Epilogue
One month later…
“Ye look stunning, cousin,” Jemina said as she put the final touches on Ellie’s hair.
“I’m nay yer cousin yet,” Ellie cautioned.
“Ye will be soon enough,” Jemina replied. “Besides, I like the way it sounds. I’ve never had a girl for a cousin, only Aidam. Ye will truly be a part of me family now. I mean ye would have been had ye married me Da, but don’t ye think cousin sounds much better than Ma?”
Ellie laughed. Yes, she had to agree. She would be much happier as Jemina’s friend and cousin than she ever would have been as the girl’s stepmother.
She knew she should be more nervous about her wedding day. But it was Aidam she was marrying, and she knew nothing could keep them apart. His love for her was as true as hers for him. He had spent nearly every day and most every night proving it to her. Even though Evander still was unaware of his lineage, Aidam knew that one day the lad would be the true heir to Sinclair, and his clan would no longer need him, but rather he would take his place at Ellie’s side on the MacAskill keep. So, in a rare but convincing move, he petitioned his uncle to stay with Ellie and learn all he could about their lands. Ellie could not have been more proud. He spent his days with Evander, learning and teaching at the same time. They got along famously, and Ellie loved that Aidam was close by. Of course, at night, when the rest of the keep was asleep, she also loved that Aidam made his way to her bedchamber. They rarely slept apart. In her mind and in her heart, they were already man and wife, and the wedding was only a formality.
She only wished her father had been there to see her so happy. Perhaps he, too, could have found contentment in her joy.
“Don’t ye look bonny?” Ellie turned from her vanity table to see her mother. Lady Sara MacAskill had entered her dressing chamber. “I always kent ye’d be a beautiful bride.”
“Aye, thank ye mother. Ye look well and bonny yerself,” Ellie replied. “Are ye leaving me on my wedding day?” Her mother was wearing a light green traveling frock and had her hair pinned in an elaborate style.
“Och, daughter, of course, I would not miss yer wedding,” her mother replied. “But after the ceremony, I’ll be leaving, aye. Ye dae nae need me here anymore. Ye and Aidam have built a life. And dae nae think I don’t ken what goes on in me own home,” she warned. Ellie blushed. “But this is yer keep now. Evander and I will be leaving with Sinclair after yer good and wed. He needs to ken his Da, and I need to live me life for me now.”
Evander was leaving? He knew that Sinclair was his birth father. Her mother casually mentioned it knowing Jemina was in the room. Ellie was worried how the lass would react to the sudden and blasé way she was finding out she had a brother. She looked at Jemina, who was smiling and busying herself with an imaginary piece of lint on her gown.
“How long have ye kent?” Ellie asked her young friend.
“About three weeks,” Jemina replied sheepishly. “I didnae want to ruin yer wedding planning by making a fuss. Plus, I love Van like a brother, and now I ken he is me brother. I think it’s grand.”
“And Van?” Ellie asked, turning back toward her mother. “How long has he kent?”
“About the same amount of time,” her mother replied. Suddenly, Ellie found herself angry again, this time on behalf of her brother. The news must have blindsided him. And he would not have come to her, thinking she was too consumed by her wedding plans to be his confidant. Poor Van had been shouldering this burden all alone. She had to find him. She needed him to know that she was still his sister and she would be there for him.
Ellie stood and moved toward the door.
“Where are ye goin’, lass?” Her mother called after her. “Yer to be wed within the hour.”
“Tell Aidam to wait for me, but I have to find my brother.”
“Ellie, please, Van is fine,” Jemina pleaded. “Ye need not trouble yerself on yer weddin’ day.”
“Jemina, lass, perhaps yer right. But I need to ken for myself. He is my brother, and he didn’t come to me. I need to go to him.” She ran out the door, not knowing the first place to look for Evander.
* * *
“Lad, should I stay?” The priest inquired. “The hour grows late, and I do not travel well in the dark.”
“Father, please stay,” Aidam replied. “We will be having a wedding today. I assure ye. I will be more than happy to have a room made up for ye in the keep. Ye will suffer no discomfort for our delay.”
He watched as the old man thought over his offer. “Perhaps I can also ensure a full bottle of our finest whisky for yer troubles?” Aidam paced the aisle of the kirk. Of course, he was worried about his bride, but he was more concerned the priest would leave, and they would have to wait another four weeks for his return in order to wed in the kirk as Ellie wanted.
“I think I can manage to wait for the lass a bit longer,” the priest finally agreed, and Aidam let out the breath he had been holding.
Jemina told him how Ellie’s mother had surprised her with the news of leaving the keep, as well as the news that Evander was also leaving. The wedding was supposed to commence at three on the clock, but when the kirkyard bell struck four, Aidam knew if there was any hope of a wedding happening on this day, he needed to find his intended.
Jemina rushed through the heavy wooden kirk doors. “I’m sorry, cousin. I tried to find Ellie. I looked everywhere I kent to look, but she is nowhere to be found.”
Evander knew Sinclair was his father. He had known for a bit of time, but Ellie had only just found out. The news came as a surprise to Aidam as well. He had worked alongside Evander day in and day out for the last month, and the lad said nothing this week of knowing the truth of his parentage. Not a single acknowledgment.
If Aidam knew Ellie, she would be wracked with guilt at not having been there for the lad. It was no surprise she ran off in search of him. And now, neither Evander nor Ellie had been seen for almost an hour.
