Page 61 of Married to her Kilted Enemy

She brought the bottle and two glasses and set it on the table by his elbow, immensely relieved at the way things had turned out. She could not help feeling a little grateful to the council for their decision, however disappointed Odhrán was by it.

“’Tis fer the best, ye’ll see,” she poured them a hefty dram each of the amber liquid, passing one to him.

“To our love and the future,” she toasted. With a weary smile that, to her eyes, made him look more handsome than ever, he leaned across and clinked his glass with hers.

“Aye, tae our love and the future,” he echoed. “But I still cannae help half hopin’ the King will want naethin’ tae dae with this business,” he admitted before taking a long swig of whisky. “I’d really like tae have me cousin at the point of me blade.”

“I ken, but I hope the opposite and that the King intervenes. We’ll soon find out, the letter’s on its way tae him as we speak.” The council had quickly composed the missive and Odhrán had set his signature upon it along with his seal. It was already winging its way to Edinburgh by special messenger. “Just think how shocked Rollo will be when the King’s men arrive tae arrest him. Oh, I’d love tae be a fly on the wall when that happens,” she said with a smile of satisfaction, sipping her drink as she imagined the scene.

“Aye, me too,” he replied, to her added relief, sounding more relaxed and accepting than before. “If only we could buzz on over tae his castle and see it, eh?” They drank in companiable silence for a while.

Then, he looked over at her and said, “Thank ye fer supportin’ me in front of the council like that, Maddy. Even if things didnae go the way I wanted them tae, I’m grateful tae ye.”

“Wheesht, husband,” she told him, downing her whisky and putting down the glass before rising and going to sit on his lap. She stroked his hair and kissed him on the nose, smiling into his eyes. “I’m yer wife. I’ll always be by yer side tae support ye, whatever may happen.”

His eyes glowed with pleasure, and he grinned. “Now, that’s what I like tae hear, Maddy. With yer love, I ken I can dae anythin’. Now, give me a kiss tae console me.” Without hesitation, she eagerly obliged.

Later that evening, after dinner, though they were both pleasurably tired, Odhrán insisted that they go back to the loch for Maddison’s knife fighting lesson.

“’Tis even more important now that ye ken how tae defend yersel’. Even if the letter tae the King arrives within the week, there’s still gonnae be a delay before he decides tae act and send his soldiers tae arrest Rollo. Until we ken Rollo’s in chains, we must still be careful,” he told her as they rode out to the loch once more, in the warmth of the mild summer evening.

“I agree, but I’m still nae goin’ anywhere without ye or without guards tae escort me,” she assured him. “Like ye said, I’m takin’ nae chances. I hope the King disnae drag his feet though.”

“Aye, me too. The sooner Rollo’s locked up and can trouble us nae more, the better.”

“Now, where’s yer knife?” he asked, picking up a suitable stick to practice with.

“Here.” She pulled the wooden knife from her waistband and kilted up her skirts.

“Come on, then,” he taunted her with a grin, dropping into a fighting stance and beckoning her on. “Come and see if ye can take me knife.”

“Och, Odhrán,” she said, moving towards him, affecting a look of helplessness, “ye ken that’s impossi—” Like lightening, she snatched the stick from his hand and danced away, laughing victoriously.

“So, that’s how it’s gonnae be, is it? D’ye think that’s gonnae work in a real fight when ye have tae defend yersel’?” he asked with mock gravity.

“It might,” she replied.

“It’s one way of getting’ close tae yer enemy, I suppose, though I’ve never tried it mesel’. Now, be on yer guard because I’m gonnae put ye through yer paces and take that knife back off ye,” he promised.

She adopted the same stance, chanting his instructions: “Soft knees, feet apart, blade down... I’m ready.”

“Good, because here I come!”

Over the next few days, Odhrán was very busy with clan business, and Maddison found herself with time on her hands. On one such occasion, accompanied by two guards, she took a walk with Alana in the gardens during one of the healer’s rare free moments. Buoyed by her new-found love for Odhrán, she was eager to fill her friend in on the latest developments between them. In addition, she was curious as to how things stood now between Alana and Tadgh, since the pair had been spending a lot of time together while Alana tended to his healing.

The pair walked along, side by side, with the guards keeping a discreet distance as they followed behind.

“I’m very happy fer ye both,” Alana told her, smiling warmly when Maddison told her all about how she had finally admitted her love for Odhrán, both to herself and to him, and about the wonderful day they had shared at the loch. “’Tis grand to know ye’re both tryin’ tae put the past behind ye and make a fresh start together. I must say, despite all the problems he has on his plate because of Rollo, I’ve noticed Odhrán seems happier than I’ve ever seen him. Tadgh says so too.”

“Is that so?” Maddison asked, delighted they had noticed and approved. “That means a lot, Alana, thank ye.”

“Well, we all think he’s suffered because of his faither and now with Rollo. He’s a good man, and he deserves tae be loved, especially since we’ve all kent he’s been in love with ye fer ages.” Alana laughed mischievously when she saw Maddison’s surprised expression. “Och, aye, we could all tell.”

“Well, seein’ as ye all seem tae have taken a keen interest in me husband’s romantic life, ye will nae mind if I ask ye about ye and Tadgh,” Maddison countered before joining in Alana’s laughter, secretly tickled to discover they had all surmised how Odhrán felt about her. “So, talkin’ about yer own love life, d’ye think ye’ll ever get around tae forgivin’ Tadgh fer leavin’ like that?”

“Och, I think I’ve already done that. Seein’ the fool with that arrow in him was bad enough, but this latest injury… well, him lookin’ so fragile only made me realize how much I still care fer him. It seems that nae even a broken heart has changed that,” she added a little ruefully.

“Ye’ve been spendin’ a lot of time together while ye’ve been treatin’ him. Would ye say ye’ve got some of that old closeness back?” Maddison asked, hoping Alana would say yes. Now she and Odhrán has found happiness together, she was keen for their friends to do the same, and she knew Odhrán thought so too.