“Her kin know exactly whose child that is,” Norrie said, walking up to them just then. “Come here, lad,” he told Sean. “Your Cousin Fergus is over there looking for you. Run see what he wants.” Sean took off.
“Walk!” Meg called after him. “Do not run on the wet rock!”
“That wee lad,” Norrie said, looking hard at Roderick, “is the son of my granddaughter and her husband, this fine fellow, Mr. Stewart. He came to our island years ago. They were wed, just as they told you, and that fine son came of it. They were apart for a few years. Youth,” he said, shaking his head. “They do not see love and happiness even when it sits on their shoulders like a bird, hey? But they have come to their senses.” He grinned at Meg and Dougal, then turned to Roderick. “All the residents of Caransay know about it. No one is asking for your approval!”
Roderick sputtered. “This—is unbelievable.”
“But true,” Norrie said. “Eh?”
Dougal smiled in answer, knowing and sure, and rested a hand on Meg’s shoulder.
She felt tears rise in her eyes—not the salt wind, but love and gratitude and relief. “Aye, everyone will swear to it.”
“Though we want a ceremony to renew those vows,” Norrie said, scowling almost playfully at Meg and Dougal.
“We will make sure of it,” Dougal said.
“Preposterous,” Roderick repeated.
“I have known Dougal Stewart for a long time. Even before Lord Strathlin died, though he never knew about our—secret marriage.”
“Marriage!” Evan said, coming up to them, overhearing. “Congratulations! And I understand that you can be called Lady Strathlin now,” he added.
“It is true,” she said. “I—did not mention it before.”
“Humble as well as beautiful,” Evan said, grinning. “Dougal, you have done well. And my lady, your husband is a fine man, and a lucky one too.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Lady Strathlin?” Alan Clarke said as he joined them. “I just heard. You kept it secret!”
“I did. I am sorry. I should have told—my husband’s friends.”
“Whenever you were ready, that was the time to tell us.” Evan smiled and turned to Dougal. “Sir, I am honestly delighted. And add to that, a child, I hear. This news will thrill anyone who hears it. People love a romantic story and a happy ending. Isn’t that so, Sir Roderick?” Evan fixed Matheson with a stare.
Roderick Matheson mumbled something under his breath, then turned on his heel and stalked off to join the other gentlemen in his traveling party.
Evan turned to Dougal. “Are you ready, sir, before the weather changes?”
“Aye,” Dougal said. He turned to Meg. “We need to go down to look at the flaw in the rock.”
“Now? But the waves are picking up.”
“Just briefly,” Dougal said. “We need to decide what is to be done about it. We will be right back up, love. The gear limits how long we can safely stay down. If you wait, rather than go back with Norrie, Sean might find the diving venture quite interesting. Bring him along to see it.”
“I will.” As she watched him walk away with Evan, she felt a dread spin heavily in her gut.
Roderick was with his fellows, his back turned to her. Certainly his objections and arguments had been laid to rest—he had no weapon now to threaten her or Dougal.
There was nothing to worry about, she told herself. Just a quick dive, and they would all sail back to the island before the storm hit.
Standing in the whipping wind, she watched the sea. The water was choppy and opaque; far to the west, the sky was leaden gray. She could not shake her unease.
*
Sliding his gauntletedhands along the curving slope of the rock, Dougal followed its contours. The water was not as clear or still as he liked for the task, but he could see well enough to judge the dimension of the flaw. Beside him, Evan pointed to another area, and Dougal made his way there. His steps were like clumsy, slow dance to the clicking cadence of the air going in and out of his helmet valves. Nearby, two diving platforms banged randomly against the side of the submerged rock. Overhead, suspended on thick ropes, the large dressed stone that had tumbled into the sea in the earlier storm was trussed and ready to be cranked back to the surface.
All that, and the clean seabed beneath his feet, reminded him how much work his crew had done and would continue to do to ensure that the lighthouse went up and the rock stayed safe. Appreciating that effort, for a moment he felt so grateful that the work would continue, thanks to Meg, Lady Strathlin—life and love to him now—who waited on the surface for him to return.
