Page 122 of The Flame and the Forsaken

“Then you’re up to something.” Her eyes narrowed to suspicious slits. “You are, aren’t you?”

He lifted his shoulders. Grinned. Her easy read of him lightened the trepidation some.

“You miscreant.” She jabbed him with her shoulder. “Are you going to make me look bad when my gift to you is underwhelming?”

“Depends. What’s your gift?”

“No point in waiting anymore, I ken.” Mariel’s gaze traveled to the raised dais on the other end of the veranda. She winked, handing Erran her glass of wine, and broke away in that direction.

Khallum, chatting with Samuel and his father nearby, excused himself from his own conversation and started off after her.

“Everyone, hush!” Hamish’s booming command echoed from one end of the veranda to the other. “Your lord has sum’ to say!”

Khallum smirked at him and stepped onto the dais. “I see all the glossed eyes out there, so I’ll keep this short. A little over five years ago, most of ye came here and witnessed a most enchanting takedown of our beloved Errandil, by the tongue of his beautiful lass right here. She told usallabout his prolific freckles. His dubious and inconsistent salt-and-sand brogue.”

Everyone laughed.

Khallum opened one arm and Mariel stepped into it, blushing. “I ken she’s changed her mind a bit, as she’s asked to start over and tell us what shereallyloves about a man she couldnae have possibly wed by accident, for she’s done it twice now. Mariel?”

Erran had no idea whether his lovely wife was about to offer an even more impressive assessment of his weaknesses or something entirely different, but he was strangely excited to find out.

“You look green, mate. You shouldn’t.” Samuel chuckled, stepping in beside him.

“Aye? And what do you know about this?”

Samuel nodded for him to listen.

“Thank you, Khallum. I...” Mariel breathed in through a small gap in her mouth. She glanced nervously to the side. “Well, I ken I should start by telling you all how little I thought of my husband the last time I stood here.” She chuckled nervously, and the guests followed suit. “Perhaps an unnecessary clarification, if you were here. Made a bit of an arse of myself actually.”

“Tell us about his freckles again!” Augustine hollered.

“He has more than his share of those,” Mariel said. “I’m nay good at this, so I’ll just say what I came to say and then everyone can return to enjoying their ale and boar.” She shuffled in place, her gaze on her feet. “Years ago, I wassupposedto tell you all one thing I loved about Erran. Seeing as I did not love a single thing about him at the time...” More laughter brought a touch of a smile to her pale, anxious face. “I could not. But now...” She looked up, her lips parting. Her mossy eyes glistened. “I find the question is still impossible, for there’s nothing I don’t love about my husband. I could tell you all about his kindness. His gentle patience with our very strong-willed girls. His eagerness to teach others of the many valuable things he knows. A work ethic that exceeds what’s expected of him. The way he knows when to speak and when to listen. His full and giving heart that never runs out of capacity.” Mariel wiped her eyes with a brief chuckle. “Aye, but you all just want to hear about his freckles, right?”

Cheers and stomps rippled across the stones.

Blood rushed to Erran’s face. He glanced at Samuel, who had a handkerchief to his own eyes, but there was nothing to say.

“Too bad.” Mariel grinned. “For they’re all mine.” She found Erran and held his gaze with a soft, sleepy smile. “Every last one.”

He couldn’t wait to take her to bed. To press his flesh to hers until two were one, to feel her heart beat against his, their own flutter of harmony.

But there was something else he had to do first.

“I love you, Erran. You already know this, but I ken it was time everyone else hear it too. Just this once anyway.” She nodded at Khallum and marched away with her head down so the others wouldn’t see what Erran had, that she was overwhelmed and crying.

Khallum moved back to the dais. “Erran, any amendments to make to your own statement from the past? Ken to tell us what ye love about this lass?”

Erran couldn’t take his eyes off his wife. “There’s nothing to say!” he shouted, his urgency for her swelling with her every step. “For I love feckin’everythingabout this woman.”

Mariel folded into his embrace, set to a chorus ofahhs. “I had so much more I wanted to say,” she said, lamenting into his chest. “But I got nervous.”

“Oh, love.” Erran smashed a kiss atop her head and crushed her close. The girls joined them in the hug, and he tucked them neatly in. He was often asked if he was disappointed he didn’t have a male heir, but his answer was always the same.I have everything I could ever need. I will never want for more.“My girls. My lasses.”

“Daddy, did you show her?” Agnes asked. She tugged on his arm.

“Even the girls know?” Mariel peeled back with a suspicious look.

“They wanted to help.” Erran ruffled both of his daughters’ heads. Agnes frowned and smoothed her mussed hair down. “Remy and Auggie helped as well. Des. Mother. Father. Sam. Hamish.”

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