“What’s Lucas done?”
“He told me that Duncan had asked ye to marry him.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Led me to believe that ye were considering it. I thought… I thought it was true. So I rushed down here.”
Hannah bit her lower lip. “So, if ye hadnae thought that Duncan was going to marry me, would ye still have come down here?”
He shot her a long, amused look. “Lass, I wouldnae have made it another day without seeing ye. I felt as though I was going to burst. Lucas’s story brought me down a day early, perhaps, but I was always coming back for ye. Never be in doubt about that.”
She let a slow smile spread across her face. “I wasnae. Nae really.”
He rolled back onto his side too, leaning forward to press a quick, lazy kiss to her lips. He did not pull back all the way, leaving their foreheads touching.
“I love ye, lass,” he breathed. “Since the moment I set eyes on ye, I have loved ye.”
“Love me, or me whiskey?” she giggled.
He sighed. “Lass, I’d never drink a drop of alcohol again if it meant that I could have ye as me wife.”
She snorted, shaking her head. “Fret nae, love. I willnae ask that of ye.Areye asking me to marry ye?”
“Can ye doubt it?”
“Nay, I daenae doubt it. And me answer isaye, of course.”
He kissed her again, more deeply, pushing her back onto the tangled sheets. His hands had just begun to slip to her naked waist when the front door slammed open. They both stilled.
“Hannah? I’m back,” Violet chirped. “Whose boots are these in the hallway? Hannah?”
EPILOGUE
ONE MONTH LATER
Alaird’s wedding, of course, was a huge event. Nobody would miss it. Not a single one of the invitations that had been sent out was turned down.
As a result, Calder Castle was crammed to the brim.
There’d been a few queries, a few fellow lairds—like Laird Ainsley—asking why the wedding celebration was taking place at Calder Castle, instead of MacBain Castle.
They accepted Lucas’s rough explanation, at least.
The feast took place in the Great Hall, the largest room in Calder Castle. Long, scrubbed wooden tables dominated the space, laden with food. Roast meats of all varieties sat on wide dishes, swimming in gravy and juices. Bowls of vegetables prepared in every way a person could think of were placed carefully between them. Roasted, boiled, stewed, glazed, with a few bitsof greenery and lettuce served raw. Cheese, cold meats, jellies, cakes, custards, puddings, and more made sure that barely an inch of table space was visible.
There was more food than anybody could eat, even their extensive guest list. There’d be no waste, though. The servants could have the leftovers—they’d already been told to reserve some dishes for their own supper—and the rest would go to the poor.
When Calder Castle hosted a feast, the surrounding villages ate well. Aiden had promised them that.
Bread trenchers were plentiful, perfect for mopping up the gravy. People crowded in on low benches, talking and laughing, eating and drinking. Servants weaved through the crowds with jugs of wine and ale. And, of course, whiskey.
A hand landed heavily on Aiden’s shoulder, appearing from behind his high-back chair. He glanced up to find Lucas hovering over him with a grin.
“Ye are a married man, then,” he observed.
“The ceremony passed in a blur,” Aiden confessed. “I scarcely remember any of it.”
“I certainly hope ye werenae drunk.”
He scoffed. “I am nae. I saved meself to get drunk tonight.”
“Romantic.”
