Page 51 of Marry the Highland Villain
The wedding of the Laird was an important event in the history of MacKane Castle, and no one in it was immune to the festive atmosphere that seemed to radiate from its very walls.
Brigid gave a nod and took a shaky breath to ground herself.
“Well,” she said with a nervous smile, then took in each of her sisters. “I suppose we’d better go.”
“Aye,” Lily said, stepping forward to take her arm and grinning reassuringly at her. “I suppose we should.”
Megan and Valerie fell into step behind them as they made their way down the long hall outside Brigid’s chamber and then downstairs to the antechamber that had been decorated for the wedding ceremony. They didn’t speak as they walked, but Brigid was grateful for the pressure of Lily’s hand on her arm and the comforting presence of her other two siblings, who stayed close behind them.
The doors to the room were closed as they reached them, but Brigid could hear the murmur of voices inside as Conall’s people—his council, his clan, and his kin—awaited her arrival.
And soon, they will be my people, too.
The sounds from the antechamber quieted, and then bagpipes began to play as the large wooden doors swung open, held by footmen wearing ceremonial dress.
Brigid took another deep breath, her hand tightening on Lily’s elbow, and took the first tentative step forward, toward the beginning of the life she had chosen a few days ago.
CHAPTER 18
Conall lookedup as the double doors opened and the bagpipes began to play. Oliver was a solid, reassuring presence by his right shoulder, with Emily a calm and collected presence on his left. All the same, his stomach twisted with something that could have been either nerves or excitement as the music started up and the room fell silent.
A small cluster of women appeared in the doorway, and Conall drew in a sharp breath, heat racing straight to his gut at the sight of Brigid. She was dressed in a pale green dress adorned with intricate knots, with flowers and ribbons in MacKane colors threaded through her hair. She was walking alongside her older sister, and she was radiant—there was simply no other word for it.
Her green eyes and tanned skin glowed in the light streaming through the windows, a perfect match for the shade of her dress. She was smiling as she made her way toward him, and Conall felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of her. His stomach clenchedagain with a nervousness he’d never felt—not even in the heat of battle.
Conall Barr was not a man given to nerves. But then again, this was not a situation he’d ever found himself in before, and it took a sharp nudge from Oliver for him to realize that his breathing had grown labored. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then stepped forward to offer his hand to his bride.
The bagpipes quieted, and the priest stepped forward, book in hand. The man intoned a short blessing, then raised his voice. “Who comes here today to be wed before God and these witnesses?”
Conall cleared his throat, the sound surprisingly loud in the hushed silence of the room.
“I, Conall Barr, Laird of Clan MacKane, come to be wed this day,” he said, as clearly as he could.
It was strange how hard it was to say the words. When he’d suggested marriage several days ago, it had all seemed so simple—a plan to thwart and frustrate his enemy, which he’d made without much thought as to how it would actually feel to be standing at the altar, preparing to wed. Now, he was here, and the words felt heavy and clumsy on his tongue, the weight of them apparent even as he spoke them.
Then, it was Brigid’s turn to speak, and Conall focused his attention on her, her presence like a lighthouse, guiding him.
“I, Brigid Blackwood, come to be wed this day.”
The priest nodded. “And who comes this day to stand as a witness for these two parties? To vouch for their character and their free and willing decision to come before this altar?”
Oliver spoke up, his voice strong and clear as if he’d never had a single doubt. “I, Oliver Barr, do stand as a witness for Conall Barr and vouch for his free choice to come here today.”
A moment of indecision struck Conall then, for how could Brigid’s sister say the same words? He’d all but forced Brigid to marry him. He’d made her choose between marriage and imprisonment, possibly death… It was hardly the ‘free choice’ Lily was about to testify to.
But before he could take this thought any further, Lily stepped forward, her voice ringing out strong and clear in the confines of the chamber. “I, Lily Blackwood, do stand as a witness for Brigid Blackwood and vouch for her free choice to come here today.”
“Let these two, Conall Barr and Brigid Blackwood, join hands and come to stand before me.”
At last, Conall allowed himself to breathe as Lily set Brigid’s small, soft hand in his, and all other thoughts he might have entertained disappeared at her touch.
The priest spoke another blessing over the two of them, but Conall paid little heed to the words as they washed over him. Allthe blessing he needed was the warmth of Brigid’s smile and the happiness in her brilliant green eyes.
The priest droned on, and Conall allowed his gaze to drift over Brigid, drinking in that smile, the curves of her hips and shoulders, and the swell of her breasts. He noticed, as if for the first time, the way the light shone in her hair and made the flowers glow softly, as if they were a crown of precious gems rather than mere flowers picked from the garden that morning.
“Speak yer vows,” the priest said, interrupting his thoughts.
It took a second for Conall to realize the man was speaking to him.
