Page 75 of A Highland Lass for the English Duke

"Ye can, an' ye will!" quipped Aileen from beside her. "After all, he's come all the way from London. The least ye can manage is a few wee steps down the hall."

Smiling, her sister took her hand to usher her down the aisle. Now in her twenties, Aileen had started to unwind—a bit. But her impetuous streak lived on.

Feeling her big sister's presence, Lissie began to relax. Aileen squeezed her hand as they began to walk together.

The hum in the crowd lifted, and suddenly, a silence fell.

Every eye fell upon her, and Lissie struggled to push through them. But her sister's voice steered her through.

"Dinnae fash, lass. Head up, eyes forward," Aileen told her.

Lissie nodded, but in fact, did not hear her. Because suddenly, she had seen him.

Will.

There, at the head of the hall, he waited. And even from here, she could see he was a sight to behold. Pressing closer, she saw the detail on his doublet featuring rich embroidery of silk, and his long gathered sleeves of bright yellow.

The doublet was shorter than before, tucked in to accentuate his figure. There, his upper shape emerged; toned, strong, and ready to take her in the bed.

Och!

Lissie turned, embarrassed by her own thoughts. But she could not help it. Especially here, Will looked even more fulsome than she had previously thought. Perhaps it was the doublet and the hose, and the intricate embroidered edging. Or the slashed sleeves of his houppelande, which was shorter than previously seen before.

Crivvens!

The strange attire of this noble Englishman did not go unnoticed by the crowd. However, when Lissie set foot along the aisle, their attention changed. Head to toe in blue silks, her gown shone like the sea, and over her shoulder, the blue and brown clan plaid flowed to the ground.

Then, he saw her. There was a moment as his bright blue eyes connected with hers. A surge of something hot and sweet burned within her. Lissie felt herself yield. She had to touch him. She needed his hands on her...

The fiddlers struck up their tune, and suddenly, the hall was alive in an eruption of color and sound. Heart thumping, Lissie surged along, a smile forming under her nose. It seemed to take forever to traverse the great hall, but as it did, her heart rose.

Duncan Castle.

Finally, she was here at last. And better still, with Will.

Coming home had been the most joyous event of her life, with Will by her side. But it had all moved so fast. Over the last few days, she had introduced him to the Duncan castle. But the family had been away when they had arrived, and most of them had not yet met Will.

But now, as she reached the end of the hall, he was here, just waiting for her.

"You are beauteous indeed," murmured Will as she came beside him. Lissie turned and smiled at him, and in so doing, caught the sight of Fiona.

As the head of the clan, Fiona sat at the top table, waiting for them to approach. Beside her, McTavish was clinging to the lectern at the top of the hall.

Lissie hid a smile at the sight of him, his hair as shaggy as a goat, desperately trying to remain upright. Inside, she marveled at how old he might be as they surged forward.

"Lissie," hissed Will, his eyes gently searching her. He caught her with his eye, instantly making her blush.

Perhaps McTavish saw this because he looked away, making poor Lissie redden yet further. Aileen hid behind her grin.

"If we might begin!"

McTavish tapped on the lectern, and a murmur ran around the room. It didn't exactly quieten, in fact, there were several bawdy remarks, which made McTavish even more peeved.

A smile stretching across his face, Will shook his head.

"It's nae quite Westminster Abbey, I ken," she whispered. Although she was joking, for a moment, doubt crept in.

Was this really good enough for someone like Will? In doubt, she looked at Will.