She nodded toward the dancing area, where Fergus now held little Mary in his arms and was swinging her around while she roared with laughter, just as Darren had been doing moments before.
Darren put his hands over his heart. "Betrayed by me own new niece!" he announced. "Who will keep me company now?"
She snorted. "Ye're still daft, then, after a year away from me."
"I should hope so," Darren replied, sounding highly offended at the question. "Ye wouldnae have married me if I wasnae so daft."
Nessa shook her head and took his hand. "Come, then, husband, let's enjoy our last night at McNair Castle in peace before ye take me home on the morrow. We've entertained our guests enough."
He tilted his head as though he was thinking about it. "Oh?" he asked. "And where will we go? A stroll by the lake, perhaps?"
She led him toward a side door, taking care not to be noticed by the celebrators. "Nay, I dinnae think so."
"A jaunt in the gardens, then? I suppose we could still see the flowers even in the dark," Darren suggested.
"Are ye gonnae simply tease me all night?" Nessa asked. They reached the door and headed through it, the sudden quiet of the corridor compared to the raucousness of the feast almost jarring. She stood enjoying it for just a moment before pulling at his arm to lead him along the hallway.
Darren laughed. "I might. Would ye like that?"
"Ye ken very well what I would like," Nessa replied with faux irritation.
They rounded the corner and Nessa gasped in surprise as they almost walked directly into Ann. The young woman blushed at the sight of them, but Ferda, who was pushing the chair, grinned at them.
"Sneakin' away from the celebrations, are we?" Ferda asked, giving her cousin that look of sibling-like mischief.
"Seems we werenae the only one with that idea," Darren replied. "Where have ye two been?"
Ann cleared her throat. "The garden," she replied, indicating a pretty bundle of flowers which rested on her lap. "Ferda wanted tae show me the winter blooms."
"I imagine ye want tae show yer new wife some things too," Ferda said innocently.
"Hush," Ann and Nessa said at the same time.
Ferda and Darren both laughed, and the cousins embraced. "Congratulations again, ye daftie," Ferda told him. "Dinnae mess this up."
"I dinnae intend tae," Darren replied. "Go back tae the party and keep them distracted, will ye?"
"We'll go back tae the party," Ferda agreed, "But I'll tell them the bride and groom have gone tae celebrate their first night together. I'm sure they'll understand."
She and Ann left, Ann lightly scolding her and Ferda chuckling. Darren snorted and took Nessa's hand again.
As they started walking again, Nessa asked, "Does yer family always have tae tease each other in such a way?"
"It's yer family too, now," Darren replied.
They reached their room some minutes later, and as soon as the door closed behind them, the air changed. One look was all ittook for Nessa's mood to change from amused to excited, and the fire that had been dormant within her all this time unspooled again with a burning glee. They moved to each other without another word and fell into each other's arms. Darren gripped Nessa's waist and she leaned against him as they lost themselves in the kind of kiss that steals breath away, the world vanishing, their tongues and hands exploring as they stumbled across the room without stopping for air.
Collapsing on the bed, they finally broke apart, though Darren's hands still roamed across her back and Nessa was already loosening the ties at the front of his shirt.
"Do ye think," she asked in that brief pause for air, "that they really believe that?"
Darren rolled, pushing Nessa onto her back and straddling his legs on either side of her. He leaned down and kissed her neck, moving to her earlobe unhurriedly, his hands now undoing her bodice. "Believe what?" he hummed in her hear, the vibrations of his voice sending a tingle down Nessa's whole body.
"Believe that it's our first night together," Nessa managed to reply, though words were getting more difficult as his lips and hands grew more insistent.
Darren's throaty chuckle made Nessa's body throb. Her bodice fell away, and Darren leaned back, helping her to sit up so they could remove the top layer of her clothing more easily. Left in only her thin shift, she reached for the hem of his shirt and lifted it away in kind.
"Who cares what they believe?" Darren asked, returning to his position and to his work. His kisses found the hollow of her throat and his hands worshipped her almost-bare breasts. Nessa's eyes fluttered at the sensation of him, every kiss something brand new, every touch a revelation. She ran her fingers along his spine, causing him to groan in a way that made her body pulse again. "It's been a year since I saw ye. And ye'reme wife. I dinnae care about anythin' except here and now. I've dreamed of ye every minute I was away."
