by Gwyn Brodie
Millie smiled. "He's a good man, and will do right by the people of Teineaer."
"Why do you think I chose him?" Ceana said, as she walked to the window, and looked out over the moor. She prayed all was well.
Chapter Sixteen
After nigh on an hour of searching for Mungan, and irritated at not yet having found him, Alex brought Jet to a halt.
The other three men rode up beside him and stopped.
Alex turned to Ewin. "How has he managed to get so far ahead of us in such a short time?"
Ewin shook his head. "I dinnae ken. We were not far behind him when we left Teineaer."
"Is there anywhere he might have waited until we rode past, then perhaps changed direction?"
The young MacDougal thought for a moment. "He could've hidden in the cave. 'Tis large aplenty for him and the horse. But I'd not have thought him aware of its existence, as he never grew up here, as I did."
Drostan scanned the landscape. "Perhaps we should take a look. If he was there, we might be able to pick up his tracks."
Alex nodded "Aye, I agree. Ewin, lead us to the cave."
Ewin turned his horse around and headed back the way they had come, but some distance from the castle, he reined his mount to the right, toward the loch. After riding a short distance, he drew his horse up and dismounted.
Alex and the others followed suit.
"'Tis this way," Ewin said, heading around the side of the mountain.
At the entrance to the cave, the snow and vegetation had recently been trampled by a horse. "Mungan was here," Alex stated matter-of-factly.
"How can you be certain 'twas him and not someone else?" Drostan asked, studying the tracks.
Alex knelt and pointed at one of the hoofprints. "See that notch? Campbell had it done to one of Cree's shoes, so he could identify him."
Drostan nodded. "Aye, I see it. Can you tell in which direction he went?"
Alex stood, then walked about studying the ground. Suddenly, shouts reached them from a distance. "Let's go," he said, running back to Jet and swinging into the saddle. He turned the stallion in the direction of the shouting, which now included the high-pitched squeals of a horse. By the saints, what was MacDougal doing to Cree?
"There he is." Ewin pointed to his left.
Mungan stood on the ground clutching Cree's reins, shouting curses and wielding a stick the size of a man's arm, while the horse danced about and squealed.
Alex cursed, as Mungan brought the stick down across Cree's rump, hard enough to break it in half.
Squealing, Cree reared, knocking his abuser to the ground.
Mungan threw his arms across his face and screamed, as the horse brought his hooves down upon him.
Once they reached him, Mungan was already dead. It took all four of them to get the stallion away from his bloody and mangled body.
IN THE SOLAR AT TEINEAER Castle, Ceana played with Jenny, while Millie went to fetch two-year-old, Heather, from Eva, a young servant girl, and returned. As they discussed her new duties as lady, one hour turned to two, then three. Gloaming set in, and still, Alex and the others had not returned.
"Shall we go and see if supper is being served?" Millie suggested, testing the waters of her new position.
Ceana smiled. "Of course, my lady."
Millie beamed, as the four of them left the solar and made their way down to the great hall.
Word had traveled fast, for everyone seemed to know Ewin and Millie were the new laird and lady of Teineaer, and treated her as such, as she took Ceana's mother's old seat at the high table, while Jenny and Heather ate at the nearby children's table, where their mother could keep a close eye on them.
Ceana took a sip of her heather ale, with her gaze fastened on the entrance. Had something terrible happened? Had Mungan somehow managed to harm them? After all, he was as devious as they come.
Just when she thought she could stand waiting no longer, Alex walked into the room, followed by Ewin, Drostan, and Leith, none of them seemingly any the worse for wear. She whispered a prayer of thanks, as Alex came over to the table and took a seat beside her.
Drostan sat down beside Alex, and Leith took a seat at the guards' table across the room. But Ewin just stood there as if wondering what he should do, until his wife smiled, and took his hand.
He looked at Ceana and sat down in the laird's chair. "Millie was a chief's daughter. This will be easy for her, but for me, not so much."
"You'll do fine," Ceana said. "You've your wife to teach you the finer things; the rest is already in your head and heart. And remember, there's Hugh to help you with the accounts. You're quite good at numbers—that I've not forgotten."
He nodded.
She turned to Alex. "Now, tell us what happened. Did you find Mungan?"
Alex had hoped to delay telling them the unpleasant details until after supper. He nodded, swallowing his mouthful of bread before answering. "We found him—he's dead."
Wide-eyed, the two women stared at him, waiting for him to continue. He would tell them only as much as they needed to know. "Cree must have thrown Mungan, and wouldnae allow him to mount again, for he was angry, and shouting at the horse—which is how we found them. From a distance, we saw him strike Cree with a large stick, and had before, as the stallion carries two fresh marks. The horse then reared and knocked Mungan to the ground, where he met his end." He left out the fact that the warhorse had trampled him beyond recognition. "We strapped his body onto my horse, and once I calmed Cree down, I rode him back here."
With both women looking a bit pale and not eating the food before them, Alex quickly changed the subject. "Millie, I've already let Ewin ken we've brought more supplies and will continue to do so until your next harvest. That's what's in the wagon—that and the clothing Ceana brought for you."
Millie smiled through her tears. "We thank the both of you for all you've done for us and the people of Teineaer."
ALEX LOOKED ACROSS the moor at Blackstone and breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally home. He glanced at Ceana, riding beside him. She smiled, as she looked up at the castle tower, dark against the blue sky. She appeared to be as pleased as he was to be back.
After spending the night at Teineaer, Ceana had chosen a few of her parents' personal belongings, and the bluebell platter her mother had so loved, to bring back to Blackstone with her, then entrusted the rest to Millie and Ewin's care. Alex had left behind fifteen of his own guards to protect the castle until Ewin could recruit his own trustworthy guards from the MacDougals and surrounding clans.
"The laird's returned," Lem shouted from the ramparts. "Raise the portcullis."
The heavy iron gate began its ascension, as they neared the castle wall.
After leaving their horses at the stables, Alex, Ceana, and Drostan made their way inside the castle, where the tempting aromas of roasted meats and fresh-baked bread greeted them.
Drostan headed toward the great hall, and Ceana started after him, but Alex grabbed her hand.
She raised a brow in question.
He grinned.
Drostan stopped and turned around. "Are you not coming?"
"In a minute," Alex said, smiling.
His friend chuckled, then kept walking.
"Are you not hungry, as I am?" Ceana asked him.
"Aye, but not for food. For you," he whispered, dragging her into a nook beneath the castle stairs and covering her mouth with his, groaning when her lips parted and her tongue touched his. He could kiss Ceana all day and never tire of it. But the lass had said she was hungry. Alex reluctantly raised his head.
"Has your appetite been satisfied, my laird?" she teased, pressing her lips against the hollow of his throat.
"My appetite will never be satisfied where you're concerned, lass," he admitted hoarsely, capturing her mouth one last time before grudgingly releasing her. "Come. Let's go and have our supper," he said, his body humming with desire. 'Twas a week until Yule—and a week until he and Ceana would become one
—in body and soul.
A WEEK LATER, CEANA drew aside the heavy window covering, unlatched the wooden shutter and peered outside. Her warm breath formed a fog on the glass, as she watched the howling wind swirl snow around in the bailey. Not so long ago, out there she had found only danger and cold, but inside Blackstone's walls, she had found comfort and safety in Alex's strong arms. And today she was to become his wife and the Lady of Blackstone. A wave of excitement set her heart to racing, as it did each time her thoughts wandered to her wedding night and the wonders that Alex, as her husband, would teach her.
It would have been the perfect day if only her parents and friends had been able to be a part of it all. Her mother would have thought Alex quite handsome. Her father would have liked him, but, after all, she was his only daughter. He would have wanted to be certain he was the right husband for her—which of course he was. Tears welled up in her eyes. She dearly missed them both. Ceana opened the locket hanging around her neck and took great comfort in seeing the faces of her parents—especially on this day. After a time, she carefully closed it.
Ceana walked to the bed and lightly brushed her fingers across her wedding gown, which the seamstress had finished but a few days before. The gown was the same shade of deep green as the great pines in the surrounding forest and the perfect color for the Yule season.
"'Tis beautiful, m'lady, as you will be wearing it," Flora said, helping her from her nightgown and into the wooden tub, which had been brought in that morning and recently filled with steaming water.
"Much thanks," she said, taking from the maid a cake of rose-scented soap Ceana had brought back with her from Teineaer. She held it up to her nose, deeply inhaling its pleasing floral scent. It reminded her of home—and her mother. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she quickly blinked them away. This was her wedding day, and her mother would not have wanted her to grieve on such a glorious occasion.
Once her bath was finished, and her hair dried before the fire, Flora helped her into the thin lace chemise she had chosen for her wedding night, then her wedding gown, before drawing the laces tight. The low-cut bodice exposed more cleavage than Ceana was used to showing, but she was certain Alex would like it and fastened her mother's brooch in the center. The stockings and slippers were next, then it was time to fix her hair. She had Flora brush it out and leave it loose about her shoulders—the way Alex liked it—except for a few strands, which were twisted atop her head and fastened with her mother's shell combs.
Flora plucked a small sprig of mistletoe from her arisaid. "Fer yer hair, m'lady. 'Twill aid ye in getting a bairn in ye belly."
Ceana smiled as the mistletoe was gently tucked into the twist. To have a child with the man she loved would be truly amazing, and she could not help but to wonder if he or she would look like her, or Alex.
Finally, the time came for Ceana to go to the great hall. When she entered the room, she was surprised to find it filled with people from Blackstone's estate and the nearby village, as she had believed the bad weather might keep a great many of them away. As she gazed about the newly decorated great hall, she was much impressed with the garlands and trimmings of juniper, the mistletoe covered with berries, and other fragrant evergreens. Their fresh scent filled the air, along with the delicious aroma of freshly prepared foods from the tables, heavily laden for the feast, which would take place once the handfasting ceremony was finished.
An elderly woman, her long silver hair streaked with black, stood beside a table with four long ribbons of various colors, each stretched out lengthwise alongside the other. Though Ceana had never met her, she guessed her to be Murdina, the woman from the village Alex had sought out to perform the ceremony.
Instead of the handfasting, Ceana would have liked to have been inside Blackstone's kirk, with Father MacTavish performing a traditional ceremony. But according to the old ways, they would still be legally wed. And Alex did promise her, that just as soon as Father MacTavish reached Blackstone in the spring, they would be wed in the kirk—that was what her parents would have wanted.
Alex was waiting for Ceana in front of the fireplace, where the massive Yule log fiercely burned. As she walked toward him, a smile spread across his handsome face, which turned positively wicked, as his gaze traveled over her from head to toe.
Her face heated, as did the rest of her, beneath his sensual perusal.
"You look beautiful, lass," he whispered in her ear, his warm breath fanning her cheek.
She shivered. "Much thanks," she said, noting how handsome he looked, dressed in his finest shirt and belted plaid, wearing a badge bearing his family crest of a cat with the words: Touch not the cat without a glove. Firelight danced across his raven-black hair, held back by a strip of dark leather. Ceana could not wait to remove it, so she could run her fingers through the long silken strands, as she so loved doing.
Alex could not have pulled his gaze away from Ceana, even if he had wanted to. Aye, she had always been beautiful, but today, she was exceptionally so. She was positively glowing, and when she looked at him, he could see her love for him in her eyes. The new gown fit her to perfection, with the low neckline allowing him a tantalizing glimpse of what lay beneath. He could hardly wait to take the gown—and whatever else she wore—off of her.
When she reached his side, he looked into her eyes and winked, causing a pinking of her cheeks. He wanted her all to himself, wanted to make her his wife in every sense of the word.
Murdina stepped before them. "M'laird, m'lady, I bid ye hold hands and look deeply into each other's eyes, for there, lives the soul."
Alex took Ceana's hands in his, and gave them a gentle squeeze, offering her a smile and a nod to calm her. Until now, never would he have believed he could have loved anyone as much as he did the woman before him, and he meant to keep her beside him for the rest of his days. He had almost lost her, and the thought of how close he had actually come to losing her clawed at his heart like an eagle's talon.
"The handfasting ceremony will now begin," Murdina loudly proclaimed, and the great hall grew quiet enough to hear a pin drop. She turned to Alex and Ceana. "Will ye honor and respect one another, and seek to never break that honor?"
"We will," they answered in unison.
Murdina took a red ribbon from the table and lifted it in the air for all to see. "Red represents will, love, fertility, courage, vigor, and passion," she said, draping it over their hands. "The first binding is made," she announced, then there was a long silence before she again spoke. "Will ye share each other's pain and seek to ease it?"
"We will."
The purple ribbon was next. "Purple represents healing, health, and strength." She draped it about their hands. "The second binding is made," she announced, then silence followed, as before. "Will ye share the burdens of each so that yer spirits may grow in this union?"
"We will."
She held up the white ribbon in her gnarled fingers. "White represents spiritual purity, truth, peace, and devotion." She loosely draped it over the others. "The third binding is made."
Ceana wondered if the silence, that followed each announcement, was to allow time for the importance of Medina's words to be fully realized by the bride and groom, as well as by those attending the ceremony before she continued on to the next ribbon and words that followed.
"Will ye share each other's laughter, and look for the brightness in life and the good in each other?"
"We will."
Murdina picked up the fourth and final ribbon. "Gold represents unity, a long life, and prosperity." She draped it over their hands, then tied all the ribbons together, and stepped back. "As your hands are bound together now, so yer lives and spirit are bound by love and trust. Above ye are the stars and below ye, the earth. Like the stars, yer love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a place from which to grow. The binding is complete. Ye are as bound to one another, as the sun is to the sky."
Alex pulled Ceana against him and thoroughly kissed her.
Shouts of joy and whistles echoed against the high rafters of the great hall.
He reluctantly took his mouth from hers. "I cannae wait to have you to myself, lass," he whispered against her cheek.
Shivers of delight danced up and down her spine, as her thoughts spun to her wedding night.
He turned to their guests and raised her hand into the air. "I present to you, my wife, and the Lady of Blackstone Castle."
Another round of shouts and cheers filled the room.
"Eat, dance, and be merry, for this is a fine day indeed."
The piper began to play a lively jig, and the room was soon filled with music and dancing.
Alex led Ceana to the high table and seated her beside him. Even though she had sat there often since her arrival at Blackstone, it was now her proper place.
After washing and drying his fingers, then hers, Alex filled their trencher with venison stew, then tore off a chunk of bread and handed it to her.
Ceana soaked the bread in the stew, then slipped it into her mouth, savoring the delicious taste. "I didnae realize I was so hungry."
He raised a brow. "You dinnae suppose you had other things to think about, do you, lass?" A wicked grin spread across his face, and her breath quickened.
She took a sip of spiced wine, hoping he did not notice how the goblet trembled.
Ceana had grown unusually quiet, and Alex knew that, without a doubt, she was worried about the bedding. She was an innocent. He would have to be gentle and take his time with her. He wanted her to enjoy their lovemaking, not consider it her duty as his wife. All the more reason to make certain it was only the two of them in his bedchamber, and not half the castle.
He looked around the room, noticing several of the guests were keeping a close eye on the high table, and he was not the least bit surprised. It was obvious that once he and Ceana started to leave the great hall, they would be on them like a flea on a dog. Thankfully, he had already made the appropriate preparations. Once they were ready to leave, he would signal Drostan, Willie, and Leith, who would follow, block the stairs, and allow the two of them time to enter the bedchamber and lock themselves inside. He looked down at Duff and Ross lying behind Ceana's chair and had a thought. For added security, he would bring the lads. With them outside the door, no one would be foolish enough to try to force their way inside.