“Tis foolish to think Jamie will approve of us marrying away from Sands Airgid,” Miran said.
“I believe it is necessary, Miran.” Kai sounded serious. “Father Donald, I believe we have sinned in the eyes of God.”
“Oh?” the priest said. “In what way?”
“Well…”
Miran wedged herself between Kai and the holy man. “The captain isna well-versed in our language, Father Donald. What I think he means to say, is, we are eager to start our lives together as man and wife.” She glared at Kai.
“Ah. Ye must guard yerselves against sins of the flesh. Tis better to marry than burn. And marriage is a holy covenant, set between man and woman…”
“I believe you might want to see this.” Kai offered the priest a missive with the MacKay seal on it.
Father Donald unrolled the scroll and read whatever was written on it. “This is all the proof I require. Master Fraser, Mistress Mary, are ye opposed to sharing yer daughter’s wedding day with this couple?”
“Not at all,” Fraser said with enthusiasm. “I am ever hopeful our children,” he motioned between himself and the Kinnears, “and Lady Miran and the captain will not only find happiness but will aid each other in living within the Almighty’s grace. For after tomorrow, Rossa and Craig will be leaving us and going to Sands Airgid to serve the MacKays.”
While the priest kept talking, Kai allowed Miran to pull him aside for the sake of privacy. “What is it?”
“What do ye have there?” She pointed to the missive.
“Do you wish to see it?”
She tapped her foot impatiently. “If ye doona let me, I will make ye eat it.”
His fiery Highland lass filled him with immeasurable amusement whenever she got impatient and demanding. “Take it, then.”
She snatched it from his hand. “This is a marriage contract!”
“Aye.”
“Already signed by ye and Jamie!”
“Aye.”
“Ye tricked me.”
“Nay.”
“Ye had this planned all along, to seduce me.”
“Nay, to win your love.”
She lifted her serious green eyes to meet his. “I doona know whether to hit ye or kiss ye.”
“I will let you choose.”
Her jaws clenched. “Ye are a maddening man.”
He bowed then, sweeping his arm over his head, then lower. “I am your humble servant, Lady Miran.”
She tossed her head from side to side, that heat he craved lighting her eyes. “All right, Captain, I will marry ye.”
As Kai grinned at her, he caught Mary whispering something to one of her sons. The boy nodded and quickly departed the cottage. Kai did not say anything, he simply acknowledged her help in getting Miran to agree to taking vows tonight with a nod. Whatever the woman had said, it had worked in his favor. He would not forget her, Fraser, or the beautiful village of Lagrith. All of their futures were intertwined, not only through the contract the elders had signed with Clan MacKay, but through the men and women they had pledged into service with Laird Jamie.
Sometime later, Kai and Miran and Craig and Rossa knelt on pillows before Father Donald while he blessed them and prayed. Then they all stood and repeated the same wedding vows, promising to love each other forever.
Kai did not care about the obey part—not at the moment—for all he could see, all he ever wanted, was the right to call Miran MacKay his own. And as she smiled softly up at him, her eyes full of the same love he felt for her, he leaned close to kiss her for the first time as his wife.
