Jessica awoke several times over the next week. The first few times she was wracked with fever, and Leif, Lauren, or Katherine was dabbing her forehead with a cool cloth and sent for more willow bark tea. The next few times it was because Senga had brought her food, and she found that she was ravenous, chowing down first broth and then hardier food with zeal.

And now this time, Jessica woke up and felt well.

Lauren was here to greet her this time, with the welcome sight of a wash basin and pitcher.

"How are you doing, sleeping beauty?"

Jessica stretched, threw the covers aside, got up, then washed and dressed herself.

"I feel like a million bucks. How long was I down?"

While they talked, Lauren produced Jessica’s hairbrush out of her bag and proceeded to brush out her hair, which was quite tangled. She then washed it — and dried it as best she could with a small woolen blanket.

"Eight days. I think you were just too exhausted to heal for the first three days, though."

Eight days.

"How is everything?"

"Amy got well two days ago, and no one else in the house is falling ill. A few of the townsfolk have, though. Ready to come downstairs?"

"Absolutely."

Jessica happily followed Lauren down the stairs, where everyone was at the table breaking their nightly fast. She meant to smile at Leif when their eyes met and then go to her place at the table, but as soon as he saw her walking down the stairs, he was up out of his seat and rushing over to her.

"Are ye wull? Fully wull?"

"Aye," was all she could think to say, faced with those oh so sincere blue eyes.

He pulled out her chair for her and beckoned her to sit, which she did.

"Senga, bring some food for Jessica please." And then those blue eyes were boring into hers again. "After ye hae eaten, I wish for ye tae come on a walk with me, if ye will."

"Aye," was again all she could manage to say.

She was hungry, or she would have just taken a few bites and said she was finished. As it was, the meal took an excruciatingly long time. Did he want to show her something? She hoped not. She hoped he wanted to talk to her about the same things she wanted to say to him.

At long last, she was full and got up.

He was at the front door immediately, opening it for her and gesturing for her to precede him out.

Amena came running toward them.

"Ooh, a walk! I want tae go!"

But thankfully, Senga held the little girl back, and at the same time both Jessica and Leif called out to the cook.

"Thank ye, Senga. What would we dae without ye?"

Laughing together at having the same sentiment at the same time, they started their walk, going not toward the village but up the same difficult trail she and Lauren and Katherine had taken when they fled. It was the only way they could be assured of being alone, Jessica knew, and her hopes grew in her heart.

He didn't start speaking right away, but his body language did. He was attentive, taking every opportunity to give her a hand up when she needed it — and sometimes when she didn't.

They had climbed quite a ways up when he stopped and turned both of them around to lean against the craggy mountain and watch the sunset over the valley of his town.

At last he spoke.

"Na much time has passed syne the last time we watched the sunset together, ye ken. Howsoever, sae much has happened. Sae verra much.”

“Aye,” she said, feeling delinquent for not saying more but unsure what direction this conversation was going. Unwilling to say more, she gazed out with pride at her handiwork once more, the cleaner streets. It made her smile with a sense of accomplishment she had never felt at PenUlt. These people needed her much more.

Still looking out at the valley and standing near but not touching her, he went on.

“I ken ye planned tae pass the winter here and then move on, Jessica. And I want tae ken if ye would consider staying on. With me.”

He turned to her as if his resolve not to cloud her judgement with touch had broken and he just couldn’t help looking her in the face to see what she was thinking. As he continued, his deep blue eyes gazed into her very soul, it seemed.

“I want verra much for ye tae stay and be my wife.”

Before she even knew it, she was kissing him. A tender kiss that tried to become passionate.

He broke it off, laughing nervously. Leif! Being nervous!

“Will ye then? Consider staying tae be my wife?”

“Aye!” she squealed before she rushed him again.

This time he kissed back, chuckling softly. And then he grabbed her hand and began their walk down, attentive as ever.

“I wull give ye all the time ye want, tae consider.”

She pulled on his hand to get his attention.

He stopped and turned to face her.

She allowed herself to get lost in his eyes, to show him just how in love she was.

“I dinna want time. I want tae be officially a part o' this toon sae that I can improve it e’en more. I feel more alive here than I hae anyplace else, more needed, more useful. I want tae bear and rear yer bairns. I want tae wake up beside ye each morrow and fall asleep beside ye each evening. And I want tae start now, this verra moment.”

Leif chuckled again and turned to look down toward the town’s small church, then back at her with his smoldering eyes drinking her in.

“I am brave enough tae interrupt Father’s supper if ye are.”

“Aye!” she said, laughing.

They scrambled down the rest of the way as fast as their feet could take them, bursting into Cresh Manor full of exuberance.

Leif raised his voice to all.

“Jessica and I are off tae interrupt Father’s supper. All who would come along tae watch, come now.”

He turned abruptly and put Jessica’s hand on his arm as he rushed off toward the church, not waiting to see who followed but sharing a grin with Jessica at the confused musings and the sounds of pounding feet behind them.

It didn’t take long for their friends and family to catch up, almost all of them asking questions.

Lauren's question was "Are ye sure, Jessica?"

Amena was clueless of course, and she took the situation literally, asking "Why dae ye want tae make Father angry, Leif?"

Of course Luag just made a joke of the whole thing, "Leave it tae Leif tae find a way tae be in charge nay matter what."

Taran asked, “Does this mean ye are moving intae Father and Mother’s room?”

Senga's question was for Jessica, and she found that reassuring: "Are ye gaun'ae put in that braw stove ye spoke on? That sounded grand indeed. And the rugs? And the fabric ower the windows?"

They were in the village now, and they drew more of a crowd with people yelling out about the spectacle until the entire village crowded around the small church. There was a party atmosphere, with the villagers chiding and teasing Leif about it being his wedding day.

But no one made any snide remarks about Jessica at all. In fact several of the women patted Jessica on the back or squeezed her hand. Two who were much younger than she even curtsied to her.

Jessica's heart warmed. This was the only reservation she had about marrying Leif — and it hadn't been keeping her from doing it. Leif was her number one desire, but her second want was to be a part of things here.

The feeling she got from helping these people improve their town exceeded anything she'd done back at home. Perhaps it would've been different if she worked in the hospital actually helping patients. The job at PenUlt had seemed glamorous when she accepted it a year ago, but now she realized it had been a mistake. Oh, she was glad she'd gotten to know Katherine. And it had been fun to spend more time with Lauren. And let's face it she never would've had this adventure, nor met Leif, had she not taken that job. So all had worked out well in the end.

Katherine spun Jessica around and showed her how she had hidden her phone in her shawl, then leaned forward to whisper in her ear, “Don’t worry. You’ll have wedding photos, and I’ll make sure your parents get copies.”

At long last, Father answered the door. Sure enough, he was wiping his mouth from eating the stew the wives took turns dropping off for him. His eyes twinkled with merriment at the sight of Leif and Jessica standing before him with all the townspeople gathered around.

But he had a reputation to uphold as the disciplinarian among the children of the town, and so he put a stern tone in his voice as he addressed them, careful not to let Amena and the other children see how happy he actually was for the couple.

"What makes ye disturb my supper, ye heathens!"

Devaney met Jessica's eye and winked.

Gilly pursed his lips to keep from laughing.

But the children sure were taken in by Father’s stern act. They grabbed their parents’ hands and hid behind them.

"Can we just dae this right here?" Father said with false disgust. "My stew is getting cold."

"Aye, if ye think we be close enough tae the holy presence, Father," Leif said with false fear in his voice.

Jessica enjoyed this game, stealing a glance at him sideways. The love and eagerness and respect in his eyes were too much for her. She felt herself melting toward him, irresistibly drawing near to him.

Before she reached Leif, Father jumped in and said the necessary words.

"Dae ye take him for yer husband in front o’ these witnesses?"

"Aye,” was all Jessica could say, so mesmerized she was, so drawn to the man she loved.

"Dae ye take her for yer wife in front o’ these witnesses?"

"Aye," said Leif. His face showed amusement at her drawing uncontrollably near, but also love, desire, respect, and that consideration that had drawn her to him in the first place.

Father barely got the words out before the two of them collided.

"I pronounce that ye are husband and wife. Ye may kiss the bride."

Jessica wanted it to be a long passionate kiss, but she remembered just in time that these people didn’t show public displays of affection, not even if they were married. So a chaste kiss it had to be.

She slowed her progress toward him just enough so that their lips barely touched. It was enough. Warmth swelled into her from the touch of his lips on hers, a warmth like no other. The warmth of love and belonging, of a life planned together, of the future they would share.