He chuckled again. “It’s nae goin’ to get better, love. I can promise ye that. Ewan tells me that I drive everybody around me insane.”
“If it’s all the same,” she sighed, “I’d rather nae talk about Ewan right now.”
“And what do ye want to talk about, lassie?”
“How much ye love me, for one.”
EPILOGUE
ONE MONTH LATER
“Is this nae a wee bit…bit much?” Megan hazarded, staring around the thickly decorated Feast Hall.
The table groaned under the weight of the food—at least twice as much as what had been set out for the cèilidh—their betrothal meal. Fresh tapestries were hung on the walls, and the rushes were ankle-deep. Handfuls of dried herbs hung everywhere, filling the place with a deliciously savory scent. There were flowers too, countless flowers, wound into the garlands and greenery that draped over every conceivable surface.
“Too much?” Flora echoed, frowning and patting her belly. She was nearly due to give birth, but was determined to wait untilafterthe ceremony. Privately, Megan wasn’t sure that babies tended to wait for anything at all, but then, Florawasvery determined.
“This is a celebration of Laird MacCulloch’s marriage, Megan,” Flora continued sternly. “Toye. It must be somethin’ to remember for years to come. We’ve spared nay expense.”
“Aye, it will be remembered when one of us drowns in all these rushes,” Megan commented with a snort. “They’re knee-deep in places.”
“Ach, ye exaggerate. Besides, rushes get trampled flat in nay time.Everybodyis coming to yer weddin’.”
A flash of uncertainty rolled through Megan. The wedding would take place in less than an hour, in the Great Hall, with everybody watching. The whole clan would be there.
Her sisters, too, would be there. They hadn’t yet met Ryder.
“Are ye all right?” Flora asked gently. “Ye seem preoccupied.”
“Aye, I’m just nervous. Were ye nervous, Flora, on yer weddin’ day?”
“Of course,” she responded with a grin. “Everybody is. In fact, if ye arenae nervous, it’s generally thought to be a bad sign. A sign that ye daenae understand the weight of marriage.”
“I think I understand it,” Megan huffed. “I’m the last of me sisters to marry. In fact, I…”
“Megan!There she is, lasses!”
Lily’s voice echoed through the empty hall. Megan flinched, spinning around, and there they were. Her three sisters. Lily held out her arms, and the four of them all rushed together.
Valerie swept Megan into her arms, lifting her completely off the ground. Lily started to chatter nervously, rambling about what had happened and what Megan had missed. Brigid dabbed at the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief.
Smiling to herself, Flora quietly excused herself and slipped away, leaving the sisters alone.
“Oh, we missed ye,” Valerie breathed, draping an arm over Megan’s shoulder.
“We worried, too,” Brigid added. “Lily told us what had happened, but it didnae seemright. I was all set to march here and drag ye home.”
“Well, I am glad ye didnae,” Megan laughed. “Because if ye had, I would never have married Ryder.”
“Ye havenae married himyet,” Valerie pointed out with a chuckle. Lily rolled her eyes and swatted at her sister’s arm.
“Ye truly do love him, then?” Lily asked, her voice soft.
Megan swallowed, nodding. “Aye. Aye, I do. It was a slow sort of thing. I think I disliked him at first. Nay, nae dislike, nae exactly. There was alwayssomethin’there, somethin’ that drew me. It didnae help that he was determined to push me away.”
Lily clicked her tongue. “Well, ye are goin’ to have to tell us all aboutthat.”
“I surely will. But for now, lookin’ at all this food is makin’ me feel hungry. What do we say to a wee pre-weddin’ feast?” Megan suggested, grinning. “A last hurrah as the last of us Blackwood lassies marry.”
