addressed the congregation.
“Dear friends, today is a momentous day, and a day filled with much joy and happiness. It sees the joy of vocation celebrated among us. The vocation of marriage and that of a religious brother. Today Isla Elliott and Fraser MacGinn will be married. We all know of the tragedies which have befallen the border clans these past months and of the terrible ordeal which Isla faced at the hands of the Musgraves, but in that ordeal was also seen the true love of a man who risked all to save her. Marriage too is a risk, and ye may wonder why I say that. ‘Tis a risk because in giving yerself to another, ye are opening yer heart to them, and there is always a risk that in doing so, we may be hurt. But from that risk comes great reward, for in the love shared between two people, there can exist such joy and happiness that, truly, God is present with them. Ye will see that here too in the lives of the monks in this place. They too take a risk in offering their lives to this service, and so ‘tis a risk too which Duncan takes this day, but I hope that in that risk there will be happiness for all,” he said, and smiled as the three of them stood before him.
A Highlander Forged In Fire (Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance) Page 24