Page 65 of Highlander's Wild Lass
The dress was a thing of beauty, cinching in at the waist and accentuating her chest in the most heavenly way. He would thank his sister for such an amazing dress later and hope he had enough restraint in him to not tear it from her body later tonight.
He stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and laid a kiss on her knuckles. “Ye look stunning, Celestia.”
She bobbed her head as she looked him over. “Ye too.”
He felt a bit weak-kneed as they took their first step towards the kirk. He couldn’t be sure if it was the second glass of whisky he downed or just nerves, or something else entirely.
“Daenae be nervous,” he whispered to her as they passed out of the courtyard and onto the narrow grassy trail to the castle kirk. It was a rare thing for a small Scottish castle to have a kirk all its own, but one of his ancestors, near two centuries ago, had one built.
The walk was short and scattered with guests that had not been able to obtain a seat inside the kirk. They were watching them eagerly and the small children were waving and throwing flower petals at them.
“Ye are the one that’s tremblin’, not me.”
14
The great hall was filled to the brim with clansmen and women. Many of them rushed toward the head table to wish a life filled with good health and many children, some even slapped down their shiniest shilling as a gift.
Mrs. Duncan had truly outdone herself, Celestia thought. There was roast beef, pig, and an array of other meats that she had not had the chance to eat yet. The vegetables and fruit were aplenty, how she managed to get this much fruit in the middle of spring was a mystery.
And the liquor flowed—there was ale, whisky, wine, and even rum.
There had been many toasts. One given by Sebastian, one by her father, and then finally by Anthony himself. All filled with well wishes and kind words, but with every toast came a new drink and Celestia was feeling rather light-headed and, she had to admit, happy.
The torches had been lit come sundown and some of the guests had found their way home. Of course, Anthony’s extended family stayed, drinking, singing, and dancing, as did Celestia’s.
Anthony stood once more from where they sat, and the music halted. He raised his glass, filled with wine. “Now that some of the guests have gone home—”
Celestia heard boos coming from one of the tables. She wasn’t surprised when her eyes found uncles Charlie and Ian.
“—I wanted to take this moment to tell everyone that helped this day happen a very gracious thank ye. And I, along with my new wife,” he said, glancing down at Celestia with an easy grin, “would like all of ye to quit servin’ for the night and join us in the celebration!”
Her heart skipped a beat when he called her his wife, but she didn’t have a moment to ponder it because he was whisking her away to dance.
It almost felt like she was experiencing her wedding from a distance, like she was watching from just above herself, taking it all in. They had recited their vows; he had slipped a ring worth more than anything she owned on her finger; they were handfasted and kissed before their families and before the clan.
She hadn’t realized she was waiting for the kiss, but she found herself parting her mouth to allow him in. There was a hoot from near the front of the kirk, probably an uncle.
And then the feast had gone by in a rush and Celestia had danced more than she ever had in her entire life. With Anthony, with her brothers, his uncles, even a slow one with her father whose wheezing breath she could hear the entire time.
With some of the guests gone, the hall felt more intimate with some of the servants she had come to know over the last week in the castle and Mrs. Duncan mothering her about just like she used to when she and Anthony were children.
She found that she did miss their home and the quiet it provided, but she had found herself enjoying castle life and exploring every inch of it with her sister and brothers.
Celestia looked at Anthony, her new husband. It would take time to get used to saying the word, but she did feel happy that they had decided to marry. Yes, nerves coursed through her while she was getting ready, but once she saw him in the courtyard, she felt steady. Anthony was the one that had been shaking the entire way to the kirk.
She smiled, noticing his cheeks were a bit rosy due to an unending amount of drink. There was a friendship between them, somewhat there in childhood if she hadn’t wanted to beat him senseless for all his teasing, but there indeed. Celestia had felt the bond grow over the weeks he pestered her to marry him despite how many times they argued.
She wondered if it would eventually, years down the road, turn into love. She knew she could love him; she was familiar with the heat that rushed through her at the sight of him and when he touched her, but surely that was only desire and longing.
“Enjoyin’ yerself?” he asked, one hand clasped on her back, and another held her hand as he led her around the hall with the others that were dancing. It wasn’t a very fast-paced dance, more a moderate tempo where she didn’t have to think of the steps.
“I am, actually.”
He quirked a brow. “Did ye think ye were nae goin’ to?”
Celestia bit her cheek. “I dinnae really ken what to expect, really.”
The music came to an end and the string quartet that had been hired for the occasion began to play the cords of a high-energy jig. Celestia recognized the tune at once.
