Eilidh knew that a proud man like Ciaran would not make such a public declaration lightly. It was so romantic that she nearly swooned.
But she could not afford to be fanciful quite yet.
“Dinnae doubt it for a moment, Vaila McGregor,” she told her sister, holding Vaila’s gaze with her own. “I love him. He ismine. And I will fight ye bitterly if ye attempt to take him from me.”
And then, to Eilidh’s surprise, Vaila smiled.
“Well said, sister,” she praised. “We can always use another fierce woman in this family.”
“God help us,” James muttered, then jolted as his wife apparently kicked him under the table. From the way that helooked at Vaila, however, it was clear that he was in agreement with her.
Which left Graham. He steepled his fingers as he looked at Eilidh and Ciaran. Eilidh found herself holding her breath.
Finally, Graham spoke.
“Ye have paid in blood already, Gunn,” he said, a note of reluctant admiration in his voice. “And though I should order worse for your crimes, I cannae deny that ye stood for my sister when it mattered most—even when the risk to ye and yers was great.”
Eilidh felt a sigh of relief shudder out of her. She reached out and clutched Ciaran’s arm gratefully.
“But,” Graham went on, “there needs to be no doubt that we can trust ye. Ye will need to bend the knee—to swear fealty.”
Eilidh almost protested again; this was a great thing, to ask a laird of another clan. She knew that Graham had never asked such a thing of any of his other allies.
But Ciaran spoke before she could.
“I swear it,” he said.
He slipped from her side and went to one knee, bowing his head in deference. Eilidh knew he was doing it all for her, and her heart almost burst with love for him.
“By my blood, by my sword, by all that remains of Clan Gunn—I swear that I will stand by ye, to honor the love of the woman whom I mean to take as my bride, my true partner, and my forever love.”
EPILOGUE
“I cannae believe it,” Ailsa said, wiping her eyes.
Vaila shot her a sidelong look, even as she continued fussing with Eilidh’s hair. Eilidh had noticed about ten minutes past that this fussing seemed designed to stop anyone from asking Vaila to do anything else, as her second eldest sister had not so much as applied a single pin to Eilidh’s coiffure.
“Ye have become rather weepy since becoming a mother, Ailsa,” Vaila said. “Does that happen to every woman? I’m nae going to do that.”
Ailsa didn’t answer in words; rather, she showed that she was not quite as soft as all that by whacking Vaila on the shoulder. It was playful, but notthatplayful, Eilidh noticed with a smile.
“Could ye nae curb your violence for one day?” Davina protested. Unlike Vaila, she was being remarkably helpful in winding flowers through Eilidh’s hair. “It’s Eilidh’s wedding day! The last Donaghey sister!”
“We have another sister,” Vaila protested, gesturing over to Mairi, who looked pleased at being included.
This time, Davina swatted her. “That’s why I said the lastDonagheysister,” she argued.
“Ye also said no violence,” Vaila muttered.
She caught Eilidh’s eye in the mirror and winked. Eilidh hid her smile. This moment reminded her so much of many similar incidents as children—though back then, they had been playacting getting married, much to Vaila’s dismay, as she always wished to be playing soldiers. But she had gotten overruled periodically, and it had always been like this. Ailsa affected, even when it was just a game, Vaila teasing, and Davina trying to keep them all in line.
And, come to think of it, Eilidh often had been the one they’d dressed up like a little doll. She hadn’t liked it back then—too much sitting still, even though she’d enjoyed the part where she’d gotten to pretend to be a bride—but now she soaked in her sisters’ attention.
She wasn’t sorry at all when they were finally finished, however, because that meant that it was time.
Time for Ciaran to finally,finallybecome her husband.
It had taken a few weeks. There was still a war going on, after all, and Ciaran had needed to recover from his injuries before they could make the trip back to Buchanan lands. Eilidh might have asked to be married at Castle Dubh-Gheal, but doing so would mean that Ailsa and wee Jamie couldn’t come, and she wouldn’t miss them on her wedding day for all the world.
