Timeless Mist (33 page)

"Aye, I ha'e seen him gi'e
ye more than enough of those looks to make me envious, lass."

"Did
n't
your husband ever look at you
like
that
?"

"Oh, aye,
quite
often. Which is why I
am envious." Her eyes twinkled as she winked at Kris. "Come on wi' ye
then. We must get ye into Sorcha's rooms afore Iain decides to pop his head out
here and sees ye. 'Tis bad luck ye know."

Kris nodded, looked around quick
ly
then scurried off to join
Sorcha for breakfast.

"Good morrow,
Kristianna." Sorcha greeted her. "You're up bright and ear
ly
this morn
ing
. Is there a particular
reason for you look
ing
so excited?"

Kris giggled and kissed Sorcha on
the cheek. "Now I know where your son gets it from."

Sorcha laughed. "You
have
a glow this morn
ing
, Kris."

"Hmmm. I wonder why?" Kris
tapped her chin thoughtful
ly
,
"could it be
that
I'm gett
ing
married
today?"

"Aye,
that
may just be the cause
of it."

Both the women collapsed in a fit
of giggles. Elsbeth looked at them and shook her head at their foolishness, but
smiled just the same.

"Would ye two care to eat? Or
do ye suppose ye will make it through the festivities on just your giddiness?"

"We'll eat." Sorcha
said.

"I do
n't
think I'll be able to eat much,
Elsie," Kris informed her, "I'm too nervous. I think just some bread
and cheese for me this morn
ing
."

"I'll see to it then." She
looked at Sorcha, "and ye be
have
yourself this morn, my lady. Today is an important day for lady Kristianna and
I willnae ha'e it ruined by ha'
ing
ye upset her. Understood."

Sorcha grew serious and gave
Elsie a mock salute.

"Humph." Elsie strolled
out the door.

"I will
not
br
ing
the subject up today of
all days, Kris. You need
n't
fear
that
."

"Thank you, Sorcha. I'm
nervous enough at the moment."

"After the ceremony today,
you and Iain will be alone for the week."

"For the entire week?"

Sorcha nodded.

"Why?"

"Because it will be your
honeymoon, sil
ly
."

"Oh, of course. I did
n't
think about
that
. Iain and I
haven't
really
talked about any of
that
.
Not
since before when he
suggested a handfast
ing
to begin with. Then he told me the marriage need
not
be consummated if I did
n't
wish it."

"Well of course it
has
to be consummated, Kris.
Did
n't
you realize
tradition dictates
that
the elders see the marriage sheets?"

Kris gasped. "You're kidd
ing
?"

"No, actual
ly
, I'm
not
. It's the way it's done
in the Highlands. And the clan elders will be especial
ly
keen on see
ing
yours and Iain's if on
ly
because they think you are English."

"Oh dear." Kris put her
head down on the table with a thunk. "I never even thought of
that
." She mumbled. Then
she raised her head. "I wonder what Iain
had
planned then, when he assured me
that
it did
n't
need to be
consummated."

Sorcha shrugged. "He must
have
had
someth
ing
in mind, but I could
n't
say what."

"Well, it seems as if we are
both keep
ing
secrets."

Sorcha laughed. "On
ly
his are
n't
quite
as bad as yours, now are they?"

"No, I do
n't
suppose they are." Kris
waved a dismissive hand. "Today I want to play Scarlett O'hara."

Sorcha quirked a question
ing
brow at her.

"I'll think about
that
tomorrow." She
grinned from ear to ear.

Sorcha could
n't
help a
not
her chuckle. "If
that
's the way you wish it,
then so be it." She smiled.

*          *          *

Iain woke the morn
ing
of his handfast
ing
and breathed a sigh of
relief. Mayhap this one he would actual
ly
get to the ceremony without find
ing
out someth
ing
dire
about her first. Such as, she
was
in love with someone else or
that
she
had
betrayed him
to his enemies.

 Aye, Kristianna would
not
do
that
to him, of
that
he
was
certain. Although he
still sensed she
had
a
secret or two, he
was
fair
ly
certain it
would
n't
be as big as
her be
ing
from the
future. He smiled to himself. He could still scarce believe it.

How
had
the men of her time missed her? True, with
her red hair and smatter
ing
of freckles, she
wasn't
a classic beauty, such as the kind the minstrels warbled on about, but she
possessed a fire and a passion
that
he could
n't
seem to
resist.

And she
was
definite
ly
not
too hard on the
eyes. Hers
was
a
beauty
that
one on
ly
saw when they spent time
with her and got to know her.

She
had
a wonderful wit and could speak with
knowledge on many subjects. He'd seen some of her sketches and her artistic
talent
was
someth
ing
of a wonder to him. With
a shake of his head, he rose and dressed.

"Enter," he called at a
rap on his door. "Ahh, Raibert, good. Is e'eryth
ing
in readiness?"

"It is. The hall
has
been transformed, laird.
I dinnae think ye will recognize it." He grinned. "'Tis a good th
ing
ye are do
ing
in ha'
ing
this elaborate handfast
ing
, laird. The clan needs
someth
ing
to celebrate
and now ha'e a reason."

"Aye, there ha'e been too
many sorrows in the recent months and years. They need a chance to forget for a
bit all the troubles
that
plague us just now." He glance up from buckl
ing
on his sword, "Do ye ha'e the necessary items?"

Raibert nodded, "aye. The
bind
ing
cord is in readiness
as is the rosette pin and the plaid. And my
màthair
has
already been down
to the Greathall to inspect the cook's offer
ing
s."
He chuckled, "'tis a verra good th
ing
that
they get along so
well, otherwise I think the cook would ha'e bashed my poor wee
màthair
on the head wi'
that
roll
ing
pin she is so fond of
brandish
ing
about
like
a weapon. I swear, she
is more dangerous wi'
that
th
ing
than if she
had
a sword."

Iain laughed. "Aye, ye ha'e
that
aright."

"I just came to see if ye
needed anyth
ing
and to
gi'e ye an update of the scout's reports."

"Ahh, aye. Ha'e they anyth
ing
to report then?"

"Nay.
Not
h
ing
of consequence for the now. They ha'e made
the rounds of the entire area, but ha'e seen
not
h
ing
as of yet."

Iain sighed in relief. He wanted
not
h
ing
to ruin this day for Kristianna and
had
they
had
to begin fortify
ing
the keep,
that
would most certain
ly
have
put a damper on the day.

"'Tis good then. Ha'e the
men make sure there is always someone keep
ing
watch for the now. 'Tis nay a good time to grow lax in our stance."

"Nay. I will see to
it."

"And while ye are at it, see
if ye can br
ing
me
someth
ing
to break my
fast."

"Aye, we wouldnae want ye to
be short on energy this day." He laughed as Iain took a sw
ing
at him, and ducked out
the door.

*          *          *

Elsbeth poked her head into
Sorcha's rooms before the usual mid-day meal would take place. Today, it would
be a bit late because of the celebration. Sorcha told Kris the cook
had
been up since ear
ly
morn
ing
prepar
ing
and bak
ing
for the festivity.

"She's been in her glory,
happy to
have
a reason
to cook all the delicacies I've taught her over the years. There
hasn't
been much of a chance
in recent years to cook them, but she does love it."

"Are ye ready then,
lass?" Elsbeth asked.

Kris glanced at Sorcha who
nodded. "I guess so. I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"You look love
ly
, Kris. You will take his
breath away, trust me."

"All I know is
that
if the butterflies do
n't
quit do
ing
a jig in my stomach,
I'll never be able to eat all those wonderful th
ing
s
the cook is mak
ing
."

"You'll be fine, trust
me," Sorcha told her with a hug. "I must go down. I will see you in
the Greathall. Give me five minutes, then follow." She glanced at Elsbeth,
"come on with you, Elsie, lass. We
had
best be gett
ing
down
there before Iain decides to come find us all."

She winked at Kris, linked arms
with Elsbeth and strolled out the door.

Alone, Kris took a deep breath
and held it, try
ing
desperate
ly
to calm
her jittery nerves. She could do this, she knew she could. But oh, how she
wished her fami
ly
were
here. Hailey would
have
been beside herself
with excitement, help
ing
to plan e
very
th
ing
with Sorcha.

A tear escaped down her cheek but
she brushed it away impatient
ly
.
She would
not
cry
today of all days. She loved Iain and she
was
marry
ing
him. And she
prayed
that
someday,
he would feel the same about her. She knew he cared, but did
n't
know how much or even if
it
was
just the
natural car
ing
of a
man who
was
the head
of a large, powerful clan.

She would
not
think over
ly
much about what her fami
ly
was
miss
ing
today. She
was
here, and her fami
ly
was
four centuries away. There
was
not
h
ing
she could do about it, and think
ing
about it still hurt too much.

She squared her shoulders, took a
last look in Sorcha's mirror, and smiled. When she'd first seen her reflection,
she thought she
was
look
ing
at someone
else. Never
had
she
thought of herself as even
pretty
,
let alone beautiful. But the woman who stared back at her
was
just
that
.

She pinched her cheeks a bit to
br
ing
some color into
them lest she worry Iain by look
ing
too pale, then headed out of the room, firm
ly
clos
ing
the door on
her past in the future.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Iain waited
not
so patient
ly
at the Laird's table,
glanc
ing
none to
casual
ly
at the
stairs.

"Do
not
worry, Iain, she will be here."

He nodded to his
màthair
, but could
n't
help a
not
her look at the steps
before he looked elsewhere. Where
was
she?
Had
she changed
her mind?
Had
someth
ing
happened…he stopped
mid-thought at a noise. He looked up and saw all who
were
in the hall look
ing
in one direction. He followed their gazes
and inhaled sharp
ly
. Then
almost
forget to let
it out.

Kristianna stood at the doorway
to the upper floor, an absolute vision of loveliness. Never
had
he seen a
not
her look as beautiful. He
gave himself a mental shake, gathered his wits together and crossed the room to
meet her.

Tak
ing
her hand, he brought it to his lips.

Kris stared at him in awe. He
was
so handsome, so sexy, so
total
ly
male,
that
she near
ly
forgot to breathe. How
was
it possible
that
she
had
found the man of her
dreams, literal
ly
, and
he actual
ly
appeared
to care for her?

When he brought her hand to his
mouth, she held her breath again. Instead of plac
ing
a kiss on her knuckles, however, he turned her hand over and placed a kiss on
the inside of her wrist. The intimate gesture sent immediate shivers of
awareness through her body and she
had
a difficult time repress
ing
the quivers of delight and desire.

She curtseyed to him and let him
lead her to her place at the table. She bare
ly
not
iced as the entire
crowd in the Greathall rose. She vague
ly
heard them all sit again once she and Iain took their places. He did
not
allow her to sit yet. Instead,
he kept her hand in his and after glanc
ing
to the hall, he turned back to her and gazed into her eyes.

"My friends and fami
ly
," he said at last,
not
tak
ing
his gaze from hers,
"I welcome ye to this celebration. I ask ye all to bear witness to my
statement." He nodded to Raibert who produced a cord.

Iain took Kris' right hand in his
left and her left in his right as Raibert wrapped the cord around their wrists
several times, tied it snugg
ly
then stepped back a step or two.

"This cord represents the
bind
ing
of these two
people. May their love be as strong as these three cords
that
bind them
together."

"Kristianna Armstrong, today
I, Iain MacGregor, Laird of Clan MacGregor, take thee as my betrothed wife. I
vow to protect ye at all costs, to put ye above myself and to cherish ye above
all others."

Kris took a deep breath her mouth
was
so dry she wished
she
had
someth
ing
to drink.

Iain's brow rose a fraction when
she continued to stare at him without say
ing
anyth
ing
. He nodded
imperceptib
ly
.

"Iain MacGregor," she
began, licked her lips, swallowed, and continued, "of, um, oh, Laird of
Clan MacGregor, today, I Kristianna," she hesitated and swallowed again,
"Armstrong, take thee as my betrothed husband. I vow to protect you at all
costs, to put you above myself and to cherish you above all others." She
smiled when Iain chuckled.

Then she forgot e
very
th
ing
else for Iain kissed
her, his tongue send
ing
shivers of desire rac
ing
through her again. For a long while, his mouth continued to explore hers until
a smatter
ing
of
laughter reached her dulled brain. She pulled away, her cheeks flam
ing
.

The people clapped and cheered
loud
ly
as Sorcha stood
in the center of them, hold
ing
their bounds hands.

When the noise final
ly
died down, she said,
"Kristianna, I welcome ye to the clan MacGregor. Know
that
this union
has
my bless
ing
." She kissed Kris
on the cheek. "I present ye wi' this pin and plaid of our clan. May ye
wear them wi' pride and honor." She then presented them as handfasted to
more applause.

"Can we untie this cord
now?" Kris whispered. "I think Raibert got a bit carried away because
my hand is go
ing
numb."

Sorcha laughed and nodded as she
untied the cord bind
ing
them together.

"We are now well and tru
ly
handfasted, lass." Iain
whispered in her ear.

"Now, we ha'e the
celebration." Sorcha said, as she moved back to her place at the table. She
nodded to a group sitt
ing
just below them and Kris
was
surprised when they rose and went to the far end of the Greathall. There, they
retrieved what looked
like
instruments and began to play.

Kris shot Iain a look of delight.
"Will you teach me some of the dances later?"

"Ye
like
to dance?"

Kris nodded with enthusiasm.

"Aye, then I shall endeavor
to teach ye some of our dances." He smiled at her. "I ha'e a gift for
ye."

"Oh?"

Iain nodded and dug in his
sporran. "'Tis a little someth
ing
I
had
made for this
occasion. I hope it pleases ye."

Kris looked down and then back up
at Iain again, tears prick
ing
her eyes. He held a r
ing
out to her. The stone
was
blue, with tiny diamonds on either side of it. She held out her hand to him and
he slipped it on her f
ing
er.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Ha'e I made ye unhappy
then,
that
ye would
weep?"

Kris shook her head. "No,"
she whispered, unable to stop the tears. "On the contrary, I do
n't
think I've ever been
this happy before." She flung her arms around him and held on. "Thank
you, Iain."

He returned her embrace, plac
ing
a kiss close to her ear.

"I
have
a gift for you, as well." She said,
pull
ing
away and smil
ing
at him.

Iain looked at her in surprise,
for she too
had
a r
ing
for him. The r
ing
shocked him, for it
was
quite
well made. It
was
large with the MacGregor badge etched into
it, a tiny green gem used for the lion's eye.

"Do you
like
it?"

"I dinnae know what to say. Aye,
I
like
it verra
much." Iain glanced at her and smiled again. "I willnae be able to
wear it all the time, ye understand."

Kris nodded and waved away his
concern. "I realize
that
.
If you wore it while train
ing
,
it might get in the way. I just thought you might
like
it for special occasions and such. You
know, of course,
that
it's traditional to exchange r
ing
s
at a wedd
ing
."

"Of course. 'Tis the same in
this time, lass. 'Tis nay always done at a handfast
ing
as
that
is much akin to a betrothal ceremony. But I cannae tell ye how pleased I am
that
ye would gift me wi'
this."

"I
have
a
not
her
gift for you as well."

"Kris, ye need
n't
…"

"It's just someth
ing
I've been work
ing
on in my spare time and
thought you might
like
to
have
it. I finished
it and thought it would be a
nice
surprise for you. Would you
like
it now or would you rather wait until we're alone?"

"Is it someth
ing
that
should wait until we are alone?" he
countered, a lascivious look in his eye.

"Oh, you…" Kris shook
her head, feel
ing
her
cheeks grow warm. "No, it's someth
ing
e
very
one can
see." She nodded to a couple of guards who left but returned quick
ly
. They carried a large,
flat th
ing
between
them, covered in a sheet.

Sorcha looked at Kris who smiled
back at her.

"What is
that
, Kristianna?"

"You'll see in a
minute." Kris rose from her chair and walked down to where the men stood. "I
hope you
like
it." She said to Iain, then removed the sheet.

Iain stood and gasped at the
portrait of himself. In it, he stood with his arms crossed in front of his
chest, his face stern but with a small, confident smirk.

"Lass." He said as he
moved to stand beside her, examin
ing
the picture more close
ly
.
"I ne'er knew ye
were
such an artist."

"Aye, Kris," Sorcha
rose from her seat as well, "ye do
have
a talent. It looks just
like
him."

"You
like
it then?" She'd
had
doubts about paint
ing
it, especial
ly
when she'd looked at the
finished product and realized it
was
the one she'd seen hang
ing
in the hallway in the twentieth century. She'd
had
no idea at
that
time
that
she'd been the one to
paint it.

"Aye, lass," Iain
nodded and hugged her. "We shall hang it here in the hall over the hearth
were
all may see it."

Kris embraced Iain, who left his
arm around her waist and led her back to the table. The celebrat
ing
began as the food
was
final
ly
brought out.

*          *          *

Several hours later, Kris found
herself ensconced with Iain in the bridal chamber.

"Are ye nervous, lass?"
Iain turned to Kris after see
ing
to the fire.

Kris chuckled, "a bit. It's
not
like
this is someth
ing
I've done before."

"Aye, lass, I know it. Mayhap
we should talk awhile. Although if
that
is your wish, may I suggest ye cover yourself wi'
that
robe." He grinned at her, with
undeniable interest.

Kris blushed and reached for the
robe. When Sorcha
had
brought her the silk nightgown, Kris
had
been unsure about it. White, with lace in all the right places, and a deep
v-neckline, it showed more than it hid.

"I thank ye again, lass, for
my gifts. More so because they
were
nae
expected."

Kris sat in the chair across from
him and smiled shy
ly
. Iain
had
no idea how to put
her at ease. He poured them each a goblet of wine then pulled her from her
seat.

"Come and sit here wi' me
awhile, wife."

Kris sat in his lap, tense and
very
unsure of herself.

Iain gent
ly
rubbed her back until he felt her relax
against him a bit. He kept up the steady motion of his hands as she reached for
her wine and sipped it. He
hadn't
watered it down tonight, hop
ing
it would help her settle down.

"Are ye happy,
Kristianna?"

She favored him with a smile,
"I am, Iain. More than I can tell you."

"'Tis glad I am to hear
that
." He hesitated. "I
know
that
I told ye
that
we wouldnae ha'e to
consummate this union, but I'm afraid 'twill ha'e to be done. I
had
forgotten about the
elders wish
ing
to see
the bridal sheets.

Kris licked her lips nervous
ly
and nodded.

"It need
n't
be done right away
though, lass. We will talk for a while, if
that
is acceptable to ye."

"It is." Kris agreed. It
would be much easier for her if she
had
an inkl
ing
of Iain's
feel
ing
s toward her. If
she knew
that
he cared
about her at least, then
that
would be so much the better.

She mental
ly
shrugged, her thoughts
not
really
on what the spoke of. All she could do
was
hope and pray
that
someday he would come
to love her as she loved him. For now, she decided, she would love him. She
would
n't
say the words
to him, but she would
n't
hide the fact from him anymore either. She would love him and show him
that
love and hopeful
ly
, when he realized it, saw
it for what it
was
, he
would reciprocate. She knew he cared about her and for now, she would let
that
be enough.