Page 66 of Highlander's Wild Lass
“This is one of Auralia’s favorites,” she said, looking around the hall for her sister. She found her sitting beside her father who was tapping his cane along to the beat with a wine glass in his other hand.
Together they made their way to Auralia and Brannan.
“This is my favorite song,” Auralia said, tapping her feet along to the beginning notes.
“I’ve heard,” Anthony said with a wink. “Care for a dance?”
Auralia’s eyes widened and before even thinking to ask Celestia permission—not that she needed to—she took hold of Anthony’s hand, and off they went.
Celestia took a seat beside her father, making sure her skirts didn’t overtake him. “Ye look happy, Da.”
“Oh, I am blessedly happy,” he said, handing off his glass to her. He began digging in his waistcoat pockets. “I meant to give this to ye before the ceremony, but I completely forgot about it till afterwards.”
Celestia watched him dig in his left pocket, then his right, and finally find whatever it was in the inconspicuous inside pocket of his brown frock coat.
“Here,” Brannan said, pulling out a short string of pearls. “They were—”
“Ma’s?”
Brannan nodded.
Celestia fixed her eyes, unmoving, on the strand of pearls. She slowly took them into her hands. “I cannae believe ye have them. I thought ye buried her with them.”
“Nay, I couldnae part with somethin’ like this,” he said, taking the pearls back from her and unclasping them. “They’re yers now, and yers to pass down to yer first-born daughter.”
Celestia turned her back to her father so he could loop the necklace around her easily. He patted the clasp once it was secure and she turned back to thank him, fingering the round, uneven pearls. They barely hung more than an inch from her neck, almost a choker. She remembered always admiring them on her mother when she was a child.
She felt overcome with emotion, her eyes filled with tears, missing her mother more today than any day in the last handful of years.
“Dinnae cry, Cellie. Today is a happy day and she would be thrilled to see ye married her best friend’s son.”
Celestia held her breath, hoping that lack of air would stop her tears from falling, and nodded.
“Oh, those look wonderful on ye, dearie!” Helena, the castle healer said as she took a seat on the other side of her father. “Yer dear da said he was goin’ to give those to ye.”
“She does look bonnie in them, just like her maither,” Brannan said to Helena, glancing at her with a smile.
Helena was a welcome distraction from the emotion Celestia was feeling. She went on and on to describe to Celestia how she enjoyed her daily visits with Brannan. He made her laugh and Helena, who was about five years younger than her father and strong for her age, forced him to get out of bed and move.
Celestia would often stumble into them in the gardens or near the stables, and her father...well, he didn’t look any healthier, but he did smile more and laugh more. And keeping her father happy while he suffered through his illness was all she could really hope for since all the healing in the world would not make him better.
Auralia and Anthony were back once the dance had ended. Auralia was red in the face and breathless. Anthony seemed to be just as out of breath as her sister when he sat beside her.
“I wasnae prepared for that dance at all,” he said only loud enough for her to hear. “Yer sister led the entire time.”
Celestia couldn’t hide the surprise on her face. It was a rare thing for her sister to come out of her shell, but to lead her new brother-in-law and the chief of their clan in a dance was something else entirely.
“I hope she led ye well.”
“Oh, she certainly did.”
Auralia had disappeared and reappeared soundlessly with three glasses of mead between her hands. She passed one to Celestia and Anthony.
“Thank ye, lass,” Anthony said, raising his glass in her direction before taking a long sip.
Auralia nearly emptied her entire glass before telling them she was off to find Chester and Hugo. She bounded toward the hallways, toward the staircase that would take her to the gallery that overlooked the great hall.
Celestia leaned into Anthony, reaching to whisper into his ear. “I dinnae think she will find my brothers up there.”
