Page 91 of Her Highland Prophecy
She took his clean hand in hers and pulled him toward the washstand in the room, taking the rag that was there and slowly wiping the blood off his hand. She felt utterly calm despite the events of the last few minutes. His shock seemed to have allowed her to keep her head in the situation.
From behind them she could still hear Bhaltair taking long rattling breaths and knew that it wouldn’t be long until he succumbed to his wounds.
When Gordain’s hands were clean she released him and then cupped his cheeks, turning his face to look at her.
“Everything is going to be all right now, my Love,” she said. She knew it would not be simple and that it would take time, but she believed it with all of her soul. Despite what Bhaltair had done, they would be together.
People were streaming into the room, no doubt drawn to them by the commotion of the fight, but she had eyes only for the man in front of her who was staring at her like she was the most precious thing in the world.
Their lips met in a kiss as desperate as it was life affirming.
“I thought ye were gone,” he said, his words slurring slightly because he refused to part from her lips completely.
“I couldn’t,” she murmured as the kiss moved to her neck. “I got all the way to the cave and then I couldn’t do it.”
She heard a couple of whistles from behind them, but she ignored everyone.
“Then ye will stay here? With me?” he asked, his eyes searching hers.
She bit her lip shyly. “If you’ll have me.”
He nodded and then looked at her carefully.
“I only have one more question for ye then, me Sassenach Princess.”
“What’s that?” What could he possibly need to know?
“Will ye marry me?”
It was probably the least romantic place she could ever imagine a proposal. She was covered in dust from the ride from Ballachulish, he was covered in blood and not ten feet away from them lay the corpse of his dead cousin.
And yet, looking into his beautiful green eyes there was only one way she could even consider responding.
“Yes, of course, I will.”
The whoop of joy he let out was so incongruous, so inappropriate for their surroundings that she glanced at the people gathered at the door who were staring at them as if they had grown two heads. She sent them an apologetic glance but did not remove herself from Gordain’s embrace.
No matter what life threw at them they would always face it like that. Wrapped up in each other’s arms.
34
One month later…
It had been more than thirty minutes that Diana had been standing near the windows of her room with her arms extended out from her body, while a seamstress poked and prodded her. Her unfinished wedding dress hung from her body while the woman looked it over critically.
Nearby, the twins were sitting on the chairs surrounding the little table in her room along with their mother, a tiny woman with dark hair. Diana could see where Eleanor got her looks from. The rest of the family were all tall and red headed, but those two stood out like sore thumbs among the group.
It had been a difficult month for the woman, with the death of her husband and the threat to her son, but she had embraced the idea of Diana’s marriage to her son with open arms, welcoming her to the family, despite her Englishness. Somehow it meant more from her than it did with Gordain’s sisters.
Their relationship was warm and her presence was slowly awakening the part in Diana that longed to be mothered. Besides needing to mother her, Diana was certain that the older woman was using the wedding as a way to distract herself from the loss of her husband, but she didn’t mind the fuss.
“Ye look so beautiful, Diana,” Mabel pipped up from behind her.
“Thank you,” she said simply.
“I still think ye should have chosen the green fabric. It would match yer eyes well,” Mabel commented.
Her wedding gown was going to be white. Well, as white of fabric as she could find in the seventeenth century. She knew that they wouldn’t understand why she was so insistent on the color, but most women in her time got married in white and she wanted to honor that tradition. Even her own mother had been married in white.
