Page 10 of Highlander's Rebellious Affair
He looked at Hope again, and wondered what other surprises she had in her head. He hadn’t planned to announce his plan to her aunt just yet because he didn’t think he could trust the woman yet, but as her frown disappeared and she smiled, he relaxed a little.
She doesn’t look so dangerous.
“A kirk just happens to be close by to these mountains.”
7
Hope was a bit unprepared the next day as they rode to the kirk with Orlaith to perform a quick marital rite. She had never imagined she would marry a stranger, or outside her home, and now as she stood in front of the kirk, the priest looked at her with a very keen gaze. It made her shiver, and she wondered if he could tell that all of this was an act.
Ian had cleaned up a bit. His hair was sleeked back away from his face, his jaw straightened into a thin line as they waited for the priest to read to them the rites and honor code. Hope hoped he would smile a little, and not act like being married to her was a chore.
They were doing each other a great favor. He was saving her from marrying his old uncle, and likewise she was helping him save the Lairdship’s fate. His uncle could not fully have a grasp of power unless he had a wife an heir, and he could easily find some other woman to marry, so she was buying Ian time to figure out something else.
“I vow,” the priest began as they raised their hands and recited after him, “to cherish and hold ye for the rest of our lives, till death do us part.”
Hope repeated the words and then turned to Ian when he had recited his. Her aunt, Orlaith, seemed pleased. She had a smile on her face, and her hands clasped together as she watched them tie the knot. Hope thought it was strange that she would agree to her wedding a stranger, and even support the idea. She sighed and raised her chin as she stared at Ian, and he raised his hand and placed it on her chin, then leaned in and placed a small kiss on her lips.
It was light, a brief contact of his lips brushing against hers, but it stirred her immediately. Heat rushed through her, and went right through every nerve ending in her body, and her eyes fluttered close. His lips hovered above hers for a second, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Her gaze met with his and he didn’t look away or pull back. Seconds passed and they remained in that position, her arms at her side while his eyes searched hers, and Hope wondered if he felt it too. The spark that came alive when his lips touched hers. His eyes gave nothing away as he pulled back and released her.
She turned to her aunt, and Orlaith walked forward and pulled Hope into her arms, crushing her against her chest. Hope gave her a shaky smile when she released her, and whispered, “I am married.”
It sounded unbelievable in her ears and she turned to Ian as he took her hands and led her out of the church. When they returned to Orlaith’s cottage, they spent the rest of the day inside, discussing their next plan.
“It would be better if we leave here as soon as possible, and get to Galloway. My sister lives in the village, and she can hide us for a few days,” he continued. As he spoke, Hope was sitting on the chair beside the bed, her mind was pondering other matters.
I am married to a man whom my father did not choose; how would he react? Would I be able to face his wrath when he finds out? Or would he take it out on my mother as always?
“Are ye listenin’ to me?” Ian asked and she blinked back to reality and shook her head.
“Aye,” she replied and sucked in a deep breath.
“I have a sister who lives in the village and we can stay with her. But we would have to get back to yer faither and let him ken of this arrangement. Ye are my wife now, there is nothin’ he or anyone else can do about this.”
His voice sounded affirmative, but Hope still had a deep-seated fear about what her father’s reaction would be.
“All right,” she whispered. “I think we should however hide out here for a few more days. Drummond soldiers would be all over every land leadin’ from Drummond to Cawdor or Galloway. We cannae risk getting’ caught, or else we can’t return to the Castle on our own terms,” she suggested and he nodded.
“Three days,” he replied. “In three days, we would return to yer faither, and confess.”
Orlaith had been out in her back garden while they talked, and when she entered the cottage, she was carrying a basket full of lettuce and turnips. “The snow would kill them all,” she said when she kicked the door shut with her leg. “Do ye ken how to prepare porridge?” she asked them.
Hope nodded, and Ian laughed as she stood up from where she sat. “Aye, Orlaith. I will prepare it for ye,” she offered, then walked to her and took the basket out of her hands.
* * *
Hours later, the meal was ready and served. Ian tasted the porridge tentatively at first, and he moaned when he realized how good it tasted. Orlaith had left the cottage again, and they ate alone. Ian found himself stealing glances in her direction.
He couldn’t help it. She was beautiful, and a breathtaking sight to behold. Her face was oval shaped, her eyes a brown shade he loved to look into knowing he might get lost in them. When he had kissed her earlier, for a moment, his breathing had stopped and he had been lost.
She tasted sweet, like nectar and her lips were softer than he imagined they would be. He had never imagined being married before, and he had always thought he would spend his days working hard to get control of the Lairdship first before thinking of starting a family, but now he was married to the daughter of a powerful Laird.
Ian finished his meal and watched her as she took the plates into the inner cottage to clean them. He watched as she walked around the small, cramped space and his mind wandered to what it would feel like to run his fingers through her brown curls.
He already caught the scent of her hair while they rode toward Cawdor. It smelled fresh, like lavender with a subtle hint of berries and it intoxicated him.
Watching her filled him with a desire he had never felt before, but Ian clamped it shut and left her in the cottage to practice his sword skills. The day was far spent by the time he finished his practice and walked to the front porch to sit and relax.
