Chapter Twenty-Six
The journey back to Dunbeath went smoothly with little to speak of. Traveling with Amelia and the laird and lady’s children meant more nights in inns than Tavish or Ceit would have considered while traveling as just a couple. Neither complained about the added privacy these nights afforded them when the nights under the stars saw them creeping away. But Ceit’s experience with the wolves was always near the forefront of their minds, so their trysts were not moments to linger over. They stopped at the Sutherlands to find Isla adjusting comfortably to life among her mother’s people. She bore a striking resemblance to her mother, so people were eager to become acquainted. She was discreet about her past and most did not ask since little was spoken about the Comyns anymore. It relieved Ceit to find that Isla was being courted by Adair, the guardsman who mooned over her. They stayed for three days while Ceit visited with Isla and became better acquainted with Lady Sutherland. Tavish spent most of the daylight hours in the lists. His arm and ribs ached at times, but fortunately the injured one was not his favorite sword arm. Ceit regretted having to say goodbye to her closest friend, but Tavish reassured her with a promise to bring them back in the spring, and Laird and Lady Sutherland promised to have Isla travel with them whenever they visited the Sinclairs.
The last three days of travel were a mixture of galloping and racing across open glens, weaving through hilly passages, and breaks to make love under the sun and stars. Ceit had never been happier than she was during the time spent with Tavish. The fears that kept her going were no longer a burden. She was free to enjoy the surrounding people without worrying about what she should or should not say or listening for subterfuge in every conversation. Tavish observed the change in Ceit, the lightness in her step and her laugh, and mentioned as much.
“I find I’m well suit to being in love.”
“Then I shall try to keep ye permanent in state of bliss.”
Ceit laughed as they lay together alongside a fire on their last night before they reached Dunbeath.
“If ye do that, yer cock might shrivel up from overuse.”
“Nay. It is a muscle just like the rest of me. It only gets stronger with use.”
“Is that how it works?”
“Do ye care to test ma reasoning?”
“I would.”
Their banter had less sting than their earliest encounters, but they both enjoyed the verbal sparring. Each jovial disagreement or battle of wills brought them closer to one another.
I never imagined I would see the day when I would be lost without the presence of one particular lady. I never guessed I would pine when we are apart and rejoice when we are together. I should have listened to ma family. I should have kenned they couldnae all be wrong and I the only one right. But I am a vera blessed mon to have received such a surprising gift as the lass in ma arms. Heavenly Father, I owe Ye a multitude of thanksgiving. Ye have blessed me many times over with ma family and living through each battle, but this is the greatest gift ever given to me. I will strive to be the mon she deserves every day for the rest of our lives together. Be it earthly or heavenly.
“What are ye musing aboot? Ye are solemn suddenly.”
“I was thanking God for bringing ye into ma life, for the opportunity to cherish ye.”
“Brodie, I treasure yer affections. And ye must have the same thoughts as me for I find maself often speaking to God aboot how happy ye make me.”
Ceit and Tavish rode out early that morning eager to reach Dunbeath before the midday meal. As they crested the final hill before reaching the keep, four horses charged towards them. Ceit reined in and looked around in desperation, fearful that history was repeating itself and they would have to flee. The mountainous wall of men that charged towards them made her panic which made Whisky dance about.
“Ceity, it’s only ma brothers come to greet us.”
“But there are four coming.”
“Tristan is with them.”
Ceit nodded as she patted Whisky, attempting to calm him as much as calm herself.
“Aboot time ye returned, little brother,” Alexander boomed.
Ceit dashed a glance at Tavish to see his reaction. She remembered how he received her comment about being a little man.
“I wasna in any hurry to share ma bonnie bride with the likes of ye.”
“Och, so ye married. Magnus told us as much, but we were sure he was telling tales. We were certain ye would flee,”
“Ye have the subtlety of a stuck boar, Callum.”
“Brodie, it isnae aught I hadnae already figured out or that ye hadnae already told me.”
At Ceit’s reassurance, Tavish reached out and pulled her onto the saddle in front of him.
“Brodie? Does she believe she married someone other than Tavish Sinclair? Is that how ye convinced her?”
Tavish grumbled as Ceit giggled.
“Tavish has had a colorful past, and nae one I like to be reminded of. I wanted something he hadnae shared with anyone else, so I call him Brodie since nay one else does.”
Ceit’s explanation came with an easy shrug, and the brothers looked at one another before looking at the happy couple.
“Bluidy hell,” Alex muttered.
“That isnae the half of it,” Callum muttered back.
“Shite,” Tristan chimed in.
Magnus hooted with laughter, and Ceit looked perplexed.
“Callum and Tristan, and Alex to an extent, have pasts they would rather didna bother their wives. Magnus has been more of a monk than a mon,” Tavish smirked at his younger brother, “for the past seven years, so he has nay past to forget. These three arenae going to hear the end of it once yer little habit makes its way to their wives’ ears. We shall all be renamed by the end of the midday meal.”
Callum, Tristan, and Alex exchanged looks of pretend disgust while Magnus continued to laugh.
“Dinna let them fool ye, Ceity. They’re all just as besotted with their wives as I am with ye. They’d let their wives call them aught they want so long as they keep calling.”
Ceit laughed along with Magnus as they rode to the keep. The bailey was full of people, and four beautiful women stood on the steps next to a bear of a man who was obviously the mold by which the four brothers had been cast. Three of the women had children with them while Deirdre, who she recognized, rested her hands on her slightly swollen belly.
Tavish playfully punched Magnus in the arm as they reigned to a stop.
“Made up for lost time awfully fast.”
Magnus beamed as his long legs ate up the ground to stand beside Deirdre. Tavish looked to Alex next.
“Brighde’s had the bairn already? I wasna gone all that long.”
“Several weeks, and she was near her time when ye set off.”
“True enough.” Tavish looked to his brother by marriage. “Tristan, how is Mairghread?”
“Tired. Between Wee Liam heading in every direction and the bairn she’s growing, she has little time to rest.”
“And a demanding husband to boot.” Tavish winked at his brother by marriage. Once an enemy to the Sinclairs, Tristan was now the fifth brother with coloring like the Sinclair men.
The men and Ceit approached the steps, and each husband sought his wife. Separated for only the time it took to ride out to greet Ceit and Tavish along with the time to ride back, each couple kissed as though they had been torn apart for days. Laird Sinclair beamed at his children and casually turned away to indulge them. He remembered how he was all those years ago with his own wife. He hoped that like him, his children never outgrew their passionate reunions with their soulmates.
“Lady Cathryn, it is a pleasure to welcome ye to Castle Dunbeath and to the Clan Sinclair. Please come inside. I’m sure it has been a long journey, and Tavish’s head looks a little worse for wear with those nearly faded bruises. I’m sure there is a tale to tell.”
“Da, I would see Ceit settled in our chambers before we launch into our tales of woe.”
The four couples and Laird Sinclair came to a standstill as nine pairs of eyebrows reached nine sets of hairlines.
“Dinna act surprised. There isnae a Sinclair mon among us who hasnae handfasted before receiving a blessing at the kirk. Why should I be any different?”
“Ye’re married? Already?”
Tavish was not surprised that Mairghread was the first to recover. His sister stared at him then at Ceit then him again. She doubled over, and Tristan panicked. He glared at Tavish as he helped his expecting wife to stand back up. She slapped his hands away as her hands covered her rounded belly which bounced with each of her gales of laughter. Mairghread walked to Alexander and stuck her hand out. They all watched as it was Alexander’s turn to glare at Tavish. He reluctantly pulled a dirk from his waist and handed it hilt first to Mairghread.
“Ye bet on me?” Tavish blustered.
“Of course, and it would bluidy well be Mairghread who won.” Callum leaned around his wife and Alexander to look at Mairghread. “I would swear she cheats if I wasna scared of her gutting me like a Friday fish.”
Mairghread responded by sticking out her tongue then holding the dagger up to the light before wiping away imaginary smudges with her sleeve.
“We have a dirk we have been betting with since we were little more than weans. Whoever wins gets to hold on to the dirk until they lose a bet. Mairghread has kept the dirk the longest. She kept it for nearly eighteen moons once, and we were convinced she must be a seer. Turns out she is the most patient and observant of us all.”
Ceit smiled as she watched the way the four brothers and one sister were so comfortable with one another. She missed her sisters and brother more than she had during her entire time at court.
“We will visit them soon. I promise.” Tavish dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
Ceit leaned into him enjoying his fresh scent and how he already read her mind. They followed the others into the keep, and Tavish took her to the chamber they would now share. She looked around and realized that it suited him well. It had the necessary comforts but with no frills or unnecessary clutter. They remained only long enough to freshen themselves before reappearing in the Great Hall.
“Da, I would have Father Peter marry us as soon as possible.”
“I have already spoken to him. After what Magnus described, I made a beeline to ask the priest to be ready as soon as ye returned. He will wed ye at sunset. We shall eat and then let the ladies do what they must to prepare.”
Sunset presented the bailey with streaks of pinks and purples with hints of blue and gold woven through. Ceit bathed and accepted a gown Mairghread lent her. Her new sisters helped her style her hair and kept her company until it was time to join the men and walk to the kirk. Despite being married to Tavish for more than a fortnight, she was nervous to marry before the kirk and his entire clan.
Tavish stepped forward and reached out his hand. He took Ceit’s and kissed her knuckles before pulling her in for a long slow kiss.
“That is supposed to happen after the priest says amen.”
Tavish looked at Magnus’s smirk and offered him one in return.
“Just cause ma wife canna keep her hands off me doesnae mean ye have to be sour.”
Tavish turned back to Ceit and pecked her.
“Are ye ready, mo sheillean beag?”
“Vera, mo dhìonair.”
The family walked through the giant double doors and down the steps to the bailey. The clan was gathered together and parted as the laird led his children, by birth and by marriage, towards the kirk. Clan members separated along the path, but a buxom brunette caught Ceit’s eye. Her smile was genuine, but the way she looked at Tavish was more familiar than Ceit liked. She wondered who she was and tried to wrack her memory if Tavish told her about any women from his past that were clan members. As they neared the brunette, she waved to Tavish. Ceit looked to him only to realize he was looking at Ceit and had not noticed the woman. Ceit tilted her head in the woman’s direction, and Tavish looked up. His smile faded a bit before he looked back down at Ceit. She saw a flash of worry cross his face, but when they came even to the woman, she smiled even more.
“I wish ye both happy, Tavish.”
They had no choice but to stop when the brunette stepped forward.
“Thank ye, Isabella.”
Ceit looked between the two, her heart racing.
Nae on ma wedding day. Canna I have him to maself for one day? Canna I be his and he mine alone for one day?
“Lady Cathryn, ye have made Tavish a lucky mon. I havenae ever seen him look at a lass the way he does ye. He is fortunate to have yer love.”
Ceit smiled tightly. She was confused and not sure if she had received a compliment.
“Tavish, it shall be ma turn to walk to the kirk next,” Isabella said cheerfully.
Tavish looked confused, and Ceit was uncomfortable.
“Aye,” Isabella reached behind her and pulled someone forward. “David asked at last, and I said aye. Ye being away gave him the gumption to ask. He said he was fed up of being jealous.”
She laughed merrily and kissed a tall young man on the cheek. Ceit commiserated with the young man. Tavish led Ceit forward with a little more haste than was due a wedding march.
“I only flirted with the lass. I dinna ken if ye remember, but I told ye aboot her. Her father is a clan elder. I never touched her. I havenae touched any of the lasses outside the tavern.” Tavish rushed to explain.
Ceit nodded mutely as her stomach slid back down from her throat. They reached the kirk steps, and Father Peter cleared his throat.
“A moment if ye will, Father.” Tavish whispered.
The priest looked confused but nodded. He was the one to baptize Tavish and was among the many who never anticipated seeing the man marry, at least not by choice.
“Ceity, I didna even wonder aboot her being here. I didna even ken she had set her cap on another lad. I flirted with her to pass the time. Now I understand she did it to make another mon jealous. I rather understand now how horrible it is to be used.” Tavish shook his head as his brow furrowed. When he seemed to work through whatever flashed through his mind, he looked up at Ceit again. “Ma past makes me appreciate ye all the more. I understand what a jewel I have found in ye after far too many shiny baubles. When I try to remember a past that was nae even a moon ago, I canna recall any faces or names. It’s a blur that only becomes clear when I picture ye. Ye are who I was meant to find. I wasna ready to be a proper husband to any woman until ye came into ma life. I am glad I waited for ye.”
Ceit blinked away tears as she looked at the man she loved with a devotion that defied her understanding or her ability to explain. It was as though the world came right when she met Tavish. She squeezed his hands as she smiled up at him.
“If I am a jewel, then ye are the jeweler who helps me shine. Ye bring out many sides of me, some nae the best, but most are. We both have things in our pasts, different as they may be, that we would rather nae remember. The pain and fear I lived with is now that same blur as ye describe. Ma light and guide are ye as ma future becomes clear. We stand side by side. I am glad I waited for ye, too.”
They turned to the priest who began the blessing. Since they were already married for all intents and purposes, everyone agreed that a full wedding mass was not needed. They would exchange vows and receive the church’s seal on their sacrament of marriage.
“Tavish, ye may state yer vows first, lad.” Father Peter smiled at him. There were few people who would dare to call the barrel-chested warrior lad. Father Peter was among that handful.
“I, Tavish Brodie Eòin Sinclair, pledge to Cathryn Eithne Sinclair,” Tavish paused when Father Peter cleared his throat. “Comyn, by the power that Christ brought from heaven, mayst ye love me. As the sun follows its course, mayst ye follow me. As light to the eye, as bread to the hungry, as joy to the heart. May yer presence be with me, oh one that I love, ‘til death comes to part us asunder. Mayst we find one another in the grace of God and the Heavenly Host. To ye, Ceity Sinclair, I plight ma troth.”
Ceit beamed at Tavish, and he was blinded by the radiance of their love.
“I, Cathryn Eithne Comyn Sinclair,” Ceit smiled at Father Peter who turned a deaf ear, “would ask ye, Lord, to help Tavish Brodie Eòin Sinclair and I remember when we first met and the strong love that grows between us. To work that love into all that we are so that naught can divide us. We ask for words both kind and loving and hearts always ready to ask forgiveness as well as to forgive. Dear Lord, we put our marriage into your hands. To ye, Brodie Sinclair, I plight ma troth.”
Tavish’s handsome face had never looked happier than in that moment as Ceit promised her life to become one with his. They sealed their union with a kiss that neither was willing to rush.
“I love ye,” they murmured together, “forever. This life and the next.”
They walked with their family and the clan to the Great Hall. Hagatha and Elspeth had transformed it in preparation for a feast. Tavish looked around for the two women, sisters, who had been part of his life since he drew his first breath. Hagatha, their head of household, and Elspeth, their chief cook, stood together beside the dais. He pulled each woman in for a hug and a peck on the cheek.
“Thank ye for giving ma Ceit a proper welcome and wedding feast. I dinna ken how ye did it, and I am sorry ye couldnae be at the ceremony.”
“Laddie, we were,” smiled Hagatha as she and Elspeth both wiped tears from their eyes. “Ye two were whispers to one another long enough for us to make it out there and see the entire ceremony.”
“Ceit, I would have ye meet the two women that raised us when our mama passed away. They are as much a part of our family as we are to one another. Hagatha and Elspeth, I would have ye meet Lady Ceit.”
“It’s Ceit to any woman who had a hand in making Tavish into the mon he is today. And if it were in ma powers to do so, I would give a month of Sundays off for that was nay small feat.”
“Och, she’s a right keeper, this one. Ye’ve done well for yerself. At last,” cackled Hagatha.
“I didna expect I would live this long, but the final Sinclair has met his match,” Elspeth made the sign of the cross over her heart but grinned the entire time.
“Ye would paint me in such a poor light in front of ma bride?”
“Haud yer wheesht and dinna fash like a bodach,” Ceit tickled his ribs.
“We shall see if ye still call me an auld mon later this eve.” Tavish tapped her on the backside as he escorted her to the dais.
Once everyone was seated, Laird Liam Sinclair stood looking out at his clan. His mind drifted to his long-dead wife, Kyla, and he wished for the millionth time she was present to see their children and their families. He felt his age for the first time and acknowledged he was not the same young man who stood in this hall the day of his marriage. He longed to join his wife again, but as he looked around, he anticipated many more grandchildren to greet before it would be his turn to reunite with his soulmate. He raised his dram of whisky, and the Hall quietened.
“We welcome ye, Ceit, into the Clan Sinclair. We put the past behind us, we join as one family, we stand in unity to love and protect one another. May God bless this marriage and all yer children today and the end of time. Commit thy work to God.”
At the sound of their clan motto, cheers erupted as cups pounded the tables and feet stomped the floor. Liam Sinclair looked down at his children once more and smiled.
“There is nay luckier father than I. I have all of ma children at ma table with their bairns and the ones on the way. I couldnae ask for aught more. I love ye all, and I ken Mama sends her love as she watches over us all.”
The meal crept along for both Ceit and Tavish. Each time their arms brushed against one another or their knees bumped together, an electric charge coursed through them. Tavish was out of patience by the time the third course started. He pushed back his chair and took Ceit’s hand. She stood and looked at him with a clear question in her mind.
“Good night.”
Tavish said no more as he led Ceit from the dais to cheers from his clan. When a few bawdy comments flowed to his ears, he paused and glared. The comments ended, but the laughter started.
“Comeuppance.”
“By the bollocks.”
“Lucky devil.”
Ceit giggled as Tavish practically tugged her up the stairs. Halfway up, his patience frayed entirely, and he lifted her into his arms as the entire Great Hall sounded as though it exploded with deafening laughter.
“That does it. We are getting a ruddy croft like Magnus and Deirdre. Too many damn people here.”
Tavish carried Ceit to their chamber and paused when he saw the candles lit and smelt the flower blossoms added to the rushes. Someone had turned the bed down, and the fire was blazing. His heart softened when he realized the extent of Hagatha’s and Elspeth’s love for him.
“Dinna let me forget to thank them when we go back down in a few days.”
“A few days? And who? Was this yer sisters by marriage?”
“A few days is the soonest I’m letting ye out of ma reach. And ma sister and sisters by marriage might have helped, but I am certain it was Hagatha and Elspeth.”
“How do ye ken?”
“The lemongrass.”
“I dinna understand.”
“Lemongrass was Mama’s favorite scent, so it is mine. Da has fresh bouquets in his chamber and has since the day they wed. Only Hagatha and Elspeth ken it’s ma favorite.”
“I had nay idea.”
“Nay one does because I’ve refused to be near aught that smells like it.” Tavish swallowed and smiled wistfully, “Until now. They understood.”
“I’m nae sure I do.” Ceit slid her hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck. She looked into her husband’s whisky colored eyes that mesmerized her every time she looked into them.
Tavish slid his arms around her and rested his cheek on her head.
“Do ye remember that day when we stopped along the roadside, and I explained that I feared losing another woman I loved?”
“Aye.”
“Elspeth and Hagatha are reminding me that those who pass before us arenae really lost. It’s what they told me when I was a grieving lad who couldnae accept his mama was really gone. They’re telling me it’s alright to love.”
Ceit ran her finger through the hair at his collar.
“Then I am glad ye have chosen me.”
She tilted up her head for his kiss. They undressed one another without any hurry before climbing into bed. Unlike their passionate race to the finish the first time they consummated their commitment to one another, this was leisurely. It was an exploration of love and desire blended to form an invisible bond that time would never sever.
True to his word, Tavish and Ceit did not leave their chamber for three days. This time both were very hale and hearty while sequestered away. It was only a sense of obligation that forced them from their love nest.