Page 50 of Highlander's Wild Lass
“Aye, she still came. Soaked to the bone. She found me last night and finally agreed to marry me.”
“Yer lyin’,” Sebastian told him plainly, his ax faltering in his hand. “There is nae way that stubborn lass changed her mind.”
“I’m nae lyin’.”
They continued to split wood, creating a large pile in easy silence. Hamish still hadn’t come back yet, and Anthony figured he wouldn’t. Hamish had a habit of falling asleep in hay piles after a warm drink.
“Tis a good day to announce a betrothal, Beltane,” Sebastian said, taking a seat on a stump, resting the ax against his leg. “Ye should take advantage of all the good spirits and gods walkin’ about today. Will ye jump through the fires with her to ensure both of yer fertility?”
“Calm yerself, Sebastian. We willnae be wed until she tells her family. And I daenae need help when it comes to fertility.”
Sebastian flashed him a smarmy smirk. “Fathered a few bastards that I daenae ken about?”
“No, ye fool, I havenae.”
Once they were through, they piled it high on the cart Hamish left behind and pulled it around the castle to the large field where the festival would take place in a few short hours.
They stacked the wood high inside two large circles of small boulders where the main bonfires would be while Mrs. Duncan was ordering a group of men on where to place the casks of whisky and honeyed mead.
“It’s McLean whisky!” Mrs. Duncan exclaimed as she passed them, raising her brows in excitement. “I cannae wait to finally taste it again.”
“Playin’ favorites, now?” Sebastian joked, throwing a small stick at Anthony.
Anthony laughed and threw the stick back. “Ye ken I have nothin’ to do with the food and drink that comes into the castle.”
He was happy with Celestia finally agreeing to the marriage, but he didn’t fully understand why. Of course, he was attracted to her, there was hardly a man who wouldn’t be. But there was something more there—like the fluttery feeling he got in his stomach whenever he saw her or how vexed she could make him with her smart mouth—that he hadn’t expected.
* * *
The rain had cleared, and the Beltane festival was in full swing. The fires were lit, the village was aglow and the large field near the castle was filled with clan members from far and wide. Bagpipes and other instruments played, people danced, and people drank.
Mrs. Duncan had ordered a dozen McLean whisky casks for the festival and there were large barrels of honeyed mead at every turn.
Celestia found herself in a joyous fast-paced dance with young Jamie from the village and other random couples taking part. She only came to the festival after her father reassured her more than a hundred times and nearly begged her to attend with her siblings so he could have some peace.
So, she went to the festival and tried her best not to feel any guilt for leaving her father home alone. She had no idea where Chester and Hugo were, but Auralia was nearby dancing with a handsome young man.
The song slowed to a stop and young Jamie bowed respectfully low to Celestia. “It was a pleasure, Mistress Celestia.”
“Always, Master Jamie,” she told him with a wide grin. And with that Jamie dashed back to his parents.
Auralia linked arms with her, face flushed and a smile as big as her own. “I need somethin’ to drink after that.”
“Because of the dance or the handsome young lad?”
“Huuuush,” Auralia shot back, laughing.
They wove their way through the crowd and passed a group of men butchering a folk song. They grabbed one tankard each and dipped into the mead barrel, both taking a long drink.
Celestia wiped her mouth free of any foam. “Cheers?”
“To what exactly?”
“To…us?” Celestia said, raising her tankard toward her sister. “To havin’ a night without a single worry.”
Auralia crashed her tankard into Celestia’s, causing mead to spill down their hands and the length of their forearms.
One of the pipers inflated their bagpipes again, causing a long, low wailing sound over the field. Another song was about to begin. Celestia took another long sip and noticed a handsome young man coming toward them. It was not the same young man that had just danced with Auralia, but she noticed that he only had eyes for her.
