A sennight later

“Stand back, Effie, and keep the bairn’s head covered,” said Coira.

The day had finally come when the MacKeefes and the MacDuffs all joined together along with Lance and his knights at Liddel Castle. Everyone crowded around the bonfire in the middle of the courtyard. Next to it was a pile of iron rubble.

Coira gripped the wooden handle of the axe and swung it hard at the remains of the two cages. The men had destroyed her former prison, and now she wanted her chance to demolish the bad memories of her past as well.

“Coira, that’s heavy. Let me do it,” offered Lance, reaching out for the axe.

“Nay. I want to do this,” she told him. “I need to prove to myself as well as my sister that I am strong now.” She brought the axe down on the wooden platform of the cage, but didn’t have the muscles to remove it from the wood.

“That’s enough,” said Lance, taking the axe from her and handing it to his squire.

“Oh, is it my turn now?” asked Jack, looking at the axe.

“Effie, dinna ye want a turn as well?” asked Coira.

Effie smiled down at the newborn babe in her arms. Her husband, Aidan, looked over her shoulder at the baby as well, holding the hands of their daughters, Elspeth and Arabella. Aidan’s squirrel, Reid, sat on his shoulder, chattering away.

“Nay, Coira, I want to stay with little Gavin,” Effie told her. “Every minute with our new son is worth more to me than even demolishin’ bad memories of the past.”

“I agree,” said Aidan, reaching down to kiss his son on the nose. “And someday, little Gavin will be big and strong like his da. And then I will teach him how to throw a caber.” He made silly faces and obnoxious noises talking to his son.

Storm MacKeefe’s head popped up from the crowd when he heard this. “So, will it be Gavin who finally beats me at the caber toss?” asked Storm with a smirk. “After all, we ken ye, nor anyone else of the clan, has ever been able to do it.”

“I can no’ only toss a caber better than ye, Storm, but I am stronger in every other way,” bragged Aidan.

“Prove it,” said Aidan’s good friend, Ian, from next to him. He had his arm around his wife, Kyla, who was also Aidan’s sister. She held their baby, Grant, while the twins, Finn and Quinn, chased Ian’s wolfhound around them in a circle.

“Och, do I hear a competition comin’ on?” The third of the MadMen MacKeefe, Onyx, rushed over, holding his son, Creighton, in one arm and his daughter, Davina, in the other. “Charles,” he called to his stepson. “Start collectin’ the bets. I say whatever the challenge, Aidan is goin’ to lose.”

“Lose? Ye think I’m goin’ to lose?” squawked Aidan, not at all happy at hearing his good friend was betting against him. “I’ll show ye that I willna lose and then ye will eat yer words.”

“Onyx, give me the children,” said Onyx’s wife, Lovelle, hurrying over to collect them. “I am going to take them to check on your wildcat while you boys make fools of yourselves again.”

“Let me help with the children since you’re pregnant.” Zara rushed over to take Davina from her.

“If you men want to prove your strength, how about tossing the rest of these cages into the fire?” asked Lance.

“I can do that.” Aidan gave his squirrel to his daughter to hold and bent down, picking up several of the iron bars at once. Instantly, the rest of the Scots were there to try to prove that they were stronger than the others.

“Coira, now is our time to sneak away.” Lance pulled her over to the side.

“Sneak away? Where are we goin’?” she asked with a smile.

“Just somewhere private where I can kiss you without anyone bothering us.” Lance directed her quickly to the garden. Sweetcakes followed, barking at them.

“Sweetcakes, we’ll be right back. Now go to Zara and play with the bairns.” Coira reached down and petted the dog on the head and sent it on its way.

“Hurry, before anyone sees us,” said Lance, running to the garden, holding her hand.

Coira laughed, having fun. Her heart felt lighter than ever now that she’d faced and released her fears of the past. She had never felt stronger than she did right now.

Lance stopped and pulled her into his arms, kissing her so passionately that she wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have the idea to make love right there in the garden.

A sweet scent of flowers filled the air. Coira took in a deep breath. “Lance, look, the roses are bloomin’,” she said excitedly. They turned to see the rose bush with red roses in full bloom, opening their petals to the sun. Then something caught her eye and she moved closer, taking Lance with her. She gasped when she saw what it was.

“What’s the matter, Coira?” asked Lance. “Is something wrong?”

Tears filled her eyes and she bent down to touch the soft petals of one blue rose, mixed in with all the red ones. “Nothin’ is wrong, Lance. Do ye see this?”

“It’s blue,” he said in astonishment. “I’ve never seen a blue rose before.”

“It’s because it is special and most people never see one in an entire lifetime,” Coira explained. “The legend of the blue rose states that when it appears, enemies turn to lovers.”

“I guess that’s us,” said Lance, pulling her closer and kissing her again.

“I dinna ever want to be enemies again,” she told him, staring into his deep, blue eyes.

“And neither do I,” he told her. “But I would like to be lovers.” He pinched her bottom and chuckled. Coira slapped his hand away and giggled.

“Lance de Selby, what kind of lassie do ye take me for to be pinchin’ my bottom right here in the garden where anyone can see?”

“I take you to be the sweetest, most beautiful, kindest lassie I’ve ever met.” He kissed her between each of the attributes he mentioned. “But most of all, I take you to be my wife, Coira. You are the strongest, most amazing woman I have ever met.”

She blushed and shyly looked up through hooded eyes. “Ye dinna really mean that, do ye?”

“I do,” he said. “You are the sweetest and prettiest flower in this garden. I will love you forever because you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, my Scottish Rose.”