Lachlan brushed stray wisps of hair back from her face and swallowed hard. “How do you feel?” he asked.
Daphne smiled, feeling like her whole body could float away. “As though you gave me wings to fly.”
With a chuckle and a glint of mischief in his eyes, he nuzzled her cheek. “I’ve not even showed you the best parts.”
“Oh?” She couldn’t possibly imagine that what they had just done could get any better.
“Aye, there’s a few hours yet before we should sleep. And I know just how we can pass the time.” He kissed her, and she was swept away by his embrace, his touch and his passion. Lachlan had given her the one thing she longed for above all else. Happiness. She would cling to it as long as she could.
Chapter Nine
“You’re in love with her.”
Lachlan tensed. He and Cameron leaned against the short wall of the terrace. Before them, in the field between the gardens, Daphne and Eliza played with a sheepdog that belonged to one of the tenant farmers who had come to speak with Lachlan’s groundskeeper.
“No, I like her. She’s a bonnie lass and—”
“You can lie to yourself, old friend, but never to me.” Cameron’s teasing tone softened, “I know you’ve convinced yourself you don’t deserve love, not after losing William, but you’re wrong. You deserve her. You deserve joy in your life. It’s what he would have wanted for you.”
Cameron touched Lachlan’s shoulder. The truth of his friend’s words seemed to reverberate through his body with the sound and clarity of the bells hanging in the tower of the Kirk of Huntley.
HelovedDaphne.
He should’ve known the first time he spoke with her that she would leave a burning imprint upon his heart and soul. Lachlan was finally seeing things clearly. It mattered that her father had driven William to his death, but she was not her father. His sins were not hers, and would never be hers. She was a victim, just like William, yet she hadn’t surrendered, hadn’t given up, even when she had reached the end of her rope. She’d agreed to marry a stranger, and done her best to fit in here. She had even fallen in love with him. Even now, without knowing it, she had changed him, dragged him kicking and screaming from the hollow hole in his heart and forced him back into the light of the living, How could he not love her?
Daphne tossed a red ball and the sheepdog scampered across the lawn, stumbling to a stop as he nearly tripped over his prey, then clutched it in his mouth and returned it to her. He shook his black and white coat and pawed the ground before dropping the ball, his tail wagging so hard that his whole body shook. Even at this distance, Lachlan could see the joy on Daphne’s face.
“There it is again,” Cameron said. “That love-struck look you made fun of me for when I first told you I planned to marry Eliza.”
Lachlan couldn’t resist a smile. “I suppose I am owed this teasing, aren’t I?”
“Indeed, you are, and more.” Cameron chuckled. “I think it’s time Eliza and I went home. You need a proper honeymoon with your bride, and should not spend it entertaining guests.”
Lachlan grinned. “As much as I like you, I would prefer to return her to bed and not leave for days except to eat.”
Cameron slapped Lachlan’s shoulder. “Let me collect my wife. We should arrive home in time for dinner.”
Lachlan shook hands once more with his friend. As he watched Cameron walk away, he realized he’d neglected their friendship for too long. William’s death had robbed him of so much: his joy, his friends. Marrying Daphne was already bringing his life back into focus. He wouldn’t let the things that truly mattered escape him again.
Lachlan remained on the terrace, watching Daphne chase the dog, who now barked excitedly and dodged her in a game as old as time. The heartache in his chest was nearly gone, something he never thought possible.
“My lord?”
Lachlan turned away from the terrace. His groundskeeper stood there before him, hat in hand.
“Yes?”
“The farmers said the black fallow deer herds are in need of thinning. I thought we might give them permission to go shooting on our lands, if you approve.”
“Of course. You’ll see to it they get the meat they need?”
His groundskeeper nodded, then laughed. Lachlan followed his gaze back to the field. Daphne held the dog’s front paws, making him stand on hind legs. The furry beast was licking her face enthusiastically.
“Oh, I’ll see to it. You got a bonnie bride to tend to quickly, or else you might be replaced in her affections.” The groundskeeper chuckled as he walked away.
Lachlan leaned against the stone terrace railing and watched his bride. Her hair blew loose in the breeze, her face flushed. She waved at him and he waved back, a boyish giddiness growing inside him. After so much darkness, so much pain, he had a moment of pure contentment.
Daphne left the dog and walked up to the steps.
