“What is this?” he asked, taking the cool metal gently in his palm.
“It is a Scottishluckenbooth,” she explained, her fingers tracing the loops of the design. “They were traditionally given as betrothal gifts, or as a sign of deep love and devotion. I ken we are already wed, but it all happened so fast… it just felt right.”
“It is beautiful,” he said. “And I wish we had a more romantic courtship, Isla. But if this is what brought us here, I would not change a thing.”
“Aye, Ben,” she said softly, continuing her explanation. “The knotwork signifies a bond that cannae be broken. I want ye to wear it, just for a night, or a day, or forever. It is a piece of me home, a piece of me heart, to keep close to yers.”
A profound stillness fell over Benedict. He had not expected another gift, especially one so personal. He saw the trust, the commitment, and the sheer depth of her enduring love reflected in the silver.
“It is the most treasured thing I own, now,” he vowed, his voice husky. He turned and lifted his thick, dark hair, offering her the simple intimacy of fastening the clasp. Her fingers brushed the back of his neck, sending a familiar thrill through him. Thependant settled heavily over the wool of his shirt, right above his heart. He reached up and closed his hand around it. “Thank you, Isla.”
He turned and took her face in his hands again, her eyes wide and luminous in the firelight.
“You have given me your life, your love, your son or daughter, and now a token of your homeland,” he began, his thumb stroking the curve of her cheekbone and gracing her scar. “I have been keeping a secret, too. A truly selfish one, because I wanted to see the pure surprise on your face.”
“What are ye up to, Ben?”
He helped her up, then led her to a small writing desk in the corner and pulled out a rolled-up scroll tied with a simple blue ribbon. He held it out to her, and she took it, her brow furrowing slightly as she untied the bow. The moment the parchment unfurled, she gasped, a sharp, delighted sound.
“This is breathtakin’,” Isla said as she held the paper close to her eyes, examining each corner.
It wasn’t a poem or a contract. Instead, it was a breathtaking watercolor painting of a large, stone manor house. It was perched on a secluded cove, with a rugged coastline stretching away on either side. Smoke curled from several chimneys, and a small garden bloomed bravely against the wind.
It was not grand and imposing like the ancestral home they were currently in, but solid, beautiful, and utterly Scottish.
“Benedict, wait… What is this?” she breathed, running a reverent finger over the painted slate roof. “What does this mean? Does it mean what I think it means?”
“It is a house, Duchess,” he said, his lips tracing the lobe of her ear. “I bought it for you. It is called Dunlachlan.”
“Dunlachlan,” she repeated, a smile crossing her face. “Aye, I think I have heard of it!”
“It sits on the west coast of Scotland, on Loch Sunart. It belonged to an old clan chief whose line had run out. It is fully paid for, furnished, and waiting for its new master and mistress, whenever they would like to visit.”
Isla’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes welling up with tears that were a mixture of shock and overwhelming joy.
“Ye mean this is nae just a trip?”
“No,” he said with a wide grin.
“Ye… ye bought me a house in Scotland?”
“It isourhouse, Isla. I want our child to have a place to go that has the sea air and scent of heather you talk of. I want you towake up to the sound of gulls and the call of a familiar loch. I want Oliver to know it too.”
“I daenae ken what to say,” she said softly. “Thank ye, me sweet Ben.”
“I know how much you miss your home, even though you never said it outright. I see it in your quiet moments, the stories you share. I want a place that is ours, where there are no inherited ghosts, only the future we make together.”
He took the scroll from her trembling hands and laid it aside, stepping close to her.
“I may be the Duke of Ealdwick, and this grand estate may be my duty, but as a man of means we shall have as many homes as my wife requires.”
“We will have the nursery painted blue and green!” Isla said, clapping her hands. “And renew our vows with friends and family in the years to come!”
“And we will watch the storms roll in from the sea, tucked in beside a massive hearth. It is where we will raise our children and grow old together.”
Isla launched herself into his arms and clung to him fiercely.
“This is the most incredible gift. Ye truly give me everythin’.”
