“I wish he was here,” Leona whispered.
“He is, darling. In spirit.” Isla squeezed her shoulders. “And he’d be so happy to see ye marryin' for love. Just like we did.”
“Thank ye for lettin' us have the ceremony here,” Leona said, turning to embrace her mother. “I ken it must bring back memories.”
“Good memories,” Isla assured her. “Yer faither and I had a happy life together in this castle. We raised ye and Rufus here. We built somethin' beautiful.” She pulled back to cup Leona’s face in her hands. “And now ye’ll build something beautiful with Murdock. That’s how it should be. Love begetting more love.”
A knock at the door interrupted them.
Rufus poked his head in, looking uncomfortable in his formal attire but trying to hide it.
“They’re ready for ye,” he said. Then, catching sight of his sister, his eyes widened. “Leona… ye look…”
“Like she’s gettin' married,” Isla finished, laughing. “Come. Take yer sister’s arm and try nae to trip on the way down.”
“I’m nae going to trip,” Rufus protested, but his ears went red.
Leona took her brother’s arm, surprised by how steady he felt.
When had he grown so tall? So solid? He was becoming a man, she realized. And she’d almost missed it by being too focused on survival.
“Thank ye,” she said quietly as they made their way toward the Great Hall. “For everythin'. For bein' brave when I needed ye to be. For supporting this.”
“Ye’re me sister,” Rufus said simply. “And he makes ye happy. That’s all that matters.” He paused. “Though if he ever hurts ye, I’ll kill him.”
“Ye’ll have to get in line,” Leona said, thinking of Ailis' and Kristen’s very similar threats. “His sisters got there first.”
The doors to the Great Hall opened, and Leona’s breath caught.
The hall had been transformed. Swaths of Ainsley blue and Kerr green hung from the rafters, the colors intertwining in a symbol of the joining clans. Tables had been pushed to the sides to make room for rows of benches, all filled with people, Murdock’s clan on one side, her own on the other, with a few notable guests scattered throughout.
At the far end, beneath an arch woven with heather and thistle, stood Murdock.
He wore traditional Highland dress, a formal plaid in Ainsley colors, a crisp white shirt, and a black jacket that made his broad shoulders look even more imposing. His dark hair hadbeen combed back, though a few stubborn strands had already escaped. And his eyes… Those dark, intense eyes were fixed on her with such love and longing that she felt her knees go weak.
Beside him stood Hamish, grinning like a fool. And in front, fidgeting with a basket of rose petals, was Skye.
The little girl wore a dress of pale blue silk, her dark hair crowned with flowers that matched Leona’s. When she saw Leona, her whole face lit up.
“She’s here!” she announced loudly, coaxing chuckles from the assembled crowd. “Da, Leona’s here, and she looks like a princess!”
“Aye, she does,” Murdock said, his voice rough with emotion.
The musicians began to play a traditional Scottish tune that Leona’s parents had used for their own wedding. As she walked down the makeshift aisle on Rufus’s arm, she saw faces she loved on both sides.
Her mother, shedding happy tears. Ailis and Kristen, dabbing at their eyes with handkerchiefs. Laird MacBain, who’d finally managed to attend the wedding, grinning and whispering something to his companion that made them laugh.
And there, near the front, was Nyx. The black cat sat perfectly still on Ailis’s lap, her yellow eyes tracking Leona’s progress with feline intensity. Behaving, for once.
When they reached the front, Rufus placed Leona’s hand in Murdock’s with surprising ceremony.
“Take care of her,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “Or I will kill ye.”
“I will,” Murdock promised. “Else I’ll let ye kill me.”
Rufus nodded and stepped back, and suddenly it was just Leona and Murdock, standing before the priest and their loved ones, about to make promises that would bind them forever.
“Dearly beloved,” the priest began.
