“Are ye going to just stand there like a stone or come in and bathe? I dinna think ma sister is going to want to bed a horse or a mon who smells like one.” Magnus called from the waterline.
“Watch yer mouth, son. I dinna want to hear about ma wee lass doing such things.” Liam Sinclair grumbled halfheartedly. He smiled up at Tristan and waved him forward.
Tristan moved towards the group of men and began removing his clothes. Once he had stripped down, he reached for his bar of soap. He heard the crunch of loose stones but before he could look up, a large Sinclair man grabbed each of his arms and legs. They picked him up easily and carried him to the rocks and climbed up. They hoisted him high in the air and counted to three. It happened so quickly that Tristan was soaring through the air and landing with a splash before he was able to hold his breath. He emerged and pushed back his hair. There were the five Sinclair men, all naked and standing laughing at him. They slapped each other on the back and dove in, including Laird Sinclair who turned out to be an agile and graceful swimmer despite his age.
“Welcome to the family, brother.” Alexander grinned at him.
“Brother!” The other three cheered.
“Son!” The Sinclair bellowed.
Tristan had never felt so welcomed in all of his life. He finally had a family again.
~~
Mairghread welcomed the quiet of being able to ready herself alone. She was glad that there was no gaggle of women fussing over her hair and tugging on her as she dressed. The only person that she missed was her mother. She could still remember her mother even if the memories had dimmed a little. She remembered that her mother had always smelled of lavender and heather. That is why she preferred that scent for herself. Her mother had been warm and loving. Mairghread had followed her mother around any time she was not trailing after her brothers. She could remember how her mother and father used to look at one another even after five children. She prayed that she and Tristan would be the same as her parents even as the years passed. She knelt down beside her bed and clasped her hands together in prayer. She offered thanksgiving for family and for Tristan. She then prayed for guidance and strength. Just as she said “amen,” a light knock came at her door.
“Come.”
Mairghread looked up to see her father peeking around the door. When he saw her kneeling, he came to help her up.
“Are ye ready, mo nighean leanabh?”
“Aye, Da.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Will I still be yer baby girl once I am married and have bairns of ma own?”
“Of course, lass. Ye are ma only daughter and ma youngest child. Ye will never outgrow being mo nighean leanabh. Dinna tell ye brothers, but I still think of them as mo ghillean beaga.”
“Da, not one of them has been a wee lad in almost a score of years. From what Mama used to say, they all came out big enough to join ye at the lists.”
Laird Sinclair’s eyes got misty and he paused as he thought about his wife who had long since passed. Mairghread felt badly for referring to her mother. She put her hand on his arm and squeezed.
“Da?”
“Leannan, ye remind me more and more of ye màthair every day. Ye may look like me, but yer eyes and yer spirit have her spark. She was the one great love of ma life and when she died, I feared that I wouldnae be able to carry on without her. She left me with the five greatest treasures I have ever beheld. Every day, ye become more like her and so I ken she never really left me, us. I love ye, leannan.”
Her father had called her his wee baby girl and sweetheart. Tristan often called her his darling, his heart, and his treasure. The terms of affection made her heart warm as she realized just how well loved she was. Even her brothers teasing her about being so much smaller than them made her realize that they loved her and loved protecting her. Her heart felt like it was overflowing.
“Da, I’m ready to get married but I will never be ready to stop being yer little lass. I love ye too, Da.” She reached up and kissed his cheek again. She took his hand and he led her to the door.
Twenty Seven
Tristan waited outside the doors of the kirk with the four Sinclair brothers standing across from him and Alasdair beside him. The entire clan had turned out to witness the long awaited wedding between their laird and the Sinclair lass. Tristan was becoming impatient as he craned his neck to see over the crowd. He started to worry that something was wrong or that Mairghread had changed her mind. Just as he turned and stepped forward to go investigate, he heard the “oohs” and “ahs” coming from the back of the crowd. A murmur ran through the crowd as everyone turned to the back. Tristan tried to see but there were still far too many people in front of him. He heard the brothers snicker and glared at them. Movement caught their eye and as a one, the four giant brothers stilled. Their eyes all widened and they nudged one another. Tristan spun around and finally saw Mairghread. The crowd had parted to let her and her father through. He understood now the reaction her brothers had when they spotted her. She was radiant in a blue shimmering kirtle. She had braided the sides of her hair and joined it at the back. The rest of her hair was down just as he liked it. His feet would not remain where he was. He walked down the steps and into the crowd to meet Mairghread in the middle. He barely spared a glance to Laird Sinclair. He held out his arm for Mairghread and she eagerly took it. Tristan and the Sinclair accompanied her to the foot of the steps outside the kirk. Liam Sinclair placed a soft kiss on her cheek. It would be the last one he gave her before she became another man’s wife. He looked up at Tristan, who only had eyes for Mairghread, and knew in his heart that he had made the right decision in giving his blessing. He was no fool and knew they would have run off to marry if he had not given it. He was glad to be a witness to this occasion.
Mairghread stared at Tristan. She knew he had bathed because his hair was still damp. He wore a crisp, saffron leine denoting his position as laird. His breacan feile was freshly brushed and his laird’s broach shone. She had never seen a more handsome man.
Mairghread and Tristan joined hands as they stood before the priest and spoke their vows. If asked later exactly what they had said, neither would be able to remember. Instead they felt the love they shared and promised to be true to one another for the rest of their lives. Once the vows were spoken, the family moved inside the kirk for the wedding Mass.
Tristan was impatient for the Mass to finally conclude. He usually did not mind attending church and often enjoyed the ritual, but today was an entirely different matter. He wanted done with the service and to have Mairghread officially pronounced his wife. He wanted to skip the feast that awaited them and abscond with her to their chamber. He peeked at Mairghread from the corner of his eye and saw that she was looking just as frustrated as he felt. She turned her head slightly and smiled at him. She edged her hand closer to his on the rail and nudged her pinky against his. She wrapped it around his finger and they finished the service with their fingers joined. It was the most that they could do but it seemed to calm them both to be able to touch, even if only a little bit.
Father Peter finally said the last “amen” and announced to the family and few special guests within the kirk that Tristan and Mairghread were wed. They stood and Tristan wrapped his hand around Mairghread’s waist. Before he could pull her to him, she stepped into his embrace. Their lips collided in a kiss that was in no way appropriate for a church. Father Peter cleared his throat several times, Laird Sinclair tsked, and the brothers Sinclair guffawed, but nothing was going to break up the kiss before Tristan and Mairghread were ready.
When they finally broke apart, Mairghread pressed her finger tips to her lips and looked up at Tristan
“Wife,” Tristan whispered.
“Husband,” Mairghread replied.
Tristin scooped Mairghread up and carried her to the entrance of the kirk where he paused briefly for the cheering crowd. He continued on to the great hall despite her pleas to be put down. When they got halfway across the bailey, Mairghread g
ave up and simply laid her head against his shoulder.
“Precisely where ye belong,” he breathed next to her ear and she sighed.
They entered the great hall which had been beautifully, if not quickly, decorated for the feast. Tristan climbed the dais stairs and sat down in his seat with Mairghread in his lap. She tried to climb out as the hall began to fill.
“And just where do ye think ye’re going, wife?”
“I canna sit in yer lap during the meal. Surely ye’ll let me go now that everyone is arriving. It’s unseemly.”
“Since when do ye care about propriety? I bet I will find ye covered with dirks when I undress ye shortly.”
Mairghread’s cheeks flamed with his bold announcement that he would be undressing her soon. Thinking about just how soon made her squirm. “One.”
“One what?”
“One dirk is all that I have on me.” She squirmed again as the idea of Tristan searching under her kirtle for her knife made her body ache.
“If ye dinna stop wriggling on top of ma cock, ye willna be staying here long enough fer the first toast.” She could feel his hard length pressing against her hip and it was making her all the more restless.
“What if I dinna want to stay here long enough to hear the first toast?” she muttered.
Tristan growled and cupped her chin, pulling her in for a fierce kiss that had a new level of possession that she had not felt before. She sank into his embrace and returned his kiss with equal ardor and fervor.
“One,” he whispered.
“One what,” it was her turn to answer.
“One course is all that we are staying for. Eat enough to tied ye over cause I intend to make ye work up an appetite by morning.”
Mairghread looked around and saw that her family was seated at the high table and the serving women were bringing around trays of food. When a trencher was placed in front of them, Mairghread reached forward and filled it. She put a little bit of everything within her reach onto the trencher. She felt more than heard Tristan laugh behind her. She speared a piece of venison and cupped her hand below it to keep it from dribbling on her gown. She turned and fed the piece to Tristan. He reached around her and picked up a piece of venison, too. He held it over the trencher and waited for her to lean forward. When she felt his fingertips meet her lips, she licked his fingers and lightly sucked his finger into her mouth. His cock twitched and strained behind his plaid. Mairghread could not contain her giggle. She picked up a piece of quail with her fingers and looked over her shoulder as she brought it to her mouth. She paused to be sure Tristan watched. She stuck her tongue out slightly to catch the sauce before it dripped. She sucked the piece of poultry into her mouth and then licked her fingertips.
Tristan was ready to burst. He had had all the teasing he could manage and they had only just had a couple of bites. He pushed back his chair and stood up. Mairghread squeaked at the sudden change in position. Tristan looked around and nodded his head once before moving to the dais steps. The crowd looked on in shock and confusion since the meal had just begun. Not everyone had even started eating yet. Tristan charged straight for the stairs and took them by twos. By the time everyone realized the laird and lady were retiring for the evening, there was not enough time to make any bawdy comments. Benches pushed back as clan members rushed to follow them upstairs. They would not be short changed their viewing of the bedding ceremony.
Tristan used his elbow to push down the handle of his chamber door and then kicked the door shut. He strode to the bed and unceremoniously dumped Mairghread on to it. He sprinted back to the door and turn the key in the lock and dropped the bar down. Mairghread was about to complain about his treatment when she heard the footsteps in the passageway and then the pounding on the door. She understood why he had hurried back to the door. She did not want any witnesses to her first proper bedding.
Tristan walked quickly back to the bed and helped her to stand. He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned his forehead against hers. He inhaled the fragrance that was uniquely hers. He trailed kisses across her forehead to her temple, down her cheek, and to the sensitive flesh behind her ear. He nibbled and sucked lightly when he got to the place where her neck met her shoulder.
“They will give up and go away soon enough. I willna share this time with anyone but ye. Ye are mine and mine alone. I willna have any other mon see ye as only I do. I willna have any other mon see yer face when ye find ye release. That is ma privilege and mine alone.”
“I willna share ye either. What is the past will remain there. Nay other woman will see what is now mine and mine alone. I dinna want any other woman to see and dream of what ye do to ma body. That is ma privilege and mine alone.”
“Tha mo chridhe a 'faireachdainn dìreach dhut.” My heart beats only for you.
“Tha mo anam a 'bruidhinn dìreach riut fhèin.” My soul speaks only to you.
Tristan and Mairghread slowly undressed each other. In their own minds, they each thought they would feel more rushed to be undressed, but they savored this time together. They would only ever have one first time and they both wanted it to last after having waited for what felt like an eternity. Once Mairghread was bare, Tristan ran his hands over her entire body and down her arms and thighs. He had truly never seen anything as beautiful as the woman before him and now he knew he was bound to her forever.
“There isnae a sight more dear to me than ye in this moment. I havenae wanted anything more in ma life than to have ye as ma wife and to make love to ye.”
“Tristan, I am yours forever more.” She ran her hungry eyes over him. She still marveled at his raw strength and power. His body was so different from hers yet they fit each other so well. “Make me yers in every way. Make me truly yer wife.” She sat back on the bed and inched towards the pillows. Tristan climbed onto the bed and moved over her. She laid back on the pillow and reached for him. He braced himself on his elbows and wrapped his arms around her. They pressed their bodies together and held each other for a moment reveling in the feel of being chest to chest, stomach to stomach, hips to hips, and legs to legs. They kissed slowly. Their tongues explored each other’s mouth like it was the first time. Mairghread ran her fingers through his hair and one of Tristan’s hand ran along her ribs and down to her thigh. As their hands explored one another, their breathing increased. Mairghread pressed her hips up against his rod. It felt harder and longer than ever before. She peeked down between them and had a moment of panic that he would not fit.
“Sshh, mo chridhe. We will fit perfectly.” She looked into his eyes and saw that he meant it. She opened her legs and let her knees fall to the sides. He brought his hand to her mound and brushed his fingers along her seam. He could feel how wet she was. She was dripping. He began to inch his way down, but she squeezed his shoulders. He looked up.
“Later. I canna wait any longer to feel ye inside me. I dinna need anything else but that. Tristan, ma body aches fer ye. It is painful how badly I want ye. Please, dinna make me wait any longer.”
Her words sank in and his cock leaked as he looked at her pink nether lips. He wanted to taste her honey but he could wait for that pleasure. His cock twitched as the tip touched her damp folds. It seemed to have a mind of its own. He looked into Mairghread’s eyes as he inched into her. She brought her knees up to widen her entrance. She seemed to intuit exactly what to do. He wrapped one of her legs over his hips and slid into her until he felt her maidenhead. He knew it would hurt and he knew it was inevitable, but he almost could not bring himself to cause her pain. He could see the livid and angry bruises that covered her body. He had been able to easily ignore them before but now he felt some guilt that he would cause her more discomfort.
She seemed to read his mind because she wrapped her other leg around his hip and joined her ankles. She ran her hands down his back and gripped his buttocks.
“I am fine. Or at least I will be once ye stop waiting.” With that, she thrust her hips up and pushed as hard as she could wit
h her hands and heels. She was so wet that it took little effort for him to slide all the way in and break her barrier. She tensed and stiffened. Tristan heard her gasp and felt her body respond to his invasion. His cock wanted nothing more than to thrust and thrust but his head and heart told him to withdraw. He started to pull out.
“Dinna ye dare leave me like this. Ye have made ma body ache with desire and then ache with a fullness that I wasnae quite prepared fer. Now ye will fix it by making love to me.” She forced her body to relax and Tristan held himself still. It was the single hardest physical feat he had ever accomplished but he was not willing to move until she was ready. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his chest ached as he tried to draw in enough air. His arms were shaking a little. Mairghread ran her hand over his forehead and wiped the sweat on the sheet beside her. Then her hands ran up and down his chest. She raised her chin for a kiss just as she raised her hips. Tristan sank his hips into her as his mouth devoured hers. She put her hands back into the grooves along his hips that she loved so much. They were exactly the right size for her hands. They began to move together slowly. Mairghread did not try to stifle her moans and gasps of pleasure. The more noise she made the wilder Tristan grew. He grunted as he thrust into her. He was being too rough and he knew it. He tried to slow down but she shook her head wildly.
His Highland Lass (The Clan Sinclair Book 1) Page 17