Page 58 of Highlander's Wild Lass
Brannan smiled, nodding just before he looked at Celestia. “Celestia, I ken ye would come to realize what a good match this is,” Brannan said, eyes shining.
“Da...” Celestia murmured, feeling a lump form in her throat.
Chester must not have noticed Brannan’s emotion because he blurted out, “Let’s get back to this movin’ to the castle business.”
“Aye, that would make sense for us to live there, especially while ye are still young,” Brannan said.
Chester nodded, a serious look on his face. “I wonder if the chief will give us lessons in weaponry and how to defend ourselves in battle.”
“I’m sure he will, lad,” Brannan told him, stomping his cane on the solid wood floor. “Off to bed with ye’s or ye willnae wake up till late this afternoon.”
Chester and Hugo tried to argue but went into their bedroom and closed the door. Auralia was the last one into her room and she looked at Celestia, grinning from ear to ear.
“I ken ye are doin’ this for us, but I think ye’ll be happy with yer choice,” she said just before she closed her door.
Celestia looked at her father, the happiness still clearly written into the wrinkles on his face. “Auralia is right, ye ken, lass.”
She nodded.
“How are ye feelin’ about it?” Brannan said, leaning his weight against the doorway now.
Celestia shrugged, bringing her hand to her heart. “I feel an easiness in my chest that I havenae felt in years, but there is also...unease. It feels foolish to even say out loud.”
“That is love, ye ken. It’s always been a fool’s game.”
She frowned, not liking being thought of as a fool nor really feeling like she was in love with Anthony. “I daenae ken if I love him, but I am grateful for what he is offerin’ all of us.”
Brannan shrugged. “I ken there is some feelin’ there or ye wouldnae have agreed.”
“Maybe, Da, I dinna ken,” she told him.
He only nodded before bidding her goodnight and disappearing back into his darkened room.
* * *
After the embarrassing show from his uncles, when they all were putting themselves to bed finally, Eleanor told him she would stay on at Castle Ferguson to help with the wedding. To repent for her slip up, she told him before retiring.
Anthony’s uncles—blessedly—left the following afternoon, and he was happy to see the back of them, but they promised to be back for the wedding in a week.
Today was the day that the McLean’s were officially moving into the castle. He wanted to make this as seamless and as welcoming as possible for them. Mrs. Duncan saw to that by sending her maids into the family quarters of the castle and cleaning it from top to bottom.
Every door was opened, and the curtains were pulled back letting the sun spill in across the floorboards and furniture. The mattresses had been turned and beaten, the bedding washed, the pillows fluffed. All to Anthony’s explicit directions, he wanted things to be pristine when Celestia arrived.
Mrs. Duncan nearly crashed into him as she came out of one of the rooms with her head down and hands full of linens.
“Careful,” Anthony said, catching her by her shoulders.
“Dinnae see ye there, Anthony.” Her cheeks were rosy from exertion. “We’re almost done, I was goin’ to have the maids come through once more and polish everythin’ before the McLean’s come.”
“Very good, Mrs. Duncan.”
“Are ye excited?”
“A bit, I suppose,” he said, but that was a lie. He was excited for the wing to be filled with a family. He knew Chester and Hugo would bring life to this castle that it hadn’t seen in over a decade, Auralia would give the library a new purpose, and Celestia...well, he didn’t know what to expect or hope for with her. Or where she would truly find her place within the castle grounds.
There was passion there, that much was obvious. But after the festival, Anthony could tell that she was still hesitant about the entire arrangement.
“Aye,” Mrs. Duncan said. “It’ll be like old times havin’ this rooms filled to the brim. And who kens, maybe even a bairn in a year’s time.”
